You will need to adjust this food recommendation for younger or older cats and cats with special health concerns. Additionally, feed the adult cat 2.5 ounces of canned cat food once daily, which is about ½ a can of regular cat food. Generally speaking, veterinarians recommend feeding an adult indoor cat ¼ of an 8oz. Talk to your veterinarian to find out exactly how much food you should feed your dilute tortie. The amount will depend on your cat’s age, size, and weight. Since obesity is a common issue in felines, it is vital to feed your cat the right amount of food. Never put your cat on a vegan or vegetarian diet. This means they need a diet primarily consisting of meat or animal organs. Something that a lot of people do not realize is that cats are obligate carnivores. To ensure your dilute tortie remains healthy, provide proper nutrition and exercise. One of the more common issues that plague dilute torties is obesity, though that is due to the cat’s feeding schedule and owner, not the cat’s health. Since the breeds that can have this coat are healthy overall, dilute torties come with very few common health issues. For this reason, you would take care of a dilute tortie just like you would any other cat.Īlthough there are exceptions, dilute tortoiseshell cats tend to be very healthy and dependable. In other words, your tortie should not have any special needs or health considerations due to the dilute tortie genetics. Luckily, the genes behind the dilute tortie coat affect nothing other than the coat coloration. As a result, they have a diluted tortie coat. This turns the orange fur yellow and the black fur blue. In addition, they have the MLPH gene, which mutates the pigmentation of the coat colors. To put the tortie genes and dilute genes together, dilute torties have two different color codes, one on each X chromosome, which allows the cat to have orange and black fur. Since this mutation occurs through a recessive gene, both parents must carry the trait for the offspring to be a dilute tortie. As a result, the tortie coloration becomes diluted, turning the orange color yellowish and the black color bluish. Whenever the gene mutates, the coat pigment doesn’t work as it should. Sometimes, this gene is mutated through a recessive gene. In other words, the gene allows the cat to produce orange or black pigment. The melanophilin gene, or the MLPH gene, is responsible for the coat’s pigment. More genetic factors are required for the dilute coat gene. So far, we have only looked at the genetics behind the tortie coloration. Conversely, males only receive one X chromosome, meaning that they only get instructions for one color. Whenever female cats receive a code for a black coat and a code for an orange coat, they end up having a tortoiseshell coloration, complete with both colors. Because females receive two X chromosomes, female cats can receive two separate coat instructions, whereas males can only receive one. For example, it is also responsible for a cat’s coat color. We will talk about dilute torties specifically in the next section.Įven though the X chromosome is considered a sex chromosome, it contains much more information than just an animal’s biological sex. These genetic factors apply to standard torties, as well as dilute torties. Tortie Coat Genesįirst, let’s talk about the genes behind the tortie, or double-colored coat. Females have two X chromosomes, whereas males have one X chromosome and one Y chromosome. This is a bit confusing, but the effort is worth it. Before jumping into coat genetics specifically, it’s important to understand that there are two sex chromosomes: Y and X. To fully understand the dilute tortie coat, we must dig into genetics. As a result, dilute torties have a specific genetic background, which allows them to have a unique, diluted double-colored scheme. The answer is relatively simple to state but potentially difficult to understand. You may be wondering how dilute torties get this unique coat scheme. A post shared by Kauai Humane Society Tortie Coat
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