established 1989
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The brown tabby division. The representation of the brown tabby with the symbolizing genes: (below the accepted colors in TICA and ACFA are represented in normal type, the unaccepted colors are light. Dominant genes are capital letters, recessive genes are lower case..
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color/pattern |
explanation |
dominant* (wild type) |
recessive* (mutation) |
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agouti |
ground color of tabby: hairs banded yellow/orange |
A (agouti or tabby) |
a (non agouti, one color) |
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brown/black |
black pigmentation. In the US it is called brown, otherwise referred to as black |
B (brown/black) |
b (chocolate) b1 (cinnamon) |
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color |
color pigmentation |
C (full color pigmentation) |
cb sepia cs seal lynx ca white coat, blue eyed albino c white coat, unpigmented eyes |
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density |
pigmentation of the hair shaft |
D (full density) |
d (dilute) |
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inhibitor |
suppresses coloring from certain pars of hair |
i* (normal pigmentation) |
I* inhibited pigmentation |
The brown tabby (or black tabby) has many shadings of background color and spotting... the distinguishing characteristic is that black tail tip.
Genetically a brown tabby is: A-, B-, C- D-, ii until the recessives are known, the second gene at the the locus is not known. The phenotype or the appearance of a homozygous (AA, BB, CC, CC, DD) and a heterozygous (Aa, Bb, Cc, Dd) cat are the same. The only way to reveal the recessive is through expression in the offspring.
It is most difficult to get the highly rufoused yellow toned background with the black spotting. Most often the coloring is black patterning on cool background or brown patterning on the warmer background. Keeping in mind the goal of a small forest dwelling cat, selection is based on those qualities replicating that look. Clarity of background, with slight color variance in the agouti banding and dense, deep color of pattern give this effect. Also, the non-domestic genes give horizontal flow to pattern, be it a marble or a spotted. This flow is different from the broken mackerel and broken classic spotting found in other domestic breeds. The effect is pulled backward like a flow of pattern from shoulder to hip.
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This brown spotted male shows several desirable characteristics. Horizontal pattern flow, a high degree of rufinism, arrowhead rosetting, and spotting color that is dense and deep on the hair shaft. It is the clarity of the background that adds to the contrast on the highly rufoused coats. (photo of GrCh Akerrs Jungletrax!) |
SPOTTED PATTERN
Markings can be various shades of brown to black on a ground color that ranges from hot tones of orange and gold, to cool tones of tawny and gray. All brown spotted tabbies must have a black tail tip and black paw pads these black markings make them genetically a black tabby (term used in international registries). The brown coloring comes from rufinism, a layering of yellow pigmentation on the hair shaft. Rufinism can affect the coloring of the pattern causing a fading effect on the adult. Pattern that holds contrast well lies deeper on the hair shaft, often going from the hair tip to the skin.
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This cooler toned brown spotted tabby adult male shows the effect of the black spotting to the skin, slight rufinism on the face and legs and clear background coloring. This is a highly glittered cat that appears golden in the light due to the amount of gold glitter on his background color. This gives a chameleon like effect which changes according to light. (photo of SGC Akerrs Tejay Son Spot) |
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These
three brown spotted tabbies reveal the broad range in color.
GRCH Akerrs Pickadilly faces the camera, she reveals little rufinism and
black spotting. SGC Akerrs Laser Light, reveals the whited tummy,
tricolor rosetting, and the rich yellow-gold coloring.
SGC Akerrs
Bear Cat shows the dark righ coloring and jet black spotting. All
are brown spotted tabbies with black tail tips and paw pads.
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The young kittens pictured show the dense black spotting, horizontal flow, and the beginning of rosetting. The black spotted kittens often appear very gray until they reach a year to a year and a half of age. The coloring of the face and feet on the kitten often becomes the color that later appears on the adult. The cat pictured below is the upper right kitten as an adult showing the arrowhead rosetting, the dense pattern coloring and the clarity of background color. ( photographed is SGC Akerrs Bear Cat)
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BROWN MARBLE
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The brown marble tabby reveals the great variance in the brown tabby, often all on the same cat! There is the yellow-tawny background, the black outline of the pattern, the mahogony-red tones in the center of the swirls, and the white belly with black spotting. The pattern is very horizontal with none of the typical vertical marking found in the classic tabby. (photo of Ch Akerrs Serendipity) |
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The brown tabbies have black tail tips and black paw pads. Eye color green to gold. The background color can vary in intensity of rufinism (yellow tinge) , the markings are to be in sharp contrast to the ground color. Pattern should be random to horizontal. The black spotted cats take longer for color to develop… while the lighter spotted ones are, in general, brighter in color. The glitter on the brown tabbies appears to be a gold metallic. These bars show the color variance found in the brown tabby all are acceptable if they have black tail tips and black paw pads.
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