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BS: Calico Cats
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Subject: BS: Calico Cats From: Llanfair Date: 17 Jan 03 - 05:01 PM This does have a musical connection, as it is research for a song I'm trying to write. What EXACTLY is a calico cat? and what is the British version? We have two kittens, since the old cat died. One is tortoiseshell, and the other black, white and stripey ginger in patches, with a white face, feet and neck. Is she a calico cat? Her eyes are yellow. And how is Loki doing, Morticia? These two are at the manic stage that you described last year!!! I am covered in cat scratches where they have climbed my legs using claws for leverage!! Cheers, Bron. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Calico Cats From: GUEST,KateG Date: 17 Jan 03 - 05:18 PM A calico cat has distinct patches of black, orange/ginger and white. The colors should not run together. The coloration is the result of a genetic quirk, and almost always occurs in female cats. Male calicos are exceedingly rare, and when they do occur they are usually sterile. As far as I know, they are called calico cats on both sides of the Atlantic. Though, in the UK the term tortoise may (I'm not sure) also be applied to calicos. My current calico cat is very pretty, but obviously chose beauty over brains. She was totally unphased by my acquisition of a new Rottweiler -- she clearly thought it was the old one who had died six months previously. She also growls at thunderstorms to make them go away (they do...eventually), and keeps the dust bunnies under our bed safe from maurading guests. Hope this helps...and good luck with your song. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Calico Cats From: Genie Date: 17 Jan 03 - 05:19 PM Calico cats have black, orange and white in their coats. One type is basically white with black and orange splotches here and there. A tortie (tortoise shell) has the three colors mixed together, sometimes in a tabby (striped or striped and sworled) pattern. I believe the root of the word "calico," as in the fabric print, is Calcutta (or Calcutta's name in another language). Genie |
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Subject: RE: BS: Calico Cats From: GUEST,ClaireBear Date: 17 Jan 03 - 05:22 PM I used to have one whose patches were gray, orange and white. Also ot-nay oo-tay ight-bray . . . but she was very sweet. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Calico Cats From: NicoleC Date: 17 Jan 03 - 05:27 PM I have a friend with a rather dull-witted calico. Cats in general are usually very bright, though. I wonder if it's genetic trait linked to the color? (Then again my neighbor has a tabby kitten that's as sweet as they come, but also about as dumb as a cat can get!) |
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Subject: RE: BS: Calico Cats From: Genie Date: 17 Jan 03 - 05:33 PM Yes, of course, ClaireBear, I forgot to mention the "saturation" thing. The "black and orange" turn out grey and sort of peachy-tan on a calico with a very light or muted coat. The literature I've seen in vets' offices and magazines such as "Cat Fancy" here in the NW US includes torties as a sub-category of "calico" coloration. So, torties, like the patchwork quilt calicos, are also nearly always female. My dear departed Minnie Meowse was a dark tortoise shell with "white trim" (paw tips, stomach, and under the chin), and my current feline employer, Grisabella RaggMopp, is a medium-long haired tortoise shell with no white patches (she really does look "grey in the dark"); she looks like she's part Maine Coon. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Calico Cats From: Genie Date: 17 Jan 03 - 05:39 PM BTW, Minnie was quite smart (and lived for 17 years); Grisabella does not appear to be a dummy, either. And I forgot Poof, a patchwork-quilt calico with bright orange and black on her white background. I took over her care when she turned out, after spaying, not to be a good kids' cat for my neighbors. She was, until her dotage at age 15, apparently not stupid, but she was neurotic as hell-- almost afraid of her own shadow--, though she liked being petted. No one really knew why her personality changed so dramatically after the neutering. I doubt that it had to do with being calico, though. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Calico Cats From: katlaughing Date: 17 Jan 03 - 05:42 PM All of the ones I've known have been rather grumbly...tolerant of others to a point, but really just wanting to be with their one and only "slave." They have none of them been shy about using their claws in a fairly "psycho" way when someone misses their pointed glower as a warning! I am convinced it is a calico thing! |
