Domestic Cat

[lumsdale]

Why does the domestic cat have such a variation of different types colours and patterns of coat. From Persians with long hair to virtually hairless. Tabbys Tortoishell, White on Black, Black on White, Ginger. Single colours and mixed colours.
I suppose its all in the genetic makeup as is eye colour, but what purpose does all this diversity serve. I could understand it being for cammoflage in nature, but why else would this be important in the animal world?

[Clanad]

Early on in the domestication of not only pets, such as cats, but other animals like horses and cows, certain traits were seen as beneficial. Some traits were seen as desirable, rather than purely beneficial. Those traits pleased the owner's eye or sense of proportion, among others. The human had found that by breeding stock selectively, these traits could be achieved. As time went on, such traits were refined.

However, cats and other pet type animals produced the variations at a faster rate, because of shorter gestation periods and higher numbers of births as opposed to large animals. The cats, especially, had a propensity for leaving their master's homes and, even as today, a vast number of feral cats were produced. In the wild, the traits produced by humans were quickly spread and increased among the wild populations. The differing colors, physical size, shape of body and head, etc., are the results of the interbreeding of centuries or millenia...

[wildwood]

The different colours and hair lengths are all due to genetic mutations. In nature a white cat would stand out like a sore thumb so would be unable to catch enough prey to sustain itself - result, end of that mutation. With domesticated animals these mutation create an 'I've got a cat with an unusual colour' mentality so it survives to breed its genes on.

All animals occasionally have a genetic replication malfunction and produce a different appearing progeny; this could be colour, size, and many other variations. They are programmed to do so and this is how evolution works.

The Bear is a prime example of how evolution works. The polar bear is very closely related to the european bear but many thousands of years ago a white one born in one of the northern countries found predation in snow easier because of its colour. It lived to breed and some of the progeny received the white genes etc. etc. Soon, it adapted the bulky body and short extremities (ears) typical of animals living in a cold climate because the ones with longer ears would get too cold and would not be so successful attracting a mate.

The common house sparrow rarely lives long as a colour mutation in the wild but in captivity it is available in lots of different colour.

To confuse matters even more, colour mutations can occur in different parts of the cell. The ginger mutation in cats for instance is carried on the sex chromosome that is why gingers are mostly toms, unless both parent are ginger, then all young will be ginger.

The new mutations of domestic animals demand a high price so people are forever developing new breeds by selectively breeding. This can change a breed's characteristics surprisingly quickly.