My friend's adorable Tortie

[raina21]

I just visited my friend at her new apartment and I just had to snap some pics of her adorable Tortie. Her name is Molly

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• raina21
• Mar 19, 2016

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• raina21
• Mar 19, 2016

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• raina21
• Mar 19, 2016

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• raina21
• Mar 19, 2016

 

[2Cats4everLoved]

She's adorable.  I have a tortie too, and just found out that they are almost always female.  I knew nothing about that, lol.  Molly is so cute.

 

[raina21]

2Cats4everLoved

I know, she is so cute! My friend's mom used to call her Ugee because she thought she was ugly I've always thought she was beautiful though.

And yeah Torties are almost always female, like calicos. I believe it has something to do with the fact that the gene that determines fur color is located on the X chromosome (females have 2 x chromosomes, so they are XX, while males are typically XY). In order for a Tortie or a calico to exist they must have 2 different genes for coloration (a different one for each X chromosome). Since males typically only have one X chromosome, Tortie or calico coat patterns are typically impossible for males. However, there is a rare genetic mutation that occurs where males can sometimes be born with 3 sex chromosomes, making them XXY instead of just regular ol' XY. This is the only situation where it is possible for a male cat to be a Tortie or a Calico.

 

[haleyds]

Fun fact also, if you do happen to find that ultra rare calico/tortie male, he will 99% always be sterile. Genetics are crazy.