is it true that male calico cats are worth money?

Question

i heard that they are because it is rare to find a male calico cat. almost all calico cats are female. i heard this like 5 or 6 years ago, and ever since, i have checked the sex of them whenever i get the chance. so far, all of the ones i have encountered are female. has anyone else ever heard of this?

Answer 1

True.

Most Tri colored cats are female.. every now and then you'll come across a male which is pretty rare. My grandmother cat had one male calico cat.. hes never fathered a male calico like himself and trust me we've tried... its like one in a million to find one

Answer 2

Male calicos as well as male tortishells are very rare. Most of them are female. As well as most orange tabby cats are male, rarely do you find a female.

Are they worth money? Probably not. Most people pay for a purebred cat which they can then use for breeding and make money because it is guaranteed that you will have that species. Male calicos will produce more calicos which will most likely be female. Someone may pay for him because of the rarity, but its unlikely.

Answer 3

Coat coloration in cats is complex, and controlled by several genes. One gene involved has two alleles: the Orange allele, O, which is the dominant form, (i.e., XO), and produces orange fur; and the "Black" allele, "o", which is the recessive form, (i.e., Xo), and produces black fur.

For a cat to be a tortoiseshell or calico, it must simultaneously express both of the alleles, O and o, which are two versions of the same gene, located at the same location on the X chromosome. Males normally cannot do this: they can have only one allele, as they have only one X chromosome. Virtually all tortoiseshell or calico cats are females. Occasionally a male is born (the rate is approximately 1 in 3,000 [1]). These may have Klinefelter's syndrome, carrying an extra X chromosome, and will almost always be sterile or they may be a chimera resulting from the fusion of two differently coloured embryos.

The spotting gene causes white patches to cover the colored fur. Although there is no genetic difference, the amount of white is artificially divided into mitted, bicolour, harlequin, and van, going from almost no white to almost completely white.

In normal female tortoiseshell cats and in Klinefelter males, the position of the patches depends on which X-chromosome is active in each cell and which is inactivated to become a Barr body.

Answer 4

No they are not.

Male calicos are not overly common but they are also not Rare. They should be altered, some may need an alter and a spay. This will make them healthies.


My friend has a male calico and I know several others as well.

Answer 5

Guess this is a pet peeve of mine, and I'd like to take this opportunity to set the record straight. A calico cat, my feline friends, is a color pattern found on numerous breeds of cats; it is not a breed by itself.

Basically, a calico cat is a tri-colored cat of black, red(orange), and white. It can also be of a diluted version in blue (gray), cream, and white. Cats with these same colors, but without the white spotting gene, are called tortoiseshells, or torties, and blue-creams, respectively. The white can be in varying degrees. Cats with mostly color, and low amounts of white are sometimes referred to as "tortie and white" instead of calico. Calico cats with mostly a white background and patches of red and black are called "high white" calico cats. If the cat is all white, with only color patches on the head and tail, and no more than one patch on the body, it is a "van" calico cat.

According to the world's largest cat registry, The Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA), there are actually 16 breeds that come in calico patterns. Amongst these breeds, you can have a large Maine Coon calico, or a Persian with its long flowing coat in calico cat colors, or a Scottish Fold, with it's turned down ears, can be a calico or tortie or blue-cream, in either long or short coats.

And are all calico cats females? Well, the majority of them are. For very complicated genetic reasons, it takes two X chromosomes for a cat to be a tortoiseshell or calico cat. A male would have to possess two X and one Y chromosomes to be a calico cat. This can happen, but very rarely. According to a study at the College of Veterinary Medicine in Missouri, one out of 3,000 calico colored cats is male. This oddity occurs in humans, too. The males, in both cases, are usually sterile. This making the cat NOT VALUABLE

Answer 6

I have heard of it but the statement is untrue...male tri-coloured cats have Klinefelters syndrome (extra x chromosome) and in most cases are sterile. They are not worth money because breeding them will not make more male calicos.

So how come there are some male true Tricolors?
The answer: genetic misfire.
Sometimes, a male cat will get three sex chromosomes instead of two. This is a genetic anomaly. Genetics is all about pairs; you should only be able to have two of any genes, two of any chromosomes, residing in any individual. Although in some cases there are more genes than two possible for a given trait (like all the possible eye or hair colors on people), only two traits can actually sit there. It's sort of like owning a Geo Metro convertible: you might have more than two who want a ride, but you can only fit two in it.

Well, sometimes, weird things happen in genetics, and you get an extra gene or chromosome in there.

Sometimes, these duplications can have negative effects. For example, Down syndrome in humans is caused by a duplication of Chromosome 23, where there are three chromosomes instead of two. Animals are only meant to have a certain number of chromosomes; in this case, having a "spare" isn't good.

In cats (as well as other creatures, including humans), sometimes there is an extra sex chromosome. Some can be invisible and never detected.

A male cat who is a tricolor must have two X chromosomes to carry the Oo pattern. Thus, the cat must be at least an XXY. In humans, this pattern is known as Klinefelter's syndrome. One result of this syndrome is that the male has trouble with developing secondary sex characteristics and is usually sterile. However, unlike Klinefelter in human, an XXY male cat will usually not have any outward signs of its genetic makeup, unless it's a rare male tricolor.

Although a male tricolor almost certainly sterile, you will still want to neuter such a cat to reduce such undesirable traits such as spraying and aggression.


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So male Tricolors are rare. Can I sell one for big bucks?
Only to the gullible. They are not considered desirable in purebred breeding programs, as in some associations they cannot be shown or be used in breeding programs. They won't breed more male tricolors. There is not a significant market for them. Best just to neuter him and keep him as a beloved pet, or find him a good home.

Go here for the entire article about Torties, calicos and tri-colour cats... it is a very interesting and easily understandable explanation of how cats get these colours.... http://www.fanciers.com/cat-faqs/tricolors.shtml#maletris

Answer 7

the only way a cat is worth much money at all if it is full blooded anything (calico, Tabby, etc.) there are plenty of male calico. you just aren't looking in the right place. but talking about a cat worth a lot of money, you will have to get something like a hairless cat. there are cats that chirp and sings that is rare that come from Egypt, japan and even some were found in California. but to unless you have a purebred there is nothing rare about your cat. i may have an up date later.

Answer 8

Most calicos are females. Most male calicos are sterile. Male calicos that can breed are worth money.

Answer 9

A male calico cat is a rare find and yes they are worth some "change".

Answer 10

A male calico would be very rare indeed. They are almost always female. I would say he would be worth something being rare.