SILVER BENGALS
Genetically silver is not actually
a colour, it is more an inhibition of colour, this is caused
by the "I" gene
which gives a whitish colour with black or charcoal markings.
The "I gene is a dominant gene, this means that if a cat inherits
the silver "I" gene it is silver if not it is another colour
e.g. brown. The "I" gene cannot be carried, to get a silver
cat at least one of the parents must be silver.Silvers
can be either spotted, rosetted, or marbled, but a high degree of contrast
is desirable. The white undercoat should be as clear as possible with little
or no "tarnishing" or yellowish discoloration on the face, feet, tummy, or spine.When
colour does break through, it is called tarnishing. It is not desirable, though
it is difficult to breed out. Tarnishing shows that the inhibitor gene is not
doing its job completely, the job of completely blocking out the colouring
Silvers
Silvers are born with their markings and retain them as they mature.
