Can Black Cats Have White Kittens – Coat Genetics & Color!

It’s an exciting time whenever you find out that your cat is pregnant. You wonder how many kittens your cat will have and what color the kittens will be. When you have two cats with different colors, you have more chances to guess what color kittens your cat will have. When you have a black cat, you might ask yourself this: can black cats have white kittens?

Black cats can have white kittens. The color of your cat is dependent on the color of both of your cats, not just one cat. Your cat will only have black kittens if both parents are black; otherwise, it is possible that your cat can have white kittens.

Fur color genetics are sometimes difficult and confusing to understand, but stick with me to the end of this article to learn more about what color kittens your cat might have. 

What Color Kittens Will A Black Cat Have

Your cat will have kittens based on the color of both cats.

Just because you have one black cat does not mean that your cat will automatically have black kittens. This will only be the case if both of the cats that have mated are entirely black.

The kittens can be a variety of colors. 

For example, if an all-black cat and a calico cat have kittens, you might have several different colored kittens. Your cats can be all black, all white, or calico colored.

A black cat and an orange cat can have black or orange cats. It could also be that your cat will be black and orange. 

The color is very much up to genetics and a little bit of magic and wonder!

What Color Kittens Will Two Black Cats Have

Two fully black cats that mate will most likely have black kittens.

For a kitten to have black fur, both parents must have the black hair gene, which means that it is a dominant gene. 

When the two parents are black, there is a very high chance that all of the kittens in the litter will be all black.

Black fur becomes the dominant gene, which means that the cats will be black.

However, we do have to keep in mind how cats mate and breed. 

What Color Kittens Will A Black And White Cat Have

Black and white cats that breed can have all black cats, all-white cats, or a mixture of the two.

Since you are breeding together two very different colored cats, you have a few different options of what your kittens are going to look like.

Here are some of the outcomes you might expect from breeding a black and white cat:

• A kitten that is all white
• A kitten that is all black
• A kitten that is both black and white, whether it is spotted or with patches of fur

There is no way to know exactly what the kittens will look like that come from breeding a black cat and a white cat.

The difference between these cats are very starkly contrasted, so you will be in for a surprise when you first see the kittens.

If the cats had a previous litter of kittens already, you might have a better idea of the color of cats you will end up with. 

How Can I Predict The Color Of My Kitten

Although the color of kittens is sometimes random, you can predict the color of your kittens.

Let’s get a little scientific here to talk about predicting the color of your kittens. Here are some tips to keep in mind to predict color:

• Male kittens get their genes from the female cat
• Female kittens get half of their genes from both parent cats
• Only the immediate parents of a cat predict color; you do not need to worry about the color of the parents of the breeding cats

This is by no means the complete explanation of feline color genetics. The subject is massive and complicated, and some scientists dedicate their entire careers to understanding feline genetics. 

If you want to learn more about feline genetics, I would encourage you to continue studying independently. There is a wealth of information that is readily available to you. 

What Will My Cat’s Babies Look Like

As we covered above, you can indeed predict what your cat’s babies will look like, even though it can be complicated.

If you’re less concerned with following the science, let’s think about it an easier way.

Let’s look at both of the cats that are breeding and take a stab at what the kittens will look like. Of course, your certainty here will not be as high, but it can give you an idea.

For instance, two black cats probably won’t have a white kitten. Conversely, two white cats aren’t going to produce a black kitten.

Cats with no red fur most likely won’t have a kitten with red fur either. 

Leaving the science behind will forego the discussion around genetics, but it’s pretty easy to rule out some cat features based on your cats’ appearance.

Is White Fur A Recessive Gene In Cats

White fur can be a recessive gene, but it is generally dominant in cats.

Since we spoke so much about black cats, you might also have the opposite on your mind: white cats. White cats are relatively common, so you might wonder how that plays into the color of your cat.

White fur can be a recessive gene, but cats that are entirely white usually have white fur as a dominant gene because it has dictated the color of their fur so heavily.

If you’re worried that your two black cats will suddenly pop out a white kitten because of recessive genes, you do not have to worry.

The gene that makes cats white does not work in that way; if two black cats were to breed, the dominant black gene would mask the white fur gene, thus making it recessive again.

Again, genetics are complicated for the common person, and you should keep researching on your own if it’s something that interests you!