What kind of cat is my buster boy?

Yes I'm very lucky to have this crazy confusing kitty
In my life, and yes it's true most calico/torti kitties
Are female, but sometimes they can be male...the
Only thing that confuses me with buster boy here
Is that he's pretty much a med. Coat red tabby
And then he turns around and he's got this s strange
Torti shell arm lol and people always ask me when they see
Him OMG! What happened to his arm!?!?! And I can't help
But laugh cause there just not used to seeing such a thing and
Don't blame them cause neither am I!!! Lol

Yup. Calico boys are quite rare, but they can happen.

Usually it's like this:

Cats' gender, like ours, comes from their chromosomes. The genes on two of those chromosomes will do the switching on or off of the particular genes which make a grown up cat either male or female. Males are XY; females are XX.

A calico or tortie female's coloring is due to her XX chromosomes (chromosomes of course being bunches of genes that the parents pass on to the children at conception, and which make the blueprint for a kitten). One X says "Be a red kitty!" and the other X says "Be a black kitty!" And the combination of that of course is red and black--tortoiseshell, a patched cat with red and black depending on which particular X chromosome got to express itself on that particular bit of the cat's fur.

'Course you can combine XX tortoiseshell with the "and white" gene to get a calico with big patches of color, or combine it with the "dilute" gene to get a gray-and-cream calico like my Christy girl. There are even calicos with Siamese-style points on their faces, paws, and tails.

What happens with male calicos is usually a genetic glitch. A male cat embryo is usually XY. He gets X from the mom and Y from the dad. While the cells of the zygote are combining and dividing, very early on, somehow the male gets ahold of another X chromosome. Maybe the tomcat's sperm accidentally brought along his X. Maybe the egg brought along an extra X. Maybe a bit of an X got tacked onto another chromosome. Whatever happened, your boy ended up with three sex chromosomes instead of two--probably XXY. He's still a boy cat because he has a Y chromosome, but he's got the two X chromosomes as well, and each X chromosome can bring a different color with it--which with your cat is what has probably happened. So he's got a "Be a red kitty!" X, and a "Be a black kitty!" X, and a "Boy!" Y. Odd, but it's not going to cause him medical problems or anything. In humans, we call it Klinefelter syndrome. He is much less likely to be fertile--I don't think the "male calico" thing is something he could pass on to his kittens if he were. He'd just pass on an X or a Y as normal.

Another possibility, rarer but not unheard of, is that he could be a chimera. That's what happens when two kittens, very early on, merge together and grow into one adult cat; so the adult has two sets of DNA in different parts. So he could have one set of genes for "red male cat" and another for "tortie female cat". If he's ever impregnated a female, then he's probably a chimera rather than XXY (because XXY cats are usually infertile); if he did have kittens he'd pass on his "red male cat" genes.

Either way--male calico is a real curiosity. Not any more valuable than any other cat; not useful for breeding purposes--but quite a conversation piece. And beautiful, too. I wouldn't worry about health problems, despite his genetic oddities. If he made it past his first days, he's as healthy as any other cat. I'd still get him neutered, though. Tomcat hormones can have an effect on a cat whether he's a chimera or XXY or anything else, and you don't want him spraying in your house.

BTW, I'd say he's a "medium-hair" cat--he's not quite got the very long hair that a DLH has, but definitely longer than DSH. I'd go for the "Maine coon blood" theory myself, especially if his fur is dense and needs very little brushing, and if he keeps growing into his third year--if he's got Maine Coon in his ancestry, he'll be rather large as an adult. As for the cause of his calico pattern--I'm betting on his being a chimera, myself. That big patch of tortie coloring, with the rest of him being a regular-looking orange-and-white cat? I bet that comes from his having two whole different sets of genes to start out with. Had things been different, he might have been two cats instead of one!

yea thats what i'm thinking myself cause ive seen calico/torti males before and then ive seen red tabby cats but ive never actually seen

a cat that looks entirely like a red tabby catt and then has one torti/calico patch on one part of there body(ats , ive tried to look it up but so far

havent really found anything tht looks like him just regular male tortis or calicos not half and half..... either way hes very confusing to me

and its weird cause i love calico anf torti cats (all my cats are calico/torit"s) and then along comes thiss red tabby and hes got a torti patch

on his arm!! not something you"d exspect to see let along have as one of your pets lol, but its really strange to me how his pattern is so strange

i often have to telll people " no thats his fur theres nothing wrong with his leg" welll i wish i could see if he really is a chimera

ive tried to contact some cat dna people and they just never email me back sooo i dont kno if ill ever figure it out but till

then hes my happy crazy cuddley confusing cat and i love him with all my heart!

