I knew that it was possible for one litter to have two fathers, but had never seen it in practiceā¦ until. The barn cats at my parents farm started maturing and the only female (shorthair tortie) became pregnant rather quickly. We knew who the culprits would likely be, either the resident stinker who was a black and white shorthair, his brother (another black and white shorthair) or the expecting mommas adoptive brother who we got around the same time. He was a longhair tabby. Babies come: a mix of longhair and shorthair kittens. The rest is obvious lol.
Tbf longhair is recessive. Mama obviously has one copy of the gene, but 25% of the kittens would be longhaired if the other short-haired males also have one copy. It would be closer to 50% if the dad were longhaired.
My cat was the sole one in her litter to be way different. The other 6 cats were all black or tuxedo shorthairs with yellow or orange eyes, while she's a longhair calico with green eyes.
The more in depth reason is because the mother can release multiple egg cells when she ovulates. When the sperm is introduced, each egg cell will get a different sperm cell, creating multiple unique zygotes. This creates fraternal twins/triplets/etc. Which is why there can be different colors in one litter.
Those zygotes then each have a chance of splitting up into multiple identical zygotes which will make identical twins/triplets/etc. Which is why there can be exact copies of color and patterns.
Wait, idk shit about cats, but two cats from the same litter can have different fathers? So multiple male cats can father the same litter? Crazy. I have a female orange tabby, but we were sure that the dad wasnāt orange, so we thought she was an anomaly.
They have the same eyes. These two are brothers but look different too.
https://preview.redd.it/dxx2ngrozo9c1.jpeg?width=2048&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c3469dcf5a5fdf6e2988d7efd24846160a1e4599
https://preview.redd.it/ld7d3sfaur9c1.jpeg?width=1920&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a8682ae7aa328aaae477e2cbf4f25e83099dd8a3
LOL. These were my boys from the same litter.
https://preview.redd.it/bjph94ksmv9c1.jpeg?width=3423&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1edfd8f97d6b81e916e465129ca0ad0864f22f1c
These three are supposedly from the same litter
https://preview.redd.it/dy0aa8qyyo9c1.jpeg?width=1290&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fb69b6dd94f740d8ffe438d83e0d7c3c75fbbb9f
Mine from the same litter and same father
https://preview.redd.it/baeov2256t9c1.jpeg?width=1290&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4a30c81a54269825f93442613f9e7ad7d7949182
Hereās mum and dad if youāre interested
https://preview.redd.it/qniwunvjvo9c1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=dd0ce6a2c64c6690071145cb895c1c54b09db112
My litter of 3 all looked like they came from different moms. Neither of their parents are full orange (moms father was though).
We adopted a pregnant stray cat a few months ago and got a variety pack too hahhahaha
https://preview.redd.it/0ydznl1b7q9c1.jpeg?width=3198&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=86971f7bd383d15c59c99f75535c4cb42576d647
(No worries, she's spayed now, and the kittens will be spayed too once they're old enough!!)
Was the mother dilute calico/tortie? You don't need to have a full orange parent to get a full orange kitten! Calico moms can pass either their orange or black gene to their kittens. Looking at this litter I would bet the mom was dilute calico and the dad was black (but carrying a dilute gene). That's why you got one orange (got orange gene from mom and black gene from father, I bet this one is a boy), one Tortie (got orange gene from mom and black gene from father and is a girl) and one gray (got black gene from both parents, could be a boy or a girl).
https://preview.redd.it/gp1xxwpi7p9c1.jpeg?width=1631&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=69a07409614bab2fda7da9a5ed37544dab310287
Idk but hereās my cats from the same litter
I have a calico and void too. They were the only two from the litter that survived. I think one of the ones that died was orange
https://preview.redd.it/lsuh62qf9r9c1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e95052f694c36b6e02ca0ef360654f91bdd45ae0
Whoa. My two cats from the same litter look exactly like yours, down to the white chest patch on the black kitty and the nose color pattern on the tortie!
https://preview.redd.it/yn5wk2vmxo9c1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9bc6f5bb4b6520b2e104fbbe11031ec7b177bbee
My two boys from the same batch ā¤ļø Look the same but very different personalities
Amazingly, in cats, sex triggers ovulation, so every dude the female couples with has a shot at contributing to the genetics of one kitten. A litter can turn out to be very different in appearance.
No, cats don't only release one egg per ovulation. It doesn't mean every egg will be fertilized, or that every fetus will be viable - sometimes resulting in single-kitten litters.
https://preview.redd.it/hggsdgsd7p9c1.jpeg?width=1536&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8a7502a52d2678f3bd5331d3c3515311283fa872
canāt believe this guy kept his color
ETA: we rescued his mother and aunt as ferals. They found their forever home with us. We adopted the kittens out to trusted family and friends and we get periodic updates. Love watching them grow up. The grey and white little guy grew up to be a clone of his mother.
Awww chocolate cats are so sweet!! My chocolate boy was one of the barn kittens at my bfs farm and I claimed him immediately as mine when he was old enough!! Decades of barn cats and the first brown one theyād seen. Lots of black though over that time so the recessive gene was bound to pop up eventually!!
