Extremely rare kitten up for adoption in Bay Area

[KamaAina]

http://blog.sfgate.com/stew/2015/01/30/extremely-rare-kitten-up-for-adoption-in-bay-area/

Sherman looks like any other kitten, but there’s something very special about him — it’s, well, that he’s a him.

Cat lovers will know that calico-colored cats are almost always female. Sherman is male.

“It’s like a unicorn!” said Humane Society Silicon Valley veterinarian Andrea Berger. “I’ve been involved with shelters for 20 years and I have never seen one.”

The chance of a calico cat being born male is less than 0.1%, making Sherman quite the exceptional critter. He is currently being cared for by the Humane Society in Silicon Valley, which took him in after one of the region’s sister shelters was too full to keep him.

Meow!

[JimDandy]

1. That interesting bit of info deserves a K n R. n/t

[NV Whino]

2. And a handsome fellow to boot.

Male calicoes are generally sterile, too.

[LisaL]

5. Any reputable shelter would neuter him before adopting him out anyway.

[Demoiselle]

6. Even neutered, he's still a male. A genetic rarity. Of course he should be neutered!

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

8. Even a sterile male might be inclined to spray and get into fights.

And, since a male calico has a set of xxy chromosomes instead of xy like a normal male (females are xx), even if he wasn't sterile he couldn't pass two x chromosomes to his male offspring. Those kittens would have normal male coat colors, not calico, because you need two x chromosomes for calico - orange on one of them and black on the other. So there would be no point in trying to breed him anyhow.

[MissB]

3. I have only had two calico kitties

Females of course. I wonder if male calico kitties have similar (fierce) personalities.

He's a lucky kitty.

[progressoid]

4. I'll take him.

Ship him to Iowa please.

[shenmue]

7. Awwwww!

Squee explosion!

[niyad]

9. awwwww