Last updated Feb 7, 2025
Ari Kankainen / Wisdompanel.com
A genetic mutation has been creating some striking cats with designer coats in a dazzling shade called “salty licorice”: tuxedo cats with fur that is black at the base, and frosted white at the tip. But you most likely haven’t seen a salty licorice cat in person, because these exquisite felines have only been observed in central Finland.
The salty licorice name sounds peculiar to this American; I would have described this coat pattern more as cookies and cream, or salt and pepper. But then, I saw photos of the Finnish treat the cat is named after, and it makes sense. “Salmiakki,” which translates to “salty liquorice,” is black licorice pieces coated with ammonium chloride, a type of salt that gives the licorice its signature pungent taste. The candy seems to produce a love-it-or-hate-it reaction in people.
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As for the feline version of salty licorice, these Finnish cats with unusual black and white patterns were first observed in 2007 in the village of Petajavesi. Last year, Hannes Lohi, a geneticist, led a study at the University of Helsinki, where he and co-researchers studied the cats’ DNA to figure out where they got their frosted looks.
The researchers collected DNA samples from five salty licorice cats and studied the material in their lab. They found that none of the cats exhibited the gene variations that usually create the white coloration. The researchers then sequenced the full genome of two of the cats. That is when they discovered a previously unknown mutation that affects a specific gene called KIT. They named this gene w-sal, a nod to the salmiakki salty licorice candy that is a regional delicacy.
Lohi’s team then tested the DNA of the five salty licorice cats, along with 178 samples from other normal-colored cats in their biobank. All of the salty licorice cats had two copies of the recessive KIT gene. A few of the other cats had one copy of this gene but did not show the salty licorice color. Most of the cats did not have the gene.
“One of the fascinating aspects of the study is that it uncovers a really sophisticated way in which this very important KIT gene is normally regulated,” Greg Barsh, a Stanford University genetics professor, told CNN. He was not involved in the study.
Lohi’s study was published on May 9 in the journal Animal Genetics.
I doubt I will see a salty licorice cat in America any time soon, but maybe I’ll add some imported Salmiakki to my Amazon shopping cart and try the Scandinavian treat. I hope cat breeders find a way to create salty licorice kittens, or that the genetic mutation shows up in non-pedigreed cats in the United States. These cats are gorgeous!
Lohi told CNN that we might be seeing more of these felines through breeding.
“It is possible that breeders will choose to develop a population of salty licorice cats,” Lohi said. “However, the health of the salty licorice cats should be followed in more detail to confirm the absence of any color-related health issues.”
Barsh added: “If there are enough people out there that think, ‘Oh, this is really rare and they’re really cute,’ then it could become very popular. That is really more of a question having to do with the relationship of humans to companion animals than the science itself.”
We hope to see more of these intriguing felines, as few of us will be able to spot one in person in Europe.
Speaking of European cats, many breeds originate from countries across the Atlantic Ocean, including several from Russia. Check out this article about 13 Old World European cat breeds. One of those breeds, the beautiful Norwegian Forest Cat, comes from another Scandinavian country that borders Finland, where the salty licorice cats were discovered.