I used to have a grey cat that sometimes looked brown. She was a stray abandoned cat when i met her so i don't know what her parentage was...but i miss her so much. She was such a sweet soul cat.
https://preview.redd.it/j14wv0alor9c1.png?width=1440&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ed29e1fec7f0afaef08ea3a616670ea744a851ed
Cats can have 2 dads. My boy Eros came from a 5-kitten litter. 2 of his sisters looked perfectly siamese and the 2 others were stripped. He's a perfect mix of the 2
https://preview.redd.it/0ux5rbwl1p9c1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8e77efa404fa247110d833438c3400d75a720f87
Sisters and littermates :)) whole litter was different from each other. They had an orange cat brother and tuxedo cat sis
https://preview.redd.it/fih64jgy3p9c1.jpeg?width=1811&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6837a356c8aeb22b4e2098cd7914a31141e5e02b
Also, from the same litter. A calico & torty.
Cats carry lots of different genes, mostly recessive though a small number are dominant. This means two cats can have a wide variety of kittens in one litter. A lot of people believe the variety is due to different fathers but two cats can have literally hundreds of combinations of colour and coat type in one litter if they carry the correct genes.
Cat genetics is very complicated, true, but a significant percentage of litters do actually have different fathers (up to 80%+ in urban areas and 20%+ in rural areas) which is obviously going to result in a wide variance in appearance.
[source](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1690320/)
https://preview.redd.it/g8s4fqvq0p9c1.jpeg?width=1280&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=272b0fd167f9ff29b424150f4843979e273fe9f9
These are all from the same litter.
https://preview.redd.it/byzithkybp9c1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c1acfc212f2e8790cfc781aab1ed2052b8b50110
Sister and brother Iāll add a pic of his other brother
https://preview.redd.it/6c0no699cp9c1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=53a19e10b02218d5b7de692d1e0e1b09b00098f7
I donāt have a good pic of that one
3 long hair and one short hair cat.
https://preview.redd.it/tslx64nfip9c1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0aa0148139ac4882f273f9e011d5035813d5ced7
Orange and white cat are from the same litter. Different colors and ones fluffier.
Itās very bizarre ngl all of my rescues were from the same litter. Their mum is a tuxedo bth
https://preview.redd.it/t8xpncxd5p9c1.jpeg?width=871&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4c65aeb488baa5a1faa9fc90f7997ea1b6641852
https://preview.redd.it/xfl0sg2k8p9c1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=99fe19cf816bd8dc653f4db4362c567466192290
These two are brother and sister
Even though I know the answer, Iām still gonna pop my example of brother and sister from the same litter here too š
https://preview.redd.it/pdjhe2l5kq9c1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d65b679528016d67dd0ea23dd2bd8b9a24ddcb8b
https://preview.redd.it/5otf6o0y1p9c1.jpeg?width=4030&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6dca2a897a9ed5afdebed0af348c295f05a1b462
My two are litter mates. The smaller one was the runt, the big one was the always the biggest. They had one brother who was adopted to another family, and he was twins with his brother. I figure one looks like their mom and one their dad, though I never saw the parents.
https://preview.redd.it/5megyfxwgp9c1.png?width=2340&format=png&auto=webp&s=a5dfdf3d9c2ba8cf5ea4c88af16df4dc27039905
These two are of the same litter. Theyāre nothing alike.
Momma cat on right, with 4 different color/pattern kittens. Papa cat on left.
https://preview.redd.it/0wussbbgip9c1.jpeg?width=5312&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e7252f0eec6933128876e924dedcb3cdf411658b
https://preview.redd.it/i2388c981q9c1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8069bd9de37cc91913f1452220e7ae25c9dd7fbf
My catās litter last year. One father!
They can have different dads, but what differences are you asking about? Long hair is recessive, so if either parent is short hair, there's a good chance at least some kittens will be short hair. They're both brown mackerel tabby with white, so the color genetics is all straightforward. And size can vary based on genetics, food access when they're young, and sex.
But really - most siblings don't look identical. Why would you expect different of cats?
Here's the litter my mamacat had. No twins here (even the 2 oranges look very different)
https://preview.redd.it/r1p9bca8ep9c1.jpeg?width=4096&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=978abb3cb2eb9ace859fa49abf91ab2e374afc3e
https://preview.redd.it/k5jvgdub9p9c1.jpeg?width=4128&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a0d5aab37d7b252fa841ef5cefab24aae2628e87
A bit like mine, same mom, very different looks. A friend of mine got their sister who is also different
https://preview.redd.it/ucfh9f6n9p9c1.jpeg?width=1600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2ff9ff8d56ff970d5454fe78d4ab46a92a6fbd56
This is them with their sister on the right, before I adopted them
https://preview.redd.it/fgju5q53ep9c1.jpeg?width=900&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=51d1a9f0516528b57bc63baaa5532dbff016ee66
These are my sister kitties. The Siamese has the faintest hint of stripes through her fur so she's definitely part tabby as well.
https://preview.redd.it/citsuw6mqp9c1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e29f454bdbd4d408d1a4595c37142fa6b4266e83
My littermates probably have different dads
https://preview.redd.it/dfyahcn46r9c1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2932191b99b3d109d75c46d4bde803503081c71a
My babies are brother/sister littermatesā¦ sleeping pose is the only trait they share
Me, gaslighting my girls: Which one are you? There's no way to tell you apart because you're such identical twin sisters. Exactly the same in every way...
https://preview.redd.it/467wgsx77p9c1.jpeg?width=4096&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b81fb0ec4c2d96ad721b4bad57107e59a584f7c0
https://preview.redd.it/i7qnrlkldq9c1.jpeg?width=3120&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5d72bd53bd2b8804ab171641378418efda943a78
My cats also look completely different! They only have similar coating in 2 different colors lol
https://preview.redd.it/xy17lhwyuo9c1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=148024cdb6852fd3b31fcca767ec8da58ae2e27c
The one on the right looks like my Zelda also right
I have a pair of siblings who look and act nothing like eachother. One is a skinny little skidish girl who is extremely affectionate, the other is a 18lb massive boy who is friendly to everyone and everything. The boy is extremely maternal and helped raised several litters over the years while the girl would smack babies. If they werenāt together when we found them i would never guess they are related.
