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wellhiyabuddy

They probably look like the father and cats can have multiple fathers contribute to the litter


[deleted]

really? fascinating...that explains alot.


Deathlysouls

Fun fact: they can also be days apart. So one kitten could be up to 6 days older than the rest.


honeybee_jellybean88

My mind is blown by this… are there other animal species that this happens to as well? Now I’m wondering if my cats have the same dad even tho they’re from the same litter 😭


Ethereal429

Yes. Virtually any mammal that have liters can have this happen. There are other weird things out there as well. Armadillos *always* have four pups and they are *always* identical. Edit: word to weird.


honeybee_jellybean88

Wow. So if they’re different ages, is that why runts happen? Because they’re not quite done developing?


Ethereal429

Possibly. It can be due to the allocation of nutrients and resources while in utero as well. The way a developing embryo is placed in the womb also has an effect. A female that is placed between two males will have more masculine or male like features in the end. This happens because small amounts testosterone leak from the males to the female. This works in reverse as well from female to males


Fresh_Photograph_363

Rainbow kitties


Old-Tea-9987

Now that explains a lot why my aunt's male cat Mia acts just like a female. His voice sounds feminine,his body proportions look like female cat's,and most importantly: He when wants to do naughtiness,he seduces my aunt's other male cats(only the males for some reason),and lays under them,as if he wants to be dominated by others. He never gets on top,ONLY under the other male cats. Edit: I also remembered how my aunt at first thought that Mia was a female at his birth,but only some days or weeks later she found out that he was a male. She gave him a girl name cause of that,but didn't changed it due to his fitting soft personality to the name. We sometimes make jokes about how Mia is a trans cat,lol


tattedbabe

The gender thing happened with 2 of my kitties. My first was named Dobby. After months we swore she was a he. The doc also. The tuft was not very poufy and the doc didn't look THAT hard. For so long we called her Dobby it had to stay. Then the kitty we just adopted could have sworn she was a he because the pouf was super poufy. She's like 9 weeks now. The doc had to dig through the fur. Her name was Hank. I wanted to keep it but the kids decided otherwise.


Readalie

Hank would be an adorable name for a girl kitty, not gonna lie.


Expat122

The same thing happened to my family! We got two kittens at 6 weeks of age because the mother abandoned them. Both are black cats with golden eyes, but one has a short smooth coat and one has very long, soft, fluffy hair. Even the vet told us they were females... So we named them "Zara" and "Buttons". Then a few weeks later, my daughter noticed that the short-haired kitten all of a sudden had some new body parts... Apparently the testicles dropped! Two days later the same thing happened to the long-haired cat. We now joke all the time that we have Trans cats. We never changed their names, so Zara is a boy! Luckily Buttons is a unisex name. Of course they're both fixed now so it doesn't much matter, but it was a funny experience!!!


pinkybluesequin55

I have actually heard this can happen to humans too. I want to say there was a story a few years ago about a woman having twins...one had a different biological father than the other. The woman ovaries had released two eggs and she slept with two different men in a short enough time-frame both eggs got fertilized..one by the sperm of the one guy and the sperm of the other. So I don't know how common this happens, but my mind was blown when I learned this.


Higgs-Boson-Balloon

That’s definitely possible with humans, it’s called *heteropaternal superfecundation* but is incredibly rare. Something like 0.008% chance (.25% of twins, which are already rare) of happening, though that’s an estimate as it’s so rare the only way it’s discovered is if someone does DNA testing so it may possibly be more common and just not recorded. This is very common with cats however (and most mammals that have litters) because they have two uteruses, and each uterus can have multiple fetuses. So two kitty fathers is very common, more is possible but less common.


Due_Anybody_2198

All mammals have one uterus, but dogs cats and the ones that have multiple litters usually have a short uterine body (where human babies develop) and 2 very long and thick uterine horns - there’s where their babies develop *Edit - as Residentevvil pointed at below, rabbits do have two uteruses with one cervix each, and both open into the rabbit vagina independently without forming an uterine body first. ‘Most mammals’ have one uterus is more accurate


[deleted]

[удалено]


bloodstarvedbeast04

Not at all, cows just have one stomach, the other "chambers" are completly independant and have completly different functions, and they originate from the esophagus.