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Subject: RE: BS: Calico Cats From: GUEST,ClaireBear Date: 17 Jan 03 - 05:42 PM All the tortoisdeshells I've ever known have been sharp as tacks while all the calicos (and Genie, you described Mistress Ivy Peppercorn, may she rest in peace, perfectly) have been at least one sandwich shy of a picnic. Sometimes several sandwiches. Who else can weigh in on this terribly important subject? Just think -- our information may be vital to Llanfair's songwriting task! Claire |
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Subject: RE: BS: Calico Cats From: Deckman Date: 17 Jan 03 - 05:52 PM Being a cat person, I have many years of experiences with cats. At the present, bride Judy and I have one calico, one tabby (new) and "Kissa Poika", who is a black and white. It's VERY true what someone said earlier that calicos will growl at the storms and eventually drive them away. Calicos are afraid of NOTHING ... including common sense. I believe that calicos are the second brightest breed. CHEERS, Bob |
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Subject: RE: BS: Calico Cats From: Deckman Date: 17 Jan 03 - 05:54 PM By the way, my calico, named "Molly," loves to listen to read in Finn. Whenever I stumble, which is often, she looks up and stares at me until I get it right! Bob |
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Subject: RE: BS: Calico Cats From: NicoleC Date: 17 Jan 03 - 05:54 PM Hmmm. I have a light colored tortoiseshell who literally looks pink in the sunlight... hence her name, "Pink." (She's actually light gray and light orange with a little bit of cream on the tips.) She is VERY bright -- but also doesn't like other cats, dogs, or any minor changes in her life. She wants one slave, and one regular slave only, but humans are welcome to visit and she almost always sleeps on top of anyone who stays over for the night. Of course, if she can be on top of a human, that's generally where you'll find her. On the other hand, I have a friend with a feral cat colony he fixes and sometimes feeds, and an ancient retired seeing eye dog. Some of the wild cats will nap curled up with the big dog outside, but won't let humans anywhere near them. Did you ever notice, the color goes all the way down including the skin? Very odd. That's what made me think about color and genetics... |
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Subject: RE: BS: Calico Cats From: Sorcha Date: 17 Jan 03 - 05:56 PM Years ago one of my queens had a pair of callie kittens, but since I was full up on cats, I couldn't keep them. Never been owned by a callie or tortie either one. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Calico Cats From: Llanfair Date: 17 Jan 03 - 06:02 PM She spent the first month here hiding, only coming out for food, but then decided, after accidentally getting shut out one night, that humans aren't so bad. Can't get enough attention now, but only from us, not visitors. Is the eye colour significant? She is called Morag, by the way, and the tortie is Ceridwen. But they only answer to "Pussy, pussy, food," so far. Cheers, Bron. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Calico Cats From: Phil Cooper Date: 17 Jan 03 - 06:12 PM I had a calico cat named Henrietta. My bandmate, Kate, mentions that calicos were sometimes called Money cats. If you had one, you were supposed to come into money (didn't work in my case). Henrietta had been through three household changes in a year and I took her at the age of nine. She lived to be 18. She definitely was (as stated earlier) a sandwich short of a picnic. Though, I think some of that was an act. I think she felt that it was not to her advantage to really let on all she knew. She did like everything "just so." Kidneys eventually got the best of her. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Calico Cats From: PageOfCups Date: 17 Jan 03 - 07:30 PM I've got a calico named Chloe. Her brother is a tabby with white feet and tummy, and all of Chloe's calico spots are tabby-striped. Even the orange ones. She's got every sandwich in her picnic, thankyouverymuch, and they're HERS, dammit, and she's not sharing with anybody. In short, she's got a serious Attitude. Knocks things off counters and dressers just to be annoying (doesn't play with the items she knocks off). Likes to play in sinks full of water. Will not tolerate being picked up, held, or pushed over on her side. Compared to her, Caesar (her brother) is amazingly mellow. Whatever she's doing, she's doing it full out, no holding