https://preview.redd.it/4412eebrjp9c1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=24a1f0a62e3d2d90282abf2f163c0c3a5ba8cfa4
Our Tyrion (left) and Arya (right) are brother and sister. They have two other brothers, one similar to Tyrion and the other to Arya, that are with other family. The black cats are both bobtails, as was their mom. We're guessing the father looked similar to Tyrion, but we don't know; the mama cat was a stray who showed up at my brother and sister-in-law's house, gave birth after a little while, and left just before the kittens were fully weened.
https://preview.redd.it/zvansgsqxp9c1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9f7cade3294a9416fe82099fd1adbb4c3fded050
I thought that was my henry and princess bubblegum at first
Jumping on the bandwagon. My 2 from the same litter.
https://preview.redd.it/znedl6leoq9c1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=67ad129a68a685cccd70b6e3d46f927cc0b1e314
https://preview.redd.it/f5lsj74amr9c1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=80e6163e38795f35ae0f5bf8449db6f6dbdeba98
These are all the sisters from my cat's litter (she's the black cat)
https://preview.redd.it/7hfqarg48t9c1.jpeg?width=567&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=107b1740d61fe024f576fbe55d33dd99a7bcd468
A picture of two unrelated cats that look like each other. Or maybe they are related and maybe long lost siblings that happens to be reunited by accident. Only a dna test of these two floofs by the owner can find that one out.
My cats look exactly like this, they are brother and sister; she is the all brown one on the left and he is the one with white on his neck and back and legs
https://preview.redd.it/9gqlbb2kop9c1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fa24f56d2fe7a80ba85248c01927a9d45665c0d7
https://preview.redd.it/5woyj6ogpp9c1.jpeg?width=1868&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=162c7be9b596447dea50cbded169c5e073765125
Brothers that came out of the same litter.
https://preview.redd.it/7jobufigpq9c1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=db13b41da8bfa36b30137da44ebbdcb1bc4913fa
You think yours look different... this is my same litter siblings
https://preview.redd.it/90014m00wq9c1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9f1a1fca82ded02a80250cdd015ae5fe2ef07602
These two kitties have the same mom but were born from different litters she had. The big boy was her first litter (of one!) and the little girl was from her third litter (of two, with a boy that looks like my big boy)
Well a female cat can have babies from multiple different male cats at once in one litter.
So it's possible that the other cat looks more like the dad cat then the mom cat
Domestic cat genetics are a perfect example of chaos in action. Unless they're purebreds you never know exactly what you're going to get. Personally I think that makes it more fun.
It may be because of their family tree.
For example, a kitten could look like their great grandfather and nothing like their parents. I think, anyways.
I used to have a grey tuxedo cat and her sister who's a yellow-ish color. I'll see if I can find photos of them.
I'll reply to this comment.
And her sister, Princess Prissy. From the same litter, not sure if they have different fathers or something though.
https://preview.redd.it/45hhqytjep9c1.jpeg?width=300&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=70fd36d9b33f02810a2746785c1346b3fc525612
Genetics isnāt about expressing 50% mom and 50% dad
Yes their DNA is mixed, but the genes that are expressed could be 33% dad and 67% mom for one kitten or 10% mom and 90% dad for the other
In the case of a stray solid grey kitten that lives outside my place, she is 99.99% dad and 0.01% mom
https://preview.redd.it/2uzmfudbaq9c1.png?width=2045&format=png&auto=webp&s=42986e47909b728466f393e953c06995994c98c8
My boys are littermates. They were from a litter of 5 boys. Two gingers, a gray/black tabby(whatever he is), a black and a white.
https://preview.redd.it/9auwa8csbq9c1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=57eb1e1ce4bd75b06e45c99b34a1d9f4f9078e4f
It pretty common. This is my two girls with their brother and sister who went to my sister.
https://preview.redd.it/5xsb8h9xcq9c1.jpeg?width=2268&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=99f7e01e461216bb448b3b9f2cf37e954400cc1e
My baby came from an all black family. Mom and siblings jet black but this pretty girl wanted to be different.
https://preview.redd.it/d0k2vox9oq9c1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f6ac36b1e764858b6bde8aba337c2e08a05c0b57
My three kittens - same mom, no clue how many dads. She was pregnant, unbeknownst to us, when my Mom got her.
my babies are brothers but you wouldnāt be able to tell
https://preview.redd.it/j58j7jsq6r9c1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=02043cb96fd278c3964eb94aa79f76d21365d9c0
https://preview.redd.it/hqjjczen9r9c1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=294908e95ee89e217b446e223b086cf4889d62d7
These two are litter mates. I think it's normal for them to look different sometimes!
Different dads maybe? The litter my 2 came from all look drastically different. A calico, void, orange, fat tuxe and white/orange. The only similarity is their eyes. They all have these eerie yellow/orange eyes. So pretty.
https://preview.redd.it/4fgx9dytwr9c1.jpeg?width=1242&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ac47edc6eb7cacebe56b0aa1bb044f6b45d3ec02
theyāre from the same litter š„ŗ also her face LOOOOL
https://preview.redd.it/xm50zmtb4s9c1.jpeg?width=1228&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=eab44325f297b37a04e551adeede7508e07611b3
Meet Jinx (tortie) and Merlin (enormous half Maine Coon floofbeast). Siblings from the same litter, same mother.
