W locus — dominant white
Controls: A fully white coat that masks all other colour.
Dominant white (W) is epistatic — it sits on top of every other colour gene and turns the whole coat white. The cat still carries its underlying colour genetically; the white simply hides it. It differs from white spotting (S), which only adds white patches.
Alleles
WDominant whiteDominantwNot whiteRecessiveBreeding examples
White (W/w) × Not white (w/w)
← ≈ half white, half coloured (white is dominant, one copy shows).
White (W/w) × White (W/w)
← ≈ 3 in 4 white, 1 in 4 shows its hidden underlying colour.
Colours it produces
Frequently asked questions
If a white cat carries black underneath, can it have black kittens?+
Yes — dominant white only hides the colour, it does not erase it. A white cat can pass its hidden underlying colour to kittens that do not inherit the white gene.
What is the difference between a dominant-white cat and an albino?+
A dominant-white cat is fully pigmented underneath (often with coloured eyes) — the white just masks it. A true albino makes no pigment at all and has pink/very pale eyes. They are different genes.
Related genes
See these colours on real cats.
Browse cat colours