In cats, the "colorpoint" pattern results in darker colors around the face, ears, legs, and tail and lighter colors over the rest of the body. This is due to the activity of a temperature-sensitive enzyme that creates pigment, resulting in more pigment being produced in cooler areas of the body and little to no pigment produced where the skin is slightly warmer. This trait is recessive to the full-color gene.

Cat standing on grass with dark tail, ears, face, and paws. Body is light colored.
© Cindy McCravey 2007
Creative Commons, CC BY

Part 1: If a cat has the colorpoint pattern, what can you conclude about the phenotype and genotype of the cat's parents? Explain your answer in paragraph form.
Part 2: If you cross a cat with the colorpoint pattern with a solid black cat, you might find that half of kittens have the colorpoint phenotype. What can you conclude about the genotype of the solid black cat? Use a Punnett square to help determine the probability of the possible genotypes and phenotypes in the offspring. Explain your results in paragraph form.