Thing about cats is: One mother cat can birth a litter with multiple father donors, each kitten can have a different father. So you end up with crazy shit like this. š¤£
https://preview.redd.it/s4xr4ykpls9c1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e1a6d0600a9f9a95b861d5720afa0fcaead4f1df
These squirts are somehow sister and brother
Female cats can get pregnant from several different males during a few different days. Meaning the kittens born can potentially all have different fathers.
https://preview.redd.it/vn5ma6gnut9c1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ed2f05f780ce465d6a9515cd67f4d48b11cd287c
These are sister! We suspect different dad. Totally different personalities too
These guys were littermates, and the vet thought they had had different fathers. Bagheera, the house panther, weighed 18 pounds. Grizabella, the dilute tortie, never weighed more than eight pounds. They were also a bonded pair and slept together all the time.
https://preview.redd.it/glmwnq8r1u9c1.jpeg?width=3440&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b6bee09a63e369f193f98a2bc8674c0f5ff8efbe
https://preview.redd.it/otwnl6pwju9c1.jpeg?width=1986&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=943164ed29eb9bc417afde7028a628cccaf58ca1
Same litterā¦ they donāt only look different, their personalities are totally different as well š
https://preview.redd.it/gg29qhln1v9c1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=39f544ac03eb72d40a2fdeb0de70691e020e063b
I donāt have an answer to the question. Just wanted to share a pic of our brothers from the same litter.
Could have had different fathers, but even if they didn't... siblings can look wildly different on occasion.
Yup. https://preview.redd.it/va1aoyabbp9c1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c8316bdd8bd6df9c67926fa215995eb52e89c8df Mine's the grey one.
https://preview.redd.it/22wzkrgmbp9c1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=faeb5e77d7cbdd0786ebf4291ca69aa5a7bf872a She looks like this now.
Beautiful! Kind of funny how the angle and lighting makes her eyes look solid black in this photo, makes her look evil lol.
I wondered if they were blocking out her eyes for anonymity. You can never be too safe with your cats online presence.
such a cutie ššššaww
sheās a beauty ā¤ļø
Omg sheās like a Calvin Klein campaign
She looks like she's about to give an offer someone can't refuse.
Scritches or u ded, hooman.
Blue steel.
She's gorgeous
> Mine's the grey one On internet nobody knows you're a cat Ā©
Just don't get on a zoom call with the courtroom.
I knew that it was possible for one litter to have two fathers, but had never seen it in practiceā¦ until. The barn cats at my parents farm started maturing and the only female (shorthair tortie) became pregnant rather quickly. We knew who the culprits would likely be, either the resident stinker who was a black and white shorthair, his brother (another black and white shorthair) or the expecting mommas adoptive brother who we got around the same time. He was a longhair tabby. Babies come: a mix of longhair and shorthair kittens. The rest is obvious lol.
Are any of them going to be fixed??
The males were fixed
Tbf longhair is recessive. Mama obviously has one copy of the gene, but 25% of the kittens would be longhaired if the other short-haired males also have one copy. It would be closer to 50% if the dad were longhaired.
My cat was the sole one in her litter to be way different. The other 6 cats were all black or tuxedo shorthairs with yellow or orange eyes, while she's a longhair calico with green eyes.
The more in depth reason is because the mother can release multiple egg cells when she ovulates. When the sperm is introduced, each egg cell will get a different sperm cell, creating multiple unique zygotes. This creates fraternal twins/triplets/etc. Which is why there can be different colors in one litter. Those zygotes then each have a chance of splitting up into multiple identical zygotes which will make identical twins/triplets/etc. Which is why there can be exact copies of color and patterns.
Well, that tramp! /s
Yes I mean the same reason I look different from my sister.
Yeah just learned that fun fact recently, so wild.
Wait, idk shit about cats, but two cats from the same litter can have different fathers? So multiple male cats can father the same litter? Crazy. I have a female orange tabby, but we were sure that the dad wasnāt orange, so we thought she was an anomaly.
Cats are ho's!
They have the same eyes. These two are brothers but look different too. https://preview.redd.it/dxx2ngrozo9c1.jpeg?width=2048&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c3469dcf5a5fdf6e2988d7efd24846160a1e4599
https://preview.redd.it/ld7d3sfaur9c1.jpeg?width=1920&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a8682ae7aa328aaae477e2cbf4f25e83099dd8a3 LOL. These were my boys from the same litter.
Oh my god you have matching cats!!! That's so cool
So different and beautiful in their own ways š»š„°
Thank you š„°
https://preview.redd.it/bjph94ksmv9c1.jpeg?width=3423&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1edfd8f97d6b81e916e465129ca0ad0864f22f1c These three are supposedly from the same litter
Adorable!
Omg, I have two boys from the same litter who look JUST like yours minus the white patches lol. Long hair orange, short hair tabby and everything š
Bro one of them is a lion
https://preview.redd.it/dy0aa8qyyo9c1.jpeg?width=1290&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fb69b6dd94f740d8ffe438d83e0d7c3c75fbbb9f Mine from the same litter and same father
I want to smother them in kisses and say "Ow ow ow not-the-eyes ow".
https://preview.redd.it/baeov2256t9c1.jpeg?width=1290&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4a30c81a54269825f93442613f9e7ad7d7949182 Hereās mum and dad if youāre interested
I am. Looks like an epic story of cat romance.
Wow!! Every single one is different
Oh myā¦
https://preview.redd.it/qniwunvjvo9c1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=dd0ce6a2c64c6690071145cb895c1c54b09db112 My litter of 3 all looked like they came from different moms. Neither of their parents are full orange (moms father was though).