back. Until the next thing grabs her attention. On the other hand, she always wants to sit on top of her humans (especially me - I'm Mom, apparently), and she kneads and kneads and kneads her paws like it's going out of style. And nobody can resist that sweet face of hers, with its black "eyeliner" and spots on her nose. And promptly at 10 on weeknights, she finds me, sits down, and stares 'til I acknowledge her and either go to bed, or tell her I'll be in later. (Maybe SHE'S Mom, and I'm HER kid...) My previous cat I had for 15 years, from kittenhood to the end. I still miss her very much, but Chloe has won me over. And Ceez is a sweetie, even if he picked my partner to be his Mom instead of me. PoC |
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Subject: RE: BS: Calico Cats From: Llanfair Date: 18 Jan 03 - 04:25 AM It certainly looks like Morag is a bona fide calico cat. She seems bright enough, but her eyes seem "blank" when she stares at me, it may be the colour, but Ceri's eyes are pale green, and full of mischief!!! Thanks for the input, folks, I'll post the song when it's done. Cheers, Bron. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Calico Cats From: gnu Date: 18 Jan 03 - 05:20 AM Males have two colours, females have three. My last cat, Maggie, was exceptionally smart and "listened well" to commands at an early age. Of course, I like to take credit for that because I spent a lot of time teaching her. Use to come to me on command, follow me aboust, fetch thrown balls of paper, etc. P****d off the ex to no end. She took her when she left. In answer to the next question, does it matter ? |
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Subject: RE: BS: Calico Cats From: Liz the Squeak Date: 18 Jan 03 - 05:24 AM My precious Amber is a tortoishell, she's got patches of ginger, black and white, and a big bit of ginger and black sworls and dainty white paws and bib. Her eyes are amber with a small green fleck in one and she is no dumb puddy. She's very set in her ways and adores being brushed and stroked... but she hates being picked up. She yells to be stroked, and won't leave you alone until she's had at least one good caress, but if you try to pick her up, she goes off in a huff. LTS |
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Subject: RE: BS: Calico Cats From: GUEST Date: 18 Jan 03 - 06:00 AM The lastest thing to settle here is a dark tabby. She seems quite smart but she is also nuts. I've never known a cat chase a toy mouse thrown by me, and then probably 7/10 times pick it up in mouth and bring it back to me for another game. It's also quite funny if the dog appears. Sometimes it's like the Tom and Jerry cartoons when Tom suddenly realises he's running into Spike and you get the look of horror and screaming of brakes. She had her op on Monday. We were expecting her to be a little doddery but no, the minute she got home, she was miowing for food and then spent an hour playing on her own at tossing, chasing and generally beating up her toy mouse. The mouse itself has proved to be a great toy. It has an electronic "squeak" in it, activated when the mouse is moved. This seems to add to the fun but can get a little annoying after you've heard it going for an hour. The dog is quite strange with it. She will happily take it in her mouth but if I throw it for her to catch and the thing squeaks, her reaction is more like I'm throwing a hand grenade at her! |
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Subject: RE: BS: Calico Cats From: Morticia Date: 18 Jan 03 - 08:46 AM Dere Bron, I am doing verry well but Morti sez I will be the deaff of her.I dun't no wot she means by that but I fink it mite be sumfing todo with triing to get in the baff wiv her and then remembring that I dun't lik hot water.She has given up now on triing to find a pen or anyfing else that wuz on a tabletop on account of I hide thingz reely well.I am teeching her not to put cups or glasses down too cuz she duzn't seem to like finding me wiv my face in them.She sez I hve becum verry stout but she duzn't understand that I am just big boned.I rool the whole street now wich did not take long on account of the ovver cats here being great big gurlys. Fank u for saving me, I am having a verry nice lif, yur frend Loki |