Heh, you'd have to get genetic testing from the red part of him and the black part of him to really figure it out; and I don't think you want to subject him to that! I mean, it'd be like a skin sample or something minimally invasive with the tortie bit, and then a saliva sample for the orange part, but why do it if it's not necessary, right?

Lol ive got scabs from his torti side!!! And he drools when he sees food
I think im half way there!! Lol

Whatever he is, you have one beautiful and unusual cat there.  Is he a snuggle-bunny like he looks?  Which side is the black on? One picture is flipped, as they show the patch on different sides.

yes he is a very snuggly boy, expessially for a X-feral cat he"s made himself pretty comfortable in my home

how he thinks this is comfortable i"ll never know...but indeed he looks snuggly (excuse the random rotations of the photos i sometimes forget im not a real photographer nd my cell phone camera is a p.o.s!, regaurdless cant help saying "strike a pose.....your a LION! now your a wild ANIMAL a beast show me yes thats it make love to the camera show me the LOVE!!!" ...sorry got a lil tooo into that *cough cough* lol anyways...heres the photos

<a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa215/igethigh420/Photo0251.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

<a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa215/igethigh420/Photo0253.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

<a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa215/igethigh420/Photo0248.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

<a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa215/igethigh420/Photo0241.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

and when i look at him its on my left...so im guessing the blacks on his RIGHT????

Was he neutered already when you got him?  how long did it take him to tame up as you say he was feral?

don't kno why this dumb comp isnt showing the photos just the links....hmmmmm

well i first seen him Feb 12th 2012 at 12:57am outside my front gate i brought him out some canned food he was

skinny and scared and he made sure i kept my distance while he ate, literally he ate the whole can of food in 2 minutes

then i turned to walk back into my house and he ran up to me and started meowing and rubbing up against me

so i invited im in he was very cautious but seemed willing enough to check things out... he ate some dry food checked

the kitchen out was getting petted he kept laying down then getting bak up and walking and when he was

done he went to the door meowed and i let him out, my boyfriend named him Buster cause he would "head-butt" you

when he wanted to be petted...and to my surprise he just kinda never left he comes when i call his name for dinner

and lunch he meows at my window if he wants to come in and eat or just be lazy. he never really seemed like a feral cat but he definatly been on the street for a long time he still isnt trusting to people except me and occasionally my boyfriend but it didnt take him long before he stoped counter jumpng to eat scraps and he never sprayed or marked or fought with my bebe kitten he just kinda became my garbage cat lol my dirty stinky street cat, i didnt get him fixed cause i was waiting for the cat van but he has "attempted" to mate with bebe and shes not fixed due to her problems with anastesia and shes never gotton pregnant from him, so im not sure if he can re produce (shame cause hes HANDSOME, but probley better off due to the over population and crule people on this earth) hes been taken to a few vets cause there not sure what to make of him but they said i can get him fixed but they dont think he can re make lil ones so ive been thinking about it and its not really priority since all 25 male and female cats in near and around my block have been nutered and spayed so he doesnt really have a chance in hell either way except for bebe but she"ll rip his face off if he trys to mount her again...

but i dont really beleive in completely cutting off there bits and pieces so i think im going to get him a vesectomy and he can still have his bits and pieces and still feel like a MAN!...weird i know but hey gatta think of it from a mans point of veiw a guy rather cut off his legs then his manhood...and i certainity dont want to do that to him. and please dont write commments saying "oh you should get him fixed now!! he goes out doors your contributing to the over population he could roam and in pregnate a female...blah blah blah... trust me i kno...i trap nuter release.... i know whats going on around me... yes i kno its safer for the cat...yes i kno people take kittens and throw them in the trash and yes i am responsible to get it done for him this i know....so dont need to be reminded FYI, this is a thread about my cats weird unusual color and what breed he could be....just dont want it to turn into another free for all with everyone jumping the gun and saying how horrible i am for not getting him fixed asap, i will get him done BUT i want to see my options befor i just have someone chop his balls off, so thanks"

anywhooo....... like i was saying hes a good boy never had a problem hes very playful and snuggly and he is my buster boy

i absolutly love him with all my heart and its soooo funny that all my cats are either calico or torti and female  and out of kno where

this crazy half torti half red tabby cat comes outta nowhere and steals my heart, i never really wanted a male cat cause i thought they would spray everywhere even when fixed but ive never had that problem with him and what a relief im SOOOOO glad or else he probley

wouldnt be my kittie cause my boyfriend would flip out if one of my cats sprayed in the house!!

