What Determines the Coat Color of Cats? An Analysis of Genetic Inheritance

The Case of Joe's Cats: White and Black Coat Color Traits

Joe has a white cat named Sam. When Joe crosses Sam with a black cat, he obtains white kittens and black kittens. Subsequently, when the black kittens are interbred, all the kittens they produce are black.

Based on these breeding results, we can delve deeper into understanding whether the white or black coat color in cats is a dominant or recessive trait.

Analysis and Conclusion

Final answer: With the information provided in the question, the black coat color in cats appears to be a recessive trait because it only appears when two black genes are present.

Explanation: Considering the outcomes of the breeding experiments mentioned, it can be inferred that the black coat color in cats follows a recessive inheritance pattern. When Joe crossed Sam (white) with a black cat, resulting in a mix of white and black kittens, it indicates that the white cat might be heterozygous, carrying both black and white genes. On the other hand, the subsequent interbreeding of black kittens leading to all-black offspring signifies that the black coat gene is recessive. Recessive traits manifest only when an individual carries two copies of the gene, one from each parent. If the black coat color were dominant, we would have seen a mix of black and white kittens in the second generation.

For further clarification, this scenario shares similarities with epistasis in mice, where a separate gene (C) crucial for pigment production can suppress the expression of the primary gene (A), altering the coat color.