My mom has told me that she heard that ALL orange tabby cats are male... I told her this wasn't true because I have seen orange tabby females. She doesn't 100% believe me, so if someone could help me find a site that states that not all orange tabbies are male, that would be great! Also, she believes that all calico females cannot reproduce because she has never seen a pregnant calico.. or a calico female give birth. I have again told her that I knew of calico's who have had kittens. What is everyones idea on these theories?? Have you ever heard the same myths??
2007-10-21 08:25:15 · 14 answers · asked by Allie 3 in Pets ➔ Cats
omg I never knew that male calico's are worth that much! My brother has 2 from the same litter, hes a bit broke at the moment, I should let him know about this! lol.
2007-10-21 08:35:02 · update #1
The majority of orange tabbys are indeed male, but females are possible. While most calicos are female - males being VERY rare and when they do occure the likelyhood of them being sterile is high. If you have a fertile male calico then they are quite valuble. The chances of your brother having two male calicos is next to nil. I sincerely doubt that they are. Best wishes.
2007-10-21 09:22:52 · answer #1 · answered by Sniggle 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Orange tabbys are not all male, this is hard to find proof of, simply because its not a common myth so it isnt addressed. I dont know where in the world your mom got this information, I have had many orange tabbys over the years and many were females. They do, however, seem to be ultra-friendly.
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. The females can and do have kittens.
Also, calico isnt a breed, it is a color pattern.
2007-10-21 08:34:56 · answer #2 · answered by answers4u, not insults 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I don't think all orange tabby cats are male but all calicos are definately female. The gene that controls fur color for orange and black is on the X chromosome so if a cat has both it is definately female. Male "calicos" would be orange and white or black and white. In order to get a male calico it would have to be XXY and have an extra chromosome, so it would be difficult for it to reproduce. Female calicos are normal cats and can reproduce just like any other female cat.
2007-10-21 09:08:15 · answer #3 · answered by Staci 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
This Site:
http://www.pawdsquad.org/typesofcats.html#orangetabby
has ads for orange tabby females.
All calico cats are female. It is a gene linked color carried only by the X chromosome. A male calico is an abnormal cat as he must have two X chromosomes to be a calico. However I have had calicoes and they do have babies...
2007-10-21 08:38:31 · answer #4 · answered by ♥♥The Queen Has Spoken♥♥ 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
no, like the others have said, orange is a common color for both males and females. i've seen many many of each sex in our shelter & at our clinic. as for calico's, it's a sex-related allele (color gene) needing 2 X-chromosomes to happen. males have one X and one Y, so unless they're a mutant male which has two Xs and one Y (which does happen but only in about 1:3000 cases) they generally can't be calico. HOWEVER, they aren't worth anything more than the usual cat as they are sterile and can't breed on. maybe that's where your mom was getting the non-breeding part from, as it does apply for calico males. double-check your borthers kittens again - chances are they are males with undescended testes.
2007-10-21 08:48:41 · answer #5 · answered by sleepycatz1972 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I know that calicos do too give birth, due to the fact that my own calico had two sets of kittens. Though it is fairly rare to find female orange cats, it is even more difficult to find MALE calicos. Hope I helped :).
2007-10-21 08:33:12 · answer #6 · answered by Name U 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
my first cat was a female calico (that I had for 14 years and adored) had a beautiful litter of kittens ...one even being another female calico :)
oh and here you can show your mom a picture of some very cute female orange tabbys ;)
http://www.kittico.org/katrinacats.html
2007-10-21 08:48:24 · answer #7 · answered by tigerlily2414 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Orange tabbies can be male or female. And Calico's can have babies.
2007-10-21 08:29:08 · answer #8 · answered by I love my baby boy! 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I've never heard that all orange tabbies are male... maybe it's true.
The guy at the pet store where I get my catfood said that ALMOST ALL calicos are female. He said it's very rare to get a male calico, and they're worth about $600 if you come across one.
2007-10-21 08:28:33 · answer #9 · answered by catwomanmeeeeow 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
All tabbies are not male, some are female. All calicos are female and yes they can have kittens.
2007-10-21 08:29:35 · answer #10 · answered by Kim 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