THE SILVER GENE

 

 Article by:  Julie Simpson
Member NZCF Genetics Advisory Committee  (used with permission)

 

The first thing to establish with Silver Point Birmans, is that colour is a separate entity from pattern. The following are:

BASIC COLOURS
DENSE DILUTE
SEAL BLUE
CHOCOLATE LILAC
CINNAMON FAWN
RED CREAM
SEAL TORTIE BLUE TORTIE
CHOCOLATE TORTIE LILAC TORTIE
CINNAMON TORTIE FAWN TORTIE

All these colours are possible with any or all of the following:

BASIC PATTERNS
DOMINANT RECESSIVE
AGOUTI (Tabby) (A) NON AGOUTI (Non Tabby) (a)
Abyssinian (T a) Mackerel (T)
  Blotched (Classic) (t b)
SILVER (Inhibitor) (I) NON SILVER ( Non Inhibitor) (i)
Tipped (high grade)  
Shaded (medium grade)  
Smoke (low grade)  
Dark under colour(i.e. more pigment, less silver)  
Medium under colour(more even amounts of silver & pigment)  
Light under colour(i.e. more silver, less pigment)  
FULL COLOUR ( C) HIMALAYAN PATTERN (c s)
NON WHITE SPOTTING (w) WHITE SPOTTING (W)

Unlike colour genes the basic pattern genes will combine with other patterns. This is demonstrated in the Silver Tabby Pt Birman, which exhibits a combination of the four different patterns.

1. TABBY 2. HIMALAYAN PATTERN
3. SILVER 4. WHITE GLOVING

Even though the genetic make up may be identical, the appearance of silvers may vary depending on the grade of silver present.

N.B. Silver Tabbies result as a combination of Silver and Agouti (tabby).  Smokes result, when the Agouti gene is absent and the Silver gene present.

Silver/Tabby Expectations

  PARENTS PARENTS PROGENY
1 Silver Tabby Silver Tabby All Silver Tabby
2 Silver Tabby Silver Tabby carrying non silver ½ Silver Tabby

½ Silver Tabby carrying non silver
3 Silver Tabby Silver Tabby carrying non tabby ½ Silver Tabby

½ Silver Tabby carrying non tabby
4 Silver Tabby Silver Tabby carrying non tabby & non silver ¼ Silver Tabby

¼ Silver Tabby carrying non silver

¼ Silver Tabby carrying non tabby

¼ Silver Tabby carrying non

silver & non tabby
5 Silver Tabby Tabby All Silver Tabby carrying non silver
6 Silver Tabby Tabby carrying non tabby ½ Silver Tabby carrying non silver

½ Silver Tabby carrying non tabby & non silver
7 Silver Tabby Smoke All Silver Tabby carrying non tabby
8 Silver Tabby Smoke carrying non silver ½ Silver Tabby carrying non tabby

½ Silver Tabby carrying non tabby & non silver
9 Silver Tabby Plain All Silver Tabby carrying non tabby & non silver
10 Silver Tabby carrying non silver Silver Tabby carrying non silver ½ Silver Tabby carrying non silver

¼ Silver Tabby

¼ Tabby
11 Silver Tabby carrying non silver Silver Tabby carrying non tabby ¼ Silver Tabby

¼ Silver Tabby carrying non tabby

¼ Silver Tabby carrying non silver

¼ silver Tabby carry non tabby & non silver
12 Silver Tabby carrying non silver Silver Tabby carrying non silver

& non Tabby

 ¼ Silver Tabby carrying non silver

¼ Silver Tabby carrying non tabby & non silver

1/8 Silver Tabby

1/8 Silver Tabby carrying non tabby

1/8 Tabby

1/8 Tabby carrying non tabby
13 Silver Tabby carrying non silver Tabby ½ Silver Tabby carrying non silver

½ Tabby
14 Silver Tabby carrying non silver Tabby carrying non tabby ¼ Silver Tabby carrying non silver

¼ Silver Tabby carrying non tabby & non silver

¼ Tabby

¼ Tabby carrying non tabby
15 Silver Tabby carrying non silver Smoke ½ Silver Tabby carrying non tabby

½ Silver tabby carrying non tabby & non silver
16 Silver Tabby carrying non silver Smoke carrying non silver ½ Silver Tabby carrying non tabby & non silver

¼ Silver Tabby carrying non tabby

¼ Tabby carrying non tabby
17 Silver Tabby carrying non silver Plain ½ Silver Tabby carrying non tabby & non silver

