Rumor has it multi-colored cats bring good fortune. 😸
Calico cats (as multi-colored felines are often called) are considered "lucky" because they are such rare creatures.
In order to be considered
a "true" Calico, the cat's coat must display the colors white,
black, and orange.
Calicos are almost always female cats because the black and orange color information is linked to the X chromosome.
Because female cats have two X chromosomes, they can display both the black and orange colors at once (
white fur is coded by another gene).
Male cats, on the other hand, typically have only one X chromosome, so they tend to be either orange OR black.
In some old religions, these three colors stand for the "cycle of life."
White stands for (re)birth, red for life, and black for death.
In earlier times, Japanese sailors traveled with multi-colored cats to protect their ships from evil and to guarantee a safe trip.
They are still the official symbol of good fortune in
Japan.
You certainly know the
Maneki Neko, the waving-cat talisman, frequently seen in Japanese shops and
restaurants.
The Maneki Neko is almost always a Calico.
Pay attention to the position of the Maneki Neko's paw.
The higher the paw is raised, the luckier the owner of the Maneki Neko will get.
"The multi-colored cats on these photos definitely brought luck and happiness during our stay in the
Apartamentos Villa Colon in the small village of
Los Quemados, which is part of Fuencaliente, in the south of the island of
La Palma," says Traveling Cats reader
Claudia Mannes.
"These magical felines visited me every day," Mannes recalls.
"The loveliest of them all was the red-black-white one, who, most of the time, brought her little kitten daughter with her (the tiny grey-red-white one)."
The apartments are a perfect hideaway.
Situated at the end of a steep road, Villa Colon consists of only a handful of apartments, surrounded by
a garden overlooking the sea. It is very quiet and peaceful.
In other news, my short film script
Next to Her will be filmed on August 8th and 9th. My cat Avalon has a HUGE part in it. The film will premiere in October at the Flanders International Film Festival Ghent.
If you can't wait for the film (and if you want to know how Avalon's part plays out), you can read the script
here. If you are a Kindle Unlimited member, it's free.