Understanding The Calico Cat Breed-info and facts about it.

To begin with, the calico cats do not belong to any specific breed. Like so many other cats, they are only a distinctive color pattern that is advertised as being a specific breed for different reasons and purposes. The calico is just a unique fur pattern that comes in a huge range of colors like black, white, red, orange, blue-gray, and so many others.

These cats can both be domestic as well as exotic. Some such cat breeds are known to have the calico fur pattern-

• American Shorthair
• Japanese bobtail
• Persian
• British shorthair
• Forest cats
• Turkish van
• Turkish Angora

The signature color pattern in calico cats is the white, black, and orange combo.

Short historical briefing of the calico cats

There is some history associated with the calico cat breed where their existence has been believed to be as ancient as the early Egyptian civilizations. The ancient Egyptians have been believed to have petted the calico cats but this claim has no substantial backing. However, the fact remains true that calicos have been known to humankind for a long time.

This also gets proved by the existence of calicos in the Japanese paintings of the 19th century. You will find a lot of calico cat figurines and toys, especially the calico Japanese Bobtail, in Japan since they are considered lucky charms that bring prosperity and fortune to the owners. People hang them in various public as well as private spaces for good luck

In a similar fashion, French painters like Jean-Baptiste also illustrated the calico cats in many of his creations belonging to the 1700s.

Types of the calico breed cats

The main differentiating factor between the calico cats is the color and fur pattern. This also means that they can be categorized on the same criteria. Let us list some of the common types of calico cats:

Tri-color

Also known as Brindle or Tobi Mi-ke in Japanese, it means triple fur. This is the most basic calico fur pattern with a tri-color combination and some white patches. The colors mostly displayed include black, white, ginger, and brown.

Dilute

These calico cats have coats of less intense colors and that gives them the name “Dilute”. The colors like gold, smokey/charcoal grey, and cream are the most common colors seen in these cats. They are also known with names like Clouded tiger and Calimanco, again due to the non-bright colors.

Tortoiseshell

The cats with this fur pattern display a combination of many colors from a huge range of options. You may come to see a Tortoiseshell calico cat of black, blue, cream, red, ginger, lilac, chocolate, or any other charming color.

The white patches on the coat of these cats are very less and they usually appear in the form of tiny spots around the paws, chest, and face.

Patched tabby

These cats go by the name Calico Tabby cats. This variant of the calico breed has the unique tabby stripes that look like the tiger stripes. You can also find small patches of black and ginger color which is exclusive to this cat specie.

The unique charm of the long-haired variety of calico cats

A long hair calico cat can look exceptionally exotic and divine for the luscious and long coat that cannot be matched for its beauty. A lot of long hair cat species can have the calico pattern; actually, all of them can have the calico colors.

The Persian cat breed category has the most beautiful calico cats in appearance along with a unique temperament. These are very similar to the bi-color Persian cats but have those distinctive white patches on the coat. This also makes them quite similar to the tortoiseshell pattern.

They have coats of bold colors mostly but can have dilute shades, smoky hues, or chocolate colors too.

The grooming needs of a long-haired calico cat breed can be elaborate and as frequent as few times in a single week. Now, that is also an imperative demand that helps in the prevention of fur-balls later.

Facts about the calico cats

Here are some astounding things to know about the calico cat breed: