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by Ruby Doomsday on October 27th, 2007
Male cats that are calico or tortiseshell have shorter lifespans than other coat colours because they have Klinefelter's Syndrome -- an extra X chromosome. However, this accounts for very VERY few cats... one in 3000 calicos or torties born, I think. But perhaps this is what you were thinking of?
by xhepera on October 27th, 2007
I don't know where you heard that, but there is no correlation between the number of colors in a cat's fur and it's lifespan, all other factors being equal.
by Sheriff Raff -Answerhag on October 28th, 2007
I think cats that run around outside have a shorter life span because they can get hit by cars or bit by wild animals. Life is a crap shoot with everything, including cats.
by Yeux on October 28th, 2007
Never heard of this before.
by Jade on October 29th, 2007
I have never heard this, but I have heard that tri-color cats are ALMOST always female. I know I have never seen a three color male cat, they exist, I am told, but are very rare. I have also heard that they are sterile (?)
by bigkado69 on October 28th, 2007
that has to be the most retarted thing i ever heard.NO!!.lol
by Anonymous on December 19th, 2007
I have not heard that in the 3 color cat. However, it is rare you will find a male 3 color cat.
by Grammy Robin on October 29th, 2007
I've never heard of this before.
by healthy on October 28th, 2007
My cat is tri-colored and she is around 18 years old.
by Tari on December 19th, 2007
We have a tri-color male.
He and his two littermates were dumped on the road in front of our house. He is less than six-months old and is healthy and social. (He has an appointment for his "snip" in January.)
His underside (tummy, chest,and the insides of his legs) is yellow with black spots. His muzzle is white. His littermates have white feet but his feet are yellow and flecked with gray. His back and tail are black and stripped through with gray.
The pattern of the stripes is really interesting. They resemble that of a ring tabby but the rings on his sides and the back of his neck are broken rings.
The vet hasn't said anything about having a shorter life-span and treats him as if he's a regular male purrson.
We treat him as if he's the best kitten in the house.
when was the last time you saw a "pager?"
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Comments
Thanks Ruby. Very informative.
BTW, I was just thinking of three-colored cats in general.
by Doggie S on October 27th, 2007
Interesting. Is this also what accounts for the sterility in male torties?
by xhepera on October 27th, 2007
Ah. Well, my friend has an 18 year old tortie who's still kickin'. I think female three-colour cats do fine. :)
by Ruby Doomsday on October 27th, 2007
yeah, xhepera! they have a female chromosome, so they're not full males.
by Ruby Doomsday on October 27th, 2007
Good answer, Ruby, and correct. Although I know there IS such a thing as a male tortie, I've never actually seen one. They are very rare, indeed. I've always thought it was kind of cool to be able to know the sex of a cat simply by the color of it's coat, though. If it's tortie, it's female.
by Taylor on October 28th, 2007
Taylor, the vast majority of the time that will be true, but, as Ruby wrote, there are the rare males that have it.
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Ruby, just because they have an extra X chromosome does not mean that they are not fully male. All it takes to be fully male is the Y chromosome.
by Glenn Blaylock on October 28th, 2007
Yeah, I should have been more sensitive about the way I worded that. They have an extra female chromosome, so they don't fully display all characteristics associated with being male, but they are certainly, by definition male. I kinda cringed when I re-read that response of mine -- thanks for pointing it out! :)
by Ruby Doomsday on October 28th, 2007