Tortoiseshell cats are named for their distinctive coloring – a combination of patches of black, brown, amber, red, cinnamon and chocolate. The size of the patches varies from a fine speckled pattern to large areas of color. The term “tortoiseshell” is used for cats with brindled coats that have few or no white markings. Cats of this coloring with larger areas of white fur are called calicos. Sometimes, these colors present in lighter versions such as lilac or cream. Torties with this lighter coloring are called dilute torties. Occasionally, the typical tortoiseshell colors are also seen in a tabby (striped) pattern, and these cats are sometimes referred to as “torbies.”
Tortoiseshell cats are almost exclusively female. Tortoiseshell and calico coats are the result of the interaction between genetic and developmental factors. The occasional and very rare male tortoiseshell cat is the result of a genetic mutation.
In addition to their distinctive coloring, torties also have a reputation for unique personalities, sometimes referred to as “tortitude.” They tend to be strong-willed, a bit hot-tempered, and they can be very possessive of their human. Other words used to describe torties are fiercely independent, feisty and unpredictable. They’re usually very talkative and make their presence and needs known with anything from a hiss to a meow to a strong purr. These traits are stronger in tortoiseshell cats than in calicos – it seems as though these traits are somewhat diluted with the addition of more white to the color scheme.
As of the writing of this post, I share my life with Amber*, and those of you who’ve followed this blog for a while have gotten to know her in her Amber’s Mewsings posts. You will soon be able to read all about Buckley in Buckley’s Story – Lessons from a Feline Master Teacher. The photo above shows Buckley in the front, Amber behind her.
Prior to Amber and Buckley, there was another tortie in my life. Virginia was the first office cat at the animal hospital I managed. She was my introduction to torties, and my love affair with this particular type of cat began with her. She, too, had the “tortitude” I so love about these particular cats.
Do you have a tortie or calico in your life? Does she have “tortitude?”
*Sadly, Amber passed away on May 13, 2010, after a sudden, brief illness. I now share my life with Allegra and Ruby, two tortoiseshell cats who have their own columns here on The Conscious Cat, titled Allegra’s World and Ruby’s Reflections.
Photo ©Ingrid King, all rights reserved
I found Selena at a shelter when she was about 5 months and she is my first tortie. I had no idea there was a tortie personality until I started googling around. But sure enough, there is:
She is possessive, sleeps curled up practically under my chin and talks a blue streak. Her verbal communication includes talking in her sleep, grousing, remonstrating and reminders that yes, she is here. If she is asleep & I talk to her, she wakes up with an exclamation that sounds like, “What just happened; hello?!!!! Sometimes she just throws her head back and warbles – like she just enjoys hearing her own voice.
I don’t notice any “hot temper”. But I do notice extreme possessiveness (of me) and a likewise disinclination to accept my other cat, a pure black and very big male as an equal joint tenant of the apartment. If she hears me whispering sweet nothings to HIM, whenever she is, she comes striding into the room looking very pissed. And she is half his size.
I absolutely adore her.
Wow, I never realised there was such a thing as ‘tortitude’ but now I read your description of it, it describes my cat Bracken to a T! She was (she died in the summer) amazingly chatty and had a whole load of vocalisations I had never come across with other cats. She also seems convinced that I was her child to be taken care of, and on numerous occasions would pin me down with a paw before administering a thorough cleaning. I often thought about getting her a real kitten to take out her mothering instincts on!
My other cat, Icy, is a dilute tortie, pale grey with pinky patches and a few sploshes of white on her face. She is a very untypical tortie, nervous and mostly silent, but I put this down to her life before we took her in – she was abandoned and spent at least a year living rough with very little fur due to a severe flea alergy. We have had her now for nearly 2 years and she is slowly beginning to purr more and become a bit more curious, so perhaps she will, in time, develop some tortitude of her own.
My tortie is 13 years old and thinks she’s still a kitten. She’s extremely affectionate and possessive of her human (me). She’s so affectionate that she’s actually scared a few visitors because they’re used to cats that are stand offish or scared of people and don’t expect a cat to jump on their laps. If we have company she waits until everyone is sitting and then moves from lap to lap working the crowd for pets and cuddles.
She is very particular about the type of pets she gets though. She does NOT like her paws or belly to be touched, but she melts when she gets pets on her chest, head and back. She’s even partial to giving “hugs” – she cuddles on our chests and puts one paw on each side of our necks and then nuzzles into our necks. Too cute.
