In cats, the X-linked genes determine the fur color. The alleles for the fur color are present on the same locus but can have a different version, such as a cat can produce orange or black fur color.
The combinations of fur possible are:
Black
Black and White
Black, Orange, and White
Orange
Orange and White
The X-linked gene is responsible for the color or tortoiseshell of the cats.
The black color in the cats is caused due to the pheomelanin and the black color is caused due to eumelanin. The condition arises because of the inactivation of the X-chromosome.
For instance, the heterozygous patches of orange and black tortoiseshell result in the expression of different alleles coding for different fur colors.
Thus, in the female cats, the genotype is two X-chromosomes, which can result in all the possible tortoiseshells.
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