Those on high floor apartments...

[Straysmommy]

I guess calico males must be rare, because when I was looking for his owners, one organization advertised him as a lost female, telling me it couldn't be a calico male. Now, I'm not the best at these things, but I know that 3 holes means "boy", LOL

I'll need a sturdy net, that's for sure. This guy is so big that he can do as he pleases. I found him outside the window walking on the a/c box twice already, and my heart-wrenching "NOOOO!" scream made him so scared that he jumped immediately back into the apt. He's seemingly not afraid of heights...

[Carmel]

Originally Posted by Straysmommy

I guess calico males must be rare, because when I was looking for his owners, one organization advertised him as a lost female, telling me it couldn't be a calico male. Now, I'm not the best at these things, but I know that 3 holes means "boy", LOL

Yup, that is really rare. I went and copied some random info from a website:

Coat color in cats is a sex-linked trait, a physical characteristic (coat color) related to gender. Female animals have two X chromosomes (XX), males have one X chromosome and one Y chromosome (XY). The genetic coding for displaying black or orange color is found on the X chromosome. The coding for white is a completely separate gene.

Since females have two X chromosomes, they are able to "display" two colors (orange and black, or variations thereof) and white; creating the 3-color calico mix. Since males have only one X chromosome, they can only be orange OR black. It is more complicated than simply having the color genes -- it is a complex process of dominant and non-dominate genes interacting on the X chromosomes, but that is the basis for coat color in calico cats.

Can a calico cat ever be male? Yes, in rare instances. In this situation, the cat has two X chromosomes and one Y chromosome (XXY). Cats with this chromosomal configuration are usually sterile (not able to breed).

I also read on Wikipedia that:

Approximately 1 in 3,000 calico/tortoiseshell cats are male.

[Straysmommy]

Wow, that's really interesting! And here I was thinking that the 2 girls downstairs look like his daughters! Maybe my Prince is gay? He prefers to relate to female cats and women a lot more than males. But if it's a female, then why the 3 circles under his/her tail?