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Subject: RE: BS: Calico Cats From: black walnut Date: 18 Jan 03 - 08:55 AM Our calico is called Elderberry Ninepatch. Her nickname is "Cat of Little Brain". ~b.w. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Calico Cats From: maire-aine Date: 18 Jan 03 - 10:00 AM I have four cats. MOMMA CAT is a short-haired pastel calico-- she's got patches of grey and peach and white. I also have three of her kittens, all grown up now. MOLLY is a long-haired (very thick) tortie-- all swirls of brown and black. DANNY is a long-haired (very silky) ginger cat. And LITTLE ONE is the spittin' image of her momma, but short-haired grey and white, no peach. We don't know who Poppa Cat was, but Molly and Danny look like they've got a little bit of Maine Coon in them-- tufts on the ears and lots of fur inbetween their toes, and big cats they are, too. They're all coming up to their 14th birthdays, with Momma Cat about a year older. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Calico Cats From: Charley Noble Date: 18 Jan 03 - 11:26 AM Hmmm. We have one of those long-haired calicos, currently sleeping on my lap as I type this. She seems more hard-wired than other cats we've had in the sense that if she sees something of interest she goes for it immediately. She was never thoroughly schooled by her mother so she does "catch and release" with birds and mice, which is always exciting when she brings her prizes inside the house. She is the only cat we've had who enjoys water. In fact she sits on the edge on the bathroom vanity and pleads to have her face washed with a warm washcloth. She is extremely ticklish on the belly and is quick to react with claws if someone dares to touch her there. She tends to be aggressive with the other two cats in the house, either one of which will eventually get fed up and put her in her place. Cheerily, Charley Noble |
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Subject: RE: BS: Calico Cats From: NicoleC Date: 18 Jan 03 - 01:16 PM LOL, PoC -- my cat goes to bed at 10pm too -- with me if I go and without me if I don't! But she'll come see me first, to make sure I'm not going. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Calico Cats From: Genie Date: 18 Jan 03 - 04:49 PM From Merriam-Webster: Main Entry: caláiáco Pronunciation: 'ka-li-"kO Function: noun Inflected Form(s): plural -coes or -cos Etymology: Calicut, India Date: 1578 1 a : cotton cloth imported from India b British : a plain white cotton fabric that is heavier than muslin c : any of various cheap cotton fabrics with figured patterns 2 : a blotched or spotted animal; especially : one that is predominantly white with red and black patches - calico adjective Word is that our attorney general is afraid of calico cats: Ashcroft on calico cats Others say it's the other way around: calico cats' attitude toward Ashcroft And, apropos cats (catboxes) in general: |
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Subject: RE: BS: Calico Cats From: katlaughing Date: 18 Jan 03 - 06:17 PM Is this the last one you meant, Genie? click here |
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Subject: RE: BS: Calico Cats From: Genie Date: 18 Jan 03 - 07:34 PM Yeah, Kat. Dunno wha hoppen to the clicky. (Probably forgot to cut and paste it.) Thanks. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Calico Cats From: Susan of DT Date: 18 Jan 03 - 08:05 PM Genetics lesson time: 1) the cat coat color gene for red/black etc is on the X chromosome, so females have 2 X chromosomes and males have 1. So if a male cat has the gene for red fur on his one X chromosome, he is red. A female cat would have to have the red gene on both of her X chromosomes (one from a red papa and one from a calico momma) to be solid red - there are some, but it is relatively rare. 2) in order for mammals to deal with having different numbers of X chromosomes and therefore females having twice the genes for these traits than males, a mechanism evolved in which at an early stage in embryonic development, all but one X chromosome in a given cell is turned off. Which one of the pair is turned off in a given cell is random. Hence calico/tortoise shell cats with random splotches of red, black, etc fur. My understanding is that if the calico has stripes, she is a tortoise shell. 3) it is possible, but very rare, to have a male calico (sterile as noted above), if he has too many sex chromosomes: say XXY. The Y makes him males and the 2 X's could make him calico if he had different coat color genes on his 2 X chromosomes. I was once a genetics professor... |
