UPI – An animal rescue group said one of its volunteers is currently caring for a male calico kitten, a feline so rare they are often called “unicorn” kittens.
NoCo Kitties in Loveland said the kitten and his siblings were born in a Weld County shed and were turned over to the Weld County Humane Society before coming to NoCo Kitties.
Volunteer Alli Magish, who is fostering the three kittens and their mother Amber, said she started to suspect one of the three calicos might be male, and a veterinarian confirmed it.
Only one in 3,000 calico kittens are born male, veterinarians said. Calicos typically end up with the colouration due to getting different colour genes from the X chromosomes they receive from their parents. Male kittens usually only have one X and one Y chromosomes, but can sometimes end up with calico colouring when they receive XXY chromosomes.
