Julia Wilson

Julia Wilson is a cat expert with over 20 years of experience writing about a wide range of cat topics, with a special interest in cat health, welfare and preventative care. Julia lives in Sydney with her family, four cats and two dogs. She enjoys photography, gardening and running in her spare time. Full author bio Contact Julia

Rare Cat Colours

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Rare cat colours

Rare cat colours at a glance

  • Russet
  • Cinnamon
  • Amber
  • Albino
  • Calico or tortoiseshell (male)
  • Charcoal
  • Melanistic

About

Cats come in a huge range of cat colours and patterns, which is controlled by genes, gene modifiers, gender and even temperature in pointed cats.

Cats have 19 pairs of chromosomes, which are inherited from the mother and father. Each chromosome DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid), which contains the instructions an organism needs to develop, live and reproduce. Genes come in pairs, one from the mother and one from the father and can be dominant or recessive. A dominant gene overrides a recessive gene, and two copies of a recessive gene must be present for that trait to develop.

There are only two true colours in cats, black and red. Every other coat colour is a deviation of those two colours. Black and red are dominant, and therefore only one copy of the gene is needed for the cat to show these colours.

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Is Foxglove (Digitalis)Toxic to Cats

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Is foxglove (digitalis) toxic to cats? Foxglove is toxic to cats, the toxic principle is cardiac glycosides, including digoxin and digitoxin which cause cardiac arrhythmias, vomiting, diarrhea, heart failure and death. Glycosides are a group of naturally occurring molecules with a sugar portion that consists of one or more sugars bonded to a non-sugar substance. … Read more

Is Dettol Toxic to Cats?

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Is Dettol toxic to cats? 

Dettol is toxic to cats, the active ingredient is chloroxylenol, a phenol that is a common ingredient in antiseptics, creosote, germicides, cleaners, and disinfectants. Phenols are locally corrosive and cause necrosis of the skin, mucous membranes and esophagus, central nervous system stimulant and depressant, kidney and liver damage.

The major sites of metabolism are the gastrointestinal tract, lungs, liver and kidneys. Unfortunately, cats lack UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) enzymes, including UGT1A6 and UGT1A9 necessary to metabolise phenols. Their accumulation in the liver and kidneys results in liver damage and renal tubular necrosis.

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Why Cats Love Catnip and Silver Vine

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Catnip (Nepeta cataria) and silver vine (Actinidia polygama) are well known for their effects on cats. New research has found a link between these plants and a protective effect on these plants. Led by Masao Miyazaki, a biochemist and veterinary scientist at Japan’s Iwate University, researchers extracted the chemical responsible for the high in silver … Read more

10 Common Plants Toxic to Cats

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At a glance

  • Swiss cheese plant
  • Chinese evergreen
  • Fiddle leaf fig
  • Philodendron
  • Devil’s ivy
  • Ivy
  • Snake plant
  • Rubber plant
  • String of pearls
  • Pothos

Indoor plants have seen a huge resurgence in popularity over the past few years, and it is easy to understand why. They are great for apartments with no gardens and add interest to the home. But, not all plants are safe around cats, and some can even be deadly.

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Is Lysol Toxic to Cats?

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Lysol products which contain benzalkonium chloride are toxic to cats. Exposure causes corrosion and irritation to the skin and mucosa.

Poisoning typically occurs when the cat comes into contact with recently disinfected surfaces, the cat ingests the product during grooming or if they lick a surface with disinfectant residue. Exposure to concentrated or incorrectly diluted solutions can induce a more severe clinical response.

What is Lysol?

Lysol is a popular disinfectant (chemical agents designed to inactivate or destroy microorganisms on inert surfaces). The active ingredient in many Lysol products is benzalkonium chloride (BAC), a wide-spectrum cationic detergent and a quaternary ammonium compound (QAC). Benzalkonium is present in many household products including cleaners, mould removers and disinfectants.

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