Cat Genetics for Writers & Artists part 10: Various Traits & Mutations [CC]

WOO this one took a long time! I was dealing with a lot of medical stuff & was sick through most of the editing process – but it’s finally up! Woo!!

Also I realize the Topaz section is unnecessarily confusing so here’s a quick TL;DR: Topaz is the result of 2 mutations. One of them is incompletely dominant w/incomplete penetrance (Altai), and the other we have no clue. For simplified fiction, just pretend Topaz is a single incompletely dominant gene.

EDIT: A human with pectus excavatum left a comment with important information! I can’t pin it due to another pin being active so here it is: “pectus excavatum is NOT about the lack of room for the heart and lungs. It simply refers to an inward sternum – most cases posess no health effects or minimal health effects (to do with the lungs and not the heart). However in more moderate and severe cases that can happen, it’s not the defining part of the condition. For example in my family, my dad and his father had purely cosmetic pectus exc. while for me it resulted in a mild impairment of lung capacity. It is very important to distinguish between cosmetic pectus exc and severe cases. The “opposite” condition is sometimes called a pigeon chest (pectus carinatum). Additionally pectus excavatum makes people more prone to developing scoliosis, or cause a bad posture, and it appears that at least humans with PE tend to have more difficulty gaining weight but the cause is completely unknown. I’m assuming that munchkins’ type is more severe and that it already would be far rarer for milder cases in cats to be spotted enough in the first place but yeah important distinction!!!”

Thank you to Cada for Feet Pics 🙂

Ukrainian Red Cross donate link: https://donate.redcrossredcrescent.org/ua/donate/~my-donation?_cv=1
While we’re at it, here’s a post w/links & instructions for donating eSIMS to Gaza: https://obi-wann-cannoli.tumblr.com/post/739377432794136576/esims-for-gaza

Terminology Google doc mentioned in the video: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1MnJ5qDvdoS2eDBBC3g-6MROOJVGWqfKVaEjBYyJMoMk/edit?usp=sharing

Playlist for previous videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEu1-3sZF78&list=PL9lIJSO25ozvVu-qcmKVzKOcwrFozOg_y

Sources/Further reading:
Various traits’ descs & inheritance 1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cat_body-type_mutations
Various traits descs & inheritance 2: https://basepaws.com/blogs/news/body-type-mutations-in-cats
Osteochondrodysplasia in foldies: https://icatcare.org/advice/scottish-fold-disease-osteochondrodysplasia/
Manx mechanics & health issues: https://www.ufaw.org.uk/cats/manx-manx-syndrome
Dwarfism in cats (warning!! article title contains M-slur!): http://messybeast.com/dwarfcats-purebred.htm
Munchkin health (read “Health”): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munchkin_cat
More Munchkin health: https://cattime.com/cat-facts/health/21311-munchkin-cat-trend-is-breeding-deformity-animal-abuse
Munchkin health 3: https://www.tumblr.com/just-another-cat-blog-2023/732191754119528448/munchkin-cats-are-a-genetic-abomination-and-no-i
Brachycephalic Syndrome overview: https://www.acvs.org/small-animal/brachycephalic-syndrome
Brachycephalic Airway Syndrome in Cats: https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/brachycephalic-airway-syndrome-in-cats
Other Brachycephaly-related health problems: https://www.seniorcatwellness.com/flat-faced-cat-health-problems/
Photos of Brachycephalic grading in cats: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Brachycephalic-Feline-Noses:-CT-and-Anatomical-of-Schlueter-Budras/c7072b950961b62580cca11f95cd51e8ed923357
Polydactyl genes & mechanics: https://basepaws.com/blogs/news/genetics-of-polydactyly-celebrating-the-hemingway-cats
Ojos Azulas history & lethality: https://pictures-of-cats.org/Ojos-azules-cat.html
Various blue-eyed mutations, including Topaz: http://messybeast.com/blue-eye-breeds.htm
Altai: http://messybeast.com/DBE-celestial.htm

Comic sans is used to aid viewers w/Dyslexia, since this video is particularly text- & letter-heavy.

my patreon: https://www.patreon.com/littlehungrywarrior
my warriors tumblr: https://littlehungrywarriorcats.tumblr.com/
ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/ellisonmurphy

00:00 – Intro
00:16 – Explanation
00:56 – Ear Shapes
02:22 – Missing/Short Tails
03:56 – Munchkin
05:29 – Smushed Faces
06:17 – Extra Toes
06:59 – Blue Eyes: Ojos Aluzes
09:23 – Blue Eyes: Topaz/Altai
11:45 – What species should I do next?