The history of calico cats themselves is less clear: According to Sue Hubbel’s Shrinking the Cat: Genetic Engineering Before We Knew About Genes, the proportion of cats having the orange mutant gene found in calicoes was traced to the port cities along the Mediterranean in Greece, France, Spain, and Italy, originating from Egypt. Both short-haired and long-haired cats can have the calico coloration pattern.Īccording to Spruce Pets, calico cats are named for their coat color that resembles calico cloth, which was once imported from England to India. In its most basic form, this tri-colored pattern refers to patches of white, black, and orange however, variations with cream, reddish-brown, and grey-blue colors also occur. Calico actually refers to the tri-colored fur pattern that some cats exhibit. Just like tabby cats, “calico” is often mistaken for a type of cat breed. For instance, you may have wondered more than once: Are all calico cats female? Get the answer and more calico cat facts below!Ĭalico isn’t a breed – it’s a coloration pattern These felines are so well known that they even come with their own set of interesting facts. There is no way to predict or force an X chromosome to inactivate at a certain point in development.ĭo you have a calico? Looking for a great name? Check out this article Naming Your Calico Cat: Name Ideas for Calico Cats.All kitties are bewitching, but no one can deny the unique beauty of calico cats. Breeding an orange cat to a black cat may increase the chances, but it all depends on whether the kitten is female and at what stage during development the X-chromosome becomes inactive. It is difficult to breed specifically for calico or tortoiseshell cats. Males can be calico or tortoiseshell only if they are born with 2 X-chromosomes and a Y (XXY), allowing one X to be inactivated. Whatever color gene is present on this X chromosome will determine the color of the cat. Males have only one X chromosome, and it is never inactivated. Since X chromosomes inactivate at various times in each individual cat, color patches vary. If both X-chromosomes carry the same color gene, then the calico pattern will not appear. The same is true if the functioning X chromosome has the black gene. In calicos, if the X-chromosome that is left functioning carries the orange gene, then all the cells descended from it will result in an orange color. When this happens, all the cells descended from the activated X chromosome will have the same characteristics, including coat color. If two X chromosomes are present, which determines female sex, one X chromosome will become inactivated at some point in fetal development. This is especially true for the X chromosome. Gene Inactivationįor the sex chromosomes, there is a battle for power. Each time a cell divides, it passes on its genetic material. White coat color is associated with a completely separate gene.Īt conception, the kitten is a one-celled organism, which divides until there are millions of cells that make up the final kitten. In calicos and tortoiseshells, one X has the black gene the other X has the orange gene. Within the X chromosome is a gene for coat color. Within every chromosome there are thousands of different genes.Įvery female cat receives one X chromosome from her mother and one X chromosome from her father, while a male receives one X chromosome from his mother and one Y chromosome from his father. Every cat has 38 pairs of chromosomes half of the pairs are from the mother, the other half is from the father. Calico cats, with their orange, black and white coloration, are almost always female.
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