I know this is an old post , but I thought I'd come in about Japanese bobtails. The JBT tail mutation is a complete recessive gene, so both parents need to possess the mutation to pass it along.
However, Manx and other bobbed tail breeds are incomplete dominant genes, so only one parent needs...
The Japanese bobtail mi-ke coloration is written as 三毛. These Kanji are "three" and "hair" or "fur"; so they're referring to the the colors of hair the cat has when they have the calico coloration.
Just thought I'd clarify why the Japanese bobtail breed has a specific color name for the calico...
