Name:
Polygenic Inheritance: Cat Coat Color
Read about the inheritance of cat coat color. In each cat below, predict the phenotype of each genotype and color
in each cat! Make sure you indicate whether each cat is male or female
One gene that affects coat color in
cats is an x linked gene we’ll call the
pigment gene. One allele causes black
fur (Xb) and one allele gives the cat
orange fur (XB). These alleles act in a
codominant manner, because when a cat
has two different alleles (XB Xb), the cat
has a pattern called tortoise shell, where
the cat has both orange and black hairs.
The Y chromosome does not have this
Tortoise Shell coat color gene
XbY ss XbY Ss
1. Phenotype: 2. Phenotype:
___________________________ ___________________________
XbXb ss XbXb Ss
5. Phenotype: 6. Phenotype:
___________________________ ___________________________
XBXb ss XBXb Ss
9. Phenotype: 10. Phenotype:
___________________________ ___________________________
(C) Bethany Lau 2016
Class: Date:
There is another gene that affects coat
color in cats called the piebalding gene.
This gene is on an autosomal
chromosome and the alleles affect the
amount of white patches that appear in
the cat’s coat. Some cats (ss) have no
white patches and their other colors are
blended, not patchy. Some cats (SS or
Ss) have white patches and their other
colors are also patchy. Tortoise shell cats
with patches are called calico. Calico
XBY ss XBY Ss
3. Phenotype: 4. Phenotype:
___________________________ ___________________________
XBXB ss XBXB Ss
7. Phenotype: 8. Phenotype:
___________________________ ___________________________
XBXb Y Ss
(really rare case)
11. Phenotype:
_________________________________________________________