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The calico cat is a domestic cat of any breed with a tri-color coat. Calico cats are almost exclusively female except under rare genetic conditions.

Because the genetic determination of coat colors in calico cats is linked to the X chromosome, such cats are almost always female, with one color linked to the maternal X chromosome and a second color linked to the paternal X chromosome. The majority of the time, males are only one color as they have only one X chromosome. Male calico cats have an extra X chromosome (XXY, known as Klinefelter syndrome in humans) or are genetic chimeras with two different sets of DNA (XX and XY).