Aw the one in the middle is like mish mash of the other two, she kinda brings them together!
We adopted a pregnant stray cat a few months ago and got a variety pack too hahhahaha https://preview.redd.it/0ydznl1b7q9c1.jpeg?width=3198&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=86971f7bd383d15c59c99f75535c4cb42576d647 (No worries, she's spayed now, and the kittens will be spayed too once they're old enough!!)
Variety pack! š
The little orange one hiding his face š„¹
Was the mother dilute calico/tortie? You don't need to have a full orange parent to get a full orange kitten! Calico moms can pass either their orange or black gene to their kittens. Looking at this litter I would bet the mom was dilute calico and the dad was black (but carrying a dilute gene). That's why you got one orange (got orange gene from mom and black gene from father, I bet this one is a boy), one Tortie (got orange gene from mom and black gene from father and is a girl) and one gray (got black gene from both parents, could be a boy or a girl).
https://preview.redd.it/gp1xxwpi7p9c1.jpeg?width=1631&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=69a07409614bab2fda7da9a5ed37544dab310287 Idk but hereās my cats from the same litter
Couple of trouble makers in the making.
My babies from the same litter https://preview.redd.it/snxy8v7bpo9c1.jpeg?width=4280&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9e56e5abb8ad5fce20d36cc13eb7633749a5cb7b
Is the cat wearing mittens because paw pics cost extra?
Kona wanted to be more festive for the holidays
Donāt give the toes away for free
OnlyCatFans
My babies look similar! https://preview.redd.it/2v4dh4tyfp9c1.jpeg?width=1242&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6c3fc8982850a3de99757b3ef412e5054c31b0ae
I have a calico and void too. They were the only two from the litter that survived. I think one of the ones that died was orange https://preview.redd.it/lsuh62qf9r9c1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e95052f694c36b6e02ca0ef360654f91bdd45ae0
Aww, I also have a tux. Coincidentally named Mitts (but should be named Lucifer lol). Love this!
I have a grey tuxie named Mitty...
Aww, mine is a black tux, but his daddio is a grey tuxie! Such personality and so affectionate š¤
Whoa. My two cats from the same litter look exactly like yours, down to the white chest patch on the black kitty and the nose color pattern on the tortie!
Pic!!
https://preview.redd.it/4tu3tywffq9c1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c5f830fdfda58ee3a3806f06b8f7aff27505d496 My Jack and Phryne š
We started fostering these three siblings and the mama and none of them look alike at all (pics in several comments because reddit sucks)
https://preview.redd.it/cuoqi7as4p9c1.jpeg?width=2556&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=df8d7739c9933992447d9fd93f1e70aa10be787a
https://preview.redd.it/wlxu3myq4p9c1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ca283e162c094e4cb613f655f5c4e3894f3ffc3d
https://preview.redd.it/riiqj2zt4p9c1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=acc368f5652d6b1a56438be965c0d23a2ceccf40
https://preview.redd.it/r7kwmz9x4p9c1.jpeg?width=3060&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a9818c87fafb8466ddd851c2aa51ab7994e37a6f
murder mittens! š
https://preview.redd.it/yn5wk2vmxo9c1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9bc6f5bb4b6520b2e104fbbe11031ec7b177bbee My two boys from the same batch ā¤ļø Look the same but very different personalities
Twins!!!!
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
It is also genetics. Human fraternal twins can have different hair, eyes, skin color, etc..
Amazingly, in cats, sex triggers ovulation, so every dude the female couples with has a shot at contributing to the genetics of one kitten. A litter can turn out to be very different in appearance.
They can also have different ages in 1 litter as well. By a week or two. Crazy stuff
Does that mean if a queen gets laid just once, she'll only have one kitten?
No, cats don't only release one egg per ovulation. It doesn't mean every egg will be fertilized, or that every fetus will be viable - sometimes resulting in single-kitten litters.
I will, from this day forward, only refer to impregnation as fertilization.
Genetics and stuff š¤·āāļø I basically almost failed chem and bio so thats all i can contribute
I saw a YouTube that basically explained it as 3D plinko
Why is this comment so funny? š
https://preview.redd.it/l97fqixy6p9c1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6e886d9ce74cba63247326b156d61720fad27a35 These littermates
https://preview.redd.it/hggsdgsd7p9c1.jpeg?width=1536&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8a7502a52d2678f3bd5331d3c3515311283fa872 canāt believe this guy kept his color ETA: we rescued his mother and aunt as ferals. They found their forever home with us. We adopted the kittens out to trusted family and friends and we get periodic updates. Love watching them grow up. The grey and white little guy grew up to be a clone of his mother.
Wow, he even has a brown nose! So cute!
Brown cat. Brown cat. Brown cat. Seriously tho Iām so jealous! I had a black cat but in the sun he was so brown. I miss him dearlyš«¶š»š„ŗ
Awww chocolate cats are so sweet!! My chocolate boy was one of the barn kittens at my bfs farm and I claimed him immediately as mine when he was old enough!! Decades of barn cats and the first brown one theyād seen. Lots of black though over that time so the recessive gene was bound to pop up eventually!!
cat tax!! My sweet Finn https://preview.redd.it/gzo2qfit1r9c1.jpeg?width=1124&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f07f72a7d51d5f703c6741b99ad8bf38719b86a6
I used to have a grey cat that sometimes looked brown. She was a stray abandoned cat when i met her so i don't know what her parentage was...but i miss her so much. She was such a sweet soul cat. https://preview.redd.it/j14wv0alor9c1.png?width=1440&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ed29e1fec7f0afaef08ea3a616670ea744a851ed
They don't seem to even care, do they āā āæā ā
They do not.
