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89-400: A tabby cat , or simply tabby , is any domestic cat ( Felis catus ) with a distinctive M-shaped marking on its forehead, stripes by its eyes and across its cheeks, along its back, around its legs and tail, and characteristic striped, dotted, lined, flecked, banded, or swirled patterns on the body: neck, shoulders, sides, flanks, chest, and abdomen. The four known distinct patterns, each having

178-666: A family that had a common ancestor about 10 to 15 million years ago . The evolutionary radiation of the Felidae began in Asia during the Miocene around 8.38 to 14.45 million years ago . Analysis of mitochondrial DNA of all Felidae species indicates a radiation at 6.46 to 16.76 million years ago . The genus Felis genetically diverged from other Felidae around 6 to 7 million years ago . Results of phylogenetic research shows that

267-464: A nictitating membrane , allowing them to blink without hindering their vision. The domestic cat's hearing is most acute in the range of 500 Hz to 32 kHz. It can detect an extremely broad range of frequencies ranging from 55 Hz to 79 kHz, whereas humans can only detect frequencies between 20 Hz and 20 kHz. It can hear a range of 10.5 octaves , while humans and dogs can hear ranges of about 9 octaves. Its hearing sensitivity

356-520: A "diagonal" gait: The diagonally opposite hind and fore legs move simultaneously. Cats are generally fond of sitting in high places or perching . A higher place may serve as a concealed site from which to hunt; domestic cats strike prey by pouncing from a perch such as a tree branch. Another possible explanation is that height gives the cat a better observation point, allowing it to survey its territory. A cat falling from heights of up to 3 m (9.8 ft) can right itself and land on its paws. During

445-546: A 1:2:1 genotype ratio with the first two classes showing the (A) phenotype, and the last showing the (a) phenotype, thereby producing the 3:1 phenotype ratio. Mendel did not use the terms gene, allele, phenotype, genotype, homozygote, and heterozygote, all of which were introduced later. He did introduce the notation of capital and lowercase letters for dominant and recessive alleles, respectively, still in use today. In 1928, British population geneticist Ronald Fisher proposed that dominance acted based on natural selection through

534-433: A cat with a striped coat began in the 1690s, and was shortened to tabby in 1774. The notion that tabby indicates a female cat may be due to the feminine proper name Tabby as a nickname of " Tabitha ". The four known distinct patterns, each having a sound genetic explanation, are the mackerel, classic, ticked, and spotted tabby patterns. A fifth pattern is formed by any of the four basic patterns being included as part of

623-507: A cat's pupils expand to cover most of the exposed surface of its eyes. The domestic cat has rather poor color vision and only two types of cone cells , optimized for sensitivity to blue and yellowish green; its ability to distinguish between red and green is limited. A response to middle wavelengths from a system other than the rod cells might be due to a third type of cone. This appears to be an adaptation to low light levels rather than representing true trichromatic vision. Cats also have

712-592: A cosegregation between the ASIP allele and coat black coloration. Cats have excellent night vision and can see at one sixth the light level required for human vision. This is partly the result of cat eyes having a tapetum lucidum , which reflects any light that passes through the retina back into the eye, thereby increasing the eye's sensitivity to dim light. Large pupils are an adaptation to dim light. The domestic cat has slit pupils , which allow it to focus bright light without chromatic aberration . At low light,

801-430: A fall from a high place, a cat reflexively twists its body and rights itself to land on its feet using its acute sense of balance and flexibility. This reflex is known as the cat righting reflex . A cat always rights itself in the same way during a fall, if it has enough time to do so, which is the case in falls of 90 cm (3.0 ft) or more. How cats are able to right themselves when falling has been investigated as

890-403: A few orange spots on the back of a white cat to a completely orange coloring with no white at all. The orange areas can be darker or lighter spots or stripes, but the white is nearly always solid and usually appears on the underbelly, paws, chest, and muzzle. The face markings are reminiscent of the mackerel or classic tabby and, with orange/white, inclusion of a white spot on the face that covers

979-495: A fresh kill; some cats reject cold food (which would signal to the cat that the "prey" item is long dead and therefore possibly toxic or decomposing). To aid with navigation and sensation, cats have dozens of movable whiskers (vibrissae) over their body, especially their faces. These provide information on the width of gaps and on the location of objects in the dark, both by touching objects directly and by sensing air currents; they also trigger protective blink reflexes to protect

