SCRATCH SHEET 1991
Letters to the Editor
Re: Barbara Truitt and Lee Polk
Dear Editor, «golden» tabbies This has been on my mind for some time actually, but it took som a combination of things to make me write this letter.
The first thing was the experience I had re cently at a German show where the judge told the owners of a brown mac with white kitten that I had bred that his color had to be changed to «golden» – because 5 generations e 58 ago there were 3 silver tabbies in his pedigree (Heidi Ho Sonkey Bill, et. al.) and, of course, he is a beautiful warm brown boy! ….then what is a golden? It is simply, no more and no less, a nice warm brown tabby.»
Never mind the fact that his parents are a brown clasic and a blue classic with white! The sec and ond thing, and last straw, was the Truitt-Polk letter detailing their sim ilar experiences.
I would like to state, first of all,that based on my research there is no «golden» gene. That is, there is no specific gene for «golden» as there is a specific gene for, say, a dilute tabby or a classic tabby or a solid. There fore, genetically, a «golden» cann cannot exist. As I understand it, the popular explanation for «goldens» is that they are some of recessive of the sil e sort ver (Inhibitor) gene.
Well, the silver or Inhibitor gene (I) is dominant; and any genetic book on cats will tell you that the recessive for silver (i) is non silver.
It is not «golden». Even an a an am ateur such as myself can look at two genotypes s (and in t the case of silvers, phenotypes as well) and tell which is and whic a silver (II or Ii) and which is a non silver (ii).
Silver is dominant: there fore it must show when it is present; and when it is not present, you have a brown tabby (or a blue tabby or whatever but it isn’t silver).
Perhaps a better way to understand this is to look at something all breeders are fa miliar with: dilute (dd) and full color expression (DD or Dd). If two black cats carrying blue (Dd) are bred to four Littone will gether, one in four kittens will be blue (dd).
However, if two blue cats (dd) are bred together, all the kittens will be blue. Why is it so difficult for otherwise intelligent and sensible breeders to apply this simple genet ics law to the silver/golden ques tion? One more point here: a black cat carrying blue looks no different from a black cat who is not carrying blue. The same is true for a silver car rying non-silver, so I am afraid «gold ens» are not possible that way either.
This being the case, then what is a «golden»? It is simply, no more and no less, a nice warm brown tabby. Breeders have been been trying for generations consolidate the polygenes to which which give us this warm brown; now that that they have done it, everyone is calling it «golden»!
Polygenes are are groups of genes which, by them selves, can’t accomplish much; but grouped together in incremental con centrations (as in selective breeding) There is something that disturbs me in almost every issue and I’m writ ing to try to get some ad ditional information will enhance color genes. The best way to understand their effect is to look at the difference between a show red tabby and an alley-cat red tabby. The alley cat is usually closer a marmalade yellow; the show to a tabby has a deep, rich, warm red ma hogany color.
Yet these two cats, color genetically, are identical. However, polygenes have only a cumula tive effect and are notoriously touchy (just ask any Persian breeder of red tabbies!).
I would welcome an exchange of information on this subject. I would like to ask all «golden» fanciers two questions. First, how can silver, a dominant gene, «hide» for four or six or even ten generations and then «create» a «golden»? This is against and principle all natural laws and principles of ge netics. Secondly, if «goldens» truly exist then one ought to be able to breed two «goldens» together and produce silvers. Well? Anyone?
For anyone who would like to pur sue this further, I recommend The Book of the Cat, edited by Michael Wright and Sally Waters, for an in depth and clear introduction to ics-and it is much more affordable genet than Robinson! Of course, ,any cat book with genotypes will show the curious that there is no «golden» gene.
And to Barbara Truitt and Lee Polk: do not change your kitten’s color. He is genetically a brown tabby and hopefully soon some of these judges will sit down and read a book on genetics before they head to their next show. You as the owner and certainly the breeder ought to have the final say on your cat’s color. I have as a breeder refused categori cally to change the registered color in this situation. And, of course, good luck!
Audra Macmann Rheingold Maine Coons
Dear Editor:
In response to the letter from Audra MacMann I have gathered some information from a friend who breeds golden persians. I too have seen so-called golden Maine Coons in the show hall and have declined to inform the exhibitor that they look nothing like what is being shown and accepted as the golden Persian.
The obvious type difference aside, a golden Maine Coon and a golden Persian should be the same color.
The main point I would like to convey from my talking with golden breeders is that goldens DO NOT come from breeding brown cats to silver cats.
I hope you will be able to reprint a portion of the enclosed article, particularly the portion that explains that goldens are a result of breeding shaded silvers to black cats and then breeding those offspring together to get golden and silver cats, in the case of the Per sians, with no tabby markings.
That is not to say that there aren’t golden tabbies, but that the desirable color is an overall golden cat with black tipping.
(Ed.: The following is excerpted from «Golden Prose», by Christopher Bock [I was unable to contact Mr. Renteria for the name of the publication this article came from]. (The remarks are from R.M. Prose of the Netherlands.)
«…Indeed, you can make easily a Golden without using an existing one. When you put a solid color into a Silver line, you are introducing the tool to create the Golden gene.
When you outcross a Silver… all the kittens are Shaded Silvers and all carry the Golden gene. Use preferably black or blue as solid color, as Silvers and Goldens are black-tipped. Introduc ing a red or cream is totally useless to make a beautiful apri cot underground color. A Golden is genetically black and introducing cream will only give Golden Torties…
…My conclusion is when you want to make a Golden, use only black and blue as outcross. Well, let’s come back to the making of the Golden.
1st generation – Silver x Black gives – Silver kittens w/golden factor.
2nd generation – Two of these kit tens together (or one of these kittens with the same outcross of another line) give Silver and Golden Kittens. …
You can never mistake a good Golden Tabby with a Brown Tabby. To breed a Golden Tabby, you must use a Silver Tabby as outcross….» While we are on the subject, I also tire of hearing about so-called blue silver cats.
The cat is either blue or silver, there is no such thing as a blue-silver! You can never mistake a good Golden Tabby with a Brown Tabby.»
Peter Renteria