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By Maria Azzurra Volpe
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A woman's theory as to why her cat had kittens with various different fur colors has gone viral on social media, and now internet users can't stop laughing.
In a viral TikTok video shared in April under the username @podwi3czorek, the poster picks up the kittens one by one, showing them to the camera to highlight their different fur colors. The first two kittens on screen have an intense gray fur, typical of Scottish folds, as the poster confirms in the comments.
However, as the clip goes on, the kittens' fur colors keep getting lighter and lighter. The third kitten is a light gray, dusty color, while the fourth is almost completely white, and the fifth is white as snow. "Mom's printer ran out of ink," the poster writes in the clip, as the newborn kitties make cute playful noises in the background.
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It is not unusual for cats to birth kittens with different fur colors and patterns, but what is behind their unique coats?
Dr. Liza Cahn, veterinarian at Embrace Pet Insurance, told Newsweek that a cat's fur color comes down to a complex interaction of genes.
Cahn said that, for each gene, a cat inherits one copy, called an allele, from each parent. This determines how a particular trait will be expressed. A dominant allele requires only one copy for its trait to be expressed, while a recessive allele requires two.
"In simple terms, genes control the production of two primary pigments within specialized cells called melanocytes: eumelanin (which produces black and brown colors) and pheomelanin (which produces red and orange colors)," Cahn said.
"A primary gene determines which of these two base pigments is produced, determining a cat's overall color. Other genes then act as modifiers, leading to color dilution, white patches, tabby pattern, and more."
The rainbow of colors and patterns within a litter of kittens, according to Cahn, comes from the unique combination of genes each one inherits from its parents.
Cahn said: "Additionally, a female cat can mate with more than one male during her heat cycle, so it's possible for kittens in the same litter to have different fathers, leading to even more variation in their colors and markings."
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The video quickly went viral on social media and it has so far received over 29.5 million views and more than 5.9 million views on the platform.
One user, Kaname Hagiri, commented: "I have a pair of black cats, imagine my surprise when all the kittens were white as snow."
Diderareda posted: "50 shades of gray."
Samantha Dawn added: "Mine straight up malfunctioned. She had 4 black kittens and one singular orange tabby."
Newsweek reached out to @podwi3czorek for comment via TikTok comments. We could not verify the details of the case.
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend, and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
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