Understanding RED 

go back

For everybody who has a warm heart for the Red and Tortiepoint a few articles to improve and understand the breed better.

 

 

 

 

Understanding Red, Tortie & Cream

There appears to be a certain amount of confusion in these colours. Here is my attempt to clarify some of the misconceptions and misinterpretations which seem to abound. You may or may not agree. By John Hansson (Pannaduloa Cattery)

RED: Now these are the kittens in mixed litters which seem to glow. It is important to know from the beginning that Red is masking either Seal or Chocolate and this will ultimately play a part in their colouring, i.e. the intensity of the color the cat will become. Another very important early pointer is that they develop their color later than their Cream litter mates and their actual coat color is usually a much brighter white.

As Reds develop their color it appears to be a washed-in effect. Another sign of the color which is usually quite accurate is to look at the color at the top of the hock. The ears and the hock are usually the best indicators in the early stages. The tail and the mask do not always give a clear guide. Another notable point is that Reds normally have much paler legs than the remainder of the points, in some cases almost totally devoid of color, however some degree of color is usually discernible.

As the cats mature and develop it may appear that some are Red and others are Cream, because of the paleness of the points on some; however, this is probably due more to the fact of the Red masking either Seal or Chocolate.

Reds masking Seal are usually the ones with the much paler tone and it can take a very long time for them to develop any brightness and intensity. The rich bright Red on some kittens is a good indicator that these are Red masking Chocolate. These kittens are a very much more vivid color and will also be the ones to show some shading first, which does not look unattractive because of the brightness of the color. Although the Seal based Red tends to be a colder tone, one very important point to remember here is that a bad Red does not make a good Cream they are two distinct and different colours. If there is any doubt about the color it is usually a bad Red, as Cream is a much more definitive color.

Seal based Reds can indeed look very pale and almost Cream in tone (not color) so if in doubt look at the edges of the ears and the hocks. It is not a foolproof system, but they are the best indicators you have. Indeed there have been quite a few well known cats who have had to have their registrations changed (usually from Cream to Red, rather than the other way round!!!) over the years. We are all capable of making mistakes and no novice would be embarrassed to ask someone more experienced for some guidance, they make mistakes too, but it does not hurt to admit it.

Another indication ( if cat has not been used for breeding) to determine whether it is Seal or Chocolate based very often becomes apparent when the cat more mature. This is pigmentation spots, or freckles as they are sometimes called, found on the nose leather, gums, paw pads and eye area. In Seal based Red they are Black/Seal and very often more profuse, whereas on a Chocolate based Red they are a more muted Chocolate/Brown and not usually so obvious.

Tortie: Torties are often cats of illusion, of which I will try to explain more later. As kittens they are very often easy to pick out if you have a mixed litter which contains the possible permutations of solid and Tortie girls (i.e. solid male to Tortie female mating). The Tortie kittens, points tend to develop in bits/smudges which are going to be solid color i.e. Seal, Blue, Chocolate or Lilac, although Chocolate and Lilac cab be difficult in the early stages.

The ears are usually the first area to indicate that the kitten is a Tortie, being mottled as the color starts to develop. In the paw pads breaks of color can be seen, but this is not always the case, nor is it required by the Standard of Point (S.O.P.) as some people seem to think. A break of color in the paw pad is actually a break of color and this usually gets brighter as the kitten gets older.

Now we come to two more areas of illusion; a blaze, depending on where it is (also not required by the S.O.P.) can give the illusion of a cat having a better or worse profile than is really the case, so it must be viewed carefully. This also applies to the chin: if it is Cream or pale Red it can look very weak and shallow, yet if it is coloured it can look deeper and stronger than it actually is. If the color is broken, it can depend on which side it is viewed from, so careful observation is the watchword here, as opposed to a casual glance.

