X inactivation.
In mammalian females, one of the two X chromosomes in somatic cells is randomly inactivated
during development as a compact
Barr body.
A "tortoiseshell" ("calico") cat has 2 different alleles for fur color: one for
orange
fur and one for black
fur.
In a heterozygous "mosaic" female, orange
patches are formed by cells in which the orange
allele is active; black
patches have cells in which the black
allele is active.