Tri Color Male?

[lorie williams]

Hi - I have had cats all my life, and have 5 now. When I adopted my latest foster I wondered if his coloring was rare. He is not calico, but he is a white and gray striped fellow with a few patches of tan around his eyes, on his tummy etc. Is that unusual? He is about 9 months old now, very small and by all accounts very healthy. He does act like he may be mentally impaired or a little brain damaged. He lost a littermate shortly after birth with breathing issues and it is thought he may have been oxygen deprived. He is a complete joy, and the other cats are all very protective of him and love him.

 

[Margret]

You know, I just realized that I'm not sure whether that light tan color counts as a variant of red or of black. If it's a variant of red, then yes, it's unusual to find in a male, though not unheard of. You can find a good explanation of the genetics here: Demystifying the Sex/Color Connection in Cats : SecurePet USA Pet Sitter, Wimberley, Texas If you look at the cat pictures on that page, the coloration of Diamond looks very similar to your description (without the stripes), and they're calling the tan color "apricot" and implying that it's from the red gene.

We'd love to see some pictures of your cats.

Margret

 

[neely]

You can also post your question here to get more opinions from some of our expert members on the forum:
Describing Cats - What Does My Cat Look Like?

 

[StefanZ]

Hi - I have had cats all my life, and have 5 now. When I adopted my latest foster I wondered if his coloring was rare. He is not calico, but he is a white and gray striped fellow with a few patches of tan around his eyes, on his tummy etc. Is that unusual? He is about 9 months old now, very small and by all accounts very healthy. He does act like he may be mentally impaired or a little brain damaged. He lost a littermate shortly after birth with breathing issues and it is thought he may have been oxygen deprived. He is a complete joy, and the other cats are all very protective of him and love him.

Best is if you send in a couple of good pics, it will be much easier to see and answer.

If you have difficulty to attach a pic, you can try to simply copy and paste.

 

[Margret]

Here's another web-page with a good explanation: Are All Orange Cats Male and All Calico Cats Female?

Margret