When we first saw Penny we decided to name her after the copper coin because of the reddish colour of
A listener rang in to say that it's the same for ginger cats. Interesting. But I'd need to hear some scientific backup to this suggestion. A look around the Net doesn't throw up any immediate information. I can't see that it would logically follow, that the reddish colour in cats comes from a gene that operates in the same way as the gene for red hair in the human genome. The New Scientist article says:
In people with red hair, the cells that produce skin and hair pigment have a dysfunctional melanocortin 1 receptor. Liem says this dysfunction triggers the release of more of the hormone that stimulates these cells, but this hormone also stimulates a brain receptor related to pain sensitivityOf course, now I wonder about ginger(ish) dogs...
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Mary here, Penny's other mum. Penny wasn't a redhead so much, she had a copper coloured head - not now, she's blonde. But now I often notice a red tinge through her fur that I don't think was there when she was little.
I know what you mean, Mary - that it was her head that was red, not her body. I'll change it right away.
I learn something new every day in the dog blogs. Who would have ever guessed.....
Levi's mom
Levi's mom, I was surprised when I heard this about (human) redheads but when I mentioned it to my sister, she said, 'Yeah, that was in the news years ago!' My cousin is a beautiful red-head. I must remember to check that she knows this too. On the other hand, the only ones who really need to know are the anaesthetists, of course.
This is very interesting...
Butt wiggles,
Solid Gold Dancer
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