Cat Genetics

Question 1

qualitative traits are also known as

Answer 1

mendelian
single gene

Question 2

qualitative trait

Answer 2

specific trait
1 gene affects 1 trait
discreet variables

Question 3

quantitative trait

Answer 3

numerical (height)
many genes control the trait
continuous variables

Question 4

2 base pigments for color

Answer 4

red/yellow/orange
black
everything else is modification

Question 5

agouti coloring

Answer 5

different bands of color on same hair

Question 6

solid colored cat genotype

Answer 6

recessive non agouti

Question 7

blue eyed white cats common trait

Answer 7

deafness

Question 8

cause of darker points (siamese coloring)

Answer 8

temperature dependence
don’t form pigment at normal body temp
dark fur on colder parts of the body (feet, ears. nose)

Question 9

why are siamese kittens born all white?

Answer 9

it’s warm inside the womb

Question 10

calico coloring

Answer 10

sex linked trait on x chromosome
orange or non-orange

Question 11

incompletely dominant

Answer 11

heterozygote halfway between two homozygotes

Question 12

manx tail

Answer 12

absence of tail
homozygous lethal: when cat is homozygous for trait, cat dies as a fetus
allele interferes with spine production

Question 13

how can we produce tailless kittens without producing homozygotes (who will die)?

Answer 13

one parent manx and one non-manx

Question 14

japanese bobtail

Answer 14

short tail, not lethal

Question 15

does polydactyly only occur in cats?

Answer 15

no, it occurs in most mammals

Question 16

twisty cats

Answer 16

plantigrades

Question 17

mutations

Answer 17

happen spontaneously

Question 18

health conditions

Answer 18

often have genetic component
more known in dogs, more purebred dogs than cats

Question 19

inbreeding

Answer 19

increases homozygosity
positive: helps solidify breed characteristics
negative: can make negative alleles

Question 20

hypoallergenic cats

Answer 20

most allergies due to glycoprotein in cat saliva, sebaceous glands
mutation in some cats that changes glycoprotein, company selectively bred these cats

Question 21

cloning

Answer 21

dna from donor cell put into egg
expensive, may not produce a perfect clone

Question 22

glow in the dark cats

Answer 22

bioluminescence gene put into cats