Portrait of a Calico

by Phyllis Kaltenbach

Title

Portrait of a Calico

Artist

Phyllis Kaltenbach

Medium

Photograph - Photo A Bit Of Hdr

Description

This is a portrait of a beautiful, self satisfied calico kitty. Her name is Picasso, but she answers to Pico. She also answers to, "Where is my Baby" and sometimes to, "Get back in here!" And sometimes she just ignors them all! ... Are Calico Cats Always Female? By Janet,Tobiassen Crosby, DMV
Many people are surprised to hear that the vast majority of calico cats are female. Why is this? Is it possible for a calico cat to ever be male? Learn about the genetics of coat color in this feline FAQ.
Answer: First off, what is a calico cat? A calico cat is not a breed of cat, it is a color pattern. To be called "calico", three colors must be present: black, white and orange. Variations of these colors include gray, cream and ginger. A "true" calico cat has large blocks of these three colors, a "tortoise shell" or "tortie" cat has a mix of these three colors (blended/swirled together more than distinct blocks of color). Be sure to stop by the Calico Cat Gallery on the About.com Cats site to see photos of a variety of calico cats.
Now that a calico cat has been defined as a cat with three colors, the question is: why are they nearly always female? The answer is in genetics. Coat color in cats is a sex-linked trait, a physical characteristic (coat color) related to gender. Female animals have two X chromosomes (XX), males have one X chromosome and one Y chromosome (XY). The genetic coding for displaying black or orange color is found on the X chromosome. The coding for white is a completely separate gene.
Since females have two X chromosomes, they are able to "display" two colors (orange and black, or variations thereof) and white; creating the 3-color calico mix. Since males have only one X chromosome, they can only be orange OR black. It is more complicated than simply having the color genes -- it is a complex process of dominant and non-dominate genes interacting on the X chromosomes, but that is the basis for coat color in calico cats. For those of you interested in the detailed coat color genetics, please see the "Related Reading" articles at the bottom of this FAQ.

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February 14th, 2013

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