Pointed breeds like the Siamese also don't accept calico coloring as standard. Some cats, such as the Russian blue and the British shorthair, are only considered breed standard if they have solid colored coats. As of this writing, CC has recently celebrated her seventeenth birthday and is still going. The average lifespan for a calico is twelve to sixteen years, the same for any cat. A lot of attention has to be paid to his diet and exercise to keep him healthy. Diabetes, and reduced bone mineral content in particular are two health problems these poor boors are susceptible to. You should also check out this article where we compiled a huge list of names for calico kitties!ĭue to genetic abnormalities, a male calico's lifespan tends to be a short one. Be kind to your kitty and teach children to treat cats and kittens gently. Could it be because people (young children especially) tend to treat calico kittens more like toys than live animals?Īny cat's personality and behavior is influenced more by their experiences and upbringing than any direct cause of fur color. They are also said to be aggressive when handled. Could it be because people have been so indulgent towards a cat that is both beautiful and believed to carry lucky mojo? Some say the calico has a sassy “diva” personality. Such a calico tabby cat has distinct tabby stripes as well as prominent black and perhaps ginger patches. Patched TabbyĪ patched tabby is like the kind of cat CC is. Instead of distinct spots, the tortie will have a random blend of multicolored fur. The “ tortie” has more black and orange fur than white. They may also be known as the pastel calico cat. Along with white, the patches will be more charcoal grey than dark black and more strawberry blonde than bright orange. He will also likely be sterile.Ī dilute calico has more subdued color patches. On the rare occasion that a male has an extra X chromosome, he may be calico colored. As the locus for the gene for orange/non orange coloring is found on the X chromosome, calico cats are almost always female.Įvery female animal has two X chromosomes where every male animal has an X and a Y chromosome.īecause the Y chromosome does not possess any locus for the orange gene, there is no way that an XY male could have both orange and non-orange genes at the same time, which is what is needed to create calico or tortoiseshell coloring. Genetically speaking, calicos and tortoiseshells are the same, only calicos also have the white spotting gene. And of course, all paw prints lead to Egypt. Greek, Italian and French sailors liked them too. It seems a few Spanish sailors wouldn't weigh anchor without their multicolored mousers aboard. In Canada, the calico is known as a Spanish cat. While it is unknown when or why cats mutated to have orange fur, the mutant gene that causes orange fur has been traced back to Mediterranean ports. However, attempts have been made to trace the migration paths of such cats. Thus, the pattern has no distinct historical background. The fur color pattern of calico cats is not indicative of any breed, but rather occurs randomly in cat breeds that have a range of color patterns. There are, however, many other varieties such as cream, midnight blue, and auburn to russet. The most commonly seen combination of colors is white, orange, and black. The calico is so named after the calico cloth, a cotton textile originally woven in Calcutta, India and dyed in many bright colors and patterns. What is a Calico cat?Ī calico is a coat pattern, not a breed. The experiment did reveal a lot about how genetics and other circumstances lead to the color and formation of a cat's coat. Rainbow seemed to like her clone anyway and CC and three of her four kittens have been very healthy. CC is mostly white with brown tabby patches on her back and head with none of Rainbow's orange spots. However, CC, while a genetic duplicate of Rainbow, had completely different markings. CC (Short for Copy Cat) was an attempt at cloning a calico named Rainbow. Happy birthday dear CC! Happy birthday to you! It has been seventeen years since the birth of the first cloned cat.

Calico tabby mix