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Subject: RE: BS: Calico Cats From: Stilly River Sage Date: 18 Jan 03 - 09:08 PM On NPR just last week there was a report that talked about DNA in cats and how in calico cats their coloring patterns are a result of chromosomes literally turning on and off or "changing their minds" in different parts of the pigmentation process. It wasn't entirely clear to me how this happens, so I can't make it any more lucid for you. We were adopted in 2001 by a tiny calico who turned up on our apartment windowsill. She looked like a kitten, and our Siamese mix spotted her and got excited and meowed to call our attention to her. We ended up adopting what was in fact a full-grown but practically starved cat. She has doubled her weight since then (after the operation that happens anyway). These two are perfectly suited to each other, in play and habits around the house. She's quite charming, and there is a little bit of Siamese in this one also. You can see it in the face and eyes, and hear it in the voice. They both like to hang out on the side of the tub, and occasionally both will end up carelessly drooping their tails in your bathwater. They love to visit when I'm working, and my keyboard is so full of hair that I could probably knit another cat from the fur down under the keys. The cat was so small when she arrived, I suggested several names to the kids that denoted her size. My son finally decided she should be "Clementine," after those tiny little oranges we get around Thanksgiving. Of course, now she looks like she swallowed a grapefruit. ;-) SRS |
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Subject: RE: BS: Calico Cats From: Llanfair Date: 19 Jan 03 - 04:27 AM Susan, do you think that Morag may not be a calico, after all? She has stripes in her ginger bits, but nowhere else. I'm really enjoying reading about everyone else's calicos, any one of you British? Or are they all American pussies so far? Cheers, Bron. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Calico Cats From: Stilly River Sage Date: 19 Jan 03 - 10:51 AM Shades of Mrs. Slocombe? |
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Subject: RE: BS: Calico Cats From: Llanfair Date: 19 Jan 03 - 10:56 AM Oh, yes, she was fond of her pussy!!!!!! Cheers, Bron. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Calico Cats From: Susan of DT Date: 19 Jan 03 - 11:01 AM We need someone who is into the cat show world of show cats to tell us if there is a formal definition of calico vs. tortoise shell. Torti is probably a subset of calico. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Calico Cats From: Stilly River Sage Date: 19 Jan 03 - 01:21 PM Naw, catshow folks are more interested in cats as objects to be displayed, collected, discarded if imperfect. The consensus of a general list of cat-lovers is much more convincing. To switch over to the business of dog shows for a minute, has anyone seen Best In Show? I think the garden variety and the tortoise-shell calicos are just a couple of different examples of mutable DNA in cats. There is a distinct difference in the type of patterns (I've noticed on the tortoise shell calicos I know that they have less white on them and there are smaller, denser patches of colors). SRS |
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Subject: RE: BS: Calico Cats From: Stilly River Sage Date: 19 Jan 03 - 01:24 PM P.S. One of my favorite songs as a kid was "The Cat Came Back." Just to give this thread a musical connection! |
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Subject: RE: BS: Calico Cats From: GUEST,NH Dave Date: 19 Jan 03 - 02:14 PM Torti pointed Siamese or Himmys are usually the result of crossing a Red or Flame pointed male - red on X Chromosome, with a female of another coloring. About half of the female offspring may be torti, which results for the Red gene on the one X Chromosome and the other gene on the second X Chromosome. Since the males of the litter get the color gene on the Y Chromosome from their dad, except for undifferentiated chromosomes which I'll discuss later, they will be colored like the mother or her recessive gene. Red points come from crossing red males with red or torti pointed females, with a 50% ratio of reds with the torti cross, and what should be 100% reds with the red females - red is recessive so she has no other genes. Occasionally, the males X&Y Chromosomes will not diferentiate, split apart in spermogenesis, so he's throwing XY sperm, which results in an XXY kitten after fertilization. These kittens may seem male and have red or torti coloring, but they are very confused inside, and are usually not fertile. Dave |
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Subject: RE: BS: Calico Cats From: Liz the Squeak Date: 19 Jan 03 - 06:45 PM There are at least 3 British cats here, mine is on the landing right now, doing her impression of the Sphinx, but with a touch of Hitchcock thrown in... Ever seen 'The Birds'? Get's like that here at feeding time, especially if I'm late... they gather round and stare at me... when I get up they follow. When I go to the kitchen, they sit there and look smug, as if they've made me do it..... Must go feed kitties.... must go feed kitties, must go feed kitties..... must go feed........... LTS |
