Painted in Pastel

This is Loli, a dilute calico, relaxing on a quiet Sunday as she watched our activities. She and her siblings — Lola, Zulú, and Rufián — each have a different coat color. This variety comes from the genetic mix of their parents.

Their mother, Michi, is a tortoiseshell — a coat pattern found almost exclusively in females. Torties carry two X chromosomes: one with the gene for black and another with the gene for orange. Through a random process, each cell expresses one or the other, creating their characteristic mosaic of patches.

Because torties can pass on both the black and orange genes>, and the father contributes his own coat genes (such as dilution, tabby, or solid), kittens from a tortie mother can inherit a wide and fascinating range of coat colors.

Here’s a photo of Loli when she was a baby.

Camera: Canon EOS R7
Canon EOS R7

Lens: TAMRON SP 28-75mm F/2.8 Di A09E
TAMRON SP 28-75mm F/2.8 Di A09E

Capture Information:
Focal Length: 56.0 mm
Shutter Speed: 1/200
Aperture: f/3.5
ISO: 100

Photo Taken: September 28, 2025
High resolution
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