April 16, 2012

Crazy for Calicoes

 copyright 2012 Susan Faye
Does your heart belong to a terrific tricolor kitty?  

Calico is not a breed of cat, but a specific combination of three colors occurring across many breeds, including Domestic Short-hair, Persian, Maine Coon and Manx. Almost all calico cats are female, however,   male calicoes do occur although it is a genetic anomaly.

copyright 2012 Susan Faye
Did you know that the calico cat is the official state cat of  Maryland? According to the Maryland Manual Online:

"Effective October 1, 2001, the calico cat became the official cat of Maryland (Chapter 194, Acts of 2
001; Code State Government Article, sec. 13-317). Its colors of orange, black, and white are shared with the Baltimore oriole (State bird) and the Baltimore Checkerspot butterfly (State insect). "

It further states: "A calico cat must be a tri-color, with its three colors in distinct patches, not mixed as in a tortoiseshell cat. To be a true tri-color, a calico cat's colors must be: white; red or cream; and black, blue, chocolate, lilac, cinnamon, or fawn."
copyright 2009-12 Susan Faye

Are you lucky enough to share your domicile with a calico cat? Then it's time to show off!  You are invited to share photos of your little darlings on my Facebook page this week: https://www.facebook.com/SusanFayeArt  
(to see all of the photos posted so far, click on "posts by others" in the drop-down box at the top of the posts)









NEW IN MY ETSY SHOP!
Wearable Art for Calico-Crazed-Cat-Ladies...




Brand new pendants and earrings with either long-hair or short-hair calico kitties, 
with four different background colors to choose from



Click on any image for more information 


Or visit my Etsy shop to see what else is new:   
 


4 comments:

Chrissykat said...

I am owned by a VERY special & beautiful calico named Pie. We rescued her as a discarded adult 12 years ago. She is currently battling CKD which she was diagnosed with almost exactly one year ago. She is the light of my life.

Annuk said...

Oh what a beautiful celebration of calico cats!!!!
Zoe and I are still so proud and grateful for the lovely feature you had on your beautiful blog about our story!
Unfortunately I'm not on Facebook, but we are saying hello to all gorgeous calico kitties out there!!!!
And we'd love it if you could add the link to the post you did about us on your Facebook page :) That would be fantastic!!!

Love from Anna & Zoe :)

jhitomi said...

Lovely calico pieces! I've never had a calico, but it was fun to read these interesting facts.

Birgit said...

I don't have a calico cat in my life, but I adore those beautiful cats. I had no clue that Maryland has a calico cat as its official state cat -- how neat! Your calico cat designs are beautiful -- thanks for showing them.