Calico is a coat coloration and not a breed and shows a distinctive pattern of color patches, such as red and black on a glorious white base. Maine Coons are large and majestic, and when they show this coloration, they become even more eye-catching. If you are lucky enough to have a calico Maine Coon in your care, you might wonder how this tri-color magic came about.
Calico is a sex-linked genetic coloration with an intermingled white spotting gene. Like the tortoiseshell, the female X genes allow expression of red/orange and black patches, but instead of the tortoiseshell black, they have a white base. Because the calico coloration is sex-linked to the female X chromosome, male calicos are rare and mostly sterile.
The calico coloration occurs in several purebred lines, including the Maine Coon, Japanese Bobtail, and the Turkish Van. The genetic process behind the calico coat is a fascinating study, and these “money cats” are also featured in folklore around the world. Let’s explore what makes your calico Maine Coon unique and what to expect from your lucky feline friend.
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The Genetics Behind Your Multicolor Maine Coon
According to some sources, the calico coloration is in the top 10 most rare cat coat colorations. The male calico is even more so and only occurs in 1 out of 3000 calico cats.
The striking calico coloration is a tortoiseshell variation with an added mystery ingredient: the white spotting gene. While the tortoiseshell (tortie) has splashes of intermingled color on a black base, the traditional calico has a white undercoat (25-75%) and distinct orange and black fur patches. The reason why you won’t find a calico on every street corner is the mysterious workings of your Maine Coon’s genes.
Like humans, female and male cats have the female sex chromosome XX or the male sex chromosome XY. The Y chromosome is not as complex as the X chromosome, which carries vast amounts of genetic information, including codes about coat coloration, eye color, and the distribution of color on a cat’s coat.
Specific colors are sex-linked, which means they can only express themselves through the matriarchal female X chromosomes, such as the red/orange gene O/o. Each chromosome has two alleles, determining the two different versions of potential coloration. The queen and tom each pass on one allele of their genetic coloration to their kittens.
Whether a specific color shows in the cat’s coat is determined by whether the allele or color code is dominant or recessive. The case of the dominant O allele dictates the expression of red/orange in the fur, and the recessive o dictates non-orange, which expresses brown/black coloration. These fascinating colors come down to the expression of pigmentation.
How Red and Black Calico Coat Colors Come About
The wonderful world of the multi-hued cat coats comes down to a particular gene coding for an enzyme that facilitates the expression of either eumelanin (black/brown) or pheomelanin (red/orange), both forms of melanin.
These pigments come in tiny granules that reflect or absorb light differently (which is the basis for the human eye to perceive color). The black/brown melanin granule is a particular oval shape that absorbs the light, reflecting black or brown color. The pheomelanin granules are shorter, like minuscule footballs, reflecting light in the red spectrum.
How Calico Cats Show Red/Orange and Black/Brown Fur
When the O allele is dominant, it overrides the B/b black-brown eumelanin and expresses pheomelanin (red coloration). When the o is recessive, it expresses the brown/black coloration. The trick comes in with the female double XX chromosome that may express both the non-red o (black/brown) and the O (red) simultaneously because these two alleles can be codominant.
The secret behind the patches of color randomly expressed in the calico cat lies in the mysterious genetic process called lyonization in all female mammals. Because females have two XX sex chromosomes, much information stored in the second X is redundant or superfluous.
So, early in embryonic development, the female cat “shuts down” one of the two Xs at a cellular level. One X curls into a Barr body and becomes inactive, allowing the other X to express coat coloration.
After lyonization, the different cells may express one of the two dominant alleles on the particular cell, such as O (red/orange) or O (black or brown). These expressions are random as the deactivated X may occur without any distinct pattern, resulting in splotches of color anywhere on a calico kitty.
What Is the Difference Between a Tortoiseshell and a Calico Cat?
The difference between a tortie and a calico is the addition of a different gene responsible for white spotting. This white spotting mutation is an entirely separate allele located in another place on the genome. Geneticists represent the dominant allele responsible for the white spotting as wS or S, and you will find this allele in the KIT gene loci, not the X.
The W and the S gene mask any color beneath it and replace it with white either in the entire coat (W) or substantial portions of white(S) or partial white coat colorations (s). Here is a clearer view of the difference between a tortie and a calico.
| Heterozygous (O/o) | Both orange/red pheomelanin pigment and black/brown eumelanin pigment | Tortoiseshell coat |
| Both O/o and the White Spotting gene wS | (Ss) or Wh bicolor/tricolor or ventral white (SS) or Wl low spotting 50-100% | Calico coats Turkish Van, Harlequin |
Why Are 99% of Calico’s Female?
Male calicos are a rarity; you will only find 1 in 3000 calico cats. Males only have one X chromosome, so they cannot express O and o simultaneously because the O/o lies in the sex-linked X gene. Thus, they will either be O (red) or O (brown black) unless they have a rare genetic abnormality called Kleinfelter’s syndrome, which results in an addition of an extra X chromosome, causing an XXY combination.
Unfortunately, this syndrome is a genetic abnormality, and the male cat with the XXY abnormality will be not only sterile but also susceptible to health issues such as the following:
- Brittle bones and osteoporosis
- Susceptibility to obesity and diabetes
- Cognitive development issues
Alternatively, male calicos may result from chimerism, when two fertilized ova form into a single kitten in the womb. If the fusion is between a male and female, the cat may display both XX and XY features, such as the calico coloration, and still be able to reproduce.
