The above picture shows six month old Sophee, one of the Cat Authors, on her first evening in our home. Sophee is a calico. Calico is NOT a breed. It is a color, a pattern. Calico cats have a coat of white fur with distinct patches of colors, usually orange and black. In contrast, tortoiseshell cats (not to be confused with calico cats) have red, black, brown, yellow and/or orange colors woven throughout their coats. They do not have the distinct colorful patches of the calico. Some torties do have white fur with the mottled or woven coats but do not have the distinct calico patches.