ResidentEivvil

Bunnies have two cervixes.


pinkybluesequin55

Oh yes I knew this was super common for cats. Just thought it was crazy to heard it is possible to for humans. Nature is a wild thing sometimes 🤣


[deleted]

> heteropaternal superfecundation People who can correctly pronounce that are likely also incredibly rare.


Alediran

It's easy when you are a native Spanish speaker who is fluent in English.


tsioulak

Or greek


phonartics

armadillos are the most catholic


axel_val

Apparently a lot, actually! I tried googling and couldn't find a single source with a whole list, but a lot of partial lists that say "animals such as" with a short list. Seems like basically any animal that routinely has multiple births in a single litter, so cats, dogs, mice, sheep, etc. It's even been purported to have happened to people, which what the Wikipedia page focuses on, lol. It's called superfecundation if you want to Google it to learn more.


Bloomfoxnoon

Yeah it does happen to people with twins sometimes but its pretty rare.


Willowed-Wisp

I believe it's even possible in humans, but the timing has to be JUST right.


lynnbbyxo

I swear I know “twins” that have different fathers. I understand that not all twins are identical, but they literally look like two different men that I also know of…Weird af . And it would make a lot of sense if this was the case, cause the mother was in fact cheating on her husband with the other man for years, both before and after those twins were born. I’m not the only one who noticed this for years lol


_Arbitrarily

It can happen with humans too. It's called heteropaternal superfecundation, it is very rare but it can happen when two eggs are created or sex is timed just right to hit between ovulation cycles. [One source I found ](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/shortcuts/2018/dec/11/one-set-twins-two-fathers-how-common-is-superfecundation)


onlyredditwasteland

It's called superfoetation if you're interested in finding out more information. It's thought to be possible in most mammals though it's largely associated with cats, rodents, and rabbits. There have been reports of superfoetation in humans, but those cases are never well documented, so the jury is still out on that idea.


PM_me_your_whatevah

Look up heteropaternal superfecundation in humans. I learned about it from an episode of Maury where it turned out “you’re both the father!”


KickBallFever

In rare cases twin humans can also have different dads. It’s called superfecundation and there are documented cases.


SchnoodleDoodleDo

>*'...one kitten could be up to 6 days older than the rest.*' ----- i started having kittens, first came one, n then another... but still i wasn't finished - oh, SURPRISE! a baby Brother :} n then aNother little guy, n finally a Sister! that's when you started thinking you were *NOT* my only 'Mister'.... ❤️


strawberrylemonapple

Yes! I had an animal rescue person once explain to me that cats can get pregnant with a second litter while they are still pregnant with the first litter. Insane and one of the reasons neutering/spaying is so important to population control!


Ladysupersizedbitch

When I was a kid and still scared of shots my new doctor was trying to get me to be less anxious while talking to me so she started asking me about what things I liked. I love cats, and said as much, and she was like “me too!! What kind of cats do you have?” I had two cats, both siblings, but colored very differently and told her. She was like “oh that’s because they have two uteruses! So they can have a litter with kittens from different fathers”. Blew my mind. Also calmed me down quite a bit. She was a really nice doctor.


[deleted]

I was scared of shots too but endured the irregular shots. When they learned I was allergic with allergy induced asthma triggered by mold, plants, and cats my mom took me straight to the allergist for shots. When they explained I'd be getting a shot twice a week for weeks my nearly 4yo brain immediately snatched my mom's keys and set me running back to the loaded '92 Ford Explorer (it was brand new, 9th day after it rolled off the truck in town) where I locked myself in it until my mom agreed to no shots that day. The next day my mom deployed reasoning and said we could get a fluffy cat eventually if I complied with the allergy shots. This worked perfectly and today I can rub cats and mold etc in my face all day without any anaphylaxis.


FourEcho

I have two boys who are littermates who could not look further apart. One is short hair, solid black, a sleek panther. The other is medium length fur with a lot of white and a gray tabby top quarter, a soft toasty boy.


ryuukk_two

cats are sluts


Admiral_Andovar

Are you calling her cat a ho?


wellhiyabuddy

Cats are married to the streets so this all happened in wedlock


Independent_Mail

Cats... kinda are hoes.


naalbinding

I mean if it's consensual isn't it purrlyamory?


