A locus — agouti (tabby vs solid)

Controls: Whether the tabby pattern is visible or hidden under a solid coat.

How it works

Every cat is genetically tabby; the A locus decides whether it shows. Dominant A lets the tabby pattern appear; two copies of recessive a give a solid (self) coat that masks the pattern.

Alleles

AAgouti (tabby shows)Dominant

aNon-agouti (solid)Recessive

Colours it produces

Black Blue (Grey)

Frequently asked questions

Do solid cats carry a tabby pattern?+

Yes — the tabby pattern is still there genetically, just masked by the non-agouti (solid) gene.

Related genes

Mc/Ta

Tabby pattern

The shape of the tabby markings: mackerel, classic, spotted or ticked.

I locus — silver & smoke

Whether the hair has a silver-white base (silver, smoke, chinchilla).

B locus — black series

Whether the black pigment shows as black, chocolate or cinnamon.

See these colours on real cats.

Browse cat colours