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1068-416: A given gene of any function; one allele can be dominant over a second allele of the same gene, recessive to a third, and co-dominant with a fourth. Additionally, one allele may be dominant for one trait but not others. Dominance differs from epistasis , the phenomenon of an allele of one gene masking the effect of alleles of a different gene. Gregor Johann Mendel , "The Father of Genetics", promulgated

1157-710: A large surface of olfactory mucosa , about 5.8 cm (0.90 in ) in area, which is about twice that of humans. Cats and many other animals have a Jacobson's organ in their mouths that is used in the behavioral process of flehmening . It allows them to sense certain aromas in a way that humans cannot. Cats are sensitive to pheromones such as 3-mercapto-3-methylbutan-1-ol , which they use to communicate through urine spraying and marking with scent glands . Many cats also respond strongly to plants that contain nepetalactone , especially catnip , as they can detect that substance at less than one part per billion. About 70–80% of cats are affected by nepetalactone. This response

1246-473: A light-colored "butterfly" pattern on the shoulders and three thin stripes (the center stripe being the darkest) running along the spine. The legs, tail, and cheeks of a classic tabby have thick stripes, bands, and/or bars. The gene responsible for the coloring of a classic tabby is recessive . Many American shorthair cats demonstrate this pattern. The ticked tabby pattern is due to even fields of agouti hairs, each with distinct bands of colour, which break up

1335-503: A link between a cat's behavior and its coat pattern; however, it suggested that any differences were just how they were being perceived, i.e. people perceive orange cats as "friendly" and white cats as "shy", and then look for confirmation of these perceptions. Since the tabby pattern is a common wild type, it might be assumed that medieval cats were tabbies. However, one writer believed this to be untrue, at least in England. Sometime after

1424-453: A membrane-bound H antigen. The I enzyme adds a galactose. The i allele produces no modification. Thus the I and I alleles are each dominant to i ( I I and I i individuals both have type A blood, and I I and I i individuals both have type B blood), but I I individuals have both modifications on their blood cells and thus have type AB blood, so the I and I alleles are said to be co-dominant. Another example occurs at

1513-513: A patched pattern. A patched tabby is a cat with calico or tortoiseshell markings combined with patches of tabby coat (such cats are called caliby and torbie, respectively, in cat fancy ). All five patterns have been observed in random-bred populations. Several additional patterns are found in specific breeds and so are not as well known. For example, a modified classic tabby is found in the Sokoke breed. Some of these rarer patterns are because of

1602-406: A pink snapdragon flower. The pink snapdragon is the result of incomplete dominance. A similar type of incomplete dominance is found in the four o'clock plant wherein pink color is produced when true-bred parents of white and red flowers are crossed. In quantitative genetics , where phenotypes are measured and treated numerically, if a heterozygote's phenotype is exactly between (numerically) that of

1691-411: A ring or concentric stripes on its sides. The ticked tabby pattern is a result of a different allele at the same gene locus as the mackerel and classic tabby patterns and this allele is dominant over the others. So a TT genotype as well as TT and TT genotypes will be ticked tabbies. The ticked tabby coat essentially masks any other tabby pattern, producing a non-patterned, or agouti tabby (much like

1780-491: A sound genetic explanation, are the mackerel, classic or blotched, ticked, and spotted tabby patterns. "Tabby" is not a breed of cat but a coat pattern found in many cat breeds. It is very common amongst non-pedigree cats around the world. The tabby pattern occurs naturally and is connected both to the coat of the domestic cat's direct ancestor and to those of its close relatives: the African wildcat ( Felis lybica lybica ),

1869-437: A thicker protective layer of enamel , a less damaging saliva, less retention of food particles between teeth, and a diet mostly devoid of sugar. Nonetheless, they are subject to occasional tooth loss and infection. Cats have protractible and retractable claws. In their normal, relaxed position, the claws are sheathed with the skin and fur around the paw's toe pads. This keeps the claws sharp by preventing wear from contact with

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1958-514: A variable number of caudal vertebrae in the tail (humans have only three to five vestigial caudal vertebrae, fused into an internal coccyx ). The extra lumbar and thoracic vertebrae account for the cat's spinal mobility and flexibility. Attached to the spine are 13 ribs, the shoulder, and the pelvis . Unlike human arms, cat forelimbs are attached to the shoulder by free-floating clavicle bones which allow them to pass their body through any space into which they can fit their head. The cat skull