I was asking cause if hes a sterile male he could go throught the motions and pull out a female in heat but that can lead to false pregnancy and other issues down the road(that would require and emergency spay at alot more money then a clinic or regular vet office).

So he is not ex feral he was a stray who came afraid and in few minutes showed his true colors of beinging a decent pet.

I have alot of cats and no spayers at all. 

I do wonder about your female not being able to be fixed.  If it is a genetic thing and she has kittens then you won't be able to spay them either.  My cat had a reaction to being under to but she made it.

Does his urine have a smell to it different then your females? 

Since you brought up the other points I looked into it a bit.

You state about being so short on cash to fix him but yet you have taken him to a few vets.  Do you have free vets/office visits where you are.  I can't see any vet not STRONGLY advises to neuter.  Even if he can't "re make lil ones" he can get cancer.

Ah, I see. The black patch is on his right shoulder and leg.  No reason to ask except curiosity - I'm worse than any cat.

Catsallaround, yes it's genetic with bebe I had tried to get
Her fixed on 3 diff occasions. The first she almost didn't make it
They had to stop and try to wake her up and she had heart
arythmia (how ever it's spelled) and it took her weeks to fully recover
I was scared to try again but the vet said they would try a different
Type of stuff sooo I tried that and she immediately showed signs of issues
So they stopped it again and told me to come back in. a few weeks to
Try a third time I really didnt want to try again but I did
In hope that everything would finally get done without issue
Everything seemed to be fine then they started the procedure
And they had to give her immediate reversal cause she started to have complications
She had 3 seizes after they putr her in recovery they brought me into see her and she
Didn't even lift her head our open her eyes she liked horrible it broke my heart
The vet said they didnt think she was gonna make it through and I had
To leave her there for 5 days to be watched and make sure she would have no
Further complications. Sooo I just said I'm not going to do it to her again
I refuse to put her through that that if I ever lost her I would not know what to do
Shes my baby!!

...but as for buster...I'm not really sure about h his urine smell, he uses the bathroom
Outside and I'm not sure if he was a stay or just dumped when he was a kitten
I've tried to find out if he had an owner or whatnot.. But from what the neighbors
Tell me he's been living on the street since he was very young..so I don't
Really know his background story other then what I've been told or heard
But I was told that I'm the first and only person he's ever been touched by let alone
Willingly owned, the lady up my stret tired to catch him and he would run at the sight ur sound
Of a human....so I'm very lucky that he choose me to be in his life, but for a while he
Wasnt sure what peting was I couldn't lift my hand over his head our he'd back up and act scared
Usually I had to wait for him to head but me to attempt to touch him
But once he realized that it felt good he us a snuggle bunny and loves to play and he petted
But he ask has a fear of people but I'm trying to work on that
...but again I don't really know about his urine smell, what is that about? What does the differanc
e mean?

catsallaround said:

Since you brought up the other points I looked into it a bit.

You state about being so short on cash to fix him but yet you have taken him to a few vets.  Do you have free vets/office visits where you are.  I can't see any vet not STRONGLY advises to neuter.  Even if he can't "re make lil ones" he can get cancer.

Click to expand...

Actually my friends mother is a vet and helps out with trap neuter and release programs for the pet van
And no one ever said not to get him done they said I could get him
Done but they dont know if he's sterile or not, but yes money is tight at the
Moment but regardless of my personal money problems
I don't want to get him nutered I'm thinking about
Getting him a vesectomy it just seems less cruel considering
If I were a male I would not my bits and pieces chopped off
Plus I think his coloration alone is a gender confusion I don't want to
Make him feel les of a male, but again this is my decision
And it will get done but the cat van doesn't do vesectomys
it's free to get feral cats spayed and nurtured in my town which helps
Alot with tnring but you have to sign up and it's sometimes a long wait
But now that buster is officially my cat he can't be free
But regardless like I said I am aware of what not getting him done
Can happen and I don't wanna hear it over and over again, like I said this
Thread is about what breed he could be and his coloration
Not his balls and what I choose to do with or with out them at this moment

BREAKING NEWS: Buster has been murdered! I with a heavy heart
Am sad to announce that only after 6 of the happiest months I could have
Ever had my handsome buster boy was killed in cold blood. My heart will forever be missing
A colorful peice and it will never be filed or replaced, I loved him with all
My heart I gave him the best home I coils ever possibly give anyone or anything
I miss him, but he wil never be forgotton, I love you buster boy
May you rest in peace. RIP Buster Boy

Oh, sweetie... I'm so sorry. Poor Buster. He was such a beautiful cat...

Thank you callista he is very much missed