Interesting Facts about Calico Cats (Video)

Calico Cats are a domestic cat of any breed with a tri-color coat and are exclusively female cats except for some rare male genetic conditions.  Many calico cats are typically 25% to 75% white with large orange and black patches (or sometimes cream and grey patches).

Watch the video to see the wide variety of Calico cats and see more interesting facts below.

The Dazzling Variety and Beauty of Calico Cats Video

6 Interesting Facts about Calico Cats

1)  “Calico” is not a breed of cat – the term Calico refers only to a color pattern on the fur (from colorful printed Calico fabric) not to a cat breed or any reference to any other traits, such as its eyes.

Calico Fabric is the origin of the “Calico” cat term

2)  Several domestic cat breeds recognize the Calico color pattern – breeds whose formal standards allow Calico coloration are the Manx cat, American Shorthair, Maine Coon, British Shorthair, Persian cat, Arabian Mau, Japanese Bobtail, Exotic Shorthair, Siberian, Turkish Van, Turkish Angora and Norwegian Forest cat.

Calico Maine Coons

3) Calico cats are usually always females – because the genetic determination of coat colors in calico cats is linked to the X chromosome, Calicos are nearly always female.  Male Calico cats happen only under rare genetic conditions. Calico cats are almost always female because the locus of the gene for the orange/non-orange coloring is on the X chromosome.

4) The calico cat is the official cat of the State of Maryland – Calicos have been Maryland’s state cat since October 1, 2001. They were chosen as the state cat because their white, black, and orange coloring resembles the coloring of the Baltimore oriole (the state bird) and the Baltimore checkerspot butterfly (the state insect).

5)  Calico cats are considered good luck – Cats of this coloration are believed to bring good luck in the folklore of many cultures.  In Germany, the word for a cat with calico coloring is “Glückskatze” or “lucky cat”. In the United States, Calicos are sometimes referred to as “money cats”.

6)  Calico cats are not the same as tortoiseshell cats – Tortoiseshell cats (also called Torties) combine two colors other than white  (either closely mixed or in larger patches).  The colors are often described as red and black, but the “red” patches can instead be orange, yellow, or cream.  The “black” can instead be chocolate, gray, tabby, or blue.

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