Point coloration refers to animal coat coloration with a pale body and relatively darker extremities, i.e. the face, ears, feet, tail, and (in males) scrotum. It is most recognized as the coloration of Siamese and other breeds of cat, but can be found in rabbits as well. The Siamese is one of the first distinctly recognised breeds of Oriental cat. ... Trinomial name Felis silvestris catus (Linnaeus, 1758) The cat, also called the domestic cat or house cat, is a small carnivorous mammal of the subspecies Felis silvestris catus. ...

Point coloration is a form of partial albinism resulting from a mutation in tyrosinase, an enzyme involved in melanin production. The mutated enzyme is heat-sensitive; it fails to work at normal body temperatures, but becomes active in cooler areas of the skin.^[1] As a result, dark pigment is limited to the coldest areas of the body, that is, the extremities. Pointed kittens are born white, since there is little temperature difference in the womb. As the kitten ages, the cooler areas darken while warmer areas remain cream to white in color. Points are not limited to solid colors or dark colors. It is possible to have a red (orange color) or fawn (pale warm gray) point. It is also possible to have a tortoiseshell or tabby point. If the points are not black or at least very dark, the coloration is called colorpoints. Albinism (from Latin albus, meaning white) is a lack of pigmentation in the eyes, skin and hair. ... In biology, mutations are changes to the genetic material (usually DNA or RNA). ... Tyrosinase (Catechol Oxidase) is an enzyme that catalyses the oxidation of phenols (such as tyrosine) and is widespread in plants and animals. ... Broadly, melanin is any of the polyacetylene, polyaniline, and polypyrrole blacks or their mixed copolymers. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Tortoiseshell can refer to: a Tortoiseshell cat a pattern used in clothing and jewellery the Small Tortoiseshell, a butterfly the Hawksbill turtle This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Classic domestic longhair tabby Tabby cats are often mistaken as a certain breed of cat. ...

Because of this restriction of pigment, pointed cat's eyes are always some shade of blue, because the top layer of the iris is not covered in another color, letting the blue show through. The back of the eye also lacks pigment, giving these cat's pupils an eerie red reflection in the dark, unlike a normally pigmented cat's green to blue shine.

The point gene is carried on the C locus, where pure albinism is also carried. It is shown with the sign cs, and needs two alleles of cs for the points to be expressed. The point gene is recessive to the tabby gene. Also carried on the C locus is the gene for the sepia pattern. This is the darkest of all of the pigment restricting patterns, and pigment is only paled at the warmest point in the body, the abdomen. This pattern's gene is represented by cb. When a cat carries the genes cs and cb, the mink pattern is formed, in which the pigment distribution is between a sepia and a point cat. This stylistic schematic diagram shows a gene in relation to the double helix structure of DNA and to a chromosome (right). ... The word locus (plural loci) is Latin for place: In biology and evolutionary computation, a locus is the position of a gene (or other significant sequence) on a chromosome. ... Albinism (from Latin albus, meaning white) is a lack of pigmentation in the eyes, skin and hair. ... Classic domestic longhair tabby Tabby cats are often mistaken as a certain breed of cat. ...

Cat breeds with points

These breeds either include points in the breed standard, or often contain the coloration:

• American Bobtail
• American Curl
• Balinese
• Birman
• Colorpoint Shorthair
• Cornish Rex
• Devon Rex
• Exotic cat
• Himalayan
• Javanese
• Oriental Shorthair
• Ragdoll
• Selkirk Rex
• Siamese
• Siberian

The American Bobtail is a relatively new and uncommon breed of cat most notable for its stubby bobbed tail about half the length of a normal cats tail. ... The American Curl is a breed of cat with unusual ears. ... The Balinese is a breed of oriental cat with long hair and Siamese-style markings, or points. ... The Birman is a breed of domestic cat. ... Three month old flame point Siamese kitten. ... A Cornish Rex is a breed of domestic cat, with no hair except for down. ... The Devon Rex is a relatively new breed of cat with a sparse, curly, very soft coat similar to that of the Cornish Rex. ... The Exotic (or Exotic Shorthair) is a breed of cat that was created by crossbreeding Persians and British Shorthairs and American Shorthairs. ... Front view of a Himalayan cat Side view of a Himalayan cat The Himalayan, also called colourpoint persian, is a breed of cat with extremely long, fluffy fur, and the blue eyes and the points of a Siamese. ... The Javanese is a recognized breed of cat. ... The Oriental Shorthair is a breed of cat. ... The Ragdoll is a breed of medium longhaired cat. ... The Selkirk Rex is a breed of cat with highly curled hair, including the whiskers (vibrissae). ... The Siamese is one of the first distinctly recognised breeds of Oriental cat. ... The Siberian is a recognized breed of cat. ...

Rabbit breeds with points

• Californian
• Himalayan

The Californian rabbit is a true American original. ... Rabbit breeds are notably different varieties of domestic rabbit created through selective breeding or natural selection. ...

References

1. ^ D. L. Imes et al. (April 2006). "Albinism in the domestic cat (Felis catus) is associated with a tyrosinase (TYR) mutation" (Short Communication). Animal Genetics 37 (2): 175. Retrieved on 2006-05-29.