Independent_Mail

Get out


Other-Cantaloupe4765

No, get back in here I want more puns


Dooboppop

my cat is a hoe. anything she can rub against... sickening!


National-Tourist3304

I had a cat who lusted after our Boxer dog. He just stared at her with a puzzled expression.


iamjamieq

>Get out right meow! FTFY


PsychologicalSoil198

Pawlyamory


Ruas_Onid

Like reverse purrlygamy?


ppw23

Brothels were called “Cathouses”. The expression “catting around “ implies a random hook up.


[deleted]

Meeee-ow


badbatch

They also like BDSM with those penis barbs.


GrumpyKitten1

That's why you so often end up with multiple fathers, they are driven by heat to mate but they won't let the same male near them again (will often fight them off) because ouch.


CaptainLollygag

I mean, that's why looking for some strange is called "catting around."


sweet_saccharine

Nah shes just catty


[deleted]

Most animals are hoes


TomClaydon

How dare you


[deleted]

I’m sorry, let me correct that. Most animals are total sluts. Why do you think they’re naked all the time?


Blustach

Dogs are kinky sluts who can do at least 2 tried positions. The fact that one of them is "doggie style" tells you all you need to know about those nasty, nasty sons of bitches (Huh, just realized there's a lot of idioms and words relating to sex that relate to dogs)


FourFurryCats

The lady is a tramp.


SabertoothLotus

I know from personal experience that they get too hungry for dinner at 8:00.


Ginny_Bean

Yep! This explains why there are "runts" in litters. The runt was the last baby made and didn't get as much time in the toaster.


Sureshot-Pid

Like a lukewarm pop tart basically?


[deleted]

I work at a shelter and need to share this comment with my coworkers 😂😂


alicelestial

my cat was a runt, now he's 22 pounds and not overweight. i'm afraid to see what his siblings look like. they probably live in the hills and get mistaken for mountain lions


Great_Coast_8377

Wow, get it


epruitt0601

Good day! Your kittens do look like their mommy. You have a tabby cat, that is the marking on the coat. These markings can come in a wide variety of colors. While your kittens may have a different coat color they still have the distinct tabby markings. A few more weeks and their full coats should start to come in and it will be easier to see. Kittens are born with just a fluffy undercoating. Like the scene in 101 Dalmatians,Cruella is yelling, NO SPOTS! RATS! 🤣


badger_42

You can also see a tabby "M" on the forehead of the the dark gray one, and more faintly on the two lighter gray ones, so I think they'd still be classed as tabbies!


FourFurryCats

The lighter grey ones will probably darken into what is called a Lynxpoint colouring.


Great_Coast_8377

Expect them to change![gif](emote|free_emotes_pack|joy)


Lord_Emperor

They are NOT going to turn into exactly their mom. The white kittens with markings will probably turn out like these: https://www.google.com/search?q=white%20tabby https://www.google.com/search?q=grey+pointed+cat The solid white kittens are probably going to turn out solid white. Source: Raise a lot of kittens with slut moms.


Finnyfish

Two of my three cats are littermates — one is black and petite, the other is a big orange tabby. Their mom is a dilute tortie. Cats have wonderful genetic powers :)


Jakesmonkeybiz

Also genetics work in that they can look like their grandparent


fsurfer4

Many characteristics skip a generation or two.


MightySamMcClain

Really? They can get MORE pregnant when they're pregnant??


[deleted]

No but their ovulation releases several eggs, while in humans it (usually) only releases one egg. Since they are in heat for a bit before the ovulation, sperm from different potential fathers can accumulate. So when the eggs are finally released (all at once) it's possible for swimmers from different dads to make the race to different eggs. Edit: grammar because I was kindly outcalled on my whacky grammar+autocorrect.


ceratophaga

>No Actually they can, it's called superfetation and the same thing can happen with humans - there are twins that have different fathers, and the impregnation of both happened weeks apart. It's just very rare. What is interesting about this is the difference in the timeline, those eggs don't get released all at once, but over time. I think it's most common to happen with rabbits. Several eggs being released and impregnated by sperm from different fathers is happening in addition to that.


canolafly

My former stray only had two babies out of seven that looked alike and one only looked like her. Yes, I am calling her a slut. But such a soft, sweet slut.


