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When most people envision a Siamese Cat, they’ll think of a cat with a light body and darker marks on their faces, paws, and tails. However, Siamese Cats are actually born completely white and start to develop their darker color points about a week after birth. These special color point markings are caused by a genetic mutation, and they can be seal, chocolate, blue, or lilac. Siamese Cats with seal markings have black pigmentation. However, regardless of age or environmental temperature, a Siamese cat’s fur will never become completely black.
Cat Genetics: How Siamese Cats Get Their Color Points
Siamese Cats and other cat breeds with color point markings are carriers of the Himalayan gene. Siamese Cats are actually partially albino and are carriers of an albino gene mutation that causes cats to have white coats and blue eyes 1. This is why all Siamese Cats have blue eyes and give birth to litters of completely white kittens.
The TYR (tyrosinase) gene is responsible for melanin production. A mutation in this gene results in a form of temperature-sensitive albinism, which is also known as the Siamese gene. The trait is expressed when two copies of the allele are present, as the gene responsible for this trait is located on an autosome (a non-sex-related chromosome that can therefore be inherited in both males and females) and is inherited in an autosomal recessive manner.2 It is known as the Himalayan gene, a mutation that makes melanin production sensitive to temperature and causes color changes based on cold spots. So, cats will remain white or cream in warmer areas of their body, while cooler spots will change to a darker pigment. This usually occurs around the ears, nose, paws, and tails.
Why Don’t Black Siamese Cats Exist?
The possible color point markings for Siamese Cats are blue, chocolate, lilac, and seal. The seal color refers to black pigmentation and was actually inspired by the color of seals. Therefore, Seal Point Siamese Cats have markings that range from dark brown to black, although there will never be fully black Siamese cats.
Some people claim that Black Siamese Cats exist; however, this is not possible as they don’t have completely black coats. The TYR gene mutation in Siamese cats only allows the enzyme responsible for pigmentation to function in the cooler areas of the body. This results in the points being darker than the rest of the body. The closest thing to a “black Siamese” is a dark seal point, where the body is darker than usual but still lighter than the points.
A cat expressing the Himalayan gene will never have a solid black coat. Therefore, Black Siamese Cats can’t be completely black, but some can have darker bodies if they’ve been exposed to colder temperatures.
While color points start to appear several days after birth, the point will continue to darken and solidify throughout the kitten’s first year of life. Siamese Cats’ coats can darken when they’re older due to internal body temperature changes as their metabolism slows down. So, a Seal Point Siamese Cat can more closely resemble a solid black cat as he ages, but they will look more like solid brown or gray than true black.
If you see a cat that looks like a solid black Siamese, it’s likely to be a solid-colored Oriental Shorthair. Oriental Shorthairs look alike and are a breed closely related to Siamese cats; people often confuse them.
Conclusion
Black Siamese Cats don’t exist. Siamese cats are partially albino, but a mutation in the TYR gene activates melanin production only in areas exposed to cooler temperatures. For this reason, they’ll always have lighter shades on their coats along with some darker points. However, as a Seal Point Siamese Cat ages, you may notice that his coat may start to darken. So, it is very possible for a Seal Point Siamese Cat to look more like a brown or grey cat over time.
Featured Image Credit: Hrach Hovhannisyan, Shutterstock
2 Responses
I have a kitten his body is chocolate and legs are black and is bobtail but I don’t know where their mother came from I do have a black cat that’s bobtail but this is a very pretty four month old kitten the mother is calico
Hello Bonnie,
thank you for your comment. Your cats sound lovely! We hope that you will have many great and fun years with them!