Diary of a Cat Care B&B: Look-Alikes

Some guests at the cats-only boarding facility are family in name only; others are actually from the same litter… or at least the same bloodline! We have a pair of brothers from the same litter who (thankfully) don’t look alike. One cat is black and white; the other is an orange tabby. Their only common feature is a stunted tail — about half as long as you’d expect a cat’s tail to be. But with those matching tails, they’re most definitely kin. We have, however, had some guests from the same litter who are virtually identical. Those can be tricky! … Continue reading

To Test or Not to Test: Zygosity in Twins

Most people assume that if twins look very much alike, the twins must be identical. But actually, determining whether or not twins are identical, (or their zygosity) can be a costly proposition. Most people know that fraternal twins are the result of two eggs being fertilized, and that identical twins are the result of one egg that was fertilized and then split. Fraternal twins share no more than 50% of their genes and are no more alike than other siblings in the family. However, identical twins are genetically. . .well, identical. Many times zygosity can be determined simply by looking … Continue reading