[seradee]

Has anyone ever heard of male calicos? I have always been told that they don't exist, but Ihave one. How rare are they?

[froggy7]

The only way to have a male calico is to have an XXY cat, which is rare, but not impossible. In cats, color is linked to the X chromosone. A female cat with one red X and one black X will be a calico or tortie, depending on whether there is white as well, and whether you are in the US or the UK. The color depends on which X is active in each skin/hair cell. A male cat normally only has one X, and thus should be all black or all red. However, there is a genetic abnormality where the chromosones do not sort properly, resulting in an XXY male. Therefore, even if you do have a male calico, you shouldn't breed him.

Calico Cats, Picturesque Tri-Colored Cats

And "red" in cats means that orange/yellow/brown color.

[bushg]

I was always told male calicos will die at birth. Not sure how true this is though. I wish you could post a picture of him. How old is he?

[dogpoundbrenda]

When I managed my local shelter we had a male calico born there it lived to be 8 weeks old.I have'nt seen one since not even at the clinic.About 1 in 10,000 will be fertile,most are born sterile.That being the case I would still have him neutered,because he still may have the tendency to spray when he gets older.