This was just a fun exploratory about my kitty, Angel. I had heard about tortoiseshell cats and wondered if she was one. I have to stand by the fact that she IS a calico cat. She is in the very last photo, do you agree?
Cat Myths: Are Calicos Always Female?
And My Cat is here to debunk a cat myth: all calico cats are female. The short answer to the question is no. But let's be precise: just one out of every 3,000 calico kitties born is a male, reports the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Missouri. Why is the beautiful calico color pattern so prevalent among female felines? It's all in the genetics.The calico pattern includes three colors: black, orange and white, usually in large blocks. A cat's coat color is a sex-linked trait. That means this aspect of your cat's physical appearance is linked to his/her gender.
Think back to your high school science class: males possess XY sex chromosomes, while females have XX. The genetic coding for displaying black or orange color is found on the X chromosome, explains Janet Tobiassen, DMV. For this reason, female cats can display black AND orange, while males, with their single X chromosome, usually display one or the other. The genetic coding for white is a completely separate gene!
So if boys have just one X chromosome, how is it possible for them to ever turn up with a calico pattern? That one cat in 3,000 is what scientists call a Klinefelter male, named after the doctor who discovered this condition, which isn't limited to the cat population. Klinefelter males have three sex chromosomes: XXY. With the extra X chromosome, they have a shot at displaying white, black and orange. If you have a male calico, treasure him! They are rare indeed, and are usually sterile and thus unable to pass down their unusual genetic coding, explains Marty Becker, DVM.
Calico (& Tortoiseshell) Cats Have Personality-Plus:
Calicoes share that personality trait of tortoiseshell cats commonly described as "tortitude." They are sassy, spunky, and very independent. On the other hand, calicoes are sweet, loving, and loyal cats. If you hunger for unconditional love, a calico cat will willingly and enthusiastically fulfill that need.I can attest personally about this! My calico, Angel, is very temperamental, bossy and you KNOW when she wants something! But she is a sweetheart too when you are not feeling well, etc. She will sit with you and purr to make you feel better.
So Male Calicoes are Worth a Lot of Money?
Because these specimens are so exceedingly rare, there are many internet-fueled rumors suggesting that male calicoes are worth very large amounts of money. Unfortunately for their owners, male calicoes actually have little or no consistent market value. On the rare occasion that a male calico can spawn a litter of kittens, the chances of them inheriting their fathers' condition will be slim to none.To a cat fancier interested in breeding rare cats, then, it is a pure myth that male calicoes are worth significant amounts of money. Someone who is interested in keeping a male calico for the sake of novelty may pay as many as a few hundred dollars for one, but to no one are these rare cats worth the thousands or millions promised by internet-fueled rumors.
Calico vs Tortoiseshell Markings
The various patterns of the calico patches are almost as ubiquitous as snowflakes. You'll never see two exactly alike. Calicoes are rivaled only by tortoiseshell cats, who are genetically very similar. Indeed, it is often difficult to tell if an individual cat is a calico or a "tortie with white," The most common difference is that tortoiseshell colors (red and black) are interwoven throughout the coat, where calico cats have distinctive patches of solid color.(Read more here)
 |
| Calico markings |
 |
| Tortoiseshell markings |
 |
| My Angel kitty |
More About Cat Colors/Color Patterns
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I hope this information has been
of some help to you. As always, if you would like to add a thought,
question, give suggestions for another topic, or make a general
suggestion, please post a comment below. Also, please follow / subscribe to this blog. Thank you! 
No comments:
Post a Comment