2047-511: Is digitigrade . It walks on the toes, with the bones of the feet making up the lower part of the visible leg. Unlike most mammals, it uses a "pacing" gait and moves both legs on one side of the body before the legs on the other side. It registers directly by placing each hind paw close to the track of the corresponding fore paw, minimizing noise and visible tracks. This also provides sure footing for hind paws when navigating rough terrain. As it speeds up from walking to trotting, its gait changes to

2136-496: Is proximal to the other claws. More proximally is a protrusion which appears to be a sixth "finger". This special feature of the front paws on the inside of the wrists has no function in normal walking but is thought to be an antiskidding device used while jumping. Some cat breeds are prone to having extra digits (" polydactyly "). Polydactylous cats occur along North America's northeast coast and in Great Britain. The cat

2225-489: Is a social species , but a solitary hunter and a crepuscular predator . Cat communication includes vocalizations—including meowing , purring , trilling, hissing , growling , and grunting —as well as body language . It can hear sounds too faint or too high in frequency for human ears , such as those made by small mammals . It secretes and perceives pheromones . Female domestic cats can have kittens from spring to late autumn in temperate zones and throughout

2314-571: Is also possible, producing hybrids such as the Kellas cat in Scotland . Development of cat breeds started in the mid 19th century. An analysis of the domestic cat genome revealed that the ancestral wildcat genome was significantly altered in the process of domestication, as specific mutations were selected to develop cat breeds. Most breeds are founded on random-bred domestic cats. Genetic diversity of these breeds varies between regions, and

2403-669: Is also produced by other plants, such as silver vine ( Actinidia polygama ) and the herb valerian ; it may be caused by the smell of these plants mimicking a pheromone and stimulating cats' social or sexual behaviors. Cats have relatively few taste buds compared to humans (470 or so, compared to more than 9,000 on the human tongue). Domestic and wild cats share a taste receptor gene mutation that keeps their sweet taste buds from binding to sugary molecules, leaving them with no ability to taste sweetness . They, however, possess taste bud receptors specialized for acids , amino acids like protein, and bitter tastes. Their taste buds possess

2492-459: Is attested from the 16th century and may have been introduced from Dutch poes or from Low German puuskatte , related to Swedish kattepus , or Norwegian pus , pusekatt . Similar forms exist in Lithuanian puižė and Irish puisín or puiscín . The etymology of this word is unknown, but it may have arisen from a sound used to attract a cat. A male cat

2581-400: Is called a tom or tomcat (or a gib , if neutered ). A female is called a queen (or sometimes a molly , if spayed ). A juvenile cat is referred to as a kitten . In Early Modern English , the word kitten was interchangeable with the now-obsolete word catling . A group of cats can be referred to as a clowder , a glaring , or a colony . The scientific name Felis catus

2670-463: Is enhanced by its large movable outer ears, the pinnae , which amplify sounds and help detect the location of a noise. It can detect ultrasound , which enables it to detect ultrasonic calls made by rodent prey. Recent research has shown that cats have socio-spatial cognitive abilities to create mental maps of owners' locations based on hearing owners' voices. Cats have an acute sense of smell, due in part to their well-developed olfactory bulb and

2759-719: Is lowest in purebred populations, which show more than 20 deleterious genetic disorders . The domestic cat has a smaller skull and shorter bones than the European wildcat . It averages about 46 cm (18 in) in head-to-body length and 23–25 cm (9.1–9.8 in) in height, with about 30 cm (12 in) long tails. Males are larger than females. Adult domestic cats typically weigh 4–5 kg (8.8–11.0 lb). Cats have seven cervical vertebrae (as do most mammals ); 13 thoracic vertebrae (humans have 12); seven lumbar vertebrae (humans have five); three sacral vertebrae (as do most mammals, but humans have five); and

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2848-399: Is most easily distinguishable under bright light in the early stages of kittenhood and on the tail in adulthood. However, the agouti gene primarily controls the production of black pigment, so a cat with an O allele for orange color will still express the tabby pattern. As a result, both red cats and the patches of red on tortoiseshell cats will always show tabby patterning, though sometimes

2937-414: Is possible for them to have the O (orange) allele on one X chromosome and o (black) on the other. This causes both colors to appear in random patches, either with or without the tabby pattern. When paired with the tabby pattern, these cats are known as torbie cats . If there is also white spotting , the cat is known as a caliby (US English). Two distinct gene loci, the agouti gene locus (two alleles) and

