Typically, 2,999 out of 3,000 calico cats are female. Male calico cats are extremely rare, and they are individuals that have undergone mutations…
A calico cat is a cat with a coat that features three distinct colors in separate areas, usually yellow/tan/red, black/brown, and white. In English, they are referred to as “calico cats.”
Calico cats can appear in various breeds, so “calico” is merely a classification based on coat color rather than a specific breed.
Calico cats are considered to bring good luck.
The vast majority of calico cats are female. The reason is that the genes determining the yellow/tan and black/brown color groups are located on the X sex chromosome. Therefore, only female cats (which have two X chromosomes) can carry two different color genes simultaneously.
In fact, 2,999 out of 3,000 calico cats are female. Cases of male calico cats are extremely rare; they are either Klaifenter mutations or result from chimera phenomena. Most male calico cats are sterile due to abnormalities in their sex chromosomes. Out of 3,000 male calico cats, only one may be able to reproduce.
In many folk cultures, calico cats are considered to be lucky creatures. In the United States, calico cats are commonly referred to as “money cats.”
The image of the Japanese lucky cat, Maneki Neko, primarily depicts calico cats. Additionally, calico cats of the Japanese Bobtail breed are particularly favored by cat enthusiasts.
Some regions in Europe historically believed that calico cats could protect homes from fires or other disasters, safeguard people from fever, and extinguish flames when thrown into them.
In Vietnam, calico cats appear in the story “Cat Thief” from the Trạng Quỳnh series, one of the most famous folk tales among the Vietnamese people.
