Originally posted by catnapper
Its rare, but not too rare. We have a lot of female orangies on PT. Rare are the calico or tortie males
They are rare because the males are usually sterile.

Other wierd cat facts:

Pure white cats with blue eyes (other than Siamese/Oriental) are genetically deaf.

Polydactyl (extra toed) cats stem from a primary strain owned by Ernest Hemimngway on Key West FL. (another strain claims to come from the ship Mayflower)

A Siamese cat is genetically an all black cat. They are born white, the points are heat sensitive and darken as the cat grows.

A female can have simultaneously have a litter of kittens from different father cats.

I'd love to hear any other breed or genetic facts anyone knows about out there.