People love using labels to describe and mark things, events or even each other. It’s easier to stick a tag on something than to understand it. The same thing happens with genes. If a gene creates an unusual look, then it gets labeled as “designer”, which by the way, is still a very elegant way of naming things. This is nothing new in the breeding world, it was always like that. Let's start with a little history lesson and go back to the 1920s. The chocolate and lilac genes.

You scroll past another video. Two queens maybe three nursing together. The comments never change — hearts, smiles, so beautiful, such love. In feral colonies this happens when it has to. A mother dies, one rejects her babies, another can’t make enough milk. The food is often scared and limited . that’s when they mix litters together.  It’s instinct and survival. But in a proper breeding program it shouldn’t happen unless something breaks — illness, milk loss, complete reject

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

Every cat is a walking story. But that story doesn’t begin with their first breath, or with the first cry in the nest box. It begins earlier — quietly — in the places we can’t see. In the double helix. In the script written long before we even knew their name. Each kitten carries two copies of every gene. One from the mother, one from the father. Sometimes, those genes agree. And sometimes… they don’t. When that happens, one must speak louder. That’s when we meet two fundame

Every cat has two stories, although most people only notice one of them. The first story is simple because it is written on the surface: the colour of the coat, the shade of the eyes, the length of the body or the shape of the head, the kind of things you notice immediately when you look at a photograph. The second story is harder to read because it is hidden in the genetic code, and even when it does not show on the cat itself it can still be passed on to the kittens, often

Chimera cats. People throw that word around too much. Have you seen a cat with a split face and odd eyes advertised as „Chimera”? Most of the time, it’s not. A chimera cat isn’t about looks – it’s about DNA. This phenomenon occurs when, at a very early stage of embryo development, two separate embryos fuse together to become one body. As a result, a cat is made up of two different genetic sets. It depends on what fused: XX/XX – Two female embryos → Female cat, quite often

On 20th September 2025, just four months after first stepping into the show halls, both IconicSX Selina Kyle and Vincent became Champions under The Governing Council of the Cat Fancy (GCCF) — the UK’s most rigorous and internationally respected registry for pedigree cats. Each of their qualifying certificates was awarded by a different GCCF judge, with assessments carried out independently and in line with strict breed-specific standards. Iconicsx Selina Kyle is the 1st GCCF

A kitten doesn’t come into the world with a ready immune system — it builds one, piece by piece, starting with something as tiny as bacteria. When a kitten is born, it’s a blank slate — sterile, untouched by the outside world. But almost immediately, something beautiful happens. As it nurses, is licked clean, and nestles up against its mother, she shares with it a whole invisible world of microbes. Researchers like Chan et al. (2013) and Zakošek Pipan et al. (2020) have descr

We are beyond excited to share some incredible news with all of you! IconicSX Cattery has officially been awarded the prestigious TICA Outstanding Cattery Certificate , a recognition that highlights our dedication to providing a safe, clean, and well-maintained environment for our cats. A Milestone Achievement On 9th January , our cattery underwent a comprehensive inspection by a licensed veterinarian as part of the TICA Outstanding Cattery Program. This process involved an

Responsible breeding focuses on putting the well-being and contentment of animals first. A key aspect involves neutering kittens before they move to new homes. This practice helps to keep them healthy and improves their ability to adjust to their surroundings. Kittens develop their immune system in familiar environments, and a move to a new home already brings big changes. If they still need neutering after joining their new owner, the extra stress can have an impact on their