Why do some cats have different colored paws?
Why do some cats have different colored paws?
Anonim

Your cats have different colored paws? So today you are in the right place! With the help of the experts, in fact, we want to explain to you what this feline peculiarity is due to.

There are many cats that show a difference in hair on the paws. It's about a aesthetic peculiarity always much appreciated.

Six kittens
Six kittens

Who knows, maybe because they seem to be wearing two mismatched socks. In any case, cats that have different colored paws always make a great success, especially on social.

But what is their peculiarity due to? According to experts, it is one genetic mutation. Genetic mutation that takes the name of piebaldism.

Cat licking a paw
Cat licking a paw

Put simply, we are faced with a process that leads to a strange distribution of melanocytes, the real responsible for the color of the hair.

To better explain this concept is Popular Science, a very famous American scientific journal. According to the well-known magazine, this process already takes place during the growth of the embryo.

Cat sleeping on the sofa
Cat sleeping on the sofa

In practice, if the melanocytes are evenly distributed throughout the body, the cat will have a homogeneous coloring of the entire coat. If, on the contrary, the melanocytes are distributed in an irregular way, you will have cats with different colored paws.

But ultimately, that it's a genetic mutation shouldn't be new. The genes are, in fact, the same responsible for the brindle hair of the felines.

And what about the amber reflections of the Norwegian forest cat? According to experts, this particularity is determined by a specific gene, the MC1R.

Cat sleeping in a basket
Cat sleeping in a basket

And that's not all. THE Siamese, for example, they have in their genetic catalog what is called the selective albinism, which is responsible for their light color alternating with some dark areas.

In short, even in the case of cats with different colored legs we can talk about genetic causes. Recall, of course, that this is a purely feature aesthetics, which does not cause any kind of problem health in your felines. But, speaking of curiosity: do you know why some cats have an "M" shaped spot on their forehead?

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