She is definitely not a vocal cat. Unless she’s hungry or has decided it’s treat time, she rarely meows and when she does it’s barely audible.
To answer Glen’s question, Jessie has been super cuddly since she was a kitten. I wanted a cuddly cat, so when I went to get a kitten from the SPCA I just put my hand in the cage and the waited for the first kitten to come over and check me out. A little tortie came over right away and sniffed my hand and then rubbed up for a pet. I figured it had to mean that she was social and friendly and she came home with me. Well I’ve never been disappointed. She’s the best cuddle bug I could have hoped for.
A question; with some of the accounts of tortitude, in these posts, I have to wonder what tortie kittens are like when they are young?
I do not recall ever having the opportunity to observe tortie kittens and so am curious as to what they are like, compared to adult behaviour.
Oh, just for the record, Mandy is a tricolor/calico girl, not a tortie, per se…
=^..^=
This is in response to Glen’s most recent question about the ‘wiggle-tail’ behavior in Kasey:
Mandy does the wiggle-tail behavior, but she doesn’t do the ‘stamping’ of her rear legs/feet (I’ll be on the lookout, though, to watch for that!). It occurs during displays of happiness – mostly in anticipation of her food when she’s glad to see me as I’ve arrived home from the work day. I usually get down on one knee to be on her level when I give her food – I’ll dote on her and pet her and talk to her, and she usually quivers her tail as I approach her feeding area.
I’d like to hope that she looks forward to it ALL – her tasty food for her little hungry tummtumm AS WELL AS mommie’s adoration and praise and happiness to see her too!
=^..^=
I had another Kasey behaviour I wanted to check to see if anyone esle’s torties do this.
Kasey is not an Egyptian Mau but she does this behaviour, quoted from a site on Mau’s;
“Another behavior, quite common in happy Maus, has been described as “wiggle-tail.” The cat, male or female, moves its back legs up and down, and appears to be marking territory, also known as spraying, but it is not actually releasing urine. Even veteran Mau owners are known to check after a joyous Mau does this little dance.”
She will do this when puzzled, frustrated or very happy.
Our cats – yes!…yes, they ARE amazing! [blinking away tears]
=^..^=
Cindy, I’m so glad to hear you’re starting to mend after Edgar’s passing. I’ve often seen that happen – a pet that was formerly in the shadows really blossoms once she becomes the center of attention. Mandy sounds like she’s really coming into her own, and in the process, she’s helping heal your hearts and brings you joy. These cats of ours are amazing, aren’t they?
I enjoyed Glen’s post immensely about little Kasey and could just envision every scenario as he described them. How precious that she has found her ultimate ‘purrson’ and that she is loved and cared for so! (And) the talking! – I LOVE that! (and little Buckley did it, too! Aw!) My calico Mandy doesn’t talk too much – she mostly ‘chirps’, as it’s been described in previous reads… When she DOES meow, I savour EVERY moment of it and encourage it – meows are so individualistic, as each and every one of ‘our’ (we, the readers) cats are different, just like children.
Since my previous post here on August 18th, our hearts have mended (just a teeny-tiny bit) from our little Edgar’s passing, and little sister (but alpha-cat over Edgar) calico Mandy has j-u-s-t blossomed into her own! I CANNOT believe how much this little girl has changed, and how my love for her has deepened! Edgar was mommie’s boy mostly, because he was a lap boy and gave so freely the affection that fulfilled ME! Now I doted on Mandy, too, but it was always on HER terms – Edgar (a grey tiger), conversely, was ALWAYS receptive and friendly! This little girl of mine has been showing some partiality towards ME in certain things, and why this is remarkable is that she belonged to my husband (for 8 years) prior to our recent marriage (Mandy’s now 10) and has always been a daddy’s girl. (Our cats are family members [‘daddy’, ‘mommie’], obviously! [giggle] ) We get the mail together (she’s an indoor kittiekittie – I hold her in my arms), and she LOVES when I put her harness on her and take her out on her leash – she’ll even bring me her harness, carrying it in her mouth, just like a dog. She assists me in ALL my tasks around the house, and even has begun to come into our den while we’re watching TV to be with us (we call it family time [husband + wife + cat = family!] ). She seeks us out throughout the evenings, alternating back and forth between us, just to check in.
While we are still missing Edgar’s presence, we are enjoying his once-cranky-but-transformed little sister. We adore her, and yes, she owns US! – only a cat-owner can comprehend that notion! I am here to serve HER, and I do it with a happy heart! She brings me joy!
