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Whether y'all're thinking about getting a true cat yourself or not, you've probably come beyond the wonderful calico at some point. Who hasn't?

What Makes Calico Cats And so Special?

Calico cats have an air of mystery about them along with a rich history, not to mention their unique appearance…

Just what really makes calico cats so special?

They aren't even a breed of cat! Calicos become their name from the coloration of their coat!

In this post, we'll tell yous everything you need to know about calico cats, along with 10 fun facts about them. Let's dive in!

Calico Cat Appearance

Because calico cats are not a breed unto themselves, calicoes will have unique and varied personalities influenced by a wide range of factors.

Calicoes are often described as the world's well-nigh colorful cats. After all, they are ane of the only cats to showroom such a wide range of color variations in its coat.

The calico is non a breed of true cat but a domestic cat with a variety of genetic color variations.
The most common calico is a tri-color design of orange, black, and white. Information technology is possible, however, to have a calico pattern with shades of cream, carmine, blueish-black, and even chocolate brown.

Calicoes with less intense coloration are known as dilute calico cats. They are primarily white in color with patches of calorie-free color ranging from bluish-gray to cream to strawberry blonde.

You tin notice calico cats beyond many singled-out breeds with the exception of solid-colour and pointed breeds like the Mumbai, Russian Bluish, British Shorthair, Siamese, and Himalayan. Because calico cats occur across so many unlike cat breeds, it'due south sometimes hard to tell whether the cat is a calico or actually a tortoiseshell.

The all-time way to tell is to examine the calico patches.

A tortoiseshell true cat usually has the master colors (red and black) woven throughout the coat while a calico will have distinctive solid-colored patches (like black patches or white patches).
Some of the breeds you tin can detect in calico advent include Maine Coon, Manx, Persian, American Shorthair, Japanese Bobtail, Siberian, and more.

If you're curious to know the genetics of your calico cat, nosotros recommend the BasePaws cat DNA kit. Using a sample of your cat'southward saliva, BasePaws compares your true cat's genetics confronting the largest true cat Deoxyribonucleic acid database in the world to help yous better understand your cat's breed composition.

Personality And Behavior

Calico cats aren't a brood unto themselves, so we can't assign brood-specific personality or behavioral traits to them. Similar many cats, calicoes will develop their unique personalities co-ordinate to many factors, such every bit socialization and life experiences.

Because calico cats are so unlike from one another, information technology'south specially exciting to go ane.
You could become a laid-back, mellow cat that enjoys being around y'all and wants to exist your loyal companion.

You could also go the contrary: an aloof, loftier-maintenance cat with an attitude.
That being said, many calico owners report that their cats share a like personality with tortoiseshell cats – they called it "tortitude."

Torties are known for being spunky, sassy, and contained past nature. Calico cats may share these characteristics but, like we mentioned, you never quite know what you're going to get. Plus, calico cats tin can't be bred, then they're even less likely to share common characteristics.

Mysterious Genetics

Calico cats are characterized past a unique set of genetic traits.

The genetics of calico cats are quite fascinating and take long been the topic of scientific research. We could really get into the weeds about these genetics, but your eyes might glaze over. So, we'll go along this as short and simple equally possible.

The black and orange patches of fur that characterize these cats are a result of the genetic phenomenon chosen "10-chromosome inactivation".

In cats, the gene that dictates fur color is located on the X chromosome. About all calico cats are female person, so they have ii 10 chromosomes. The rare male person calico cats have one X and one Y chromosome.

In addition to determining a cat'southward coat color, 10 chromosomes have numerous genes that code for proteins that are necessary for survival.

With females having two X chromosomes, this double dose of 'survival' genes could be toxic. To compensate for this double dose, i of the X chromosomes is randomly inactivated when the calico kitten is just a tiny ball of cells in the mother's womb.

Thus, if the X chromosome carrying the gene for white fur in i item spot of the body is inactivated, the orange factor might become active in that spot instead (and vice versa). Because the deactivated chromosomes are chosen randomly, the combination of fur colors in calico cats is also random and unique for every calico cat.

You could accept a orangish tabby with calico patches of white fur or black fur but as easily as a black cat with calico patches of white and orange fur.

Wellness And Lifespan

While the rare male person calico may encounter some health issues and have shorter life expectancies, female calico cats are merely as healthy as cats with other coat patterns, with an boilerplate lifespan of 12 to 16 years.

The average lifespan of calico cats is 12 to sixteen years. Is this more or less than the average lifespan for most true cat breeds?

Yes and no. Information technology depends if the calico true cat is male or female.

Male person calicoes tend to live shorter lives than female calicoes considering of a genetic condition called Klinefelter'south Syndrome. This syndrome is the presence of two X chromosomes and one Y chromosome – in other words, a male calico true cat has an actress Ten chromosome.

Klinefelter's Syndrome can pb to numerous health problems, such as the increased adventure of broken bones, joint hurting, and diabetes. These health bug tin result in shorter lifespans for male calicoes.

