Rare Male Tortoiseshell Cat Adopted from Las Vegas Shelter: 'The Unicorn of Cats'

Vanessa Etienne
·1 min read
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Rare kitten, the ‘unicorn of cats,’ is adopted from Las Vegas animal shelter, staff says;
Rare kitten, the ‘unicorn of cats,’ is adopted from Las Vegas animal shelter, staff says;

The Animal Foundation/Instagram

A rare kitten has found a forever home thanks to a Las Vegas animal shelter.

On Friday, The Animal Foundation announced that its "super rare" male tortoiseshell kitten, named Comet, got adopted. Most tortoiseshell cats — a type of cat with a bicolored coat — are females, with only 1 in 3,000 tortoiseshell cats born male.

According to The News & Observer, tortoiseshell cats are predominantly female because two X chromosomes are needed to produce the black and brown tortoiseshell pattern that gives the felines their name. Male tortoiseshell cats are born with an extra X chromosome.

"Male calicos and torties are so rare that they are sometimes called the 'unicorn' of cats," The Animal Foundation wrote on social media alongside a sweet photo of the kitten. "Those in veterinary medicine work years or even decades without ever seeing one in person."

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"Comet is certainly one of the most unique cats we have ever seen at The Animal Foundation. So cool!" the rescue Facebook post added.

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Kelsey Pizzi, an employee at The Animal Foundation, told McClatchy News that Comet is eight weeks old and arrived at the facility as a stray. He was neutered on June 3 before being taken to his new home the following day.

"[Comet] "spent about a month in a foster home before he was big enough and old enough to be adopted," Pizzi added.