Samwise the genetic super cat needs a home

Melbourne has a new super hero. It's not a bird, it's not a plane, it's Samwise the wonder cat.

The 12-week old tortoiseshell kitten, that is up for adoption at The Lost Dog's Home in North Melbourne, has genetic traits so rare that he has been declared a genetic wonder cat.

Samwise defies the genetic odds because he is a male cat with tortoiseshell colours; a phenomenon that occurs in only one in every 3000 tortoiseshell cat births.

Lost Dog's Home vet Alan Bolton said Samwise's genetics are much more complicated than your regular moggy.

"Cat colour is passed down through the X chromosome, making it difficult for males to inherit the mix of colours needed to be born a tortoiseshell," Dr Bolton said in a statement on Thursday.

"Tortoiseshell cats have a unique genetic make-up; to create their unique black, gold and orange colour, two X chromosomes need to be present."

So unlike a regular male cat, which has one X and one Y chromosome, Samwise has two X chromosomes and one Y chromosome - making him a rare little cat indeed.

Samwise and his family are available for adoption.