=^..^=
mrrrow
Thank you for sharing Kasey’s story with us, Glen. She’s so fortunate that you decided to take her home with you. She is clearly meant to be with you, and it sounds like she’s enjoying her position as ruler of the house.
I loved your add on about her having conversations with herself – Buckley used to do that, it was like she had to give a running commentary on her activities.
One other thing that I missed about Kasey, to quote Mia; “Sometimes in the night I’ll wake up and hear her in the other room (or in our room) just meowing away like she’s having a conversation with herself”, Kasey does the same thing.
The guys that liked her, where she lived before, told me she did it there too.
It isn’t for lack of food, water, etc., she just seems to need to “sing” but it sounds more like a rusty playground swing.
This is a long story, the tortitude examples are listed in the latter part of the post;
Kasey is a classic tortie with a dark face, off-white feet, dark fur mixed with about 40% ginger, her legs and tail are all dark colored.
I have known Kasey almost all of ther life, she is about 10 years old, but she came to live with us in May 2008.
She was brought to one of our company’s facilities as a kitten (I cannot place the exact year, now), as a mouser. At first she was well cared for, spayed and given her shots. As time went by and there were personnel changes, she was not treated as well, some still liked her, some were indifferent and some did not treat her well. She is a cat that likes human attention but she never knew if she was going to be given attention or booted around.
At one time, she was quite a hunter but in 2006/2007 she was injured and could still walk and run but could no longer jump or climb. This cut down on her abilities as a mouser and made her reluctant to leave the buildings. She lost patches of fur and had a dull color, I suspect due to stress and poor diet.
I visit all our locations as part of my job and I use to look in on her when I was there, she would always react like she remembered and knew me, I would fill her water dish and give her food, but I never was there enough to make a big difference.
In April 2008, I was there on a job and I had seen enough, in early May, I was up there again for work and brought a pet carrier with me and she came home.
We quarretined her in the garage, took her to the vet where she had a good check up and shots updated, then we went through the introduction, slowly to the other two cats and a silky terrier.
Her fur has grown in thick and the colors have come back in very strongly, on a good diet. She is an indoor cat, as are our other two.
Kasey has imprinted on me, follows me around, waits for me to come home from the office in the evening. She will become agitated if she can’t find me in the house, if she thinks I should be there. She is a serious lap cat and will sit on me for the durration of a full length movie.
She is boss of the house, intimidating both the silky terrier, my wife’s friend’s lab mix and our 19 pound ginger tom.
She is friendly with visitors but is a “guard cat”. She has no interest in going outdoors but watches anything outside thast she thinks is out of place. One night, last spring, some unknown animal came up to a screened windo and she drove it off easily, making noise “not of this world”.
Before her injury, to coin a phrase from one of the other postes, she turned the facility and the land around it into a “killing field”, mice, rats, birds and rabbits etc. were fair game and taken easily by her.
She does not have the steriotypical meow; her language is a series of “eeps and squeeks” as well as “maaa” sounds. She hisses and growls, has a loud purr and makes an odd wheezing like sound. The latter is like an addtion to purring, she has been checked and does not have breathing issues, she can stop and start the noise at will.
This “old lady” still likes to play and will chase a string as long as you are willing to drag it around, you get tired of it before she does.
I feel bad she had a rough time and wish I had been in a position to do something about her earlier. At least the last 1/3 of her life will be better than the first 2/3’s. As an apparently contented indoor cat, she doesn’t “do” winter or rain any more, knows only good attention and has a constant supply of clean water, quality food and lots of places to sleep. She has returned the favor by being a very good companion.
Thanks for telling us about Harlow, Jessica. She sounds beautiful, and like she’s all tortie!
We got Harlow, our tortie, after we saw an ad on craigslist for her. She was nine weeks, and the other cat in her house didn’t care for her. Instantly we fell in love with her playfulness, fearlessness, and how easily she bonded to us. She’s mostly black with a generous smattering of orange. A white spot on her chin, an orange line from her eye, and a bright pink nose made her the cutest thing we’d ever seen.
Little did we know what sort of attitude would grow from that adorable little kitten! She is more or less my daughter, but claws the life out of my girlfriend. Very protective. She loves to play, and the only thing that will cause her to back down is our rabbit (who is twice her szie and three times her weight!)
She is fiesty, and determined, and right when we don’t know what to do with her she curls up against our shoulders or arms and makes us wonder how our lives would be awful without her. Her cute face cheers us up anytime. She’s only 14 weeks now…we can’t wait to see how she matures.