½ Tabby carrying non tabby
18 Silver Tabby carrying non tabby Silver Tabby carrying non tabby ½ Silver Tabby carrying non tabby

¼ Silver Tabby

¼ Smoke
19 Silver Tabby carrying non tabby Silver Tabby carrying non tabby

& non silver

 ¼ Silver Tabby carrying non tabby

¼ Silver Tabby carrying non tabby & non silver

1/8 Silver Tabby

1/8 Silver Tabby carrying non silver

1/8 Smoke

1/8 Smoke carrying non silver
20 Silver Tabby carrying non tabby Tabby ½ Silver Tabby carrying non silver

½ Silver Tabby carrying non tabby & non silver
21 Silver Tabby carrying non tabby Tabby carrying non tabby ½ Silver Tabby carrying non tabby & non silver

¼ Silver Tabby carrying non Silver

¼ Smoke carrying non

Silver
22 Silver Tabby carrying non tabby Smoke ½ Silver Tabby carrying non Tabby

½ Smoke
23 Silver Tabby carrying non tabby Smoke carrying non silver ¼ Silver Tabby carrying non tabby

¼ Silver Tabby carrying non t Tabby & non silver

¼ Smoke

¼ Smoke carrying non silver
24 Silver Tabby carrying non tabby Plain ½ Silver Tabby carrying non tabby & non silver

½ Smoke carrying non silver
25 Silver Tabby carrying non tabby & non silver Silver Tabby carrying non tabby

& non silver

 ¼ Silver Tabby carrying non tabby & non silver

1/8 Silver Tabby carrying non Silver

1/8 Silver Tabby carrying non tabby

1/8 Tabby carrying non tabby

1/8 Smoke carrying non silver

1/16 Silver Tabby

1/16 Tabby

1/16 Smoke

1/16 Plain
26 Silver Tabby carrying non tabby & non silver Tabby ¼ Silver Tabby carrying non Silver

¼ Tabby

¼ silver Tabby carrying non tabby & non silver

¼ Tabby carrying non Tabby
27 Silver Tabby carrying non tabby & non silver Tabby carrying non tabby ¼ Silver Tabby carrying non tabby & non silver

¼ Tabby carrying non tabby

1/8 Silver Tabby carrying non Silver

1/8 Tabby

1/8 Smoke carrying non silver

1/8 Plain
28 Silver Tabby carrying non tabby & non silver Smoke ¼ Silver Tabby carrying non tabby

¼ Silver Tabby carrying non tabby & non silver

¼ Smoke

¼ Smoke carrying non silver
29 Silver Tabby carrying non tabby & non silver Smoke carrying non silver ¼ Silver Tabby carrying non tabby & non silver

¼ Smoke carrying non silver

1/8 Silver Tabby carrying non tabby

1/8 Tabby carrying non tabby

1/8 Smoke

1/8 Plain
30 Silver Tabby carrying non tabby & non silver Plain ¼ silver tabby carrying non Tabby & non silver

¼ Tabby carrying non tabby

¼ smoke carrying non silver

¼ plain
31 Tabby Tabby All Tabby
32 Tabby Tabby carrying non tabby ½ Tabby

½ Tabby carrying non tabby
33 Tabby Smoke All Silver Tabby carrying non tabby & non silver
34 Tabby Smoke carrying non silver ½ Silver Tabby carrying non tabby & non silver

½ Tabby carrying non tabby
35 Tabby Plain All Tabby carrying non tabby
36 Tabby carrying non tabby Tabby carrying non tabby ½ Tabby carrying non tabby

¼ Tabby

¼ Plain
37 Tabby carrying non tabby Smoke ½ Silver Tabby carrying Non Tabby & Non Silver

½ Smoke carrying non silver
38 Tabby carrying non tabby Smoke carrying non silver ¼ Silver Tabby carrying non tabby & non silver

¼ Tabby carrying non tabby

¼ Smoke carrying non silver

¼ Plain
39 Tabby carrying non tabby Plain ½ Tabby carrying non tabby

½ Plain
40 Smoke Smoke All Smoke
41 Smoke Smoke carrying non silver ½ Smoke

½ Smoke carrying non silver
42 Smoke Plain All Smoke carrying non silver
43 Smoke carrying non silver Smoke carrying non silver ½ Smoke carrying non silver

¼ Smoke

¼ Plain
44 Smoke carrying non silver Plain ½ Smoke carrying non silver

½ Plain
45 Plain Plain All Plain