An important part of the Standard should be remembered here. It states and I quote: "Point need not be evenly broken but each point must show some break in color no matter how small". Therefor if judges writes " somewhat solid" or "point need to be more broken" it is a contradiction in term to what the Standard requires. i.e. " somewhat solid" implies that is not solid and therefor must be broken, and "need to be more broken" has already stated clearly that it is broken, therefor complies with the requirement of the Standard. It would be more acceptable to state "Points show only minimal break and I would like to see more break in color" or "Points rather too solid in color for my own taste and would be better with more Red/Cream.

Seal Tortie (Red based): As the darkest gene it is obviously going to show more degree of shading when mature (in general). They can also have a tendency to look even darker than they actually are, because the coat is interspersed with broken color, which makes the darker color appear more shaded than it really is (one of the Illusions). Again this is where the Red factor can show itself as being determined by the base color, as sometimes the Red areas may appear rather dull. Yet another factor can come into play here, because the Black point very often seen in Seal points with the cold grey coats manifests itself in Seal Tortie points by giving a Black and White as opposed to a Seal and Red. These I personally think do not look very attractive, as the color is very cold looking, with no brightness or warmth in the points, and grey dirty looking shades bodies, which do not conform to the S.O.P.

Blue Tortie (Cream based): Blue Torties have a tendency out of all the Torties to look muddiest when kittens, although if you manage to get the correct soft Blue tone, the coat usually clears by the time the kitten is about 16 weeks old. These kittens are also normally the ones to have the correct Cream in their breaks of color.

Like their solid counterparts there are also some Slate Blue Tortie points; these kittens usually show a cold grey overcast to their coats, with the Cream areas being very hot in color, which emphasised the slattey points color. It is for the same reason that they generally show the heaviest degree of shading of all Torties. One very strange occurrence happens with Blues. the area of hair growth on the ears is almost absent, with just a leathery effect when the cat has reached maturity in the Blue areas, whereas the Cream growth of hair is of normal length.

Chocolate Tortie (Red based): Even if the darker toned Chocolate, these kittens from the Tortie series are usually the brightest in color. The same remarks apply their development of points. The Red areas can take longer to break fully in this color and, as in the Reds masking Chocolate, the Red areas tend to be more vivid. This also has the effect of enchanting the cat's body shading, if any when mature, as the brighter, richer Red areas give the cat's body a warmer more even tone, although the shading itself may indeed be heavy (yet another illusion).

Chocolate Tortie also appear to be reverse Tortie more often than the other colours. By reverse I mean Chocolate areas on the Red base an opposed to Red areas on a Chocolate base. However, this may be due to the intensity of the Red creating the effect?

Lilac Tortie (Cream based); The most dilute of the series, they can be very difficult to determine when tiny kittens, as the breaks in color can appear very subtle initially. They can be very attractive as the Cream areas very often diffuse with the lilac to make it appear as a soft toned blush color.

As the points develop, the darker toned Lilac Torties seem to acquire a very Hot Cream tone in the points and body. Also surprisingly, these can show a very excessive amount of shading; however, because they are dilute there is a tendency for them to get away with it, where a Seal or a Blue would not although very often their degree of shading is in fact less (illusion!!!)

Cream: The first thing to understand here is that Cream is masking either Blue or Lilac. Sometimes it may be obvious from the mating which is which, but it is usually a case of test-mating to confirm.

Cream is a very much more definite color than Red , even though it is dilute Cream kittens develop their points color very much earlier than their Red litter mates. It is also very much more solid, with a powdered effect ( remember the washed-in effect Reds have). As they develop, the tail also has a powdered effect but it also at this stage that some Cream kittens can look rather hot and Reds at this stage look very pale. (Care is the watchword).

A Cream masking Blue should be in general terms be a darker colder tone with a powdered Peach affect. Lilac based Creams tend to be rather warmer toned. However, neither should be HOT in color and both have a distinct dusty look. It does tend to be the Lilac based Creams who are most likely to be too HOT.

