Callie Calico Cat FAQ & Fun

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Some Calico Cat facts:

    Calico is a color scheme, not a breed.  Think of it as a white cat with patches.  Black and orange are the patch colors we most commonly think of, but the patches may instead be cream or brown, or colors cat breeders identify as blue, lilac, cinnamon and fawn.

    The colors should appear in big patches.  If not, if the patches are small or there are stripes, it's not an official calico cat.

    Calico cats can have long hair, or short.  Their tails may be there, or not.  And they can be any of 16 different breeds.

    Unpredictable genetic factors make it nearly impossible to breed a calico cat.  They are happy accidents.

Calico unlikely to be named Cal

Nearly all calico cats are female.  In cats, coat color and gender are linked.  The simple explanation is that orange and back coloring is triggered by an O gene on the X chromosome.  Female cats have two X chromosomes and males have only one, so calico coloring is rare in male cats, 1 in 3,000, according to the Veterinary Medicine College in Missouri.  Read Sarah Hartwell's lengthy discussions of cat coloring chromosomes. And another.

What's in a name - Callie or Calie?



Callie is a popular name for calico cats, and Callie is the preferred spelling. (There are 47,700 Google hits for sites with Callie+calico, and only 1,800 with Calie+calico.)


Among all cat breeds, Callie is the 40th most popular name.


Calico the Lucky Beckoning Cat Maneki-Neko

While some people associate calico cats with the devil and bad temperament, many others credit them with bringing good luck. A Japanese legend dating to around 1700 tells the story of a calico cat, Maneki-neko, who beckoned a wealthy samurai Lord to an impoverished temple where he made a generous donation.

Today Maneki-neko cat figurines, one hand in the air , beckoning, bring luck to homes and businesses around the world.


It's said that in the Appalachian region of East Tennessee, some folks believe that petting a calico cat brings good luck.





 


Refrigerator magnet picturing a
Maneki-neko cat.

 




Club for Maneki-Neko enthusiasts.


Maneki Neko on Amazon

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Calico Cat Refrigerator Magnets

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Calico Cats in the Blogs

Anonymous donor gives hope to Kaleidoscope Youth Theater
Three high school girls giggled as they sat inside the Kaleidoscope Youth Theater making calico cat costumes...
A real 'last-minute kind of holiday'
Sarah Jones, general manager of the Calico Cat, said she also has noticed an increase in business, but...
Animal Tales | All About Cassie
By Rose Papaioannou Until 14 years ago, I had a wonderful Calico cat. When she died at age 19, I lost...
Find puppy love (cats too) through Meet Your Match
Merope Lolis of New York, New York, tested at the ASPCA's Adoption Center as a good fit for a purple...

Calico cat art on Ebay

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State cat of Maryland

The calico is the official cat of Maryland. Maryland also has 17 other officially mandated state symbols, including a state dog, state shell, state reptile, state drink, state crustacean and state boat.

Calico Cat Books and Treasures at Amazon

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Links to interesting calico cat sites

Japanese Bobtails
Interesting discussion of cats in Japan
Wiki Calicos & Tortoisehell cats
As always, lots of of information on Wikipedia.
Diluted Beauty
Check out this photo of a gorgeous dilute (blue/cream) calico British Shorthair. The photo was taken by Chanan Photography and it's copyrighted so please don't steal.

Cats don't have a patent on calico

There are calico goldfish.  The one pictured is an Organda.


There was a pirate named Calico Jack.

 
There is a town in Arkansas named Calico Rock.  A gun manufacturer.And a gzillion miles of fabric.

New YouTube vids

Calico Cat Standing by a Wisteria Vine
by blueheronarts | video info

13 ratings | 6,260 views
curated content from YouTube

Have a great day!

More Calico Cats for the refrigerator

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