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Coat colour genetic tests we offer
| Agouti | Amber (Norwegian Forest Cat) | Burmese colouration |
| Chocolate | Cinnamon | Dilute |
| Mink | Siamese colourpoint |
Agouti coat colour test
A mutation in the Agouti gene (agouti signaling protein, ASIP) causes solid colouration of the hair shaft. The wild-type allele (A) is dominant and produces hair shafts with alternating bands of black and yellow colouration. Two copies of the mutant allele (a) are required for non-agouti, solid colouration.
The results are reported as follows:
Agouti (A/A)
Carrier of non-Agouti (A/a)
Non-Agouti (a/a)
Amber - Norwegian Forest Cat
A mutation in the MC1R gene (E) causes Amber colouration in the Norwegian Forest Cat. Two copies of the Amber mutation (e) are required for Amber colouration. Amber colouration depends on the presence or absence of the Orange gene, which is dominant over Amber. When Orange is not present, cats with the Amber genotype will have Amber colouration. When Orange is present, Amber males will be Red and Amber females will be Amber/Red tortoiseshell or Red.
The results are reported as follows:
Amber (e/e)
Carrier of Amber (E/e)
Does not carry Amber (E/E)
Burmese colouration test
A mutation in the Colour gene (Tyrosinase, TYR) causes temperature sensitive pigment production. The wild-type allele (C) is dominant and produces full colouration. Two copies of the Burmese allele (cb) are required for Burmese colouration and cause a change from black to sepia and orange to yellow, with the points being darker than the body.
The results are reported as follows:
Burmese colouration (cb/cb)
Carrier of Burmese colouration (C/cb)
Does not carry Burmese colouration (C/C)
Please note: Due to Asian Leopard cat DNA sequences present in Bengals this test may not always give the correct result in this breed. We are investigating the cause of this so that we can improve the genetic test for Bengals.
Chocolate coat colour test
A mutation in the Brown gene (tyrosinase-related protein-1, TYRP1) results in the Chocolate coat colour. The B allele is wild-type and produces a normal colouration, the b allele produces a chocolate colouration. The mutation is recessive, hence two copies of the b allele are required for chocolate colouration.
The results are reported as follows:
Chocolate (b/b)
Carrier of Chocolate (B/b)
Does not carry Chocolate (B/B, B/bl or bl/bl)
Cinnamon coat colour test
A second mutation in the Brown gene (tyrosinase-related protein-1, TYRP1) results in the Cinnamon coat colour. The bl allele produces a light brown or cinnamon colouration. The mutation is recessive, hence two copies of the bl allele are required for cinnamon colouration.
The results are reported as follows:
Cinnamon (bl/bl)
Carrier of Cinnamon (B/bl or b/bl)
Does not carry Cinnamon (B/B, B/b or b/b)
Dilute coat colour test
A mutation in the Dilute gene (Melanophilin, MLPH) causes dilution of coat colours. The wild-type (D) allele is dominant to the dilute (d) allele, meaning that two copies of the dilute (d) allele are required to produce the dilute colouration.
The Dilute coat colour test can be used to detect carriers of, or to confirm, the following diluted coat colour phenotypes:
- Blue, which is diluted Black
- Lilac, which is diluted Chocolate
- Fawn, which is diluted Cinnamon
- Cream, which is diluted Red
Certain cat breeds only have the D allele (Bombay, Egyptian Mau and Singapura) or the d allele (Chartreux, Korat and Russian Blue), but most have both alleles.
The results are reported as follows:
Dilute (d/d)
Carrier of Dilute (D/d)
Does not carry Dilute (D/D)
Mink colouration
Mink colouration is intermediate between Siamese and Burmese and is caused by the presence of one Siamese allele (cs) and one Burmese allele (cb). If you wish to test for Mink please select both the Siamese and Burmese colouration tests.
Please note: Due to Asian Leopard cat DNA sequences present in Bengals this test may not always give the correct result in this breed. We are investigating the cause of this so that we can improve the genetic test for Bengals.
Siamese colourpoint test
A mutation in the Colour gene (Tyrosinase, TYR) causes temperature sensitive pigment production. The wild-type allele (C) is dominant and produces full colouration. Two copies of the Siamese allele (cs) are required for Siamese colouration. The Siamese mutation restricts the pigmentation to the points.
The results are reported as follows:
Siamese colourpoint (cs/cs)
Carrier of Siamese colourpoint (C/cs)
Does not carry Siamese colourpoint (C/C)
Please note: Due to Asian Leopard cat DNA sequences present in Bengals this test may not always give the correct result in this breed. We are investigating the cause of this so that we can improve the genetic test for Bengals.
Further information