3026-514: Is quite flexible and varied but being low-light predators, they are generally crepuscular , which means they tend to be more active near dawn and dusk. However, house cats' behavior is also influenced by human activity and they may adapt to their owners' sleeping patterns to some extent. Dominance (genetics) Dominance is a key concept in Mendelian inheritance and classical genetics . Letters and Punnett squares are used to demonstrate

3115-482: Is unusual among mammals in having very large eye sockets and a powerful specialized jaw. Within the jaw, cats have teeth adapted for killing prey and tearing meat. When it overpowers its prey, a cat delivers a lethal neck bite with its two long canine teeth , inserting them between two of the prey's vertebrae and severing its spinal cord , causing irreversible paralysis and death. Compared to other felines, domestic cats have narrowly spaced canine teeth relative to

3204-417: The rr (homozygous) individuals have wrinkled peas. In Rr ( heterozygous ) individuals, the R allele masks the presence of the r allele, so these individuals also have round peas. Thus, allele R is dominant over allele r , and allele r is recessive to allele R . Dominance is not inherent to an allele or its traits ( phenotype ). It is a strictly relative effect between two alleles of

3293-613: The Arabic term عتابية / ʿattābiyya . This word is a reference to the Attabiya district of Baghdad , noted for its striped cloth and silk; itself named after the Umayyad governor of Mecca Attab ibn Asid . Such silk cloth became popular in the Muslim world and spread to England, where the word "tabby" became commonly used in the 17th and 18th centuries. Use of the term tabby cat for

3382-628: The European wildcat ( Felis silvestris ), and the Asiatic wildcat ( Felis lybica ornata ), all of which have similar coats, both by pattern and coloration. One genetic study of domestic cats found at least five founders. The English term tabby originally referred to "striped silk taffeta ", from the French word tabis , meaning "a rich watered silk ". This can be further traced to the Middle French atabis (14th century), which stemmed from

3471-471: The T allele; it 'breaks' the lines and thin stripes of a mackerel tabby, creating spots. The spotted gene has a dominant and a recessive allele as well, which means a spotted cat will have an Sp Sp or Sp sp genotype along with at least one T allele and at least one A allele at those alleles’ respective loci. Personality and aggression vary widely from cat to cat, and is multifactorial. A 2015 study from University of California, Davis sought to examine

3560-536: The domestication of the cat occurred in the Near East around 7500 BC . It is commonly kept as a pet and farm cat , but also ranges freely as a feral cat avoiding human contact. Valued by humans for companionship and its ability to kill vermin , the cat's retractable claws are adapted to killing small prey like mice and rats . It has a strong, flexible body, quick reflexes , and sharp teeth, and its night vision and sense of smell are well developed. It

3649-481: The " falling cat problem ". The cat family (Felidae) can pass down many colors and patterns to their offspring. The domestic cat genes MC1R and ASIP allow color variety in their coats. The feline ASIP gene consists of three coding exons. Three novel microsatellite markers linked to ASIP were isolated from a domestic cat BAC clone containing this gene to perform linkage analysis on 89 domestic cats segregated for melanism . The domestic cat family demonstrated

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3738-642: The F1 generation are self-pollinated, the phenotypic and genotypic ratio of the F2 generation will be 1:2:1 (Red:Spotted:White). These ratios are the same as those for incomplete dominance. Again, this classical terminology is inappropriate – in reality, such cases should not be said to exhibit dominance at all. Dominance can be influenced by various genetic interactions and it is essential to evaluate them when determining phenotypic outcomes. Multiple alleles , epistasis and pleiotropic genes are some factors that might influence

3827-700: The beginning of the 1st century AD. By the end of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century, the Egyptian domestic cat lineage had arrived in a Baltic Sea port in northern Germany . The leopard cat ( Prionailurus bengalensis ) was tamed independently in China around 5500 BC. This line of partially domesticated cats leaves no trace in the domestic cat populations of today. During domestication, cats have undergone only minor changes in anatomy and behavior, and they are still capable of surviving in

3916-624: The cat and other wild mammals to the island from the Middle Eastern mainland. Scientists therefore assume that African wildcats were attracted to early human settlements in the Fertile Crescent by rodents, in particular the house mouse ( Mus musculus ), and were tamed by Neolithic farmers. This mutual relationship between early farmers and tamed cats lasted thousands of years. As agricultural practices spread, so did tame and domesticated cats. Wildcats of Egypt contributed to

4005-401: The contribution of modifier genes . In 1929, American geneticist Sewall Wright responded by stating that dominance is simply a physiological consequence of metabolic pathways and the relative necessity of the gene involved. In complete dominance, the effect of one allele in a heterozygous genotype completely masks the effect of the other. The allele that masks are considered dominant to

