A woman was outside one day when she heard meowing from a closeby dumpster. She went to investigate, and she found the tiniest orphaned calico kitten. The kitten was so young, its eyes were still closed.
The woman guessed the kitten was less than a week old.
The poor baby had been through a lot.
The cat had a broken front leg, and gangrene had developed on its back paw. Luckily, the woman had experience with fostering kittens, and she took the baby home to nurse them back to health.
The woman bottle-fed the kitten every day, and she ultimately got stronger and healthier. The kitty did end up losing its back paw before its eyes had even opened, but the kitten was a fighter — and was named ‘Martyr’ because of its endless will to survive.
Martyr was a little sweetie. The woman couldn’t bear saying goodbye to the kitten, so she adopted the kitten herself.
Although Martyr was growing up happy and loved, the cat still had a few surprises up his sleeve.
Like the fact that Martyr was a boy calico, for instance, something that is incredibly rare.
On average, the chance of getting a male calico is 1/3,000.
“It’s like a unicorn!” Dr. Andrea Berger, a veterinarian, told LoveMeow.”I’ve been involved with shelters for 10 years, and I have never seen one.”
This is all based on genetics. When it comes to cats, their coat color is linked to whether they are male or female.
Mother Nature Network explains:
“Because the X chromosome is responsible for both orange and black fur, female cats display both colors because they have 2 X chromosomes. But males, having only one X chromosomes, can be either orange or black.”
Martyr was able to have both colors of fur because of an incomplete division of his XY chromosome pair at the time of fertilization. Basically, instead of having an X and Y chromosome, Martyr has two X chromosomes— XXY. And, as mentioned, this is incredibly rare.
Martyr’s story went viral when his rescuer’s niece shared it on the photo-sharing website, imgur. People were so grateful that the kind woman had saved this amazing little boy.
They also couldn’t believe the woman had simply just found a male calico. The odds of it happening are so, so small!
Martyr is a truly rare cat, and we’re so glad he was found by someone who loves him and is giving him the care he deserves. This rare treasure deserves the best!
If you’d like to more about calico cats and their genes, check out the video below!
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