She’s beautiful, Ela! Thanks for sharing.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/44013534@N02/4049166262/in/pool-tortishellcats
Thanks, Ingrid! Pizza may be viewed at:
http://www.flickr.com/groups/tortishellcats/
Soon I’ll have her with her butler.
I love the name Pizza, Ela! I love how Big Boy became Pizza’s butler – now that’s tortitude in action.
“Pizza, my tortie ”
So, Pizza is my beloved six -year old tortie, adopted from the shelter when she was two. Her colors resemble, as you might have guessed, those of a pizza, yeah, at the pizza place. She is adorable, vocal, playful, smart (she knows how to slide doors and set traps for unsuspecting victims – that would be me and Big Boy) and she sleeps on top of my head.
Never in a million years had I expected that she would make best friends with an oriental black tomcat I adopted from the shelter a year ago. Of course, first, 18 pounds Big Boy was greeted with a terrible hiss from a 9 pounder that made him piss in the carrier when he was brought home. As time went on, the calm tomcat became Pizza’s butler. He is bathing her and plays with her, though I have never seen Pizza doing the same for him. Anyways, all of us sleep in a big pile just like in this movie “Where the wild things are”.
Yes, that’s true about Angel, too. And all the other characteristics that you mention in your originaly posts are true, too. She is very talkative whether she wants food, or when I start petting her, etc. and she is strong-willed and can be hot-tempered at times, too. If my husband or the other pets don’t pay attention to her mood they might get hit from time to time. 😉 However, she can be the sweetest, most affectionate cat ever when she feels like cuddling and then she will also groom the other cats or the dog and sleep close to them or play with them. Other times she is just very independent and has her own spot on the cat tower and doesn’t need or want anybody too close to her…. definitely a very interesting, fascinating personality, if not the most fascinating cat I’ve had so far… and I’ve had and have known many.
Thanks for sharing Angel with us, Andrea. I’ve heard from other tortie parents that torties tend to be very possessive of their human and don’t always like to share.
I have a 1 1/2 year old dilute tortoiseshell cat. Her name is ‘Angel’ and the characteristics described above as ‘tortitude’ completely fit her personality. She is the ‘boss’ in our pet household of four and she has her two male feline companions as well as the dog (a 55lb yellow lab) under her control and they know not to mess with her. She can be very bossy with them but is also a very playful big sister for the 5 month old kitten (he’s a funny, playful tabby) who shares his birthday with her, only he is a year younger. Angel chose me as her human friend and I am the ONLY person allowed to pet her. Not even my husband is allowed to, only on very special occasions she will let him get close enough to touch her. She is very cuddly and affectionate with me, however, and wants me all for herself which is the one wish I can’t always grant her because I love all four of my pets the same. However, from the first day on (she is my first tortoiseshell cat) she has been very special to me and made me fall in love with this unique type of cat. Once a tortie, always a tortie!!
Dena, your Charlotte sounds like a typical tortie for sure!
I too have a tortie, & I love that there is a word for her personality, “tortitude”! She is very moody, sometimes very loveable, wanting attention, other times scratching you for merely walking by! But one person told me they had a sweet tortie, surprising, because I’ve read that they are usually just like my Charlotte!
I love the name TRex – sounds like a perfect name for her, going by your description!
I have a tortie named TRex for the obvious reason she is a bit on the plump side. She is made of tortitude and is only satisfied if she can be supreme ruler of the house. She is demanding for food but her cutest is the demands to sit on the deck with us, so my husband and I must put out a 3rd chair (with cushion) so she can sit beside us while we have an occasional deck happy hour. I adore her and would not trade her for any other cat.
It sounds like every one of your torties had her own unique aspects of the tortie personality, Kelli. I think it’s the mix of such seemingly varied traits that makes these cats so appealing.
I totally agree with the tortitude though I never heard that word before. I have had 2 torties in the past and 1 currently (well the one now was described as “calico torti” by vet). Honestly can’t imagine having any other type of cat. Last one, Simbie, came from a family of cats that have inhabited the woods nearby for many cat generations. When she decided to move in with humans she took over the neighborhood including inspecting the homes of anyone moving in and laying claim to their litterbox if they brought a cat. Most neighbors acknowledged her reign of the area. Current one is named Gremlin (she was a lil demon cat when she was first caught). She is incredibly intelligent with a wonderful mix of sweet, playful, and devilishly mischievous.
