Are cats with three colours or more usually female?

Question

wondered if this was true.

Answer 1

I belive you mean "calico". It doesn't mean "3 colors or more". It's just 3 colors in a specific pattern on the coat. The 3 colors are black, orange and white. Coat coloration in cats is controlled by genetics. For a cat to be calico, it must simultaneously express both the orange gene (which is dominant & produces orange fur) and the black gene (which is recessive and produces black fur). The orange and black gene are actually two versions of the same gene, located at the same location on the X chromosome. This is why most calico cats are female - they have two X chromosomes and can express both types of this gene simultaneously. Males only have one X chromosome, so only one of these genes can appear at a time. Occasionally a male calico is born, but this means they are born with an extra X chromosome and will almost always be sterile (Klinefelter's syndrome). There is another gene which causes the spotting of white patches over colored fur. Although there is no genetic difference, the amount of white is categorized by the Cat Fanciers Association as mitted, bicolour, harlequin, and van--going from almost no white to almost completely white, respectively.

Genetics is a pretty cool subject! ;-)

Answer 2

Yes it is true....The Secret of Calico Cats

Calico cats, with their orange, black and white coloration, are almost always female. So are black and orange tortoiseshells. Why?

The answer has to do with genetics. Every cat has 38 pairs of chromosomes; half of the pairs are from the mother, the other half is from the father. Within every chromosome there are thousands of different genes.

Every female cat receives one X chromosome from her mother and one X chromosome from her father, while a male receives one X chromosome from his mother and one Y chromosome from his father. Within the X chromosome is a gene for coat color.

In calicos and tortoiseshells, one X has the black gene; the other X has the orange gene. White coat color is associated with a completely separate gene.

At conception, the kitten is a one-celled organism, which divides until there are millions of cells that make up the final kitten. Each time a cell divides, it passes on its genetic material.

Gene Inactivation

For the sex chromosomes, there is a battle for power. This is especially true for the X chromosome. If two X chromosomes are present, which determines female sex, one X chromosome will become inactivated at some point in fetal development. When this happens, all the cells descended from the activated X chromosome will have the same characteristics, including coat color.

In calicos, if the X-chromosome that is left functioning carries the orange gene, then all the cells descended from it will result in an orange color. The same is true if the functioning X chromosome has the black gene. If both X-chromosomes carry the same color gene, then the calico pattern will not appear.

Since X chromosomes inactivate at various times in each individual cat, color patches vary.

The story is different for male cats. Males have only one X chromosome, and it is never inactivated. Whatever color gene is present on this X chromosome will determine the color of the cat. Males can be calico or tortoiseshell only if they are born with 2 X-chromosomes and a Y (XXY), allowing one X to be inactivated. This genetic defect (XXY) is very rare.

It's Difficult to Breed Calicos

It is difficult to breed specifically for calico or tortoiseshell cats. Breeding an orange cat to a black cat may increase the chances, but it all depends on whether the kitten is female and at what stage during development the X-chromosome becomes inactive. There is no way to predict or force an X chromosome to inactivate at a certain point in development.
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hope tis help-there are many other website about this!

Answer 3

I have heard it said that all gingers are toms and all tortoiseshells are queens. This isn't true. I have had a ginger female. I don't know if perhaps she was genetically male (this can happen in humans- women can have XY chromosomes, rarely), but unliked most of our other cats, who are very long lived, she only live to be 11. I have seen a tortoiseshell tom in a rescue centre. I have worked in rescue, but have only ever seen these two examples, though. Also someone said that pure white cats are deaf. That isn't true either. They just have a greater chance of being deaf. Wall-eyed (one blue, one green eye) cats that are white are often deaf in the ear on the same side as the blue eye. Weird, huh?

Answer 4

This is a genetic thing; tri-colour cats are female 99.99 of the time- a male will be sterile. This doesnt apply to tabbies or gingers, who are just multicoloured, but tortoiseshells and calicos are normally all female. I have had several ginger females, and lots of tabbies of both sex, but never a tri-colour male

Answer 5

Tabby cats that have 3 colours r usually females:)

Answer 6

Like Alleycat says, black and orange patches of fur occurs in female cats, because they are variant forms of the same gene, and occur as a result of the random X-inactivation found in female mammals. So you will only get this phenomenon in male cats that have an extra X-chromosome and are sterile.

Answer 7

Yes generally, 3 colour cats tend to be female, just like tabby cats are mainly male and white cats tend to be deaf or blind

Answer 8

I have never seen a male cat with three colors. It may be a wives tale about only females having three or more colors, though.

Answer 9

They are more usually female, and the males, few as they are, are most often sterile. Try googling with Tricilor cat for a full genetic explanation. I am happy with my (male) tabby-and-white.

Answer 10

If you are talking about a calico cat, yes 99% of the time. That is the only breed of cat that has this genetic precursor.