
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.
MALE CALICO CAT CODE
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. Female animals have two X chromosomes (XX), while males have one X chromosome and. Only if the cat gets one orange-coded X and one black-coded X will it be calico. And, this is due in large part to genetics.

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.

“Although male calicos are almost always sterile, he still requires being neutered,” the center said. Barney has temporarily returned to his foster mother's house, as he recovers from neuter surgery.