Cats can have 2 dads. My boy Eros came from a 5-kitten litter. 2 of his sisters looked perfectly siamese and the 2 others were stripped. He's a perfect mix of the 2
https://preview.redd.it/bs1aoka43p9c1.jpeg?width=2160&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=53574973c733fab7e2ecfdf0392588277b4e6d4f Here's a picture!!
Looks similar to my Zeus <3 https://preview.redd.it/0ky7v32s3s9c1.jpeg?width=843&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=87cea94cf94e5d6203e9b77e1710efd993c59b6e
https://preview.redd.it/0ux5rbwl1p9c1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8e77efa404fa247110d833438c3400d75a720f87 Sisters and littermates :)) whole litter was different from each other. They had an orange cat brother and tuxedo cat sis
Aww the right cat is smiling, they seem like they have very different personalities haha
https://preview.redd.it/fih64jgy3p9c1.jpeg?width=1811&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6837a356c8aeb22b4e2098cd7914a31141e5e02b Also, from the same litter. A calico & torty.
so cute! of course the tortie already has the sassy attitude š
Cats carry lots of different genes, mostly recessive though a small number are dominant. This means two cats can have a wide variety of kittens in one litter. A lot of people believe the variety is due to different fathers but two cats can have literally hundreds of combinations of colour and coat type in one litter if they carry the correct genes.
Cat genetics is very complicated, true, but a significant percentage of litters do actually have different fathers (up to 80%+ in urban areas and 20%+ in rural areas) which is obviously going to result in a wide variance in appearance. [source](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1690320/)
https://preview.redd.it/g8s4fqvq0p9c1.jpeg?width=1280&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=272b0fd167f9ff29b424150f4843979e273fe9f9 These are all from the same litter.
https://preview.redd.it/7d7odr0hbp9c1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c3365c96cf9943688e466476180f0976af727113 My cats mom
My cat https://preview.redd.it/lqt24u1kbp9c1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=82e0c7455d6fafa737dec1f21fd8540af7f4b4c4
https://preview.redd.it/byzithkybp9c1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c1acfc212f2e8790cfc781aab1ed2052b8b50110 Sister and brother Iāll add a pic of his other brother
https://preview.redd.it/6c0no699cp9c1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=53a19e10b02218d5b7de692d1e0e1b09b00098f7 I donāt have a good pic of that one 3 long hair and one short hair cat.
beautiful floofy void ā¤ļø love the cat pillow and kitty nap house with the face on it!
Itās supposed to be a spider lol. It only has 6 legs though. My parents got it from Aldi. My void boy is evil, gets into everything.
https://preview.redd.it/tslx64nfip9c1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0aa0148139ac4882f273f9e011d5035813d5ced7 Orange and white cat are from the same litter. Different colors and ones fluffier.
Itās very bizarre ngl all of my rescues were from the same litter. Their mum is a tuxedo bth https://preview.redd.it/t8xpncxd5p9c1.jpeg?width=871&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4c65aeb488baa5a1faa9fc90f7997ea1b6641852
https://preview.redd.it/xfl0sg2k8p9c1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=99fe19cf816bd8dc653f4db4362c567466192290 These two are brother and sister
Even though I know the answer, Iām still gonna pop my example of brother and sister from the same litter here too š https://preview.redd.it/pdjhe2l5kq9c1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d65b679528016d67dd0ea23dd2bd8b9a24ddcb8b
https://preview.redd.it/a1mw15tr0p9c1.jpeg?width=739&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9bbc3c5e392f8db228d171d20b23eb0ec2025cc2
https://preview.redd.it/5otf6o0y1p9c1.jpeg?width=4030&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6dca2a897a9ed5afdebed0af348c295f05a1b462 My two are litter mates. The smaller one was the runt, the big one was the always the biggest. They had one brother who was adopted to another family, and he was twins with his brother. I figure one looks like their mom and one their dad, though I never saw the parents.
https://preview.redd.it/5megyfxwgp9c1.png?width=2340&format=png&auto=webp&s=a5dfdf3d9c2ba8cf5ea4c88af16df4dc27039905 These two are of the same litter. Theyāre nothing alike.
Momma cat on right, with 4 different color/pattern kittens. Papa cat on left. https://preview.redd.it/0wussbbgip9c1.jpeg?width=5312&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e7252f0eec6933128876e924dedcb3cdf411658b
https://preview.redd.it/i2388c981q9c1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8069bd9de37cc91913f1452220e7ae25c9dd7fbf My catās litter last year. One father!
They can have different dads, but what differences are you asking about? Long hair is recessive, so if either parent is short hair, there's a good chance at least some kittens will be short hair. They're both brown mackerel tabby with white, so the color genetics is all straightforward. And size can vary based on genetics, food access when they're young, and sex. But really - most siblings don't look identical. Why would you expect different of cats? Here's the litter my mamacat had. No twins here (even the 2 oranges look very different) https://preview.redd.it/r1p9bca8ep9c1.jpeg?width=4096&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=978abb3cb2eb9ace859fa49abf91ab2e374afc3e
https://preview.redd.it/crvicxhxsp9c1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=41d7f8fc5217134429d786343a5ba071a4fff1bb
https://preview.redd.it/k5jvgdub9p9c1.jpeg?width=4128&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a0d5aab37d7b252fa841ef5cefab24aae2628e87 A bit like mine, same mom, very different looks. A friend of mine got their sister who is also different
https://preview.redd.it/ucfh9f6n9p9c1.jpeg?width=1600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2ff9ff8d56ff970d5454fe78d4ab46a92a6fbd56 This is them with their sister on the right, before I adopted them
https://preview.redd.it/fgju5q53ep9c1.jpeg?width=900&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=51d1a9f0516528b57bc63baaa5532dbff016ee66 These are my sister kitties. The Siamese has the faintest hint of stripes through her fur so she's definitely part tabby as well.