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Subject: RE: BS: Calico Cats From: JennyO Date: 19 Jan 03 - 11:20 PM A friend of mine recently adopted a kitten which seems to have tabby stripes around the face and tortoiseshell markings elsewhere and a variety of colours,black brown and orange, but not much white. the vet said it was a Torby. Is this a calico cat, too, or does it have to have more white? Jenny |
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Subject: RE: BS: Calico Cats From: Genie Date: 20 Jan 03 - 03:47 AM The discussion of calico cats' gender reminds me that when I first moved into my house and got a kitten (Minnie Meowse, described above), there was a real "bully" cat who used to hang around my yard and porch and pick fights with Minnie. This was a pretty large, plump-ish (not fat) calico cat with very distinct orange and black patches on white. The cat would not let me anywhere near her/him and always kept its tail down firmly between its back legs, so that I could not tell its gender.* The behavior of the cat -- roaming the neighborhood picking fights -- suggested tomcat, but it would have been a very rare calico tom if that's what it was. Eventually I did succeed in luring getting the cat to eat on the porch (trying to catch it and find its owner), but it never would raise its tail. *Bitsy McCloud-- my classic silver tabby, and just about the mellowest, sweetest, people-friendly and reasonably cat-friendly kitties you'd ever want to meet--nearly always walked around with her tail straight up in the air ("letting it all hang out," as they used to say in the '60s). It seemed to me that a cat always covering its ass (literally) might be the feline equivalent of a person wearing a mask or veil. It seemed to convey a sneaky attitude (especially since this calico cat was a bully to other cats.) |
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Subject: RE: BS: Calico Cats From: Genie Date: 20 Jan 03 - 03:36 PM Sorry about all that underscoring. I think I meant to underscore "always" and nothing more. Genie
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Subject: RE: BS: Calico Cats From: SharonA Date: 20 Jan 03 - 04:19 PM I asked CatFancy.com for some input on the subject, and here's the reply I received: Dear Sharon, Thank you for writing us at CAT FANCY! According to "Cat Breeds of the World" by Desmond Morris, there are not many differences between calicos and tortoiseshells, besides their coloration. Both types of cats are almost always female, and the males are generally (but not always) sterile. The main difference seems to be related to behavior. Morris characterizes tortoiseshell males as acting like masculinized females rather than as males, meaning that they show little interest in asserting themselves against other males, mating with females, etc. The way Morris puts it, "So, although it is not true to say that all tortoiseshell cats are female, it is true to say that they are all feminine -- even the rare males." I hope this information is of help for you. ----------------- I don't know if I can infer from this that calicos (male and female) display more assertive behavior. I did write back and ask for a more detailed explanation of the differences in coloration, and I'll post the answer if and when I receive one. It's been my understanding, though, that a calico coat has three colors (black, orange & white or gray, peach & white), while a tortoiseshell coat only has two colors (black & orange or gray & peach). Certainly the calico cat my family had when I was growing up, Rosie, was assertive; she ruled the rest of our cats with an iron paw. She was quite protective of her territory, and was known to chase large dogs off the property and, in one case, she actually rode a dog to the property line, hissing and digging her claws into the dog's back. No animal messed with Rosie more than once, yet she was always pleasant and affectionate with people. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Calico Cats From: Charley Noble Date: 20 Jan 03 - 04:56 PM Our calico, Tejitu (which means full of honey mead in Ethiopian), has a nice bushy tail and one day we were distressed to see her tail drooping instead of curled over her back as usual. She finally admitted that she had sprained it while taking a rare fall in the bath tub, and we're happy to report she has fully recovered. Charley Noble |
