Celebrate the birth of a male calico cat: A calico cat is a type of cat that is characterized by having a coat with three colors: white, black and orange (or reddish). These cats are almost exclusively female, since the gene responsible for the distribution of colors is located on the X chromosome.
The coat of calico or cats can feature different patterns and color combinations, making them very striking and popular as pets. Additionally, these cats are believed to have strong and playful personalities, making them fun and loving companions.
Amber gave birth to five kittens. As expected, all her eyes were on the litter, as it was expected that there would be some calico among them. And indeed, three of the kittens presented the color combination that characterizes them. But what nobody expected is that one of them was male.
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After birth, the kittens were transferred to NoCo Kitties, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping homeless cats find loving families. It was there that shelter workers discovered the incredible fact that one of the calico kittens was male. As you might imagine, word spread quickly and the cat was nicknamed “Charlie the Unicorn” after his rarity.
Although the birth of a male calico cat is extremely rare, it is not something that should be considered a disease or a genetic abnormality. It really all has to do with how coat colors are inherited in cats.
Cats have two sex chromosomes: X and Y. Females have two X chromosomes, while males have one X and one Y chromosome. The gene responsible for the distribution of coat colors in cats is located on the chromosome X
Therefore, females can inherit different combinations of coat colors from their parents, since they have two copies of the gene. Males, on the other hand, only have one copy of the gene. This means that their coat can only display the colors of a combination of the two X chromosomes they have inherited.
Despite the rarity of male calico cats, there are some notable examples of these felines becoming online celebrities. One of them is a cat named BenBen, who was rescued from the streets of Vancouver, Canada.
BenBen became an online sensation due to his quirky looks and unique personality. Although it is not known if BenBen is a male calico cat or simply has a similar coat, he has inspired many cat lovers to adopt cats in need and support animal shelters.
