Calico cats - Facts

What is an average life span of calico cats?
The average life span of calico cat is of 15 years but some live bit longer and some bit less. Some cats live till 20 years and there are records of cats reaching upto 30 years .It basically depends upon the care you give to your cat ,the kind of food that cats eat ,the kind of lifestyle that your cats live in plays an important role in increasing life span of cats.There are certain veterinary medicines too which help in increasing of life span of a cat.

Why are calico cats considered to be money cats?
The cats with coats of multi-colours are said to carry with them good luck. Many cultures believe that calico cats are very lucky. Naming a calico cat is a very challenging job as it enhances the luck it is bringing.. Calico cats are mostly females but there is a possibility of calico being a male . A male would have to possess two X and one Y chromosomes to be a calico cat. This can happen, but very rarely. Male calico cats are sterile and genetic. So that is why they are considered to be money cats .

Why are calico cats so special how they have developed?
Calico Cats are not a specific breed of cat but it is pattern of colouring that gives the name. These cats are tri-coloured with patches of white, red or orange and black fur. The calico cats are usually females and this is due to the presence of orange or black colour expressing genes on the X-chromosome. Female cats have two X chromosomes, one X chromosome from the mother which expresses orange colour and another X-chromosome from the father which expresses black colour. The expression of white colour is caused by another gene which suppresses the expression of colour causing white colour shade of the fur. The male cats are usually the genetic anomalies with XXY chromosomes. They are usually sterile and rare. The male cats are orange or non-orange but they are not tortoiseshell as tortoiseshell cats have one X-chromosome. Another interesting fact about these calico cats is that the colour pattern is due to the sex-linked genetics and epigenetics, which is the inheritance of characteristics other that nucleotide sequence. In calico cats, inheritance of an inactivated X-chromosome is causing the colour pattern of the cats.
What is the difference between a calico cat or a tortoiseshell?
Calico Cats are not a specific breed of cat but it is pattern of colouring that gives the name. These cats are tri-coloured with patches of white, red or orange and black fur. A tortoiseshell cats are the calicos but with the colour pattern of orange and black fur mixed. These cats have little or no white fur on their skin. Another type of calico cats are the dilute or pastel calico cats. They get this name due to the diluted form of colours usually expressed by the calico cats. These cats express buff or cream colour instead of orange and blue or slate gray colour instead of black.

Are female cats sterile?
Calicos are mostly females , and they are not sterile. Male calicos are sterile as they have an extra chromosome (they are XXY instead of the normal XY for males).