4094-541: The dominant gene. However, if the F1-generation is further crossed with the F1-generation (heterozygote crossed with heterozygote) the offspring (F2-generation) will present the phenotype associated with the dominant gene ¾ times. Although heterozygote monohybrid crossing can result in two phenotype variants, it can result in three genotype variants -  homozygote dominant, heterozygote and homozygote recessive, respectively. In dihybrid inheritance we look at

4183-574: The extinction of bird , mammal , and reptile species. As of 2017, the domestic cat was the second most popular pet in the United States, with 95.6 million cats owned and around 42 million households owning at least one cat. In the United Kingdom, 26% of adults have a cat, with an estimated population of 10.9 million pet cats as of 2020. As of 2021, there were an estimated 220 million owned and 480 million stray cats in

4272-407: The eyes from damage. Outdoor cats are active both day and night, although they tend to be slightly more active at night. Domestic cats spend the majority of their time in the vicinity of their homes but can range many hundreds of meters from this central point. They establish territories that vary considerably in size, in one study ranging 7–28 ha (17–69 acres). The timing of cats' activity

4361-420: The forehead, along with dark lines from the corners of the eyes, one or more crossing each cheek, and of course many stripes and lines at various angles on the neck and shoulder area, on the flanks, and around the legs and tail, marks which are more or less perpendicular to the length of the body part. Mackerel tabbies are also called 'fishbone tabbies,' probably doubly named after the mackerel fish. Mackerels are

4450-483: The ground and allows for the silent stalking of prey. The claws on the forefeet are typically sharper than those on the hindfeet. Cats can voluntarily extend their claws on one or more paws. They may extend their claws in hunting or self-defense, climbing, kneading , or for extra traction on soft surfaces. Cats shed the outside layer of their claw sheaths when scratching rough surfaces. Most cats have five claws on their front paws and four on their rear paws. The dewclaw

4539-411: The high IMP and free l-Histidine contents of tuna, which produces a strong umami taste synergy that is highly preferred by cats". One of the researchers in this research has stated, "I think umami is as important for cats as sweet is for humans". Cats also have a distinct temperature preference for their food, preferring food with a temperature around 38 °C (100 °F) which is similar to that of

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4628-406: The idea of dominance in the 1860s. However, it was not widely known until the early twentieth century. Mendel observed that, for a variety of traits of garden peas having to do with the appearance of seeds, seed pods, and plants, there were two discrete phenotypes, such as round versus wrinkled seeds, yellow versus green seeds, red versus white flowers or tall versus short plants. When bred separately,

4717-417: The inheritance of two pairs of genes simultaneous. Assuming here that the two pairs of genes are located at non-homologous chromosomes, such that they are not coupled genes (see genetic linkage ) but instead inherited independently. Consider now the cross between parents (P-generation) of genotypes homozygote dominant and recessive, respectively. The offspring (F1-generation) will always heterozygous and present

4806-470: The interaction of wild and domestic genes, as with the rosette and marbled patterns found in the Bengal breed. The mackerel, or striped, tabby pattern is made up of thin vertical, gently curving stripes on the sides of the body. These stripes can be continuous or broken into bars and short segments/spots, especially on the flanks and stomach. Three or five vertical lines in an "M" shape almost always appear on

4895-485: The level of dominance the alleles expresses towards each other. Pleiotropic genes are genes where one single gene affects two or more characters (phenotype). This means that a gene can have a dominant effect on one trait, but a more recessive effect on another trait. Epistasis is interactions between multiple alleles at different loci. Easily said, several genes for one phenotype. The dominance relationship between alleles involved in epistatic interactions can influence

4984-450: The locus for the beta-globin component of hemoglobin , where the three molecular phenotypes of Hb /Hb , Hb /Hb , and Hb /Hb are all distinguishable by protein electrophoresis . (The medical condition produced by the heterozygous genotype is called sickle-cell trait and is a milder condition distinguishable from sickle-cell anemia , thus the alleles show incomplete dominance concerning anemia, see above). For most gene loci at

5073-634: The maternal gene pool of the domestic cat at a later time. The earliest known evidence for the occurrence of the domestic cat in Greece dates to around 1200 BC. Greek, Phoenician , Carthaginian and Etruscan traders introduced domestic cats to southern Europe. By the 5th century BC, they were familiar animals around settlements in Magna Graecia and Etruria . During the Roman Empire , they were introduced to Corsica and Sardinia before

