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Coat colours in cats
What are 'coat colours'?
DNA tests for coat colours
Breeds that can be tested
Breeding policy
The constant threat for every breed is overselection. If too many breeders choose breeding
animals from the same lines, the diversity of the breed's gene pool will decrease in the
next generation. As a consequence the level of inbreeding of the breed increases. On the
short term this may cause outbreaks of genetic disorders. On the longer term it causes a
decreased vitality of the breed. The only way to preserve a breed's gene pool is to make
sure that a sufficiently large random sample of the genetic material of the breed is taken
from one generation to the next, every generation again.
In times of changing popularity of certain coat colours, many breeders start selecting in
favour of the popular coat colour alleles. When the frequencies of these favoured alleles
are low, there is a real risk that too many breeders choose their sires from only a few
lines known to carry these alleles. As a consequence other parts of the gene pool of the
breed will be lost. With the availability of DNA tests like the ones for the A-, B-,
C- and D-locus breeders can realize their short term 'colour goals' quite
efficiently which increases the risk for long term problems because of overselection.
Each cat, also the ones with the less favoured colour alleles, has many good and important
genes that may be worthwhile to preserve in the population. Selection programmes should be
carried out slowly and carefully, taking a sufficient number of generations to prevent
overselection. That is where the breeders' organizations should take their responsibility
towards their breeds. With the availability of DNA tests like the ones for the coat colour
alleles in cats, selection programmes can be extended to the number of generations needed
to make sure that no harm is done to the breed's gene pool.
Testing for coat colours
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