Calico Cats are HERE to bring YOU good fortune.

A LONG Long time ago, Japanese sailors would bring Calico Cats aboard their ships because they believed the cats would keep the ship safe from harm (Wow furtastically amazing – ME-OW).

And in Japan, the calico cat is actually considered to be a symbol of fortune, where their signature lucky cat is a statue called Maneki Neko.

Maneki is the Japanese word for “beckoning” and Neko is the Japanese word for “cat”. You will find these cat statues in many households and businesses throughout Japan. If the Maneki Neko is beckoning with its left paw up it is believed it will attract customers (great for businesses) and if the right paw is up, it is believed to attract success and money. And, the higher the right paw is raised, the luckier you are going to get!

You can also find the Maneki Neko in different colors. The most common and most sought after color is, yes, of course – CALICO, and it symbolizes EXTREME luck.

While you may not find a lot of Maneki Neko statues in Costa Rica (or in your home country), you will find some beautiful and actually quite rare real life Calico Cats, which are just as lucky as the Maneki Neko! For instance, at the El Refugio Costa Ballena animal shelter in Costa Rica, I think there are almost 40 cats right now at the shelter, but only 3 of them are Calico Cats (quite rare indeed!).

So, what is a Calico Cat? A Calico Cat is not a specific breed but a cat with the colors (typically) of mostly white body with orange and black spots. And, did you know there are 3 variations of the calico cat coloring? There is the standard calico with the mostly white body and patches of orange and black, like unique Mágica at El Refugio Costa Ballena Animal Shelter,

and then there is the dilute calico with mostly white body with patches of gray, cream, and light orange like sweet Papaya also at El Refugio.

And, finally there is also the calibby (Yes, part Tabby, part Calico – my favorite!) which is a cat with the same color variations as a calico cat but with the added signature Tabby stripes and the signature “M” like El Refugio’s Sun (and I heard Sun was just adopted, someone just got really lucky!!).

Now, if you don’t remember what “M” stands for you must read my previous blog “Why M stands for Tabby“. It is quite fascinating, as are all us Tabbies!

Another interesting cat fact about Calico Cats, is they are almost always female (99.99% of the time!). Some believe that the very rare male calico cats bring a lot of luck, but unfortunately not so much for the cat because often the male calico cats are born sterile (Yow!) with unfortunate health issues.

And one more very interesting fact about Calico Cats, is they have BIG personalities. But, really now, what cat doesn’t??

Okay, so if you are looking for more luck or fortune in your life, or more success in your business, your search is over. Because all you need to do is adopt a Calico Cat. A Calico Cat will bring you lots of LUCK, and definitely lots of LOVE, and as always lots of PURRSONALITY!

Cheers,

Norman

Look on the bright side…Monday only happens once a week.

– Garfield the Cat

Don’t forget to spay & neuter your cats & dogs.  There can be too much of a good thing!  There’s only so much catnip to go around. 

Cats and wildlife live longer when cats stay indoors. 

FELINE FAVORITE OF THE DAY

GODY at El Refugio Costa Ballena

Hi, my name is Gody. I am a young male cat. I was found in the ditch – can you believe it! Now, I wear a Tuxedo day and night – rags to riches for sure! I am a little shy but do love humans and get along well with other felines. I am waiting for you with my dancing shoes on. Come meet me at El Refugio Costa Ballena. Hugs Gody