Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Wednesday Winston: Colorful Kitties

Winston is a he-she.

Did you know that?

This is information from our local veterinarian and some google research.

Apparently, the colors in a cat's fur are dominant in the female genes. Because male cats do not have the extra x chromosome, they are genetically unable to inherit more than two colors from their parents. This is why male calico cats are extremely rare. And when they do exist, they are usually infertile.

This is Winston.
He is black, orange, gray, tawny, white, and chocolate brown.
He is a rare XXY.
He is very beautiful.
He is a male, but he has female chromosomes.
Therefore, he is a he-she.

Good job, Winsty's mom. Good job, Winsty.

3 comments:

Chad and Mandi said...

I opened up your blog and Jordyn first saw the picture of you and the bunny and got super excited saying "bunny, bunny" over and over. Then she saw Winston and was even more excited shouting, "cat, cat" over and over. She likes your blog!

Pepper said...

yes I knew, but Winston's secret is safe with me... ehehhe

lindsay said...

I have been hearing that male cats couldn't be multi-colored, but hadn't bothered to look into whether that was actually true and why. I love your unique kitty :)

interestingly enough, this chromosomal abnormality can happen with humans as well, and it results in male phenotype with some feminine characteristics and reduced fertility.