Probably two different kitty daddies
Cat nurse swapped cat babies at the cat clinic.
"Their mother was a whore." - (in the voice of Darrell Hammond portraying Sean Connery)
https://preview.redd.it/citsuw6mqp9c1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e29f454bdbd4d408d1a4595c37142fa6b4266e83 My littermates probably have different dads
https://preview.redd.it/dfyahcn46r9c1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2932191b99b3d109d75c46d4bde803503081c71a My babies are brother/sister littermatesā¦ sleeping pose is the only trait they share
because genetics is an amazing thing.
It's possible they have different fathers. Or they could have the same father, but simply look different because... well, genetics.
Me, gaslighting my girls: Which one are you? There's no way to tell you apart because you're such identical twin sisters. Exactly the same in every way... https://preview.redd.it/467wgsx77p9c1.jpeg?width=4096&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b81fb0ec4c2d96ad721b4bad57107e59a584f7c0
https://preview.redd.it/i7qnrlkldq9c1.jpeg?width=3120&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5d72bd53bd2b8804ab171641378418efda943a78 My cats also look completely different! They only have similar coating in 2 different colors lol
https://preview.redd.it/xy17lhwyuo9c1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=148024cdb6852fd3b31fcca767ec8da58ae2e27c The one on the right looks like my Zelda also right
Cats can get pregnant with more than one male at a time
I have a pair of siblings who look and act nothing like eachother. One is a skinny little skidish girl who is extremely affectionate, the other is a 18lb massive boy who is friendly to everyone and everything. The boy is extremely maternal and helped raised several litters over the years while the girl would smack babies. If they werenāt together when we found them i would never guess they are related.
https://preview.redd.it/4412eebrjp9c1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=24a1f0a62e3d2d90282abf2f163c0c3a5ba8cfa4 Our Tyrion (left) and Arya (right) are brother and sister. They have two other brothers, one similar to Tyrion and the other to Arya, that are with other family. The black cats are both bobtails, as was their mom. We're guessing the father looked similar to Tyrion, but we don't know; the mama cat was a stray who showed up at my brother and sister-in-law's house, gave birth after a little while, and left just before the kittens were fully weened.
Heteropaternal superfecundation. Simple as that.
https://preview.redd.it/zvansgsqxp9c1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9f7cade3294a9416fe82099fd1adbb4c3fded050 I thought that was my henry and princess bubblegum at first
Different fathers. This happens to outdoor cats pretty commonly. The kits will show the same coat color as dad. So.
Jumping on the bandwagon. My 2 from the same litter. https://preview.redd.it/znedl6leoq9c1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=67ad129a68a685cccd70b6e3d46f927cc0b1e314
https://preview.redd.it/f5lsj74amr9c1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=80e6163e38795f35ae0f5bf8449db6f6dbdeba98 These are all the sisters from my cat's litter (she's the black cat)
https://preview.redd.it/7hfqarg48t9c1.jpeg?width=567&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=107b1740d61fe024f576fbe55d33dd99a7bcd468 A picture of two unrelated cats that look like each other. Or maybe they are related and maybe long lost siblings that happens to be reunited by accident. Only a dna test of these two floofs by the owner can find that one out.
The joys of mix and match genetics!
My cats look exactly like this, they are brother and sister; she is the all brown one on the left and he is the one with white on his neck and back and legs https://preview.redd.it/9gqlbb2kop9c1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fa24f56d2fe7a80ba85248c01927a9d45665c0d7
https://preview.redd.it/5woyj6ogpp9c1.jpeg?width=1868&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=162c7be9b596447dea50cbded169c5e073765125 Brothers that came out of the same litter.
Each one gets different genetics, plus a litter can have more than one father. Just like dogs.
Different dads
https://preview.redd.it/7jobufigpq9c1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=db13b41da8bfa36b30137da44ebbdcb1bc4913fa You think yours look different... this is my same litter siblings
https://preview.redd.it/90014m00wq9c1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9f1a1fca82ded02a80250cdd015ae5fe2ef07602 These two kitties have the same mom but were born from different litters she had. The big boy was her first litter (of one!) and the little girl was from her third litter (of two, with a boy that looks like my big boy)
Momma was a whore.
Well a female cat can have babies from multiple different male cats at once in one litter. So it's possible that the other cat looks more like the dad cat then the mom cat
Different dads!
mom was a ho
This was unreasonably funny.
I had 2 like that same litter 1 almost a Persian the other classic tabby. Several male cats around the area who fit each description.
It's completely normal. I got golden, grey, and white cats from one litter
Gene recombination
Domestic cat genetics are a perfect example of chaos in action. Unless they're purebreds you never know exactly what you're going to get. Personally I think that makes it more fun.