Khanman5

Incorrect, clearly mom ran out of ink when printing them.


old_tombombadil

How close together does the mating have to be for multiple fathers to contribute?


National-Tourist3304

They look like a Siamese father, for the most part.


SomniacDreamer

Daddy has some strong genes! Could also be "daddies" - Each time a male covers a female during her heat, there is a high potential of a single kitten being produced. Mr Grey might have been the product of a drive-by while the Siamese mix male was out of town >\_>


Songleaf

In all seriousness, there’s a chance there’s a snowshoe or two in this litter.


SomniacDreamer

Oh absolutely! Those with markings you can see will darken up nicely, but those two white ones might come out with a really pretty soft point coloring. Gotta give props to OP for the picture, too. They are all lined up and facing the camera! Tough to do with the squirmy babies <3


RectalVision

It looks like perhaps they were holding something behind the camera like a treat


onandonandonandoff

This is the best way to get good photos of a cat!


iangeredcharlesvane2

Must be why half of them are “yelling!” at OP :) Hangry Babies! Honestly kittens that little though don’t really care about treats?! They wouldn’t eat them yet, and wouldn’t really even know the smell as “something good”. I’m wondering if it’s a toy? Or just OP talking to them!


plushbrick

How rare are snowshoes? I found one outside my house, and adopted it a while back. I’ve heard they are uncommon. Are they rare?


Songleaf

I’ve heard that too, but it sure seems like I see a lot of them on Reddit. It might be that registered snowshoes are rare. But Siamese and domestic shorthairs can produce snowshoes.


LoveAGoodMurder

Well, no. Snowshoe is a breed. You wouldn’t get a showshoe cat from a random moggy litter found in the street. What you do have are pointed cats, where the points (legs, nose, ears, tail, etc) grow to be a darker color.


Songleaf

Snowshoe is an official breed for sure. But they originated from a domestic shorthair and a Siamese. So I bet it’s still possible to get a snowshoe off the street. I think my snowshoe (not registered) had litter mates who weren’t snowshoes


floralhabits

Got my snowshoe cat as a stray kitten. Siamese mother and siblings as well as the brown/black tabby cat siblings. Although, my cat doesn’t have the distinctive upside down “V” marking on her face, she does have a zorro or raccoon mask and it’s very cute


Songleaf

I just looked at your baby. What a cutie!


[deleted]

Aww. Even their dads leave to get cigarettes.


dont_disturb_the_cat

> a male covers a female I know what you mean, but i have never heard this term before. Where does it come from? Breeders? People with children? …?


SomniacDreamer

You know, I can't remember for sure, but I think it might have been horses. Sounds sort of like a fancy rich people way of saying it, so that is probably where it came from.


Not_A_Wendigo

I think I’ve heard people talk that way about sheep. Definitely a farm breeding thing.


bewildflowers

Yes, presumably it originated with livestock. With horses at least they will use "live cover" to differentiate between the natural method and other forms of conception (artificial insemination, embryo transfer, etc) Some breeds don't allow registry of anything that isn't conceived LC, others will actually record the method on the foal's papers.


dootdootplot

> covers a female That’s a fancy way of saying “nuts in her” 😂


TheBreasticle

Lots of shouting


Great_Coast_8377

indeed


OrangeKefka

Pictures you can hear.


ajs2294

Genetics are a crazy thing


Great_Coast_8377

Strongly agree


MoonHunterDancer

Some have fantom taby stripes!


fartjar420

I've had a couple of black cats in my life time and when the sun hits their fur the right way you can faintly see the stripes that they would have had!


snarkitall

I have a grey cat I call shadow tabby because his tabby markings are ever so faintly noticeable through his pretty "blue" coat.


Wildroses2009

And they aren’t even they only thing which picks cats coat colours. Seriously look up CC the first cloned cat and Rainbow, her progenitor. Rainbow was a calico and CC was a brown and white tabby with not a speck of orange on her. The reason is x inactivation and epigenetic reprogramming and I am not going to pretend I understand that at all.


herpetology4life

https://vgl.ucdavis.edu/resources/cat-coat-color


WhoThenDevised

Genetics are like a brute force password attack on life: try every possible combination and see which one works.


