Shel Belinkoff wrote: "Over the years I've encountered two or three male
calicos. They were all
alive. However, calicos have a very, very strong tendency to be female,
but as with most other things in life, it is not absolute."
Those of you who really need to run this into the ground might be
interested to note that male calico cats are unusual genetic variants
with the feline equivalent of Kleinfelter syndrome. Genotypically, they
are XXY or XXXY (or. . . ), instead of the usual female XX and male XY
genotypes. Humans with this condition develop as males, but are sterile,
and may exhibit some female characteristics, such as enlarged breasts;
mild mental retardation is also common in Kleinfelter patients.
I don't know whether you'd be able to tell if a male calico was
retarded. My black and white cat is undoubtedly XX, but she still seems
a bit, um, slow.
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