Everything looks pleasant in color. Do you concur? Perhaps, you do. And now you are looking for a colorful cat—a calico cat? Calico cats are the most colorful cats in the feline world, only rivaled by tortoiseshell cats and tabby cats.
If you are looking to adopt a calico cat, you should keep on reading as we are going to discuss all calico cats: calico cat origin, colors, personality, genetics, and types of calico cats. We are going to solve the mystery—that why all calico cats are female? In the end, we will discuss some interesting facts about calico cats.
What is a Calico Cat?
A calico cat is any cat that has a tri-colored coat with white as the base color and patches of white and orange dispersed on their fur in different patterns. These colors could be lighter or darker, but all three colors—white, orange, and black—must be present for a cat to be considered calico.
The calico cat is not a cat breed like Ragdoll and Siamese cat breed. Rather, it is a coat pattern that can be found in any cat breed. So there can be a calico Maine Coon, calico Sphynx, calico LaPerm, or a calico British Shorthair cat. There are actually 19 calico cat breeds, according to the CFA color prefix chart.
Actually, calico is a coat pattern. Cats that have at least three hues—orange, black, and white—in their coats are termed calico cats. The white color is highest in concentration as it is the base coat color, and black and orange exist in the form of irregular patches.
So, if a kitten in your cat’s litter has a three-colored pattern featuring orange, black, and white colors, it’s a calico kitten. Both purebred and mixed-breed kittens can have calico coats.
Which Breeds of Cats Can Have a Calico Kitten?
Now that you know calico is not a breed but a color pattern, you must be wondering: Can any cat breed be calico. Well, not all cat breeds can give birth to a calico cat, but most cat breeds can. Below we have listed the 19 calico cat breeds—cat breeds whose formal standards allow calico coloration.
| American Bobtail | American Curl |
| American Shorthair | American Wirehair |
| British Shorthair | Cornish Rex |
| Devon Rex | Exotic—Lazy Man’s Persian |
| LaPerm | Maine Coon |
| Manx | Norwegian Forest Cat |
| Oriental Cat | Persian |
| Scottish Fold | Selkirk Rex |
| Siberian | Sphynx |
| Turkish Angora |
Calico Cat Origin
There is no substantial evidence to trace the origin of calico cats. However, it is thought that the first calico cat appeared in Egypt. From there, it is thought to have been brought along by merchants into the European port cities and Northern Africa through the Mediterranean routes. From these port cities, calico cats spread across Europe and into the African continent. Merchant brought calico cats along to keep rodents and rats away from their food. Today, calico cats can be found anywhere around the world.
Calico Cat Colors
Calico cats are the most colorful cats in the cat world, as mentioned earlier. They are usually tricolored—patches of orange, black, and white. Because of the tricolored coats, they are often referred to as tricolored cats or “orange, black, and white cats.”
Sometimes, there could be variations in the calico cat colors, so you can get to see colors like cream, blue-gray, blue-black, or a brown shade in a calico cat.
While most calico cats have intense color hues, some have flaxen and less intense color hues. These calico cats with faded colors are known as dilute calico cats.
Calico Cat Personality
Given that the calico cat is not a breed, it does not have specific personality traits. The personality and behavior of a calico cat are dependent on its specific breed.
However, calico cats are often described as one of the sweetest and most friendly cats in the feline world. They are gentle and affectionate, but at the same time, they also have a reputation for being more independent and strong-willed than other cats. They often share the personality traits of tortoiseshell cats by being a bit sassy, spunky, and feisty. At times, calico cats can be a bit quirky—but all cats are quirky at times.
Give and take, calico cats make a warm pet cat. Bring your calico cat home, and she will surely fill your life with love and affection.
Calico vs. Tortoiseshell
Being multi-colored cats, calico cats are often confused with tortoiseshell cats. While tortoiseshell cats are quite similar to calico cats when it comes to their coat coloring—both have black and orange patches—but they are not the same.
Where calico cats usually have white base coat color with orange and black patches, tortoiseshell cats have a brownish coat with streaks of patches.
| Tortoiseshell Cats | Calico Cats |
| Mostly two colors—ginger red and black Lack white patches Darker hues | Mostly three colors—orange, black, and white 25% to 75% white Comparatively light hues |
| Tortoiseshell and Calico Cat Common Features |
| Considered a lucky charm 99.9% of them are females Males are sterile—they cannot reproduce “Tortitude” personality—gentle, affectionate, a bit sassy, strong-willed, and independent |
Types of Calico Cats
Calico cats are some of the most beautiful cats around the globe. There are six well-known types of calico cats, giving you the option to choose the one that bewitches your eyes the most.
Calico Cat
A calico cat is any cat that has at least three colors—white, orange, and black. Traditional calico cats have intense and bright colors. White is the major color—around 25 to 75 percent—and orange and black are present in irregular patches and spots.
Dilute Calico Cat
Dilute calico cats are often called clouded tigers because their coat colors appear to be clouded—faded. Like traditional calico cats, dilute calicos also have three basic colors (white, orange, and black), but they have diluted colors. Their black patches may vary from smoke to black-blue color. Similarly, their diluted orange patches look tanned or cream-colored. The dilute calico coat of these calicos is due to a recessive gene. To produce a dilute calico coat, both parents must possess the recessive gene.