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Subject: RE: BS: Calico Cats From: Genie Date: 20 Jan 03 - 09:30 PM Charley, just how did Tejitu "admit" that she had fallen in the bath? (Usually, when cats do something clumsy, they tell you "I meant to do that!") Sharon, I've known quite a few torties (including Minnie Meowse) that had some white hairs, too -- often on their "points" and bellies, and under their chins. Some, like Minnie, also have a few white hairs mixed in with the orange (peach) and black (grey). Genie |
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Subject: RE: BS: Calico Cats From: Peg Date: 21 Jan 03 - 07:03 AM In the States I have heard the grey, peach and white calicos referred to as "blue-cream calicos". I have two of them: Trivia and her daughter Pooka. Trivia has had litters with multi-colored cats, but usually they are pale orange tigers with one or two coming out blue-cream calico. One litter she had featured an all grey kitten, an orange tiger, a black kitten, and a black-orange tortoiseshell! They are both rather shy and skittish cats; Pooka to the extreme, almost psychotically opposed to being held. The same litter she came from had another kitten identical to her who was sweet as cherry pie and ended up named "Precious." Go figure. strange to see this thread; I dreamed of finding kittens last night, amidst avery strange dream involving Bob Hope and Mick Jagger... |
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Subject: RE: BS: Calico Cats From: SharonA Date: 22 Jan 03 - 12:43 PM Here's the latest email I received from CatFancy.com: Going back to Desmond Morris's book, a tortoiseshell has a coat that is black, red, and cream, or more precisely, black plus orange tabby. Calicos, on the other hand, are white along with patches of black and red; if more than half the cat's body is white, then it is considered to be a calico. There are, of course, variations on these patterns so that several different types have been classified. These include: 1) Cinnamon-Cream 2) Dilute (white with unbridled blue and cream) 3) Fawn-Cream 4) Van (white with red and black confined to the extremities) 5) Lavendar-Cream 6) Cinnamon-Cream Van 7) Dilute Van (white with blue and cream confined to the extremities) 8) Fawn-Cream Van 9) Lavendar-Cream Van These are the Calico variations only. There are 22 other Tortoiseshell variations mentioned by Morris. If you like I can send you a photocopy of the calico and tortoiseshell descriptions found in Morris's book, as well as an article published in CAT FANCY's December 2002 issue, which discussed calico cats. If so, please send me your address, and I will mail them to you. ------------ I'm going to follow up on this, and ask that the Desmond Morris descriptions be mailed to me, so I'll have more info to post... eventually! Does anybody out there have that December 2002 issue of the magazine? ...and if so, can you share with us what it says about calicos? Thanks! |
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Subject: RE: BS: Calico Cats From: John Hardly Date: 22 Jan 03 - 10:17 PM Maggie, my #1 torti is exceedingly bright, attentive and catches on to everything. Ditty, My #2 auxillary cat is also a torti and she's watching as I type this so she is very intelligent too. Maggie, however, calls her "the Dittiot". The place where I board my dogs when I do shows is also a cat rescue. I see all sorts of cats there. Relative to this discussion however, the most unusual cat they have there right now is a "calico" that is white (as usual), orange/ginger (as usual), but where the black patches would be are perfect patches of tabby grey, and if you could continue the tabby "stripes" they would match up from patch to patch -- in other words, she looks like a grey tabby(tiger stripe) that is wearing a calico coat with big holes in it. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Calico Cats From: Redbeard Date: 22 Jan 03 - 10:59 PM A few years ago we acquired a calico (white, black, and orange) when she followed my girls home one day. Her name was Tigger and was the original copy cat. The previous owner of our house, a black and white cat named Whiskers, tried to stay away from the new, younger, and ultimately dominant cat but was constantly chased out of her prized locations by Tigger. Whiskers would find a new place to hang out and within a couple of days we would notice that Tigger had kicked her out and taken over again. Whatever Whiskers would do, Tigger did the same thing. Eventually Whiskers gave up and ran away, never to be seen again. Smart? I don't know, but she sure could copy. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Calico Cats From: Kaleea Date: 23 Jan 03 - 02:09 AM My vet describes a Calico Kitty as being female and having 3 distinctly different colors, and not just varying shades of one color. Old timers used to offer money to kids in the neighborhood for a calico cat which was male, knowing, of course, that calico cats are only female. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Calico Cats From: COINWOLF Date: 23 Jan 03 - 02:55 AM Are there any Calico cats with one eye and one leg, and play the fiddle? Join me at Upton Folk Festival 2nd to 5th May www.uptonfolk.org Festival Cat |
