Posted on 04/27/2023 7:05:37 AM PDT by Red Badger
A cat being cared for by the NoCo Kitties rescue in Colorado was found to be a male calico kitten, a feline so rare they are known as "unicorn" kittens. Photo courtesy of NoCo Kitties/Facebook
April 25 (UPI) -- An animal rescue group said one of its volunteers is currently caring for a male calico kitten, a feline so rare they are often called "unicorn" kittens.
NoCo Kitties in Loveland said the kitten and his siblings were born in a Weld County shed and were turned over to the Weld County Humane Society before coming to NoCo Kitties.
Volunteer Alli Magish, who is fostering the three kittens and their mother, Amber, said she started to suspect one of the three calicos might be male, and a veterinarian confirmed it.
Only one in 3,000 calico kittens are born male, veterinarians said. Calicos typically end up with the coloration due to getting different color genes from the X chromosomes they receive from their parents. Male kittens usually only have one X and one Y chromosomes, but can sometimes end up with calico coloring when they receive XXY chromosomes.
Experts said male calicos can also be the result of chimerism, which involves some cells in an individual's body having XX chromosomes and others having XY chromosomes.
The coloring can also result from random mutations of skin cells, but that is the rarest cause of calico color in males, experts said.
NoCo Kitties said the kitten, dubbed Charlie the Unicorn, will eventually be made available for adoption.
I heard Dr Pol say that it is possible for a calico to be male, I have never seen one though. Neat.
Awwwwwwwwwwwwww... what a cutie.
I’ve read and have been told that male calicos are born sterile. True/Not True?
Yes, but does the kitten IDENTIFY as a male?
Mighty presumptuous for people to assume it’s a male calico.
🥰😍😻
Watch the trannies claim this cat as their mascot.
1 in three thousand is rare but given the number of kittens born there are a fair amount
A whole lot of Maine Coon Cat there.
Check out YouTube and “maine coon cat doors”. It’s fun.
They love snow, rain, and more. And come in and shake it off in the kitchen like a long haired dog.
Great (very large) cats.
True.
If it’s fertile, it’ll be worth a fortune.
Don’t give them any ideas.
Awww, he is cute!
We had a female Calico years ago, She was the sweetest thing. Unfortunately, we lost her to Feline Leukemia.
I almost bought a Maine Coon kitten sired by a male calico named RW (Regional Winner) SGC (Supreme Grand Champion) Dawntreader Calboy. He is one big gorgeous dude. I ended up getting another tortie and white from an East Coast breeder.
The orange patch above his nose sort of looks like a horn, so yes he’s a unicorn.
Did I use the right pronouns?
A local vet had a sign up that said she’d neutered one. I imagine that breeding them would result in some undesirable characteristics.
A friend had one. Psycho cat from Hell, named Uggo (sp?).
Lots of calico kittens in the neighborhood.
Awwww I want him! He is just so adorable!
Well, XYY or XXY humans are generally fertile, but some produce more abnormal sperm, which is a big cause of infertility. So I would think it’s probably about the same with cats. Some will be sterile, not directly because of the extra chromosome, but because of the sperm abnormalities that sometimes accompany it.
Thanks Red Badger. Calickitteh. DNA topic, cryptobiology topic, nice pull!
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