If you’ve ever seen a calico cat or been fortunate enough to be owned by a calico cat, you may understand the mesmerizing enchantment of these beautiful tri-colored cats with patches of orange, black, and white fur! Feisty, funny, and all-too feline! But where do calico cats come from? No one knows for sure, though it is believed they originated in Egypt.
In my research, I have found several mentions of Egypt regarding the presumed origins of calico cats. However, I have not yet found any research stating the empirical evidence, so this is still conjecture. We do know that ancient Egyptians revered cats for companionship, pest control, and the status they would bring as they were considered royal pets, even mummifying them and burying them near their owners. They were the guardians of the underworld, and it was believed they would accompany their deceased owners into the afterlife. Cats even had their own cemeteries. If they passed before their humans, their owners would shave their eyebrows in mourning. The mourning period would be over when the eyebrows grew back. It’s believed that cats made up 90% of the pets in ancient Egypt, whereas dogs were found to have been buried in only 5% of graves. The goddess, Bastet was depicted as a woman with a cat’s head. Bastet represented motherhood, fertility, protection, and the sun. Bastet was not the only Egyptian goddess or god to be associated with cats, though she was one of the more celebrated. Capital punishment was meted out to anyone who killed a cat, including the Pharoah! Cat remains have been discovered as far back as 4,000 BC. It wasn’t all caviar and cream for our ancient feline friends, though. As vessels of the gods, special catteries sprung up to breed cats specifically for sacrifices to the gods. They would then be mummified and buried. This was often the fate for young cats and kittens, and x-rays of mummified remains have confirmed this.
So how did these colorful cats ever get out of Egypt? Even though it was forbidden to take a cat out of Egypt, Egyptian merchants would often take cats aboard their vessels for luck, to ward off evil, and for pest control. As they went from port to port through the Mediterranean, Italy, Spain, and France, the cats would breed and eventually spread throughout Europe and the World.
A remarkable feat considering that calico cats are not a breed but a coat color. It is a mutation of a double X chromosome that creates those lovely patterns, but it also means that the majority of calico cats are female. Only the rarest of cats, one in about every 3,000 calicos, are male, and those cats are usually sterile, having an extra X chromosome. Also, you cannot specifically breed for a calico coat! It is a random pattern that cannot be duplicated except by Mother Nature. And even then, no two calicos look identical.
This was proven by Rainbow and CC (“Carbon Copy”). Rainbow, a tri-colored calico, was the donor of a cloned kitten, CC, who was born on December 22, 2001. Genetically, CC was identical to Rainbow in every way, except she didn’t have any orange in her coat. She was a tiger-striped tabby! Unlike other cloned animals that often have health issues, CC lived a healthy life and even had a litter of kittens, two male, one female, and one stillborn female, before she passed away at the age of eighteen. Even science can’t recreate these beautiful cats!
Calico cats have played various roles in different cultures. Some of these roles have evolved through time.
In Egypt, as we’ve learned, cats were believed to be the vessels of the gods, warding off evil spirits, and bringing prosperity and good luck to those that owned them.
In Celtic folklore, superstitions about calico cats led to the persecution of many women during the height of the witch trials across Europe. They believed that witches could turn themselves into calico cats nine times before they lost their powers. Other myths alleged the unique coat patterns gave the cats the powers to heal and protect, tapping into the earth and the forest.
In Ireland, they were once thought to have magical powers, and they had the ability to protect a home by sending evil spirits away. Also, it was believed that one could get rid of warts by rubbing the wart on a calico’s tail during the month of May.
In Japan, sailors brought calicos with them on their ships to ward off misfortune. Calicos are also the model for the Maneki-Neko, or “beckoning cat.” The figurine, with one waving upright paw, is believed to bring good luck and fortune to the owner.
In China, calicos are associated with strength and courage. There is a belief that having a calico cat will help the owner achieve success and overcome obstacles in life.
In England, calicos were first documented around the 1700s. They were, and are, considered a symbol of luck and good fortune.
In the United States, calicos were initially regarded with suspicion and thought to be associated with witchcraft, but that thinking later evolved, and now they’re called “money cats” as they’re believed to bring good fortune.
And for some, the good fortune isn’t just folklore.
In 2021, the Calico Cat was adopted as the official state cat of Maryland.
Also, in 2021, a calico cat named Sweet Tart was elected Mayor of Omena, Michigan!
In Japan, a calico named Tama was assigned as the Stationmaster at Kishi Station in Wakayama Prefecture. She is credited with saving the station from closing down and served for nine years until she passed away in 2015. The station is now managed by the former assistant stationmaster, who has now moved up to Stationmaster, Nitama, also a calico.
Now let’s talk a bit about the actual coat colors. A calico is always three colors, white, red or cream, with black, blue or chocolate.
The most common calico colors are white, red, and black.
Then there are dilute calico colors which are white, cream with blue or chocolate.
Not to be confused with tortoiseshell cats, who are typically orange and black with no white on them.
Calicos can have long hair or short hair, or even no hair! And when it comes to personality, they can be loyal, loving, sassy, and sweet…in short, if you are fortunate enough to be owned by a calico, thank your lucky stars you’ve been picked by the Purrrfect Cat!