A calico cat has a coat with patches of three colors: white, orange, and black (or gray). These patches create a distinctive patchwork pattern, like someone dabbed paint in random spots across the cat's fur. Almost all calico cats are female because of how the genes for fur color work.

The word calico also refers to a type of colorful cotton fabric with bright, printed patterns, often with multiple colors scattered across it. When people saw cats with similarly patchy, multicolored coats, they started calling them calico cats.

You might also hear someone describe other things as calico when they have a similar spotted or patched appearance. A calico pony has large patches of different colors across its coat. Some people use calico to describe anything with an irregular, colorful pattern that looks pieced together rather than blended smoothly.

Calico shouldn't be confused with tabby, which describes cats with striped or swirled patterns, usually in shades of the same color family. A calico's defining feature is those distinct patches of three different colors, creating a coat that looks almost like a quilt.