![]() If you want to identify a tabby cat then the very first thing to do is identify the “M” pattern on its forehead. Basically, the agouti hairs have bands of color that appear lighter and make the solid color hair stand out as markings. They are hairs that are ringed in several colors.Ĭats that exhibit this gene will have a coat with dark, solid color hairs that form pattern markings and then the agouti hairs produce the lighter markings and lighter hair. This gene, when turned on, produces agouti hairs on the cat in question. Tabby cats carry a gene called the agouti gene. What makes a tabby cat a tabby? Again, it is down to genetics. Tabby cats are the most common domestic cat on the planet, with as many as 70% of the 400 million cats on the planet being tabby cats. They are not a breed in their own right but some breeds do produce cats with tabby markings. OK, so what about tabby cats? Are they a breed? Again, like calico cats, tabby cats are cats that have a coat with particular markings. The dilution that causes grey and cream coloration is also caused by a specific gene – a dilution gene. Basically, the white areas are not white in color but are colorless hair. Wait, what about the white areas? The white areas are due to a masking or piebald gene. Calico’s have red and black colors so need to be female to exhibit both colors simultaneously in the coat. Females have an XX pair of chromosomes with each chromosome able to carry a different color, black and red, whereas males have an XY pair of chromosomes so they inherit one color on the X chromosomes, the Y chromosome carries no color. This is because coat color on cats is defined by the genes carried on their sex chromosomes. In some instances, the orange and black areas of the coat can be faded to creams and greys or shades in between, and in these instances, the cats are described as being dilute calico cats.īoth calico and dilute calico cats are rather unusual in that they are usually (99%) female. The orange and black parts of the coat can be distinct patches or blends. They are tricolor cats – white, orange, and black. So what is this pattern? These cats have a coat that is between 25% and 75% white with orange and black making up the remaining colors in the coat. They can be of any breed or can be a mixed breed – so long as the coat has the distinctive pattern they are called calico cats. Some people think they are a breed of cat but in reality, they are cats that have a calico pattern coat. What Is A Calico Cat Japanese Bobtail Calico CatĬalico cats are one of the most distinctive cats out there. Tabby Calico Mix Price – How Much Are They?.What Breeds Produce Calico Tabby Mix Cats?.Is There Such A Thing As A Calico Tabby Cat?.If you do have a male calico, however, a healthy diet, exercise, and lots of love and attention can help him live a longer and happier life. XXY Syndrome renders male calicos sterile and can be the root cause of many other health problems. This can produce a male calico.Ībout one in every 3,000 calico cats is born a male, and, unfortunately, don't live as long as female calicos due to their genetic abnormalities. There is one exception: A genetic anomaly called XXY Syndrome, which occurs when the male cat has two X chromosomes and one Y chromosome. They'll only express either black or orange, but not both. To manage these two sets of color code, the female embryo will shut down one X chromosome in each cell, resulting in the black and orange variations in a calico's coat.īecause male cats have one X chromosome with code for black or orange and one Y chromosome without any color genes, they cannot technically be calico. expressing both black and orange coloration. Only if the cat gets one orange-coded X and one black-coded X will it be calico. By chance (and depending on the colors in the parents) both X chromosomes may carry the black code or both may carry the orange code, in which case the cat would have those markings. The X chromosome also carries the coding gene for the black and orange colors in a calico's coat.įemale calico cats have two X chromosomes and therefore have two chromosomes with color code. Each cat has a pair of sex chromosomes with the possible combinations of XX (female) and XY (male). The sex chromosomes (X and Y) determine whether a cat will be male or female. It's a fact that 99.9 percent of all calico cats are female due to the unique chromosomal makeup that determines the color variations in their coats.
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