One very important point needs to be introduced here, one that everybody needs to be ware of: Creams do get body shading at a very early age. This is another clear indicator as to whether a cat is Red or Cream. The shading can be quite extensive and breeders who have bred them do not seem to be aware of this.

Their legs are also usually very much paler than their other points, although they usually have more color on their legs then Red counterparts. Like Reds, mature cats will often show pigmentation spots, which will again indicate the base color.

One of the most important criteria for RED and Creams in particular, and I cannot stress this strongly enough, is EYE Color- probably more than any other color of Siamese. It must be vivid and as deep as possible. Without it they can look so dull and insipid, with it they, like their eyes SPARKLE, this is really a must. 

 



More on the Tortie

Even when the heredity of Orange and tortieshell are known with reference to the Red article this does not explain why the tortieshell coat is a mixture of black and Orange hairs. By Roy Robinson

The expression of both members of a pair of genes in the same individual here the phenotype of Orange (O) and black (o), is a genetic enigma and a number of explanations have been proposed. However, it was not until the early 1960s that the correct explanation was deduced. As may be imagined, the reason is not unconnected with the sex-linkage of the O gene.Gender in mammals is initiated by a pair of chromosomes designated as the X and Y. The pair of chromosomes may be seen under a microscope, for typically they are of unequal size. The X is usually as large as the larger of the ordinary chromosomes and conceivably could contain so many genes. This appears to be the confirmed by the discovery of many sex- linked genes in the mouse and man although few are known for other species. On the other hand, the Y is usually a small chromosome whose primary purpose appears to initiate the development of maleness. The female has constitution XX and all of her germ cells will be transmitting one X. The male has the constitution XY and his germ cells will be transmitting either X or Y. The random union of germ cells will result in the expectation of equal numbers of females (XX) and males (XY). It is this process which enables the expectations to be worked out for the various matins of black, Orange and tortieshell. It may be noted that an imbalance exists between the number of X chromosomes and number of ordinary chromosomes between the sexes. There are two Xs for every ordinary chromosome in the female compared with only one X for every ordinary chromosome in the male. It might be thought that genes on the X will be more strongly expressed in the female in comparison with those in the male. Yet this does not occur - but why? A sex mediated adjustment could be the answer but this does not seem to be wholly correct. The reason is that one of the X chromosomes becomes inactive a few days into development of the fertilised eggs so that the female effectively has only one X. One functional X, in other words, to make the female comparable to the male. During the initial inactivation, either of the Xs may be rendered inactive in a cell but all daughter cells from it will have the same inactive X. Such a decent of cells are spoken of as a clone or as a cell lineage. The O and o genes are on the X chromosome and, in the tortieshell Oo, the inactivation could either the chromosome with O or the chromosome with o. Therefore, the individual will be composed of two cellular clones, one example of expressing O and the other capable of expressing o. These will appear in the coat as a mixture of black and Orange areas to produce the familiar tortieshell pattern. The clonal distribution is far from regular to create the wide variation of pattern.

It may be wondered where does the rare tortieshell male fit into the picture? The sex-chromosomes of the cat differ greatly in size and are microscopically distinguishable. When the chromosome content of cells from the tortieshell males were examined, it was found that many had two Xs and one Y. The presence of two Xs suggestive that one had O and the other had o and the process of inactivation of one or the other ensured that the tortieshell pattern would be produced. In addition, the presence of the Y was sufficient to cause the cat to become a male. The XXY male is the feline equivalent of the Klinefelter male of man and occurs at a low frequency in the population - both domestic and fancy. They can occur both with and without the tortieshell pattern but the latter come to notice because most people are aware that tortieshell toms are 'impossible' or rare. The combination of sex and color commands attention. However such males are healthy and mostly sterile. Their testes are smaller than normal and flaccid. The majority of male tortieshells are XXY but other chromosomally abnormal types are known. An Interesting group are those which are composed of two sorts of cells, such as XXY/XX, XXY/XY. XX/XY and XY/XY, since one of these provides an explanation for the extremely rare fertile tortieshell tom. The tortieshell pattern is produced because the X chromosomes have O and o between them. Each type can de detected microscopically. The first three are sterile but the fourth can be fertile since the sex chromosome constitution is normal. Except for the tortieshell pattern, the animal would be accepted as a normal male.

