Erin Odell writes Meet Unicorn, the rare male calico kitten who landed at a Colorado rescue:
An extremely rare male calico kitten born in a Weld County shed this year was turned over to the Weld County Humane Society and, ultimately, transferred into the care of NoCo Kitties, a foster-focused rescue based in Loveland, according to founder Davida Dupont.
Loveland is about 45 miles north of Denver.
The kitten’s foster mom, NoCo Kitties volunteer Alli Magish, took in the little calico cat, his mom, Amber, and his four siblings, including his two calico sisters. Magish said she suspected he was a boy shortly after getting the litter but wanted to be sure. Males make up just 1 of every 3,000 calico births, according to the Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine.
Two veterinarians confirmed the kitten’s gender. It was the first male calico the veterinarians, Dupont or Magish had ever seen, Dupont and Magish said.
“We just thought how incredibly unusual and what fun it is,” said Dupont, who added that because of their rarity, male calicos are often called “unicorn cats.”