5162-557: The mid-17th century, the natural philosopher John Aubrey noted that William Laud , the Archbishop of Canterbury was "a great lover of Cats" and "was presented with some Cyprus -cats, i.e. our Tabby-Cats". He then claimed that "I doe well remember that the common English Catt, was white with some blueish piednesse [i.e. with grey parts]. The race or breed of them is now almost lost." However, most drawings or paintings of cats in medieval manuscripts do show them to be tabbies. Due to

5251-548: The modern domesticated subspecies F. silvestris catus sampled worldwide was considered to have likely descended from the African wildcat ( F. lybica ), following results of phylogenetic research. In 2017, the IUCN Cat Classification Taskforce followed the recommendation of the ICZN in regarding the domestic cat as a distinct species, Felis catus . The domestic cat is a member of the Felidae,

5340-455: The molecular level, both alleles are expressed co-dominantly, because both are transcribed into RNA . Co-dominance, where allelic products co-exist in the phenotype, is different from incomplete dominance, where the quantitative interaction of allele products produces an intermediate phenotype. For example, in co-dominance, a red homozygous flower and a white homozygous flower will produce offspring that have red and white spots. When plants of

5429-534: The most common among tabbies. The classic tabby, also known as blotched tabby, has the 'M' pattern on the forehead but, rather than primarily thin stripes or spots, the body markings are thick curving bands in whorls or a swirled pattern, with a distinctive mark on each side of the body resembling a bullseye. 80% of modern-day cats have the recessive allele responsible for the classic pattern. Black tabbies generally have dark browns, olives, and ochres that stand out more against their black colors. Classic tabbies each have

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5518-423: The most common spotted tabby looks most similar to the mackerel tabby, including the classic marks on the limbs, tail, and head, as well as the 'M' on the forehead. The orange tabby, also commonly called red or ginger tabby, is a color-variant of the above patterns, having pheomelanin (O allele ) instead of eumelanin (o allele). Though generally a mix of orange and white, the ratio between fur color varies, from

5607-577: The mouth, coming to a point around the forehead. Because a masking gene is present on white fur, its inclusion is often asymmetrical , leading to more or less white fur on each paw or side of the face. Roughly 75% of ginger cats are male. Male cats with the gene for orange can be either X°Y ginger or X-Y black or non-ginger tabby. Females with the gene have three possibilities: X-X- black or non-ginger tabby, X°X° ginger, and X-X° tortoiseshell, thus male cats cannot be tortoiseshell unless they have two X chromosomes . Since female cats have two X chromosomes, it

5696-418: The other allele, and the masked allele is considered recessive . When we only look at one trait determined by one pair of genes, we call it monohybrid inheritance . If the crossing is done between parents (P-generation, F0-generation) who are homozygote dominant and homozygote recessive, the offspring (F1-generation) will always have the heterozygote genotype and always present the phenotype associated with

5785-470: The parental hybrid plants. Mendel reasoned that each parent in the first cross was a homozygote for different alleles (one parent AA and the other parent aa), that each contributed one allele to the offspring, with the result that all of these hybrids were heterozygotes (Aa), and that one of the two alleles in the hybrid cross dominated expression of the other: A masked a. The final cross between two heterozygotes (Aa X Aa) would produce AA, Aa, and aa offspring in

5874-439: The pattern being expressed by both pure and mixed-breed cats, a large number of famous cats fall into the "tabby" category. A few of the most notable examples include: Domestic cat The cat ( Felis catus ), also referred to as domestic cat or house cat , is a small domesticated carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species of the family Felidae . Advances in archaeology and genetics have shown that

5963-499: The phenotype and neither allele masks another. For example, in the ABO blood group system , chemical modifications to a glycoprotein (the H antigen) on the surfaces of blood cells are controlled by three alleles, two of which are co-dominant to each other ( I , I ) and dominant over the recessive i at the ABO locus . The I and I alleles produce different modifications. The enzyme coded for by I adds an N-acetylgalactosamine to

6052-469: The phenotype associated with the dominant allele variant. However, when crossing the F1-generation there are four possible phenotypic possibilities and the phenotypical ratio for the F2-generation will always be 9:3:3:1. Incomplete dominance (also called partial dominance , semi-dominance , intermediate inheritance , or occasionally incorrectly co-dominance in reptile genetics ) occurs when

