Tabby cat or "hypermelanistic" allele, "a", does not. Solid-color (black or blue) cats have the "aa" combination, hiding the tabby pattern, although sometimes a suggestion of the underlying pattern can be seen (called "ghost striping") This pattern is mostly seen in young cats that still have the baby coat. The right pattern (Classic, Mackerel, or Spotted) will reveal itself then, because that is independent of whether it is tabby or solid. However, the agouti gene only controls the production of black pigment, so a cat with an "O" allele for orange color will still have the tabby pattern. As a result, both
Rusty-spotted cat adaptation to help it avoid larger predators. The female prepares a den in a secluded location, and gives birth to one or two kittens after a gestation of 65–70 days. At birth, the kittens weigh just , and are marked with rows of black spots. By comparison, Domestic Cat kittens usually weigh between at birth. Rusty-spotted cats reach sexual maturity at around 68 weeks, by which time they have developed the distinctive adult coat pattern of rusty blotches. Rusty-spotted cats have lived for twelve years in captivity, but their lifespan in the wild is unknown. Habitat loss and the spread