Calico Cat Coloring Page (1 of 4)

The calico cat wears its white, brown and black in a pattern that always seems freshly arranged. In Japan it is the model for the beckoning lucky cat and is loved as a bringer of good fortune. Curled up and dozing, it is the very picture of contentment. The lines here are large and open, so this first sheet is easy to begin.

About the Calico Cat

A calico is not a breed but a coloring - a coat of white, black and orange-brown in irregular patches - and because of the way the colors are inherited, almost every calico is female. The mix falls differently on every cat, so no two are ever quite the same, which has long made them feel a little special.

In Japan the calico is the classic model for the maneki-neko, the beckoning cat that raises a paw to invite in good fortune and is set out at shop entrances and in homes for luck. That cheerful, welcoming image is familiar to every generation, and it gives the calico a warm, lucky association that makes it a happy subject to color.

Benefits as a Coloring & Brain Training Activity

Because the patches can fall anywhere, a calico is a lovely sheet for making your own choices - deciding where each color goes is a small, pleasant exercise for the imagination. Keeping the colors neatly within their patches also helps the hand and eye work together, and the soft, rounded shape makes the finished cat a cheerful thing to display.