# Would cloned cats have the same color pattern? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 5, 2012, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-cloned-cats-have-the-same-color-pattern/639924 "2012-11-05T05:19:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dstarfire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dstarfire/32/5762_2.png) [@dstarfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dstarfire)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-cloned-cats-have-the-same-color-pattern/639924/1 "2012-11-05T05:19:14Z")
I’ve got a black and white cat that’s not striped, pointed, or tuxedo. His patterning doesn’t match any breed I’ve seen, and doesn’t look like one somebody would try to breed for (mostly black on top and tail, white on bottom, with some crossover at either end (has a white collar and a black “codpiece”). So, if I cloned him somehow, would the clone have that same color pattern, or would it be some different arrangement of black and white? Are feline color patterns purely genetic, or are they more like human fingerprints? I got him from a shelter so I have no idea what his littermates looked like. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-cloned-cats-have-the-same-color-pattern/639924/2 "2012-11-05T06:14:04Z")
[They have cloned a cat](http://www.mun.ca/biology/scarr/Cloned_Cat.html), and it was completely different, not even the same colour, as its donor. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-cloned-cats-have-the-same-color-pattern/639924/3 "2012-11-05T06:17:38Z")
> [@dstarfire](#): > > I’ve got a black and white cat that’s not striped, pointed, or tuxedo. His patterning doesn’t match any breed I’ve seen, and doesn’t look like one somebody would try to breed for (mostly black on top and tail, white on bottom, with some crossover at either end (has a white collar and a black “codpiece”). \ See [the Medlej Guide to cat coat colors/patterns](http://icanhascheezburger.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/catstut6.jpeg) – a very complete & detailed guide. (Based on that, your cat would probably be described as:[ul] [li]base color black, [_]no tortiseshell pattern, [_]no tabby pattern, [_]no colorpoint pattern, [_]whitespotted about grade 4 (just less than ‘tuxedo’), [\*]no tipped shade.[/ul][/li] And you have a very interesting question; I hope someone has an answer. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-cloned-cats-have-the-same-color-pattern/639924/4 "2012-11-05T07:54:34Z")
Are litters of cats (is that right term) identical siblings in terms of DNA? ---
**Author:** ![Blake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@Blake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blake)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-cloned-cats-have-the-same-color-pattern/639924/5 "2012-11-05T07:56:52Z")
> [@Richard\_Pearse](#): > > Are litters of cats (is that right term) identical siblings in terms of DNA? Nope just standard siblings. Only armadillos have identical siblings in each litter. ETA: Cats being what they are, the members of the litter are often only half siblings. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 8:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-cloned-cats-have-the-same-color-pattern/639924/6 "2012-11-05T08:33:15Z")
> [@Richard\_Pearse](#): > > Are litters of cats (is that right term) identical siblings in terms of DNA? Definitely not! Female cats are superfecund. Meaning that a litter of kittens born at the same time may be from different tom cats, breeding the female at different times within her roughly week-long heat period. Or from the same tom cat, mating with the female multiple times during that heat. ---
**Author:** ![si\_blakely](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@si\_blakely](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/si_blakely)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 8:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-cloned-cats-have-the-same-color-pattern/639924/7 "2012-11-05T08:46:05Z")
Coat colour/patterns are set by environmental factors as well as genetics. Identical twin calves can have different coat patterns and ear shapes. Cloned animals have different coats as well. From [the FDA](http://www.fda.gov/animalveterinary/safetyhealth/animalcloning/ucm055512.htm) > [@](#): > > **Myth: Clones are always identical in looks.** > Not necessarily. In fact, many clones have slight variations in coat color and markings. > > Let’s think about the identical twin calves again. They have the same genes, but look a little different. That’s because of the way those genes are expressed—that is, how the information in that gene is seen in the actual animal. For example, if they’re Holstein cows, the pattern of their spots, or the shape of their ears may be different. Human identical twins also have the same genes, but because those genes are expressed differently in each person, they have different freckle and fingerprint patterns. Si ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-cloned-cats-have-the-same-color-pattern/639924/8 "2012-11-05T11:19:14Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > [They have cloned a cat](http://www.mun.ca/biology/scarr/Cloned_Cat.html), and it was completely different, not even the same colour, as its donor. That cat at the bottom is the surrogate, not the donor. The cat at the top left is the donor, and looks a lot like the kitten. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-cloned-cats-have-the-same-color-pattern/639924/9 "2012-11-05T11:50:50Z")
> [@MandaJo](#): > > That cat at the bottom is the surrogate, not the donor. The cat at the top left is the donor, and looks a lot like the kitten. The first is a calico, and the kitten isn’t. Though poorly annotated the article answers the very question asked in the OP. ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-cloned-cats-have-the-same-color-pattern/639924/10 "2012-11-05T11:53:56Z")
