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Calico or Tortoiseshell?
"Calico" and "tortoiseshell" are terms that describe coloring. Most often they indicate a cat who's coloring is a mix of red, black and cream hairs. Some use the terms interchangeable -- for example, "calico" can be the American term for tortoiseshell. However, "tortoiseshell" cats originated in Great Britain from crossing shorthaired cats, although the ancestry of some of the cats may be African and Turkish. The color patterns, usually similar from cat to cat, occurred early in the domestication process.
Most cats that are tortoiseshell are female. Tortoiseshell males are usually the result of a genetic abnormality. Males are usually sterile. Tortoiseshell coloring appears when one or both parents carry tortoiseshell genes.
"Calico" is a coloration that includes "clumps" of red, white and black occurring in unique arrangements. It is impossible to predict the coloration patterns in calico offspring. The patterns are caused by the gradual shut down of one of the females paired sex chromosomes during development of the embryo. The ancestry is the African Wild cat.
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