Regardless of their fur type or color, every cat is unique in their own individual way. You may be wondering why some things, like calico cats, seem to be able to hold your interest a bit longer than others. Whether you’re looking to adopt a calico cat and would want to learn more about them, or you just need some fascinating anecdotes to share with your friends on trivia night, let’s get started and learn more about them!
Whether you want to adopt a calico cat and want to learn more about them, or you just need some fascinating trivia to share with your friends on trivia night, let’s get started and learn everything there is to know about these furry creatures!
Torrities are commonly mistaken for calico cats because of their mixed orange and black coats. The main difference between the two is that tortoiseshell cats have a black coat, while calico cats have a white one. Calicos are sometimes described to as “tortoiseshell and white cats” by those who live outside of the United States, which may further confuse matters.
Calico cats have existed for a very long period. Although their exact origins are unknown, one study traced the origins of calico cats along shipping trade routes in Northern Africa and Europe. Most likely, the orange mutant gene seen in calicos originated in Egypt and traveled to Mediterranean port cities in Greece, Italy, France, and Spain. Calico cats are said to have been introduced on board by Egyptian traders as a means of keeping mice and rats off their ships. As the ships sailed from port to port, the cats started to travel the world and spread their unique DNA for coat patterns and fur.
..Calico cats are usually female, just as tortie cats.
To put too fine a point on it, calico cats are almost always female because they inherit their coat color. Because female cats have two X chromosomes, they can have both orange and black fur at the same time. The X chromosome produces orange and black fur. White fur is encoded by a different gene. Male cats are often orange or black, but never both, because they typically only have one X chromosome. Male calico cats are quite rare since they are a rare genetic anomaly.
Another fascinating fact is that the only three states in the union with official state mammals that are cats are Maine, Massachusetts, and Maryland. You guessed it—the Maine Coon is the state’s official cat. The state animal of Massachusetts is the tabby cat.
A CALICO CAT STATIONMASTER IS IN CHARGE AT A JAPANESE RAILWAY STATION.
Are there any cats that work anywhere else that you know of? In the Japanese prefecture of Wakayama, a calico cat named Tama was crowned “Stationmaster of Kishi Station” in 2007. Not the last, but the first cat stationmaster in Japan was her. Tama received some cat food and a stationmaster’s cap as payment for her labor. There was a roughly ten percent increase in ticket sales during her first year as stationmaster. Even the governor of Wakayama knighted Tama! The Tamaden Railway is a railway line with a Tama motif that was unveiled in 2010. It had a train with cartoon characters and paw prints all over it. The cat even has whiskers and ears on its front.Right now
In 2015, at the age of sixteen, Tama passed away. Thousands of people turned out for her funeral at Kishi Station. Tama has been given the honorific title of “Honorable Eternal Station Master”. As per the Japanese Shinto religious tradition, she became the deity of the Yakayama Electric Railway. One of Tama’s former pupils, Nitama (literally, “Tama Two”), is stationmaster at Kishi Station now, continuing Tama’s illustrious past.
