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Chelsea Clinton's cat, Socks, is a bicolor cat, or tuxedo cat who lived in the White House from 1993 to 2001
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A bicolor cat has
white fur combined with fur
of some other colour, for example black —- in this
case they are often referred to as a
tuxedo cat.
Bicolours are found in many breeds as well as being common in
domestic longhair cats and
domestic shorthair cats.
Bicolour occurs because there is a white spotting gene present along with a
recessive allele of the agouti gene, which evens out the usual striped pattern
of the colours of the coat. In contrast, tabby cats have an agouti gene that produces striping of the coat. The
Abyssinian has agouti with dilution (ticked tabby), giving the appearance of
even colour with colour-banded hairs.
A black-and-white bicolour cat is often known as a
tuxedo cat
or a Jellicle cat. To be considered a “tuxedo”,
its black coloring should be solid through out, with white limited to the paws,
belly, chest, throat, and possibly the chin. The tuxedo name is just that. It
should appear as if the cat is wearing a
tuxedo.
Some owners attribute shy personalities to
tuxedo cats,
particularly once they reach adulthood.
Another type of black-and-white bicolour cat is called a “cow cat” or “moo
cat”. A cow cat doesn't have the solid black 'jacket' of the
tuxedo cat.
Instead, it has big black patches over a mostly white body, often with a black
mask over the head. Some owners attribute chacteristics such as a love of water,
big personalities and a playful nature to
cow cats.
Black Mask Cats are another variant of the
cow cat or
tuxedo cat,
so called because they look like they are wearing a black mask over their head.
The
Turkish Van (white and red) is one good example of a bicolour
breed.
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