Jazz sounds ilke a wonderful cat – it sounds like she has you well trained 🙂 There is nothing more rewarding than having a former stray with a rough beginning to her life trust and relax.
My partner and I adopted this great torbie cat about a year and a half ago after losing our old catfriend of 18 years. We named her Jazz. She was found wandering around a park, probably got lost or separated from people with whom she might have been traveling. No one knows how long she had to survive on her own, but it is apparent that she was quite traumatized by the ordeal. Since she came into our lives, she is gradually unfolding and coming more and more out of the hard shell she had to put around herself to survive. We spoil her like crazy – probably good for all of us!
It has taken a long time, but Jazz is finally relaxing and has decided that we are not going to do anything nasty to her. Probably it was more a matter of us convincing her that she’s the boss! What a hoot she is!
Nugget sounds like a wonderful girl. Love the description of her 11pm crazies – that sounds like tortie behavior to me :-)Welcome to the tortie fan club, Drew!
I love reading all these posts about “Tortitue”. My husband and I just adopted a 9 year old tortie from the shelter named Nugget. I have typically been drawn to tuxedo kitties, but when we got the chance to play with her in the shelter to see if our personalities matched, we were sold at once! She was so quick to rub up against us and cuddle and had the sweetest disposition. She doesn’t really like being picked up much, but she definitely prefers to be wherever we are. She’s the most talkative cat I’ve ever known. Sometimes in the night I’ll wake up and hear her in the other room (or in our room) just meowing away like she’s having a conversation with herself :-). She has never shown any signs of an aggressive mean streak, but she does have a history of turning into a wild woman around 11pm….she gets into almost everything (but hasn’t broken anything yet fortunately) and scares herself half to death with the noise she makes! She’s definitely made us both tortie fans for life!
I let my daughter pick out a tortie, Jasmine (Jazzy) from the pet shelter two years ago. She is markedly different in temperament from our tabbies. Affectionate yet aloof..tolerates being picked up for a few seconds, but at the same time is constantly by my side. Has a distinct growly meow. She is a bit wild, but lovable. I’m afraid she has become more my cat than my daughter’s. SHe has also become sort of ringleader in terms of getting into trouble with our tabbies, who never used to get into mischief. Fascinating animal.
Thanks for your comment, Shiobhan. Sarabi must be so beautiful, what a special little girl. And she definitely sounds like the poster child for tortitude :-). I’m glad you enjoyed the article.
My kitten, Sarabi, is a 4 month old Tortie and the most beautiful cat I’ve ever seen. She has a tiny orange diamond on her head that makes her look like an African Queen, hence her name. She’s extremely small, only 2.9 pounds at 4 months.
She is the first tortie I’ve ever had, and I love her more than I ever thought possible! She’s cuddly and loving, and will just jump onto my lap whenever I sit down. When I come into the room, she touches her nose to mine and rubs my cheek to greet me. She has a feisty streak, and will nip, stalk and pounce, but if she feels as though she’s hurt you, she will lick the area she bit! She also loves to grab my face and lick my cheek, like a little puppy! She’s very vocal and is constantly purring.
However, she definately has a tortitude. She is very possessive of her humans and if she does not like you, you will know. She’s a little psycho – when she’s alone in a room with a closed door, she jumps at the door and hits it until we let her out!
I loved reading about your Torties and I love the distinguishing personality traits of these lovely cats. They’re so unique!
Yes, any one with loving pets is deeply & lovingly blessed! We joke about how they make us pay the mortgage, feed ’em, clean up after ’em & entertain ’em, but the truth is…we prefer life with them close by!
Here’s a better photo of Thelma: http://twitpic.com/hirbe
and Louise (who definitely has a ‘tude about cameras): http://twitpic.com/hiqwv (LOL!)
May you always be blessed with fur & purr!
Nancy
They’re both gorgeous, Nancy! Aren’t we blessed to have these wonderful special cats in our lives?
I’ve got their pictures up on Twitpic…
Here’s Thelma, long-haired muted-Torti: http://twitpic.com/hiojf The stripe down her nose is peach/cream. her predominant color is a muted grey.
Here’s a picture of Thelma with her *sister*, Louise (long-haired blue): http://twitpic.com/24nm0 (Named by previous owner)
They are the same age, adopted together as kittens, but I doubt they are siblings. Louise has *blue* skin common to Russian Blues and yellow eyes, while Thelma has pink skin and greenish eyes. They cuddle and fight like siblings, though.
