Is this a true Tri-colored tabby cat?

[pixelcat]

This is for my research, are these considered true tri-colored cat? 

Are all tri-colored cats, female? I was reading http://www.fanciers.com/cat-faqs/tricolors.shtml  but so far still can't be 100% sure.

Can the experts help I.D all 3 photos? thank you so much!

I'm guessing it has to be a female, besides it's name says it all. True tri-colored?

2_sam.jpg

• pixelcat
• May 3, 2013

callie640x480.jpg

• pixelcat
• May 3, 2013

jimmanzfaceprof.jpg

• pixelcat
• May 3, 2013

 

[di and bob]

The top one is a calico, a 'Tortishell Calico', The second one is a tri-colored calico with white, the bottom one is a tabby, you can always tell them by the 'M' on their foreheads. All are domestic short hairs. A breeder could be more specific, I'm just going by what I know, and hope I'm right!

 

[Willowy]

The first is a tortoiseshell---it doesn't look like she has much, if any, white, so I wouldn't call her tri-color. The second is what most Americans would call calico, but some would call her tortoiseshell and white. She is a true tri-color.

Almost all torties/calicos are female because the red gene and black gene are both associated with the X chromosome, to have both colors a cat would need to have two X chromosomes, so any male with both colors would be a chromosomal oddity (there are other ways to get a male tortie, too, but that's the most common), and many are infertile because of that.

The third one is not a tortie, that is a tabby. He/she has different shades of brown/black, but not different colors

 

[pixelcat]

Great! I've learnt so much! So basically i would call them : 

1st pic - Domestic Shorthair Tortoiseshell Cat

2nd pic - Domestic Shorthair Tri-color [color= rgb(24, 24, 24)]Calico [/color]Cat

3rd pic - Domestic Shorthair Tabby Cat

Please help to confirm, thank you!

 

[Willowy]

Well, that's what I would call them :tongue2:. But like I said, in some places the word calico isn't really used for cats. They would say tortoiseshell and white. So it kind of depends on the common usage in your area.

 

[callista]

That last one is a Bengal. Brown tabby.

Yes, tri-colored cats are practically always female. That's because the black and the red fur colors are X-linked traits. As you know, X and Y determine a cat's sex; so a male is XY and a female is XX. Since there can only be one color on each X, a genetic XY male can be either black or red, but not both, because he's only got one X. A genetic XX female can be red only if she has red on both of her X's, which is why only about 25% of red cats are female. If she has red on one X and black (or brown tabby) on the other X, the color of her fur will depend on which X is active in a particular hair follicle. So, in some places, the red will be active, other places the black (or brown tabby), and she will have patchy fur. If she also has the "and white" gene, she'll be a tortie-and-white; if she doesn't, she'll be a normal tortie.

There are a few genetic disorders in which a male cat is not a genetic XY male, and they can result in a male tortoiseshell cat. One is chimerism, which is what happens when two embryos fuse and grow into a kitten, and the resulting kitten has two distinct sets of DNA. If one kitten was red and the other was black, the result will be a tortoiseshell chimera, which can be male. The other possibility is an XXY male, which is a genetic glitch that leaves the male with an extra X chromosome, and thus the possibility of being a tortie. Neither type of male tortie will have male tortie kittens--the chimera will just pass on whichever set of genes are in his genitalia, and the XXY cat will most likely be infertile (occasionally fertile XXY cats will just pass on an X or Y as normal). A male tortie is a curiosity, a genetic oddity, but not completely unknown.

 

[pixelcat]

Thank you so much for the detailed reply! Learnt so much!