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Do male calico cats have kittens? Can orange tabby cats breed?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | American Shorthair | Female | spayed | 6 years old | 13 lbs

Okay...help us with more details. Are male calico cats sterile? Can two orange tabby cats breed?

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Debi Matlack

Veterinary Technician

Published on January 30th, 2018

Male calicos are usually sterile because the gene for the black is carried on one x chromosome and the orange on another x chromosome, so, in order for a male calico to exist, it is because he has xxy chromosomes, not the typical xy combination. Only one in 100,000 male calico cats are estimated to NOT be sterile. Yes, two orange tabby cats can breed and produce offspring.

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1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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    Answered By Catherine Stecyk

    Veterinarian

    Published on May 17th, 2019

    Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Yes, calico cats can have male offspring. But, the males will either be orange OR black. Only very rare circumstances of an XXY male cat could lead to a "calico" male cat. These XXY male calico cats are sterile. I hope this is helpful!

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