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
Clearly, your tortoiseshell kitten has the read the book on tortitude, since she’s already making sure you know she is in charge, Sarah!
I have a tortoiseshell kitten and she is one of the best cats, besides my ragdoll cat that I have ever had. She is really good with my two year old daughter and she lets it be known that she is the Queen!!
Jennifer, I lost my tortie, Bracken, in the summer so I share your loss. I loved your phrase about many extended conversations about breakfast and dinner, it conjured up such a wonderful image and reminded me of Bracken’s many chirruped questions. At least we will both have lovely memories.
Naomi sounds like she was a very sweet girl, Jennifer. I love how she “punished” you for tripping over her!
I hope you’ll find another kitty who will capture your heart. Of course, it won’t be the same as your relationship with Naomi. I didn’t think it was possible to love another cat after I lost my soul mate kitty in April of 2000. Three months later, I fostered Amber. Almost ten years later, she’s still here -the flyers advertising that she was up for adoption never made it out of my house 🙂
Last spring I lost my wonderful tortie and cream kitty Naomi to liver cancer. She had been with me for half my life at that point, and was my most constant friend and companion.
I am so surprised to discover that torties have an attitude for being feisty. I blew raspberries into Naomi’s white tummy without fear and was never once bitten or scratched while cutting her nails or brushing her teeth. If I was outside, she would sit by the door and wait for me. However…Naomi had one interesting quirk. If anyone else tripped over her, she would run. But if I tripped over her, she would come over to me and pounce on me in retaliation (clearly, I was supposed to know better). After that, she’d forgive me and all would be well. Like other torties, Naomi liked to make her voice heard and rarely failed to announce her presence. We had many extended conversations about breakfast and dinner.
I’ve just started to look into fostering cats until I’m ready to adopt, and for every cat I see that reminds me even a little of Naomi, I miss her all the more.
What a lovely tribute to Cleocatra, Darlene – thank you for sharing your special baby with us. I’m so sorry for your loss. You and your husband must miss her terribly.
I lost my baby 2 weeks ago to cancer. Her name was Cleocatra and as you can imagine, she was an absolute queen. She was a beautiful long hair who looked like tiger tiger ice cream. Her ‘dress’, as we called it, was absolutely stunning with fluffy little bloomers on her back legs. The underside of her tail was almost a silver colour and she always curled her tail over her back so you could see it. Her favourite thing was to lay flat out on the floor with legs stretched out behind her and her tail curled over her back.
Tortitude was not in her make up. She was the sweetest, kindest little girl you ever saw. The vet used to marvel that she never growled or hissed at her or the staff. She was a marvelous hunter catching mice, birds, and even a bat once! She loved having a bath and would strut around the house afterward to show off her beautiful dress. Cleo was so full of love for both my husband and I. She would come running from anywhere in the yard at full speed the minute I called her name, and she couldn’t have looked at my husband with more love in her eyes!
I can’t imagine that we will ever find another animal like Cleo. She was our best friend and was every bit a “little person”. She was so beautiful and had the absolute kindest spirit of any creature I have ever met. I miss her dearly.
Thanks for sharing your torties with us, Bernadette. Cookie’s reaction to Kelly’s arrival is not surprising, considering her position as “Top Tortie” in your household! Torties truly are the center of their own universe, aren’t they?
Jen, it sounds like your cat has you well trained!
Oh yes, my cat has a LOT of tortitude. All she does is talk talk talk! If I’m not paying attention to her, she’ll want in, then out, then in, then out, just to make me do something for her! She’s also obsessed with my hands, so it gets quite annoying sometimes because I’m a big crafter, so I’m always working with my hands and she feels free to just rub her face on everything I do or work with. Even right now, she’s staring at me from across the room. If I don’t pet her before I go to sleep, she’ll sit right on the floor and peek over the edge of the bed and just stare at me, all night. I freaked out once when I saw her glowing eyes at like, 4 in the morning XP
Actually, to give Peaches her due, she was 15 when I took her in, and is now 19, curled up with the two-year-olds who are each more than twice her size. They take good care of their older sister.
Torties are each the center of the universe.
