A growing-up story

This is Priscilla

From a palm-sized calico kitten to an elegant lady.

Nov 2016 first photo Nov 2025 latest ~9 years of growing

About her coat

Priscilla is a calico domestic shorthair — and "calico" is the real headline here. It isn't a breed but a color pattern: a tricolor patchwork of white, warm ginger, and black laid over a sleek, short-haired body. Priscilla wears the high-white version of it, mostly snowy with calico splashed across her cap, ears, and tail like she was decorated rather than born.

There's a lovely bit of genetics behind that coat. The orange and black colors are carried on the X chromosome, so producing both at once almost always takes two X's — which is why an estimated 99.9% of calicos are female. Priscilla is very much a lady, then, by the rules of biology as much as by name. Type-wise she's a classic moggy: medium, lithe build, big radar ears, green-gold eyes, and a pink nose — the kind of bright, athletic shorthair that stays kitten-curious well into adulthood.

Watch her grow ↓

Priscilla as a tiny calico kitten held in a hand — Where it all began — small enough to fit in one hand, with the calico cap already coming in.

Kitten Priscilla asleep on a patterned blanket — A few weeks on and mostly business of sleeping — that pink nose and tiny paw say it all.

Kitten Priscilla sitting upright on a book — Sitting tall and taking it all in. The ears are catching up to the rest of her.

Lanky adolescent Priscilla sitting on a wood floor — The gangly teenager phase — all legs and ears, growing faster than her markings.

Young Priscilla lounging on a desk — Settling into the role of desk supervisor, chin on the keyboard and not budging.

Priscilla perched on top of a wicker basket — A year old and properly elegant now, surveying the room from her wicker throne.

Priscilla mid-meow wearing a pink collar — Fully grown, fully opinionated — caught mid-sentence with her pink collar and name tag.

Priscilla lying belly-up on a tan carpet looking at the camera — Comfortable and confident — the trusting belly-up flop of a cat who owns the place.

Priscilla sitting upright in a sunbeam in front of a bookshelf — Lit up in a sunbeam against the bookshelf, every bit the regal house panther.

Priscilla playing upside-down inside a cat tunnel — Still kitten at heart — ambushing a pom-pom from inside the tunnel, paws in the air.

Priscilla resting on a white bed with mood lighting behind her — Cozy and content, melting into the bed under the soft glow of the wall lights.

Crisp close-up portrait of adult Priscilla — The portrait that says it all: those green-gold eyes and the perfectly placed calico mask.

Priscilla resting in warm golden-hour light — Golden hour suits her — the ginger in her coat glowing in the late afternoon sun.

Priscilla asleep on a window bench with autumn leaves outside — Her favorite spot: curled on the window bench, dozing with the garden as a backdrop.

Grown-up Priscilla curled into a tidy ball, fast asleep — The lady today — nine years on, curled into a perfect calico cinnamon-roll. From hand-sized to home.