Mutant gene frequencies in cats of Southern England.

Three areas in Southern England have been sampled for frequency of nine mutant genes among the domestic cat population. The significance of the derived estimates are discussed and a brief comparison is made with the earlier estimate obtained by SEARLE. The frequencies seem comparable in the two surveys except for genes O and d. The estimates of these from the present study are significantly higher than those found earlier. Tentatively, it is proposed that human preference for orange cats may be responsible for the increase in O. No obvious reason exists for the higher frequency of d.