Eumelanin Produces Black and Brown

All colored hairs contain varying amounts of the two forms of melanin pigment, eumelanin and phaeomelanin.

Eumelanin produces black and brown, while phaeomelanin produces red and yellow. All colors are based on the absence or presence of these pigment granules in the shafts of each hair.

Pigment is made in skin cells called melanocytes, and the distribution of these cells is genetically determined.

Most knowledge about coat colors is based upon observation and informed guesswork rather than microscopic investigation of genes, so there are still many questions to be answered.

Cats with single-colored "non-agouti" hair are called self or solid. Self coats are recessive: the cat must carry two copies of the non-agouti gene in order to conceal its "true" original tabby pattern.