Long-haired Calico Cat Postcard

This gorgeous calico cat poses confidently,knowing she's beautiful. Calico cats are domestic cats with a spotted coat of three colors that is predominantly white, with patches of two other colors (often, the two other colors are orange tabby and black). Outside of North America, the pattern is usually called tortoiseshell-and-white. "Calico" refers to a color pattern on the fur, not to a breed. Among the breeds whose standards allow calico coloration are the Manx, American Shorthair, British Shorthair, Persian, Japanese Bobtail, Exotic Shorthair and Turkish Van. Because genetic determination of some coat colors in cats is linked to the X chromosome, calicoes are nearly always female. The rare male is usually sterile. Calicos are believed to bring good luck in the folklore of many cultures. In the United States, these are sometimes referred to as money cats. The Japanese Maneki Neko figurine is almost always a calico cat. A calico cat is also the state cat of Maryland.