"Distinctly masculine because he has the tell-tale gender Y-chromosome in his body's cells, distinctly a domestic feline because of his 18 pairs of autosomes, mottled (orange, black & white) adorable George is a male calico cat. His body flagrantly, but superficially, disobeys Mendel's laws of heredity. Laura Gould's delightful tale, compelling but never pedantic, reveals he is not a closet female but rather a "mosaic": half his body's myriad cells carry an extra X-chromosome. Her retold story enlightens our genetic, karyological and literary sensibilities."--(Lynn Margulis, Distinguished University Professor, Department of Geosciences, University of Massachusetts-Amherst)

" to put down... Coherent, witty, and full of historical anecdotes … New Scientist … An easily understandable introduction to genetics…[with] a fascinating perspective.-Veterinary Technician, July 2007

masculine because he has the tell-tale gender Y-chromosome in his body's cells, distinctly a domestic feline because of his 18 pairs of autosomes, mottled (orange, black & white) adorable George is a male calico cat. His body flagrantly, but superficially, disobeys Mendel's laws of heredity. Laura Gould's delightful tale, compelling but never pedantic, reveals he is not a closet female but rather a "mosaic": half his body's myriad cells carry an extra X-chromosome. Her retold story enlightens our genetic, karyological and literary sensibilities." -October 2007

"...is highly recommended to community library pets/wildlife shelves with a focus on animal biology and for anyone who may be interested in breeding cats or just a plain interest in cats period." -The Midwest Book Review, May 2008

"Curious as to why the male calico cat she had acquired by chance was so rare, Gould began looking at the underlying genetics, and discovered that modern scientists have a much more complex understanding of inheritance than Mendel's thinking, and than popular media would have people believe." -BOOK NEWS Inc., June 2008"