6141-404: The phenotype of the heterozygous genotype is distinct from and often intermediate to the phenotypes of the homozygous genotypes. The phenotypic result often appears as a blended form of characteristics in the heterozygous state. For example, the snapdragon flower color is homozygous for either red or white. When the red homozygous flower is paired with the white homozygous flower, the result yields

6230-535: The phenotypic outcome. Although any individual of a diploid organism has at most two different alleles at a given locus, most genes exist in a large number of allelic versions in the population as a whole. This is called polymorphism , and is caused by mutations. Polymorphism can have an effect on the dominance relationship and phenotype, which is observed in the ABO blood group system . The gene responsible for human blood type have three alleles; A, B, and O, and their interactions result in different blood types based on

6319-427: The plants always produced the same phenotypes, generation after generation. However, when lines with different phenotypes were crossed (interbred), one and only one of the parental phenotypes showed up in the offspring (green, round, red, or tall). However, when these hybrid plants were crossed, the offspring plants showed the two original phenotypes, in a characteristic 3:1 ratio, the more common phenotype being that of

6408-488: The principles of dominance in teaching, and the upper-case letters are used to denote dominant alleles and lower-case letters are used for recessive alleles. An often quoted example of dominance is the inheritance of seed shape in peas . Peas may be round, associated with allele R , or wrinkled, associated with allele r . In this case, three combinations of alleles (genotypes) are possible: RR , Rr , and rr . The RR ( homozygous ) individuals have round peas, and

6497-487: The receptors needed to detect umami . However, these receptors contain molecular changes that make cat taste umami different from that of humans. In humans, they detect the amino acids glutamic acid and aspartic acid , but in cats, they instead detect inosine monophosphate and l-Histidine . These molecules are particularly enriched in tuna . This, it has been argued, is why cats find tuna so palatable : as put by researchers into cat taste, "the specific combination of

6586-992: The relationship between coat color and behavior in cats. Researchers ran statistical analyses from 1,274 online surveys completed by cat owners. The owners were asked to rank the cats' aggressiveness during interactions with human aggression, handling aggression, and veterinary aggression. The study concluded that, though aggressive behaviors did show up in different levels between different coats, these were relatively minor. The larger differences in aggression seemed to researchers to be sex-linked, rather than related to any coat pattern or coloring: With all coat colors combined, females were identified by their guardians as more aggressive during veterinary visits compared with males ( X² = 10.36, p = .001). Analyses showed that gray-and-white and black/brown/gray tabby females were more aggressive than their male counterparts at veterinarians’ offices ( X² = 9.28, p = .002, and X² = 5.00, p = .025, respectively). A similar study also reported no evidence of

6675-518: The size of their jaw, which is an adaptation to their preferred prey of small rodents, which have small vertebrae. The premolar and first molar together compose the carnassial pair on each side of the mouth, which efficiently shears meat into small pieces, like a pair of scissors. These are vital in feeding, since cats' small molars cannot chew food effectively, and cats are largely incapable of mastication. Cats tend to have better teeth than most humans, with decay generally less likely because of

6764-514: The spotted tabby results from a modifier gene that breaks up the mackerel tabby pattern and causes the stripes to appear as spots. Similarly, the classic tabby pattern may be broken by the spotted tabby gene into large spots. One can see both large and small spot patterns in the Australian Mist , Bengal , Serengeti , Savannah , Egyptian Mau , Arabian Mau , Maine Coon , and Ocicat breeds, among others, as well as some crosses. Naturally,

6853-411: The stripes are muted—especially in cream and blue/cream cats due to the pigment dilution. The mackerel pattern and its T allele at the tabby gene locus is dominant over the classic (or blotched) allele, T . So a cat with a TT or TT genotype sets the basic pattern of thin stripes (mackerel tabby) that underlies the coat, while a TT cat will express a classic tabby coat pattern with thick bands and

6942-399: The tabby locus (three alleles), and one modifier, spotted (two alleles), cause the four basic tabby patterns. The fifth pattern is emergent, being expressed by female cats with one black and one orange gene on each of their two X chromosomes, and is explained by Barr bodies and the genetics of sex-linked inheritance. The agouti gene , with its two alleles, A and a , controls whether or not

7031-411: The tabby pattern is expressed. The dominant A expresses the underlying tabby pattern, while the recessive non-agouti or "hyper-melanistic" allele, a , does not. Solid-color (black or blue) cats have the aa combination, hiding the tabby pattern, although sometimes a suggestion of the underlying pattern can be seen ("ghost striping"). This underlying pattern, whether classic, mackerel, ticked or spotted,

