Her primary duties include greeting passengers and she holds the recognition of being the “only female in a managerial position” in the railway company! The position comes with a station-master’s headgear and she draws salary in the form of free cat food! She also has two feline assistants working under her and runs her operations from her personal office – a converted ticket booth fully furnished with a litter box! Hmm…quite befitting the personality of calico cats that hold human offices!Ĭontinuing with the last point, one of Tama’s two feline assistants seem to have run away ( absconding from office would be more appropriate, right?). Maneki Neko, a popular good luck ceramic sculpture form in Japan, is almost always fashioned after calico cats!Ī calico cat, Tama, is the station master and operating officer at Kishi Station in Kinokawa, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan. Since females involve 2 X chromosomes, calico-hood is an almost-exclusive domain of the feline ladies! They are mostly sterile and may suffer from other health problems as well. Male calicos are extremely rare and usually have genetic abnormalities (like an XXY chromosome pattern). Y chromosomes have no role to play in a calico’s coloring! Since males have only one X chromosome, we rarely find male calico cats. In calicoes, the genetic information for growing black fur is carried by one X chromosome and the genetic information for growing orange fur is carried by another X chromosomes. For those who are not aware, female offspring result when each parent contributes an X chromosome (XX) whereas males develop when the mother contributes the X chromosome and the father contributes the Y chromosome (XY). The genetic quirk that gives calico cats their unique coloring is related to the X chromosomes. What are the two main peculiarities of calico cats? Their color and their gender. The following facts about calico cats are sure to blow your mind and intrigue you further! Read on and marvel at these amazing creatures! This is called Klinefelter syndrome, which also occurs in human males.Like all other cats, Calico cats follow their own moods but that does not mean that they don’t love their owners! They may display a lot of affection by rubbing against your feet and jumping upon your lap purring softly, as if approving of your conduct towards them! Calico Cat Facts Both XXs must be carrying the Calico chromosome.
The rare time you find a male Calico is because of the rare genetic occasion when a cat actually has the 3 chromosomes of XXY. Female cats have the XX chromosome, and males have XY, which is why the Calico is usually female. For a cat to be a Tortoiseshell or Calico, she must have an XX chromosome. This also works out to 1 out of 3,000 Calicos are male. Image Credit: Nynke van Holten, Shutterstock After all, these are one of the world’s most colorful and fascinating cats, and learning more about them might convince you to add one to your family.
We’ve compiled a list of 17 interesting facts about the Calico cat. These tri-colored cats are considered lucky in some parts of the world, and if anyone has owned one, they are fortunate cat owners indeed. Calico cats are beautiful and unique both in appearance and in personality.