Sex-specific feline coat colorings?

Question

Someone once told me that all gingers are always Toms, and that torties are always Queens, with only very occasional exceptions. Just out of interest, is this true?

Answer 1

For the gingers? Not really. For calicos, yes it's true that they're mostly female. I've only heard of 1 male and i've known a lot of calico's. They're just female 99% of the time.

Answer 2

Never heard that about gingers.
If you see a calico, you can assume it's a queen.
Colors occur on the sex chromosomes. Females have two X chromosomes (XX), so they can have more than one color (not counting white, which is simply the absence of color, that is a completely different gene on a different chromosome). Male cats have one X chromosome, and one y chromosome (Xy). The y chromosome is much smaller and contains less information than the X chromosome, it contains no gene for color.
Occasionally, something called non-disjunction occurs while the sex cells are undergoing meitoic division. One or more gametes (sperm or eggs) have extra or too few chromosomes. Sometimes it happens with the X and y chromosomes. A calico/tortie male has XXy. So, he has two chromosomes that can dictate color, and also the male chromosome, but he cannot reproduce.
For the most part, embryos that have too many or too few chromosomes stop developing. In some cases however, it is not fatal.
In humans:
an extra copy of chromosome 21 results in Down's Syndrome
XXy = Klinfelter's syndrome
X- (missing a sex chromosome) = Turner's Syndrome
XXX = Triple X syndrome

Answer 3

I have 2 female gingers and 1 male ginger.

But yes, 99% of torties and calicos are female.

Answer 4

Nearly all torties & calicos are female & I've heard that the males, when they do occur, are sterile. Also, ginger cats *tend* to be male but I think female gingers are more common than male callies or torties.

Answer 5

well, i;ve heard that all calicos are female and all orange kitties are male.
My tortie was the only female in her litter, her brothers were all gray toms. The queen was tortie, the dad black (we think). So i really don't know if that's true

Answer 6

I don't know about the gingers but yes the calicos are almost always female. If you find a male calico, hold on to him! He's a treasure!

Answer 7

Calico cats are always female because of something that only manifests with xx chromosomes. That is the only gender specific cat coloration trait I know of.

Answer 8

genetically, orange cats TEND to be toms, and calicos TEND to be female..

but since genetics aren't always 100%, there are female orange cats (i once fostered an orange mom who gave birth to five kittens - all orange three girls) and male calicos..

however male calicos are almost always sterile.. due to the whole genetics thing.

Answer 9

1st No 2nd yes.................I think