However, a thorough understanding of the genetic combinations is not always what breeders use to determine what they can expect when the cross their queens and their studs. Knowing either who the Sire and Dam are, or from the offspring, all the recessive genes can often be determined.

• Sable (dominent, neither carrying Blue or Chocolate)
  
• Sable carrying Blue (carrying a recessive dilute gene)
  
• Sable carrying Chocolate (carrying a recessive brown gene)
  
• Sable carrying both Blue and Chocolate (carrying both recessive genes, dilute and brown)
  

• Blue (carrying two dominent Dark genes and two recessive brown genes)
  
• Blue carrying Chocolate (carrying one recessive dilute genes and two recessive brown gene)
  A Blue Burmese has no dominent brown genes to give its kittens.
  

• Chocolate (carrying two dominent Black genes and two recessive dilute genes)
  
• Chocolate carrying Blue (carrying one dominent Black gene and two recessive dilute genes)
  A Chocolate Burmese has no dominent dilute genes to give its kittens.
  

• The Platinum Burmese has no dominent genes to give its kittens.
  

There are, therefore, 9 different combinations of the two pairs of dominant and recessive genes.

There are (at least) two different ways of presenting breed combination/outcome tables. In The Burmese Cat, a table was presented that fits on a single page (50k file). However, I find it more useful to have the tables broken down into 9 tables, the 9 different combinations 104k file) of the two pairs of dominant and recessive genes.

I encourage you to play with the color charts. Some crosses cannot produce certain offpring, and you can use the offspring to determine if one of the parent's has a hidden recessive gene. However, beware. You can't prove a negative by the offspring. Just because a Sable cat who might be carrying both blue and chocolate never produces a blue or platinum kitten, you still don't know he's only carrying champagne. You can only prove that he IS carrying the hidden recessive by the offspring.

To determine hidden genes, the best mating is a cross to a platinum, who has no dominent genes to give.

Study the charts to set yourself any number of puzzles.

1. A breeder claims to have a sable kitten out of a platinum queen and a champagne stud. Is this possible?
   
2. A breeder claims to have a sable kitten out of a blue queen and a platinum stud. Is this possible?
   
3. A breeder claims to have a sable kitten out of a blue-champagne cross. Is this possible?
   
4. A sable stud who is carrying champagne, who MAY or MAY NOT be carrying blue is crossed with a blue carrying champagne, a champagne carrying blue and a platinum queen. All the kittens are sable and champagne. Is he carrying blue?
   
5. What two combinations are most likely to create a true rainbow litter (one of each, champagne, blue, sable and platinum?)
   

1. No. A Sable must have at least one Dark gene and at least one Black gene. Neither parent has a Black gene to give the kittens.
   
2. No. Again, a Sable must have at least one Dark gene and at least one Black gene. Neither parent has a Dark gene to give the kittens.
   
3. Yes, if the blue is carrying champagne AND the champagne is carrying blue.
   
4. In the same way that "you can't prove a negative," until he actually sires a blue or platinum kitten, you can never know for sure. Statistically, he probably isn't carrying blue, but until he actually sires a blue or platinum, you won't know!
   
5. There are two crosses where the odds are 1:4 for each of the colors:
   • Sable dominent crossed with Platinum
     
   • Champagne carrying Blue crossed with Blue carrying Champagne