You’ve probably seen them — those dreamy white-and-colour cats with just a splash of black on the head, or a tail like it was dipped in paint. They’re called van or harlequin, and their colouring comes from a gene called white spotting — or ws for short. But here’s the twist: Not every cat with this gene looks the same. Some have just cute little socks or a white belly…Others are almost completely white — and yet they don’t carry the gene for dominant white (w) at all. So wha

Imagine this: You’ve got a full painting underneath — rich colours, perfect patterns, a story written in genes. Black, blue, tortie…maybe even a classic tabby. But then? Someone pulls a pure white curtain over the whole canvas. And just like that — poof. It’s all gone. That’s what the white gene (symbol: W) does. It’s not really a colour gene in the traditional sense. It’s more like a genetic blackout. Let’s talk about it. What does it do? Just one copy (w/W) is enough to tur