Ladies and gentlemen, hold onto your seats because we’ve got a special feline to introduce you to! Meet the little calico boy who is causing a stir in the veterinary world.
And yes, you read that right – he’s a boy!
Dr. Smith at Central Texas Cat Hospital, who’s been practicing for a whopping 54 years, couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw this rare gemstone of a cat.
“Not only is he a male calico but he is a Scottish Fold on top of that. He really is 1 in a million!” exclaimed the staff via Facebook.
In case you didn’t know, male calico cats are as rare as a unicorn sighting.
According to a study by the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Missouri, only one out of every 3,000 calico cats is born male. So, why are male calicos so rare?
Well, just like us humans, cats have two sex chromosomes that determine their gender. Female cats have only X chromosomes, while male cats have both X and Y chromosomes.
This means that a calico or tortoiseshell cat must have two X chromosomes, which means they’ll be female 99.99% of the time.
So, how does a male cat end up with a calico pattern?
It’s all down to genetics, my friends. A male calico cat has an extra X chromosome, making their genetic makeup XXY (two X’s and one Y). In humans, this is called Klinefelter Syndrome.
We may not see many male calico cats, but when we do, we can’t help but admire their uniqueness. So here’s to the little calico boy who’s defying the odds and stealing our hearts!