Patched Calico Tabby Cat
Calico cats often exhibit tabby cat features like stripes running along with their bodies and capital M-shaped markings on their foreheads. These calico-patched tabby cats are also called caliby cats. A patched calico tabby cat may have black and orange stripes running along their backs, legs, and tails.
Male Calico Cats
Male calico cats are the rarest, and the rare calico male is always sterile. Male calico cats only occur in the case of Klinefelter Syndrome—XXY chromosomes. This is why if there happens to be a male calico cat, he will be sterile. This syndrome also increases the risk of many abnormalities in male calico cats, so they have a shorter lifespan as compared to their female counterparts or males of other standard breeds.
Short-Haired Calico Cat
Calico cats can be short-haired as well as long-haired. The most common breed of short-haired calico cats is the Domestic short-haired. Domestic Shorthair is a mixed cat breed. Any cat that does not belong to any particular cat breed and has a short-haired coat is considered a Domestic Shorthair cat. Calico coat patterns can also be found in British Shorthair and American Shorthair cats.
Long-Haired Calico Cat
The most common breeds of long-haired calicos are Maine Coon and Norwegian Forest Cat because they are the most popular long-haired cats. These cats are known for their fluffy coats. The calico coat makes these cats look more elegant and charming.
Calico coats are known for their warm personalities, but when a calico is a Maine Coon, you can expect her to be even more affectionate and friendly.
Why All Calico Cats Are Female?
Around 99.9% of the whole calico cat population is female. Only 0.1% of the calico cats are male, and even those are sterile.
Actually, the genes responsible for imparting black and orange colors to calico cats are present on the X chromosome. Since females are XX, they will have two chromosomes carrying color genes. A calico kitten will happen if it carries one chromosome coding for black color and another chromosome coding for orange. In addition to two X chromosomes carrying genes for black and orange color, calico cats also need to inherit a color gene—responsible for coding white color—that is unrelated to the sex chromosomes.
Why Are Normal Male Calico Cats Not Possible?
Normal male calico cats are not possible because they have only one X chromosome with a gene that will either code for black or orange and a Y chromosome, which carries no color genes. Male cats can only express either black or orange color. They cannot express them both like female calico cats.
How Long Do Calico Cats Live?
Having a calico coat does not affect the lifespan of female cats as they are just like any other cat but with different coat colors. So you can expect your female calico cat to have a healthy lifespan of around 15 years. If your calico girl belongs to one of the long-living cat breeds, you can expect her to stay with you for around 20 years.
When it comes to male calico cats, things get a bit complex as most of these tricolored boys have the XXY chromosomes –Klinefelter’s Syndrome. This condition leads to many serious health issues in male calicos’ life and thus shorten their lifespans. Some of the most common health issues experienced by male calico cats include cognitive and developmental issues, weak bones, and increased body fat.
If you have a male calico, do not get disheartened. With special care and regular vet visits, they can have a healthy and happy life.
Besides providing special care to your calico cat, you may also want to consider a cat insurance plan to cover the vet bills.
How Much Does a Calico Cat Cost?
As calico is not a breed and the price of the calico you want to get would depend on the cat breed it belongs to. However, as calico cats are quite common, you can easily find a calico cat by visiting your nearby cat shelter or pet rescue. This way, you can get a calico cat by just paying for the paperwork and vaccination shots and a vet checkup.
How Big Do Calico Cats Get?
As calico is not a cat breed, their size may vary. If your calico cat belongs to one of the large cat breeds, you can expect her to be around 15 pounds. However, calico cats range between 7 to 12 pounds in general.
Interesting Facts About Calico Cats
Not only do calico cats have interesting color patterns, but there are many interesting calico cat facts that would make cat lovers get their hands on these colorful kitties. Below, we list a few.
- Given that calico cats have a unique genetic makeup and rare male cats are always sterile, calico cats cannot be bred. They only occur randomly.
- As mentioned above, calico is not a breed but a color pattern that exists in many different cat breeds. So, they don’t share personality traits. However, most cat lovers think of them as affectionate and warm pets.
- There are many variations of calico cats, including the standard calico, dilute calico, van calico, lavender calico, shell calico, fawn calico, etc.
- No two calico cats have the same pattern. Even if you clone a calico cat, it would not have the exact same pattern—the location and size of patches will be different.
- Calico cats are considered a lucky charm not only in Japan but also in the United States. Japanese fishermen used to carry them along to protect them from storms and ghosts.
- In the United States, calico cats are considered to bring good fortune to their owners. Thus they are often called “money cats.”
- In Irish folklore, calico cats are believed to be the healer of warts.
- Calico cats are the official cat of Maryland, maybe because they have the same coloring as the Baltimore oriole—the state bird of Maryland.
- A calico cat, Yontama, is a stationmaster at the Kishigawa railway line in the Wakayama prefecture of Japan.
- Calico cats are named after a cotton fabric that was imported from India to North America.
Calico Cat Names
Given the colorfulness of calico cats, it might get a bit overwhelming to find a colorful or unique name for your kitty, just like her appearance. But to get you started, we have listed cute calico cat names.
| Autumn | Speckles | Spotty | Confetti |
| Picasso | Calico | Rangoli | Showy |
| Flashy | Bunny | Patches | Calliby |
| Tinkerbell | Poppet | Tiger | Aurora |
| Buttercup | Bambi | Bongo | Cameron |
| Cheetos | Copper | Frisky | Fancy |
| Butterscotch | Motley | Monarch | Lucky |
| Charm | Spice | Pebbles | Cinnamon |
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