Probably because the female mammal can function with one active X chromosome in the body cells, females have been discovered in several species, including the cat, with only one X chromosome. This condition is denoted as XO, where the symbol O means an absence of an X chromosome. They can be detected in red tabby and tortieshell breeding as either black and Orange female from matings in which the color is not to be expected for the sex. It is possible for some to be tortieshells with minimal pattern but, if the cat is undersized and sterile, the probability that it as XO constitution can be confirmed by microscopic examination of the cells.

(A word from the editor)In Siamese breeding we know about two tortieshell males who where at stud and axially have offspring. Marilane Harlequin bred by Mrs Glenda Ford and Vegas von Al Baida bred by Mrs Therese Walter.  

 



Red Tabby Agouti or non Agouti?

So you want to know about the agouti gen? By Roy Robinson

The gene for agouti is symbolised by a capital letter A. The gene has mutated to another gene (symbol a) which does not produce a yellow band to the hairs. The result is a solid Black. All of the hairs are solid Black at the top fading to blue at the base. The gene A is inherited as a dominant to a; conversely, gene a is inherited as a recessive to A. All animals have two members of a pair of genes. Therefor, AA is an agouti and aa is a Black. Now, because A is dominant to a, Aa is agouti. Gene A is called agouti and gene a is called non-agouti. The cat is rather unique among mammals for, in addition to being agouti, it has a dark pattern superimposed upon it to produce the familiar Brown tabby. In other words, the tabby pattern is independent of agouti. At first sight, a Black cat may appear to be devoid of a tabby pattern. But is it? Well no, for if a kitten is examined in bright illumination in such a manner the coat is seen in reflected light, a shadowy tabby pattern can be seen, a "ghost" tabby pattern as it sometimes termed. Ghost tabby pattern can be seen in adult Blacks but less easily because the hairs are more intensely pigmented and the pattern is often totally obscured. The point is that all cats carry the tabby pattern but, while the pattern is easily seen in agouti individuals, it cannot be expressed in a coat which had already been rendered solid Black.

The genetic constitution or genotype of the tabby is AATT and the black is aaTT, where T is the symbol for the gene for tabby pattern. The Red Tabby is produced by a sex-linked gene symbolised by the capital letter O. (O because this is the initial letter or Orange, the genetic designation of the gene.) The action of the O gene is to convert all black pigment to yellow or Red. Thus, a Brown tabby with Black tabby pattern is changed into a yellow tabby with Red tabby pattern. A remarkable feature of the conversion is that this is independent of agouti and non agouti genes. That is, a genetic agouti and non agouti Red tabby are identical in appearance. Let us be explit in this fact since it appears to bee the cause of some confusion. The Red tabby may be either of the genotype AAOOTT or aaOOTT yet be indistinguishable. The explanation is that the agouti an non-agouti genes must have black pigment to produce their effects (i.e. agouti ground color versus solid black); but gene O converts black pigment to yellow neatly blocking the action of A and a genes. In genetic terms, gene O is said to mask the effects of genes A and a. The two sorts of Red tabby can be distinguished by the offspring they produce. The simplest test is to mate a Red tabby with a black female. If the Red tabby is an agouti (AAOOTT), the kittens will be brown tabby males and brown tabby Tortie females; but, if a non-agouti (aaOOTT), the kittens will b black males and black Tortie females. Should the Red tabby male be an agouti carrying non-agouti (AaOOTT), the kittens will be brown tabby males, black males, brown tabby Tortie females and black Tortie females. The mosaic coloration of the Tortie kittens is a consequence of the fact that the O gene is on the X chromosome. Since males have only one X chromosome, their genotype is either Red tabby (OY) or Brown tabby (oY); where o is the gene for non-Orange and Y is the male chromosome. The Y chromosome carries few genes and primarily concerned with determining maleness. The Y chromosome is not concerned with the inheritance of the O gene but must shown in the genotype because it partners the X. On the other hand, female have two X's, hence three genotypes are possible: OO, Oo, oo. OO is a Red tabby and oo is a Brown tabby, corresponding to the male genotypes. However, the Oo is the Tortie, and shows the effects of both. O and o in the typical mosaic pattern. Now this is intriguing since the Tortie can be used to reveal the presence of the agouti and non-agouti genes. Writing out the genotypes in full gives the following: Color Females Males Brown tabby AAooTT AAoYTT Black aaooTT aaoYTT Red tabby AAOOTT AAOYTT Red tabby aaOOTT aaOOTTv Brown tabby Tortie AAOoTT Black tortie aaOoTT.