> [@t-bonham@scc.net](#): > > Definitely not! > Female cats are superfecund. Meaning that a litter of kittens born at the same time may be from different tom cats, breeding the female at different times within her roughly week-long heat period. I did not know that! I know that the coat pattern is affected by something called [Lyonization](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X-inactivation), where one or the other X-chromosome is suppressed - this happens early on in development, resulting in varying gene expression through the body. Because of this, if the color genes are on the X chromosome, it would be _incredibly_ unlikely that a clone would end up with the same pattern. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-cloned-cats-have-the-same-color-pattern/639924/11 "2012-11-05T12:26:01Z")
> [@Blake](#): > > Nope just standard siblings. Only armadillos have identical siblings in each litter. > > ETA: Cats being what they are, the members of the litter are often only half siblings. Ok cool. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-cloned-cats-have-the-same-color-pattern/639924/12 "2012-11-05T12:32:27Z")
Ah, but do cloned cats have nine lives, or fewer based upon how many lives the donor has already used? ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-cloned-cats-have-the-same-color-pattern/639924/13 "2012-11-05T14:45:02Z")
> [@Antigen](#): > > I know that the coat pattern is affected by something called [Lyonization](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X-inactivation), where one or the other X-chromosome is suppressed - this happens early on in development, resulting in varying gene expression through the body. Because of this, if the color genes are on the X chromosome, it would be _incredibly_ unlikely that a clone would end up with the same pattern. This is the cause of the calico coat pattern. I don’t believe that other coat color genes are located on the X chromosome, though I’m not a cat genetics person. ---
**Author:** ![dstarfire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dstarfire/32/5762_2.png) [@dstarfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dstarfire)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-cloned-cats-have-the-same-color-pattern/639924/14 "2012-11-05T19:33:55Z")
You know, that’s one thing I love about this board: even a simple binary (yes/no) question leads to a wealth of interesting information. From my initial googling on the issue I was under the (erroneous) impression that breed-defining patterns (calico, tortoiseshell, points, etc.) would match in a clone. But, apparently cat beauty contests are just as arbitrary as human ones. ---
**Author:** ![AaronX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7bcc69/32.png) [@AaronX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AaronX)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-cloned-cats-have-the-same-color-pattern/639924/15 "2012-11-06T00:33:43Z")
Black on top and white below? Sounds like a penguin. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-cloned-cats-have-the-same-color-pattern/639924/16 "2012-11-06T00:45:49Z")
> [@AaronX](#): > > Black on top and white below? Sounds like a penguin. Or it could describe various website visuals that are NSFW. ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-cloned-cats-have-the-same-color-pattern/639924/17 "2012-11-06T01:06:55Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > This is the cause of the calico coat pattern. I don’t believe that other coat color genes are located on the X chromosome, though I’m not a cat genetics person. I thought [this](http://www.amazon.com/Cats-are-not-Peas-Genetics/dp/1568813201) was a fascinating book… ---
**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-cloned-cats-have-the-same-color-pattern/639924/18 "2012-11-06T01:17:53Z")
> [@MandaJo](#): > > That cat at the bottom is the surrogate, not the donor. The cat at the top left is the donor, and looks a lot like the kitten. [The cloned kitten as an adult](http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/article/FIRST-CLONED-CAT-IS-TURNING-10-1383604.php). I think the differences from the donor are more obvious in this photo. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-cloned-cats-have-the-same-color-pattern/639924/19 "2012-11-06T01:32:51Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > This is the cause of the calico coat pattern. I don’t believe that other coat color genes are located on the X chromosome, though I’m not a cat genetics person. To nitpick, it’s the cause of the tortoiseshell pattern (mixture of red and black), calico being a combination of white and tortoiseshell. The gene for red color is on the X-chromosome. I believe black is autosomal. ---
**Author:** ![sco3tt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@sco3tt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sco3tt)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-cloned-cats-have-the-same-color-pattern/639924/20 "2012-11-07T21:03:38Z")
So did [Liam Lynch get hoodwinked](https://www.google.com/search?q=liam+lynch+cloned+cat)? His cat Finnegan Forcefield appears to be a carbon copy of the donor, and all of Lynch’s commentary on the project seems sincere. I never got the impression that it was a publicity stunt. At least not on his part, but maybe [Genetic Savings and Clone](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetic_Savings_%26_Clone) fooled him for their own PR purposes. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-cloned-cats-have-the-same-color-pattern/639924.md?page=2)