Calico Cat

[CallieCalico]

Hi everyone. I have just agreed to take a kitten from a friend, and am both nervous and excited! My children and I bought what seemed to amount to the whole of the pet shop yesterday in anticipation of his arrival.

My only concern is the fact that he is a male, zero problem on my side, but after (silly move) googling calico cats, it seems calico males have some inherent health issues, and I'm concerned about insurance, will the fact that he is a male calico impact on his insurance policy?
Regards,
Calllie.

 

[tabbytom]

to you CallieCalico and new kitty, on behalf of The Catsite community, a warm

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[CallieCalico]

Thanks! I am a complete novice to having any kind of a pet but we chose a cat because of their independent nature. I read the pages for new cat owners, very helpful.

 

[white shadow]

.
Hi CallieCalico and welcome to the forum !

Hopefully we can get an answer to this for you:

....it seems calico males have some inherent health issues, and I'm concerned about insurance, will (this) impact on his insurance policy?

I wonder if lutece might know.....or, know who might have answers.

Meantime, Callie...........where are the obligatory pictures?
.

 

[CallieCalico]

Thanks, any advice would be greatly appreciated. I'm probably (definitely) overthinking the whole insurance issue. Klinefelter isn't hereditary but does every calico male suffer from klinefelter syndrome? If not, then he should be covered as per every other cat? If yes, then even though it's not hereditary, I was aware of it, so does that negate any potential cover? I do want to insure the little guy but what cover is best is up for debate. Apologies for boring everyone!

 

[CallieCalico]

 

[Sidewinder]

Thanks! I am a complete novice to having any kind of a pet but we chose a cat because of their independent nature. I read the pages for new cat owners, very helpful.

Aww, what a handsome little kitteh!!! Looks like a slice o' pizza on his nose, LOL... cats are DEFINITELY more independent than dogs, and far less work too since you don't have to walk 'em. Feed bill is generally less expensive, and (to me) cats are far more entertaining... what's not to like???

 

[aliceneko]

Welcome to you and your gorgeous kitty!

 

[lutece]

Thanks, any advice would be greatly appreciated. I'm probably (definitely) overthinking the whole insurance issue. Klinefelter isn't hereditary but does every calico male suffer from klinefelter syndrome? If not, then he should be covered as per every other cat? If yes, then even though it's not hereditary, I was aware of it, so does that negate any potential cover? I do want to insure the little guy but what cover is best is up for debate. Apologies for boring everyone!

How old is your cute new baby? It looks like quite a young baby, so my first question is... are you SURE it is a male? Most calicos are girls, and it is pretty easy to confuse baby kitten boys and girls. If it's a little ambiguous back there, you can have your vet double check and palpate to see if baby really has testicles.

If it is in fact a calico male cat, there are two main ways for a male to be a calico:

1) The feline equivalent of Klinefelter in humans (XXY). In this case if you did a DNA test on your kitten using cells from any part of the body, all cells would look like they belong to the same individual, and would be XXY.

2) Chimerism, which basically means your kitten started out as two separate fertilized eggs in utero, and then those two clumps of cells bumped up against each other and merged into one kitten. In that case, if you did a DNA test using cells from the black coated areas of your kitten, and compared with a DNA test using cells from the red tabby coated areas, the two tests would appear to be from two different individuals... because a chimera is basically two different individuals mixed together.​

I don't know which is more likely to be the case for any given male calico. In some places I've read that chimerism probably is more common in cats than XXY... and in other places I've read the opposite. But in any case, these are definitely both possible.

As far as health considerations, I have never had a male calico myself, and I am not a vet, so I can't give health advice about that, except to note that a male calico might in fact be an "intersex" individual (a cat with both female and male sexual characteristics). So if your kitty DOES appear to be a calico male, when it's time to get your kitty neutered, I would suggest you discuss with your vet about also checking for the presence of female internal parts. If your kitty has ovaries and/or uterus, I would think it would be medically preferable to have that removed (basically, spayed) at the same time as the neuter... but your vet would have a better idea about that than I would.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

OH MY GOODNESS! I am utterly kittensmitten! I did some searching about health issues, and noted with interest that there were several articles about them, one actually on a pet insurance website! That would seem to indicate that they can be covered. And not all male calicos have serious issues. The main one is that they are almost all sterile, and some are hermaphroditic, so your vet will want to check for female organs when he goes in for neutering.

