What color will your kittens be?
Answer a few questions about the parents — we infer their genotypes, cross them with real Mendelian math, and show every possible kitten coat color with its probability.
Kitten outcomes
—Answer the questions to calculate litter outcomes.
- UC Davis Veterinary Genetics Laboratory — Feline Coat Color & cat DNA panels (vgl.ucdavis.edu).
- Cat Fanciers' Association — Basic Feline Genetics; Lyons et al. (2005) on the C locus.
- Kaelin & Barsh (2013), Genetics of Pigmentation in Dogs and Cats, Annu. Rev. Anim. Biosci. 1:125–156.
- David et al. (2014), Endogenous retrovirus insertion in the KIT oncogene…, G3 4(10):1881–1891.
- Wikipedia — Cat coat genetics (compiled from the primary sources above).
Model: A (agouti), B (brown), C (colorpoint), D (dilute), O (orange, X-linked), W (white), I (inhibitor/silver), Ta (tabby), Ti (ticked), Sp (spotted), L (hair length). Not modeled: E-locus amber/russet, Dm dilute modifier, wb wide-band, rex texture. White-spotting extent is dosage-linked. Percentages are Mendelian expectations under the chosen carrier assumptions — DNA panels are authoritative for real breeding decisions.
The genes we model
11 loci, from agouti to hair length. Carriers (heterozygotes) are inferred from appearance with population priors.
B — Black series
Allele order B > b > bl. Black, chocolate, or cinnamon pigment; dilute turns them blue, lilac, or fawn.
A — Agouti
A- shows tabby banding; aa is solid (non-agouti). Two tabby carriers (Aa × Aa) can still produce solids.
O — Orange (X-linked)
Males are O/Y or o/Y. Females OO, Oo (tortie), or oo. Most red cats look tabby even when genetically solid.
D — Dilute
Recessive dd lightens pigment. Two dense cats that are both Dd can produce about 25% dilute kittens.
Also modeled: C (colorpoint), W (white & white spotting), I (inhibitor/silver), Ta (tabby pattern), Ti (ticked), Sp (spotted), and L (hair length). Not modeled: E-locus amber/russet, Dm dilute modifier, wb wide-band, rex texture. Percentages are Mendelian expectations — DNA panels are authoritative for real breeding decisions.
Common phenotypes
Solid Black
BB aa DD oY
Dense black solid
Blue (Dilute)
BB aa dd oY
Black + dilute
Red Tabby
— A- D- OY
Orange on X
Tortoiseshell
— aa D- Oo
Females (Oo)
Breed pages
Same calculator on every breed page — with notes about colors people ask about for that breed.