Regardless whether your cat is a male or female person calico, you can help them have a good quality of life by providing them with expert shelter, feeding them a nutritious diet, and providing quality veterinary care with the assistance of a solid pet wellness insurance plan.

How Rare Are Male Calico Cats?

Male person calicoes are rare. A study past the University of Missouri's College of Veterinary Medicine estimated that merely 1 in 3,000 calico cats are male person.

The good news is that 99.9% of calico cats are female because of this unique genetic makeup. But put worries bated, considering merely like with any true cat, a calico true cat can alive longer than average if provided the all-time health care along with a healthy and balanced diet.

Calico vs. Tortoiseshell Cats And Tabby Cats

All calico cats take tricolor coats, but these coats also come in other patterns, like tortoiseshell.

Calico cats aren't the just cats with unique glaze colors. Tortoiseshell cats (aka, torties) and tabby cats have them, also. It tin can be tricky to differentiate a calico from these other cats, and so nosotros'll assist y'all out.

Calico cats have three coat colors (white, orange, and black), while torties typically are bi-colored (marbled orange and black). Torties take very little white coat, which usually appears as modest spots on the face, chest, or paws.

Tabbies have an unmistakable 'M' on their forehead. Calicoes don't have this on their forehead, so that is an like shooting fish in a barrel-to-spot difference between calicoes and tabbies. Also, tabbies take distinct tabby stripes, along with prominent ginger and black patches.

10 Fun Facts About Calico Cats

Females dominate – The unique genetics of calico cats that make up one's mind coat color mean that 99.9% of calico cats are female person cats. Recollect, coat color is linked to female sex activity chromosomes (Twenty).
Nearly all male person calicoes are sterile– Male calicoes often take Klinefelter's syndrome (XXY chromosomal makeup), a genetic condition that causes sterility, among many other wellness bug.
They represent a state – Because of their color, calico cats were declared the official land cat of Maryland in 2001. A calico cat'due south fur colors are a mixture of white, blackness, and orange, the same as feather colors of the Baltimore Oriole, which is Maryland'south state bird. Merely two other states have state cats!
Beckoning cat -The famous Beckoning cat character is based on a calico cat.
Different names – Calico cats accept different names in unlike cultures. For case, they are called "lapjeskat" in kingdom of the netherlands, which ways "patched true cat", and "mi-ke" in Nihon, which stands for "triple fur".
Lucky charm – Given their rarity, calico cats are known equally lucky charms and signs of good luck effectually the globe. People too believe that calico cats bring practiced fortune to the homes of families who adopt them. Another fun fact is that they are sometimes referred to as coin cats in the The states. In the 1870's, calico cats were declared an official symbol of fortune in Nihon (Maneki-Neko).
Calicoes are dauntless – A calico cat saved Japan's railway station from being closed downwards. In 2007, the Kinokawa railroad train station was nearly to exist closed due to upkeep issues. As a terminal resort, the boondocks sent a local calico true cat to be station master, where she would greet passengers as they passed by. The calico cat became a celebrity, causing a 17% increase in station traffic. The calico true cat's good luck is indeed truthful.
Calicoes are everywhere – Considering how rare calico cats are, they have actually spread effectually the world. Calico cats were traced migrating forth routes in Europe and Northern Africa. Even though they originated in Egypt, they were also institute in cities along the Mediterranean, France, Italy, and Spain.
You cannot breed them– Y'all can't breed a calico cat because they happen only by take a chance. This adventure occurrence is why they are so rare and considered to be a lucky charm.
They cure warts – While it'due south but a rumor, information technology'southward ofttimes believed that calico cats tin can cure warts. Rubbing warts against the tail of a calico cat in May is supposed to cure it. Nosotros are not sure if this is true, just we are sure that the cats probably don't enjoy information technology!

Happen to have a calico cat? Know anyone who does? Tell us nearly it in the comments below!

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Frequently Asked Questions

Are all calico cats female person?

Aye, for the virtually part. Because their coloring is linked to the X chromosome and cats with two 10 chromosomes (20) are female, 99.9% of all calico cats are female. It is possible for a calico cat to exist male person, merely it is exceedingly rare.

Can calico cats be male?

Though it is very rare, male calico cats do exist. Male calico cats are nigh likely to have a chromosomal abnormality that gives them ii Ten chromosomes and 1 Y chromosome (XXY).

How long do calico cats live?

Calico is a coloration rather than a brood, so it'southward difficult to say whether calico cats are dissimilar from other cats in terms of lifespan. Indoor calico cats generally live 12 to sixteen years while outdoor cats have shorter lifespans around 7 to nine years.

How rare are male calico cats?

According to a study conducted at the University of Missouri's College of Veterinarian Medicine, only 1 in every three,000 calico cats is male. Because they are so rare, they are often considered skillful luck charms.

Are calico cats mean?

Owners of cats with sexual activity-linked color patterns (similar tortoiseshell or tortie cats) frequently report a college frequency of assailment than owners of cats with other colors. Calico cats aren't always "mean," per se, simply they do tend to be more than independent than other cats.

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Source: https://allaboutcats.com/calico-cats