Here is a gorgeous video of a Stunning female calico Maine Coon bathing her kittens:
7 Other Color Variations of the Maine Coon Calico
Calico cats come in a fabulous assortment and aren’t limited to the red/black/white spectrum. The Cat Fanciers’ Association (CFA) has seven other beautiful calico show colorations that you will find below.
| Maine Coon Calico Color Variation | Description of Coat |
|---|---|
| Dilute Calico (Incl. Vans) | Shimmering white with patches of blue and cream with a predominantly white underside |
| Shell Calico | White with striped patches (brindled), red and black with back sides, and tail tipped with black and red. The chin, ears (incl. tufts), and chest/ruff are white or tipped with a primarily white underbelly. |
| Shaded Calico | These Maine Coons have a dazzling white coat with patches of brindled black and red shades. Legs may be shaded more deeply with chin ears, furnishings, and ruff white or tipped with a primarily white underside. Noticeably darker than the shell calico, |
| Shell Dilute Calico | Snow white with brindled cream and blue patches, and the back, flanks, and face may show shade with tipping. The chin, ear furnishings, belly, and ruff may be white to slightly tipped with color—mostly white underparts. |
| Shaded Dilute Calico | The shaded dilute has much the same coloration as the Shell Calico but is a noticeably darker shade; they also show mostly white underparts. |
| Calico Smoke | The Calico Smoke has dazzling white with patches of brindled black and red. These patches have a visibly white undercoat and a predominantly white underbelly. |
| Dilute Calico Smoke | This coloration offers beautiful brindle patches of cream and blue with a white undercoat and white underbelly. |
Do Tri-color Maine Feline Have Health Issues?
Besides the male calicos suffering from genetic defects such as Kleinfelter’s syndrome, your calico cats have no real genetic issues such as deafness in white cats. However, the white-furred areas may be susceptible to skin cancer as the skin lacks the coloration to protect against the sun’s UV rays.
According to Cornell University, skin tumors are the second most common type of feline cancer treated at their Cornell University hospital, second only to lymphoma. The sun’s radiation damages the feline DNA, causing abnormal cell growth in areas affected by the UV damage.
White, bicolor, tricolor, and ginger cats are particularly prone to squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) in the following areas:
- The Nose
- Lips
- Ears
- The skin around the eyes
If your Calico Maine Coon has sparse or white fur around any of these areas, you should take it to limit your cat’s peak sun exposure. Alternatively, you should invest in a feline sunblock that is fragrance and allergen-free and apply the sunscreen liberally several times a day in the summer months.
Bodhi Dog Sunscreen (available on Amazon.com) is a popular choice for cat lovers with pet-safe ingredients for your cat. The sunscreen is also alcohol and zinc-oxide-free with a 30+ SPF.
That being said, the Maine Coon breed has particular susceptibilities to the following genetic-based health concerns.
Maine Coon Health Issues
In every purebred cat, you may find some genetic predispositions to health issues. Maine Coons are pretty robust, on the whole, coming from hardy Maine working cats. However, a reputable breeder is crucial to genetically test their Maine Coon breeding line to guard against the following:
- Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
- Spinal Muscular Atrophy
- Polycystic Kidney Disease
- Hip dysplasia
Do Calico Cats Have a Particular Personality?
The calico designates a coloration rather than a breed, so the breed character would better reflect the calico temperament. However, a group of UC Davis researchers conducted an extensive survey of over 1200 cat guardians about personality and coat color types. The news did not fare well for our tri-color “money cats.”
Calicos and female cats with the sex-linked orange color gene, including torties and bicolor black/white gray/white, are ranked the most aggressive towards humans. The survey analyzed the aggression levels of all coat colors in everyday settings and during handling and veterinary visits.
So maybe your calico Maine Coon may be a bit feistier than your average cat? Let’s give them the credit for having more oversized personalities…
Calico Cats History
Although the tri-color and bicolor kitties seem late to the domestic cat breed, their origins are shrouded in antiquity. Japanese Artists depicted the distinctive tri-color mi-ke or Japanese Bobtail cats from as early as the 1700s, but their origins may be far older in the cradle of cat-kind in ancient Egypt.
Geneticists trace the white spotting gene back to a feline retrovirus that left traces in our domestic cat’s genetic code far back in the Felis catus ancestry. This mutation affected the migration of pigment cells in the developing cat fetus, canceling the expression of gene color through dominance.
Calico Cats and Folklore
The Japanese hold the calico Bobtail cat as a lucky symbol whose beckoning paw can bring good fortune. Some say the maneki-neko, or Lucky cat, came from the legend that a cat beckoned a samurai into a temple just in time to save him from a lightning stroke. Some also say Japanese sailors coveted calico cats on board their vessels to guard against storms.
In late 18th century Cornwall, rural folk believed a three-colored calico cat could protect against fire. The Germans also associated the calico with luck, calling these patched beauties “Glückskatze” or “lucky cats.”
In the US, the calico is called the “money cat,” whose origins are mysterious. Lara Gould, author of “Cats Are Not Peas: A Calico History of Genetics,” suggests that the “money cat” idea may have evolved due to a popular children’s story by Mary Nash in the 1960s. In one of her stories, a young boy received 1300 dollars for his male calico cat, “Toad,” due to its rarity and value.
Closing Thoughts
Calico Maine Coons are a delight, with their attention-grabbing splashes of color on their pristine white fur. The calico color is a rare expression of genetic magic that breeders cannot easily replicate, increasing the cat’s magic and mystery. Regardless of folklore, any cat lover will be truly lucky to own one of these gorgeous colored Maine Coons.