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Subject: RE: BS: Calico Cats From: SharonA Date: 23 Jan 03 - 08:59 AM Kaleea: Male calico cats do exist, but they are exceedingly rare. If the neighborhood kids did manage to find one, he would be worth a lot more money than the old-timers would pay the kids for him, I'm sure! |
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Subject: RE: BS: Calico Cats From: Llanfair Date: 23 Jan 03 - 11:19 AM Hmm, the plot thickens!!! Morag isn't a third white, and she has 4 distinct colours, if you include the white face and paws. Her face looks like the "Felix" advert. I'd be interested to see the Desmond Morris stuff, if possible. Cheers, Bron. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Calico Cats From: Genie Date: 25 Jan 03 - 03:23 AM Whether torties are or are not considered a subset of calicos, I've gotta say that I've seen MANY different tortie patterns. Just yesterday I met a neighbor's tortie that was definitely a tabby, complete with the "M" on the forehead, and with several shades of orange, grey, dark grey, and tan in the striped part of her coat but with white tummy, paws, and lower part of the face. Torties very often do have a lot of white on their lower bodies and part of their faces. Genie |
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Subject: RE: BS: Calico Cats From: GUEST,Arne Langsetmo Date: 25 Jan 03 - 06:33 PM The prior posters are correct about the primamry colour gene being on the X chromosome. One of these is shut down fairly early in development (in females), and it is random which it is, so that a heterozygote for this pigmentation will show both black and brown (or grey and tan) colourations in different parts of the body. Males, having only one X, will be monocoloured. Once one of the chromosomes have been shut off in a cell, the descendants of that cell will also have the same one turned off. The thing that makes the difference between the fine mottling of the tortoise shell and the patchiness of the calico is the time at which this happens. If it happens earlier, the size of the resultant descendant cell clusters will be bigger, and the colouration patchier. Several other genes influence colouration as well (you'll note that you don't see a tan and orange calico, or a black and grey one; if you think you are seeing this, look closely, and the variation will be like the lighter and darker striping of a tiger tabby); the genes operate independently of the primary colour gene on the X chromosome. In fact, the colour is modified so that in patches of a calico cat, you will also see some tiger-stripe variation of the basic colour, just as you would see this in a standard tabby. In addition, there's another gene that influences the white colouration; in calicos as in other monocoloured cats, the extemities ("socks") and belly are often white, where neither primary colour is apparent; for some cats, about the only spot of white is a little dot on the front of the neck, (this is true of both males and females). Siamese cats (and similar ones such as Himalayans) have a gene that codes for a mutant protein that is temperature sensitive; at higher temperatures this protein denatues and there is no melanin colour pigment. Thus in these cats, the extremities, being cooler, show colour while the body and head is lighter. But as above, other genes can turn this off, so that I've seen part-Siamese who have the white "socks" seen in other varieties. Siamese also have brain miswiring (an abnormal contralateral crossing of the nerves going from the eye to the brain), so that their vision is in most cases somewhat impaired (and they are often cross-eyed). This phenomenon also shows up in other albino animals, such as rats, and even one albino tiger. In this sense, Siamese are "albinos" except for their extremities. Because of this, they have no tapetum (the reflective layer at the back of the eye which makes cat eyes glow green in a direct light), and their eyes reflect red (as do humans, who have no tapetum at all). Probably too much information. . . . Sorry. Cheers, -- Arne Langsetmo |