Haven’t *ever* met a cat I didn’t like, but these two really are furry angels! =^..^=
Many blessings,
Nancy
@AffirmingSpirit
Thanks for your comment, Nancy. Thelma’s tortitude apparently only comes out when she’s beeing groomed. She sounds like a very special girl, and her markings must be beautiful. It’s too bad you can’t post photos in comments – but if you’d like to share her with the Conscious Cat community, head on over to our Facebook page and post her photo there – we’d love to “meet” her.
http://www.facebook.com/consciouscat
I read this post with great interest. About 18 months ago, after my cat transitioned, I adopted 2 8-yr old “sister” felines whose owner had passed away. One has thick blue fur (Louise), and the other is termed a muted torti (Thelma). In all honesty, I wanted the blue girl, Louise (reminded me of a prior kitty), and only took the torti, Thelma, because they wouldn’t adopt them separately.
Yet, within 12 hours of bringing them both home, it was the torti/Thelma who expressed her undying affection with the most intense cuddling I have ever experienced with a cat. She also looks me deeply in the eyes, mews & then slowly extends her paw out to touch me while maintaining eye contact. I’d swear she was a human in a fur suit!
I’m surprised to hear about temper among tortis. Thelma’s only temper is when I’m removing her matted hair—she’ll flip out, bite, hit, & hiss! Otherwise, she has the most incredibly beautiful fur/markings when she’s freshly groomed, and is always the first to greet me or guests.
Truly, I feel blessed to be owned by both!
Many blessings,
Nancy’
@AffirmingSpirit
I didn’t realize it that torties were known for having these traits! It explains so much.
I’ve never had a cat before I adopted my tortie, Maui. She follows me around all day, meows more than any Siamese I’ve ever met, even chirps like a bird sometimes.
She likes watching water and splashing in the tub after someone has had a shower. She’s not at all how I imagined a cat would be.
Toni, your Loki definitely sounds like she’s all tortie! What a personality!
I have a tortie called Loki, named after the angel of death and the norse god of mischief.
She’s a psycopath who I’ve seen chasing foxes, beating up my labrador and how many birds she’s killed is anyone guess. My garden is like The Killing Fields thanks to the lil lunatic!
She’s great though, she is very cuddly with me but hates my boyfriend. Not a bit of white on her and she has such a small frame with long elegant legs, she’s very beautiful IMO lol
I have another cat and he’s a tuxedo cat. He’s like a breezeblock and twice the size of her and she still shows him who’s boss!
I’m sorry to hear about Edgar, Cindy. It sounds like Mandy is doing her best to fill the void. I think cats have an amazing ability to tune in to our emotions and they seem to know what’s needed better than we do sometimes. Mandy seems to know that you need that more mellow energy now.
I have a calico girl named Mandy. All of her tummy is white, with beautiful random spots of black and reddish tan predominantly over her back, with a little spotting on her legs and head. She is a beautiful little thing, buttttt…the cattitude! She’s now 10 and is juuust beginning to mellow out. She was a little touch-me-not but is becoming more loving – both in giving AND receiving affection. I just lost my 18 year old tabby Edgar about 3 weeks ago, and I speculate now, with Mandy being the sole kittiekittie in the house, if she’ll mellow even more (since ALL attention is on her, now). I don’t think she’ll EVER become a lap cat, like Edgar was, but who knows what her senior years may bring! =^..^=
Candy sounds like a wonderful cat, Demetra. A perfect name for a kitty with this much personality.
I have a Torbie named Candy – my young daughters named her and it suits her. Shes is very sweet, gentle, and easy-going. Of our 4 cats she is the most vocal, often “squawking” and murmuring instead of more typical feline sounds. The noises she makes sound like she’s complaining, but they are more like exclamiations. “Oh! you’ve come over to pet me! Thanks!” So much personality!
Sophie sounds like she was a wonderful cat, Sandy. I, too, have found that in the torties I’ve know, the outbursts of temper don’t last long. And I probably should have included in my article that most torties believe that they should be Queen of Everything.
The most cuddly cat I’ve ever had was a wonderful tortie named Sophie. She was also the only cat I’ve had as a kitten. She definitely had a hot temper(though it never lasted for more than a minute or two and she’d be back to her cuddly self) and was very independent. She was Queen of the house. I loved her dearly for 16 years.
I also had another tortie for a few years (got her in her teens). She would get on my lap and butt my ribs hard with her head when she wanted to be pet.
Sandy