7120-477: The tabby patterning into a salt-and-pepper appearance that makes them look sand-like—thus there are few to no stripes or bands. Residual ghost striping and/or barring can often be seen on the lower legs, face, and belly and sometimes at the tail tip, as well as the standard 'M' and a long dark line running along the spine, primarily in ticked tabbies that also carry a mackerel or classic tabby allele. These types of cats come in many forms and colours. It's thought that

7209-420: The two homozygotes, the phenotype is said to exhibit no dominance at all, i.e. dominance exists only when the heterozygote's phenotype measure lies closer to one homozygote than the other. When plants of the F 1 generation are self-pollinated, the phenotypic and genotypic ratio of the F 2 generation will be 1:2:1 (Red:Pink:White). Co-dominance occurs when the contributions of both alleles are visible in

7298-862: The wild members of this genus evolved through sympatric or parapatric speciation , whereas the domestic cat evolved through artificial selection . The domestic cat and its closest wild ancestor are diploid and both possess 38 chromosomes and roughly 20,000 genes. Pantherinae other Felinae lineages Jungle cat ( F. chaus ) [REDACTED] Black-footed cat ( F. nigripes ) Sand cat ( F. margarita ) Chinese mountain cat ( F. bieti ) African wildcat ( F. lybica ) European wildcat ( F. silvestris ) [REDACTED] Domestic cat [REDACTED] Sand cat ( F. margarita ) Chinese mountain cat ( F. bieti ) European wildcat ( F. silvestris ) [REDACTED] Southern African wildcat (F. l. cafra) Asiatic wildcat (F. l. ornata) Near Eastern wildcat Domestic cat [REDACTED] It

7387-442: The wild type agouti coat of many other mammals and the sable coat of dogs), with virtually no stripes or bars. If the ticked allele is present, no other tabby pattern will be expressed. The ticked allele actually shows incomplete dominance: cats homozygous for the ticked allele ( TT ) have less barring than cats heterozygous for the ticked allele ( TT or TT ). The spotted gene is a separate locus theorized to be directly connected to

7476-625: The wild. Several natural behaviors and characteristics of wildcats may have pre-adapted them for domestication as pets. These traits include their small size, social nature, obvious body language, love of play, and high intelligence. Since they practice rigorous grooming habits and have an instinctual drive to bury and hide their urine and feces, they are generally much less messy than other domesticated animals. Captive Leopardus cats may also display affectionate behavior toward humans but were not domesticated. House cats often mate with feral cats. Hybridization between domestic and other Felinae species

7565-548: The world. The origin of the English word cat , Old English catt , is thought to be the Late Latin word cattus , which was first used at the beginning of the 6th century. The Late Latin word may be derived from an unidentified African language . The Nubian word kaddîska 'wildcat' and Nobiin kadīs are possible sources or cognates. The forms might also have derived from an ancient Germanic word that

7654-403: The year in equatorial regions , with litter sizes often ranging from two to five kittens. Domestic cats are bred and shown at events as registered pedigreed cats , a hobby known as cat fancy . Animal population control of cats may be achieved by spaying and neutering , but their proliferation and the abandonment of pets has resulted in large numbers of feral cats worldwide, contributing to

7743-412: Was absorbed into Latin and then into Greek, Syriac, and Arabic. The word may be derived from Germanic and Northern European languages, and ultimately be borrowed from Uralic , cf. Northern Sámi gáđfi , 'female stoat ', and Hungarian hölgy , 'lady, female stoat'; from Proto-Uralic * käďwä , 'female (of a furred animal)'. The English puss , extended as pussy and pussycat ,

7832-519: Was long thought that the domestication of the cat began in ancient Egypt , where cats were venerated from around 3100 BC. However, the earliest known indication for the taming of an African wildcat was excavated close by a human Neolithic grave in Shillourokambos , southern Cyprus , dating to about 7500–7200 BC. Since there is no evidence of native mammalian fauna on Cyprus, the inhabitants of this Neolithic village most likely brought

7921-631: Was proposed by Carl Linnaeus in 1758 for a domestic cat. Felis catus domesticus was proposed by Johann Christian Polycarp Erxleben in 1777. Felis daemon proposed by Konstantin Satunin in 1904 was a black cat from the Transcaucasus , later identified as a domestic cat. In 2003, the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature ruled that the domestic cat is a distinct species, namely Felis catus . In 2007,

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