 

[Maria Bayote]

Welcome to you and your kitty! Such an adorable munchkin you got there. Yes, usually calicos are female, but nevertheless, you got great info above from Lutece.

Your kitty made me think of my previous foster I named Whiskey whom I plucked from the street. She is in a very loving home now, but I do miss her to this day.

 

[CallieCalico]

How old is your cute new baby? It looks like quite a young baby, so my first question is... are you SURE it is a male? Most calicos are girls, and it is pretty easy to confuse baby kitten boys and girls. If it's a little ambiguous back there, you can have your vet double check and palpate to see if baby really has testicles.

If it is in fact a calico male cat, there are two main ways for a male to be a calico:

1) The feline equivalent of Klinefelter in humans (XXY). In this case if you did a DNA test on your kitten using cells from any part of the body, all cells would look like they belong to the same individual, and would be XXY.

2) Chimerism, which basically means your kitten started out as two separate fertilized eggs in utero, and then those two clumps of cells bumped up against each other and merged into one kitten. In that case, if you did a DNA test using cells from the black coated areas of your kitten, and compared with a DNA test using cells from the red tabby coated areas, the two tests would appear to be from two different individuals... because a chimera is basically two different individuals mixed together.​

I don't know which is more likely to be the case for any given male calico. In some places I've read that chimerism probably is more common in cats than XXY... and in other places I've read the opposite. But in any case, these are definitely both possible.

As far as health considerations, I have never had a male calico myself, and I am not a vet, so I can't give health advice about that, except to note that a male calico might in fact be an "intersex" individual (a cat with both female and male sexual characteristics). So if your kitty DOES appear to be a calico male, when it's time to get your kitty neutered, I would suggest you discuss with your vet about also checking for the presence of female internal parts. If your kitty has ovaries and/or uterus, I would think it would be medically preferable to have that removed (basically, spayed) at the same time as the neuter... but your vet would have a better idea about that than I would.

Thanks a million for all that information, very enlightening. I hadn't researched Chimerism. My friend assures me that the kitten is a male, and I wouldn't like to question her! He is 6 weeks so we will collect him in a month. I always planned to neuter cat so I'll leave the vet do their work, I hope it won't be too intrusive.

 

[CallieCalico]

OH MY GOODNESS! I am utterly kittensmitten! I did some searching about health issues, and noted with interest that there were several articles about them, one actually on a pet insurance website! That would seem to indicate that they can be covered. And not all male calicos have serious issues. The main one is that they are almost all sterile, and some are hermaphroditic, so your vet will want to check for female organs when he goes in for neutering.

OH MY GOODNESS! I am utterly kittensmitten! I did some searching about health issues, and noted with interest that there were several articles about them, one actually on a pet insurance website! That would seem to indicate that they can be covered. And not all male calicos have serious issues. The main one is that they are almost all sterile, and some are hermaphroditic, so your vet will want to check for female organs when he goes in for neutering.

Thanks so much for that, hopefully that will be the case. I'll have to bite the bullet and telephone some of the insurance companies myself.

 

[CallieCalico]

Welcome to you and your kitty! Such an adorable munchkin you got there. Yes, usually calicos are female, but nevertheless, you got great info above from Lutece.

Your kitty made me think of my previous foster I named Whiskey whom I plucked from the street. She is in a very loving home now, but I do miss her to this day.

Thank you. Whiskey is a lovely name, she would be in good company here.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Thanks so much for that, hopefully that will be the case. I'll have to bite the bullet and telephone some of the insurance companies myself.

Hold off until you are certain of the sex. Even vets can be wrong when they are that age!

 

[rubysmama]

Hello and welcome to TCS. And congrats on your upcoming kitten adoption. He (maybe she?) is pawsitively adorable.

 

[kashmir64]

Welcome to the forums. He is the cutest little thing.
However, I understand you don't want to question your friend, but being calico, I would question your friend.
I think I'm kitten smitten. He's just too darn cute.

 

[Galilea96]

The fact that you have a male calico is freaken amazing! Sooooooon rare!!!!!

 

[CallieCalico]

Hold off until you are certain of the sex. Even vets can be wrong when they are that age!

I will, thanks.

 

[CallieCalico]

Welcome to the forums. He is the cutest little thing.
However, I understand you don't want to question your friend, but being calico, I would question your friend.
I think I'm kitten smitten. He's just too darn cute.

You're right, I agree. I'll pass him/her over to the vet for confirmation.