Hello! Yesterday I saw a very interesting article about a new cat genetic mutation discovered in Finland!
Based on the unique appearance of these cats, they were named after a Finnish “salty licorice” candy. I think the mutation could be named either just Patches (Salmiak) or Patches (Licorice).

"A new coat colour pattern has emerged in cats across Finland, and scientists have just identified the genetic mutation responsible for it. The fur on the backs of these cats is coloured only at the base near the skin. Each hair progressively gets whiter towards the tip, and the tips of their tails are usually white as well. Otherwise, the cats share the classic “tuxedo” pattern that features an all-white neck, chest, belly and paws – although spots of colour sometimes cover parts of the white markings, says Heidi Anderson at Mars Petcare Science & Diagnostics in Helsinki."

Source: NewScientist

National Geographic Polska

These cats are really unique and their fur makes a very interesting gradient. This mutation instantly caught my eye!

At first, scientists thought cats having this genetic mutation were sterile, but now it is known the mutation is passable. Just like patches in this game!







As you can see, this mutation can have some interesting variants with spots too! But I thought...maybe it would be too chaotic, since my proposition bends patches mutation rules anyway, by adding a gradient which wasn't applied to any patches mut file before!



The darkest color starts from the head, keeping the classic tuxedo pattern. The further it goes on the body, the lighter the pigment is, with the exception of the chest, which stays clear. The gradient lightens as it moves down the body, with the butt and hind legs being much lighter than the head and forelegs. Interestingly, the tail seems to have its own independent gradient.
On cats, the Salmak mutation exists with various coat colors, so I think it's compatible with lions having various base colors.

A paper about how they discovered the gene: A new Finnish flavor of feline coat coloration, “salmiak,” is associated with a 95-kb deletion downstream of the KIT gene

Edit: I believe this mutation can be drawn without opacity variations too, with stronger lines and with brush strokes instead! If they decide to consider my idea, it will be drawn again by professionals and it will absolutely match the style of other patches!