Free Republic

After 60 years of searching, geneticists have finally identified the gene behind the marmalade coloration in domestic cats. Two independent teams of researchers found any fiery-hued fuzz on our beloved clawed floofs is likely the result of a missing segment of DNA in a non-protein-coding part of the cat's genome. "It's been a genetic mystery, a conundrum," Stanford University geneticist Greg Barsh told Sara Reardon at Science. Barsh and his colleagues discovered cat skin cells from which orange fur sprouts express 13 times as much RNA from a gene called Arhgap36, compared with skin cells from cats with no orange...

A Berlin court has ordered a cat owner to have her hairless Sphynx cat castrated – because it would be animal cruelty to let the naked pet breed. Willi, a Canadian Sphynx, belongs to Berlin cat breeder Jacqueline Linke. True to his breed, Willi is almost completely hairless – a quality that makes Sphynx cats popular choices for those with pet allergies. Despite his questionable appearance, Willi emerged as champion in the 2013 Pedigree Cat Exhibition in Berlin, and has gone on to become a proud father to three naked kittens. However, Willi won't get to pass on his genes...

On any of the surprising number of Web sites dedicated entirely to wisdom about cats, one will find quotations like these: "As every cat owner knows, nobody owns a cat" (attributed to Ellen Perry Berkeley); "The phrase 'domestic cat' is an oxymoron" (attributed to George F. Will); and "A dog is a man's best friend. A cat is a cat's best friend" (attributed to Robet J. Vogel). Of course, there is such a thing as the domestic cat, and cats and humans have enjoyed a mostly symbiotic relationship for thousands of years. But the quips do illuminate a very real...