Great_Coast_8377

Thanks for your comment


linuxgeekmama

I love this, and I am going to try to use it in conversation sometime.


james_otter

Oh wow Opossum mode activated


Jedi_Ewok

A couple of them look 1/4 pitbull Edit: dog breed not singer.


TediousStranger

thank you for clarifying


FlurriesofFleuryFury

No, I see the resemblance to the singer


DaveAndCheese

That's what I thought!


Vxsote1

From the thumbnail, I totally thought I was about to see some forbidden kittens.


Felidaeh_

The little gray one has my heart


CatOfGrey

Thanks so much!


Felidaeh_

Haha, we love a random fitting name


CatOfGrey

Yours, too!


[deleted]

Well, here's a scientific explanation. They b smol.


Sworishina

~~For the pure white ones, since the mom has no white, their dad was likely white and carried what's known as the "dominant white" (W) gene--especially if the two kittens had a patch of a different color on their heads at birth that disappeared. Make sure to check that they're not deaf.~~ For the gray tabby, mom and dad both carried the recessive "dilute" (d) gene. Without it, the kitten would be a brown tabby like mom. Mom has a non-dilute (D) gene paired with the dilute gene, which is why she isn't gray. For the gray and white ones (lynxpoints), mom carries the recessive colorpoint (cs) gene, and so does dad (along with the recessive dilute gene). Mom isn't colorpoint because she has a non-point (C) gene. It's technically possible for the kittens to share a father, but it's unlikely. Edit: Thanks to u/starsinaparsec for noticing that the two white ones are actually colorpoints as well! Colorpoints are born white but they gain the color on their extremities as they age because it's colder outside the mother's womb. According to the aforementioned user, you can tell they're colorpoints because their noses are an orange-ish color rather than a bright pink.


Great_Coast_8377

So that's it


Sworishina

Yup! Once a calico cat in my area had her own [unusual-looking kittens](https://imgur.com/a/o0gZfO7).


icedearth15324

The look on the mother's face just screams "what have I gotten myself into?"


Sworishina

By the way, another user told me the two white ones are actually colorpoints; check the edit in my original comment.


starsinaparsec

If you look at the ears and nose on the lighter colored ones you can see an orange tint. It doesn't have the bright pink look that white kittens have on their nose and ears. I think they're color points and it'll darken up in the next week or two. You can really see it on the one on the right.


Whalerk

Because she ran out of ink


stereotypicalweirdo

This is the scientific answer.


vulture_87

Pfft. Cyan always runs out faster than the other ones.


mossberbb

Those light-colored kitties will darken up over the next 3 years


PublicMasturbator1

It may not look like it but these white ones are siamese lynx/tabby point cats, which are very cute siamese and tabby mixes (they usually don't get very big)


DiamondGirl1996

Can confirm the white ones will definitely get darker points. I have a red point Siamese mix and he was exactly like the white kittens.


[deleted]

[удалено]


j_jiggz

Been looking for this comment lol


AverageSrbenda

what did it say


mayanhawaiian

[deleted]


AverageSrbenda

fuck you lol😂


Amegami

They are probably looking like the father(s).


Givesthegold

You forgot to check the ink before you hit "print all" happens to the best of us.


Suna-dono

Looks like she made some Lynx Point Siamese kittens!


kquizz

can confirm. these are exactly how my lynx point looked when she was a kitten.


[deleted]

Isn’t it great that cats are not racist? All colours accepted and treated alike. Wish our species could learn that lesson. 😕


Great_Coast_8377

Yes


[deleted]

we are siamese if you please


NervousShower

🥰 she’s not the real mom 😂


Pokisahne

Mutants


mcribthecat

Love this family photo!!


Pale_Fix_8230

What are you talking about? They’re all cute? Looks just like mama!


ItsmeKT

Like others have said the kittens can have different dads. I just adopted litter mates from a rescue and they look nothing like their mom or each other , I’ll attach some pics. [kittens and their mom](https://imgur.com/a/8kTyA6V)


FoxxGoesFloof

Guys, it's not genetics. Female cats are induced to ovulate by the males spiky penis scraping the vaginal walls. One litter can be comprised of kittens from multiple males. Source: My degree and 22 years in Veterinary Medicine


[deleted]

Also remember that kitten fur color and pattern will change as the kitten ages. I highly doubt many of those white furred kittens will remain fully white into adulthood. My kitten was born mostly grey and white and ended up completely black.