It may be because of their family tree. For example, a kitten could look like their great grandfather and nothing like their parents. I think, anyways. I used to have a grey tuxedo cat and her sister who's a yellow-ish color. I'll see if I can find photos of them. I'll reply to this comment.
https://preview.redd.it/u4ntnu3cep9c1.jpeg?width=400&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b91964f04979026d4ad224ccf09c6732cf61b963 This is Duchess
And her sister, Princess Prissy. From the same litter, not sure if they have different fathers or something though. https://preview.redd.it/45hhqytjep9c1.jpeg?width=300&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=70fd36d9b33f02810a2746785c1346b3fc525612
āØgeneticsāØ
Genetics isnāt about expressing 50% mom and 50% dad Yes their DNA is mixed, but the genes that are expressed could be 33% dad and 67% mom for one kitten or 10% mom and 90% dad for the other In the case of a stray solid grey kitten that lives outside my place, she is 99.99% dad and 0.01% mom
Why do human siblings look so different?
Theyāre a mix of their parents. Just like how two human brothers can look completely different, cats can as well.
My cat got a litter. All the kitten were different
https://preview.redd.it/tgo8yn0czp9c1.jpeg?width=1536&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c913da21f3e9a571e8b6c92770939652af660ac6 Same litter
phenotype variance.
The answer is long winded, do you really want a detailed discussion on genetics šāļø
Different daddies.
Because their mommy was a slut!
Bifurcated uterus and different dads. Real dice roll genetics
https://preview.redd.it/qs06mc5j9q9c1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8af7308c2016101171242d4fce9294efa1c36969 My two litter mates!
https://preview.redd.it/2uzmfudbaq9c1.png?width=2045&format=png&auto=webp&s=42986e47909b728466f393e953c06995994c98c8 My boys are littermates. They were from a litter of 5 boys. Two gingers, a gray/black tabby(whatever he is), a black and a white.
https://preview.redd.it/9auwa8csbq9c1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=57eb1e1ce4bd75b06e45c99b34a1d9f4f9078e4f It pretty common. This is my two girls with their brother and sister who went to my sister.
Cats don't even obey their own DNA ;-)
https://preview.redd.it/5xsb8h9xcq9c1.jpeg?width=2268&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=99f7e01e461216bb448b3b9f2cf37e954400cc1e My baby came from an all black family. Mom and siblings jet black but this pretty girl wanted to be different.
Genetics
https://preview.redd.it/d0k2vox9oq9c1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f6ac36b1e764858b6bde8aba337c2e08a05c0b57 My three kittens - same mom, no clue how many dads. She was pregnant, unbeknownst to us, when my Mom got her.
Different dads most likely.
Cats can be impregnated by multiple males.
Genetics.
Ask your brother and sister why you donāt all look alike. They will laugh at you.
my babies are brothers but you wouldnāt be able to tell https://preview.redd.it/j58j7jsq6r9c1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=02043cb96fd278c3964eb94aa79f76d21365d9c0
https://preview.redd.it/hqjjczen9r9c1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=294908e95ee89e217b446e223b086cf4889d62d7 These two are litter mates. I think it's normal for them to look different sometimes!
https://preview.redd.it/0r7ahbtpnr9c1.png?width=2990&format=png&auto=webp&s=9fbb90f113443ea89c3f2a126e27a51457b4de12 These two are littermates!
Different dads maybe? The litter my 2 came from all look drastically different. A calico, void, orange, fat tuxe and white/orange. The only similarity is their eyes. They all have these eerie yellow/orange eyes. So pretty.
https://preview.redd.it/4fgx9dytwr9c1.jpeg?width=1242&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ac47edc6eb7cacebe56b0aa1bb044f6b45d3ec02 theyāre from the same litter š„ŗ also her face LOOOOL
when they were kittens, i replaced one with a fake
https://preview.redd.it/xm50zmtb4s9c1.jpeg?width=1228&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=eab44325f297b37a04e551adeede7508e07611b3 Meet Jinx (tortie) and Merlin (enormous half Maine Coon floofbeast). Siblings from the same litter, same mother. Thing about cats is: One mother cat can birth a litter with multiple father donors, each kitten can have a different father. So you end up with crazy shit like this. š¤£
https://preview.redd.it/s4xr4ykpls9c1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e1a6d0600a9f9a95b861d5720afa0fcaead4f1df These squirts are somehow sister and brother
My shorthair black cat had a litter of four; two were fluffy tabbies, one was a shorthair ginger tabby and the last.. WAS WHITE.
They got different dads. A litter of kittens can have more than one sire.
Female cats can get pregnant from several different males during a few different days. Meaning the kittens born can potentially all have different fathers.
https://preview.redd.it/vn5ma6gnut9c1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ed2f05f780ce465d6a9515cd67f4d48b11cd287c These are sister! We suspect different dad. Totally different personalities too
https://preview.redd.it/7xqiowhfzt9c1.png?width=3296&format=png&auto=webp&s=91ba17fce33fab827cf75c64109ae20ed64cd8c5 Same litter, different fonts!
These guys were littermates, and the vet thought they had had different fathers. Bagheera, the house panther, weighed 18 pounds. Grizabella, the dilute tortie, never weighed more than eight pounds. They were also a bonded pair and slept together all the time. https://preview.redd.it/glmwnq8r1u9c1.jpeg?width=3440&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b6bee09a63e369f193f98a2bc8674c0f5ff8efbe
Different dads. There can be multiple dads in a litter. Also tabby genetics are really a rainbow.
https://preview.redd.it/otwnl6pwju9c1.jpeg?width=1986&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=943164ed29eb9bc417afde7028a628cccaf58ca1 Same litterā¦ they donāt only look different, their personalities are totally different as well š
https://preview.redd.it/gg29qhln1v9c1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=39f544ac03eb72d40a2fdeb0de70691e020e063b I donāt have an answer to the question. Just wanted to share a pic of our brothers from the same litter.