Corner shop cat is a gregarious sort of fellow, often lounging in plain sight of customers or parading atop the outdoor floral enclosure. However, when I last met him, he barely acknowledged my presence. Seems the enticing feathered prey just out of his grasp proved more interesting this time!
Not to be a TOTAL nerd, but if you see a calico - it's a female. Black & Orange are X linked traits and for both of them to show up, you need two X chromosomes...something most male cats don't have. This is my favorite part of genetics to teach because I get to show lots of kitties!!! I love calicos.
ReplyDeleteAlong with Tippy, my favourite cat in your hood. Great pictures!
ReplyDeleteSarah, I had no idea male calico cats are almost non-existent. Crazy.
ReplyDeleteI think speculating the kitties' gender will be one of the trickier parts of this blog! ha
Also, in animals (like humans and cats) where females have 2 X chromosomes, one of them shrivels and becomes non-functional. Thus females are mosaics of X chromosomes - one from their father, and one from their mother. This non-functional chromosome is called a Barr Body (named after the discoverer - incidentally, not Roseanne). This shriveling occurs during a very early embryonic stage. Which X chromosome shrivels in each cell is random and is responsible for the random patterns in calico cats - why they are rarely the same.
ReplyDeleteI had a beautiful calico almost identical to this one, except she had greys instead of black. RIP Mitsou :(
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