The two forms of Tortie possess coats which are a mosaic of Red tabby (due to gene O) and either Brown tabby or Black (due to gene o). The reason is that the A and a genes can produce their effects in o tissue. To reiterate, the Red tabby areas of the two Torties will be identical but the non-Red tabbies areas will show the effects of gene A and a. In the ordinary process of breeding Red tabbies, these can be bred together to produce all Red tabby kittens. However, it is also customary to breed Red tabby males to black tortie queens to produce Red , self Black and Black Tortie kittens. These results indicate that the Red tabby male is non-agouti of genotype aaOYTT. Had the Red tabby been an agouti of genotype AAOYTT, the kittens would have been Red tabbies, Brown tabby and Brown tabby Tortie. These kittens are not produced or, if they are, very rarely. It may be concluded that the agouti gene is absent from the Red tabby whether these be short harried or long hairdo. Should tabby kittens be bred from a Red tabby mating to a Black or a Black Tortie, then the male is certainly an agouti. However, the result would apply only to the particular Red tabby, not to Red tabbies in general. An exception would be where a Red tabby has been mated with a Brown tabby. In this situation, the agouti gene would be introduced by the Brown tabby and any Red tabbies descended from such a mating must be regarded as suspect and not be accepted as a non-agouti until proven not to be agouti. A Black Tortie is necessarily non-agouti because of the Black part of the masochism. If the Tortie was agouti, the Red areas would be Brown tabby, not black, because the agouti gene is dominant to non-agouti. There is no circumventing this fact. The main source of the confusion seems to be derived from expression of tabby pattern by the Red tabby. Because of this, it is assumed that the Red tabby must carry agouti. This is not necessarily so since tabby pattern is inherited independently. Furthermore, the type of tabby pattern is irrelevant, be it mackerel or striped blotched or classic, or spotted. None of these tabby patterns are genetically associated with agouti.

Earlier published in Cats magazine, March 1986.

 



A Redpoint without tabby markings?

Sorry, I will be the last one to reject such noble thought but in my opinion quite impossible. By Henk Keers

Now the explanation of the agouti gene is very clear. However I sometimes heard novice red breeders say that they want to breed Red point with clear bright color on their legs. I will be the last one to reject such noble thought but in my opinion quite impossible. Yes, I heard some people say, I have seen them! That is true! Some Redpoints have more color then others. But as you can read in the article by John Hansson this must have surely have something to do with the color the Red is masking. Talking to someone who bred Reds in the early days gave me a clear answer to the point of color on the legs. As the article by Roy Robinson explains, all Reds have an identical appearance. The fact their phenotype is tabby, you can compare them with Seal or Chocolate tabbies. Their tabby pattern is the same, only the color is different. Next time if you visit a show or maybe you have a Seal tabby point at home look at the legs or the Seal or Chocolate color. Tell me now, is it possible to breed a line that gives a constant offspring of Redpoint with the same contrast of point as the Sealpoint? I wish it were so!

Read the latest info here

 

There is more to come! Visit us next time.