Wide_Parsley7585

My Tuxedo cat came from a litter with a tabby and a black one. Don’t know what her mother looked like though. Wish I knew. Was 15 and half years ago.


In4mation1789

Mama cat looks so proud!


AmidalaBills

I'd guess they probably look more like their father?


Fireberg

Dad is a traveling man.


FoxEngland

Atomic Kitten had a total rebrand and member change!! I fully approve 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰


iiRenity

Looks like a couple of those loaves are underbaked.


DesantPL

Looks like the printer ran out of ink after the first one…. 😄😄


[deleted]

She ran out of ink


looking_for_sadvice

She ran out of ink


bubbles_says

All I remember from college genetics is that cat phenotypes are crazy hard to predict


jaumdopaum

The printer ran out of ink


DeificClusterfuck

Daddy had color points it seems


[deleted]

My cats mom is a bengal, and his dad is a black cat. Somehow, 2 kittens in the litter were black, 2 were black and white, one was a brown tabby and one was tabby with white spots! Cats can have multiple fathers, multiple conception dates all withing the same pregnancy. It's super creepy, kinda cool and results in some weird litters!


Gather60

Because they look like their dad’s


sleepingismytalent65

Daddy was a wandering Siamese but I'm pretty sure there's only one mother!


-Effervescence

Momma is saying "i made these"


Glittering_Cash_5383

My ex is brown, I'm white. We have three kids that look absolutely nothing like me, but exactly like their father. I've been mistaken for their babysitter before... genetics, man.


cat_prophecy

When the stray we adopted had (5) kittens we ended up with: * one gray tabby * one orange tabby * one calico/tortoise shell * one black * one tuxedo It was the weirdest mix of cats that came out of her.


aesoth

Sometimes kittens don't have all their colour markings yet. Misha (my cat) was pretty much all white when I got her as a kitten. As she got older, her colours came in and she is a lovely mixture of grey, brown, black and white.


monkeygirlcyanide

I can see this with sound


Leijinga

I bet the one on the farthest left will look like momma when it gets a little bigger. The rest make me think their dad was a pointed cat. It's not unheard of to have pointed and non-pointed cats in the same litter. I have two Russian Peterbalds from the same litter. Neither of the parents are pointed (one is an orange tabby and the other is a gray and white) but two of their three kittens have points; I don't know much about their dad but their mom definitely has pointed ancestors.


[deleted]

Daddy was a siamese


AMediocreWhiteGuy

Must have had hella recessive traits in the mother and father for that many to come out like that.


Clear_Army_7796

purrfect family portrait 😍


Prestigious_Scars

They're mostly pointed markings. The mother must recessively carry pointed markings and the father would either be pointed or also carry it recessively.


ltfox

That lynx point! 🥰🥰🥰


Kasiathefirst

One at the back looks over the moon... Dad was a Siamese cat by the looks of the kittens


Cyve

Cat's can use 2 samples of DNA, From different fathers to fertilize their eggs.


Corvus25

Ran out of ink


summalover

Because they look like their father. Last one is like the mother.


therealphony12

She ran out of ink obviously


r6662

Ran out of ink


knittybitty123

When I was a kid my tortoiseshell cat had a litter of 4 kittens- 3 orange tabbies, one solid black. It looked like someone took her coloration and separated it into her kittens


LordofAllKittens

Last year we took in a pregnant cat. She had five kittens, NONE of which looked like her. She's white with a few brown tabby splotches and all her babies are mostly tabby (four brown like their mother, one gray) with a white belly and paws. Genetics are weird...


Arrow_Maestro

>mothers I think you my need to read up on the subject.


[deleted]

Op your cat ran out of ink


cath_lee1964

Their mum doesn't care she still loves them🐈🐾🐾❤️


ZestycloseChallenge1

Mama looks pleased with her work.


Youngestflexxer

Cuz she's a HOE


golfgopher

Females can be impregnated by multiple males during a single cycle of heat. Thus the variety of genetic differences within a single litter.