22 years of tortitude…started with a torbie who was born onto my knee and who I named Fawn, and she loved no one but me, and I was very honored…her dilute tortie sister Nikka will re-enter later…Cookie, The Goddess of the duplicitious face half orange and half black from chin to shoulder blades, entered my life sad in a winter storm only to turn around and thank me forever when she realized she was not going back outside, still my best girlfriend…and much to Cookie’s consternation then came slender little Kelly, dark with orange speckles and an orange sash, rescued from a stray/feral colony and a little nervous and timid but sweet and purring and always full of explanations and comments…then Nikka the dilute tortie re-entered from the person who had adopted her, grateful to be rescued from a situation turned bad, but assuming she’d be an only cat again…then Peaches, the 15-year-old dilute calico who still charms everyone with her petite grace and aged confusion, and her sister Cream, white with detachable black ears and orange tail and the AC Delco logo on her shoulder blades, assuming I belonged to her…just a few brief sketches.
Cookie, the main tortie of the generous shape, was really not pleased with the arrival of Kelly. Why would I take in another tortie, and a scrawny one at that, when I had a perfectly good one already? One day I picked up Kelly from the bed and kissed her and kissed her and talked baby talk to her and Cookie averted her eyes and looked as if she’d puke. Then I laughed at her and she got up and left.
I had heard that calicos of all sorts were considered good fortune. I’m still waiting, girls. Any time.
I’m so glad to hear that Murphy is still going strong. That’s tortitude alright, when you inspire the nickname “Evil!” I’m always fascinated by so many torties’ dual personalities – fierceness and sweetness all wrapped into one wonderful package.
Ingrid knows my Murphy. She is 17 years young and still whacks me and tries to bite me at least 2 times a week for the grave injustices I do to her like petting or brushing. She beats my poor mother every time she visits and has been given the nickname “Evil” by my niece. But she also sleeps in my lap every night holding on to me like I am the most important person in the world and she makes us laugh with her antics. I wouldn’t trade her personality for anything.
Becs, Puss and Boots both sound like they’ve got tortitude to spare! I especially like your description of Puss’ tortie glare.
Drew, I love all the different names you have for Nugget. Buckley used to do the tortie wail quite well, and she, too, would follow me all over the house. Amber is a little more quiet when it comes to expressing her tortitude, she’s got more of a dainty whine – but it’s no less insistent, and quite effective in getting me to do her bidding!
Hi Becs….I loved your description of both Puss and Boots. My one tortie Nugget (aka Nuggs, Nuggley Bear, Nuggalista, Nuggsy McGee haha) sounds like both of yours rolled into one :-). She wails as well when she wants food and its louder than I ever thought any cat could get. She too follows me into the bathroom and all over the apartment. Nugget has now started glaring at me when she wants something, especially in the middle of the night. She didn’t used to do this until recently and when I read your post I realized…ok, she’s not weird, this is obviously a new realm of tortie behavior I hadn’t seen yet. Its kinda unnerving how intense her stare can get, especially when I wake up in the night and she’s about an inch from my face locked on her target…which would be me! Thanks for sharing about your two precious kitties. Aren’t torties the best? Life just wouldn’t be as fun without them!
I have two Torties named Boots and Puss(aka. De Moo Moo) who are from the same litter. And oddly enough they are nothing alike. Anyway. I’ve had them for 10 years now and I gotta tell you they definitely have Tortitude! Boots for example meows well more like wales whenever she wants food, it’s like she’s saying feed me now or I won’t stop. And she follows me and my sister everywhere….even into the bathroom -.-‘ Puss on the other hand is what we call the runt of the two. I swear she’s retarded. Anyway she is very possesive of me, especially when I’m sleeping. She’ll cuddle right up against me every night and whenever Boots wants to join puss starts hissing at her. But honestly the one who has the most Tortitude would have to be puss especially when she doesn’t get her way, she’ll literally glare at me for 20 mins. Her eyes are like daggers! But she’s also the attention seaker of the two. She’ll start rolling on the floor until somebody gets up to pet her.
Veni, it sounds like Skittles and Baby both exhibit different aspects of the tortie personality. I love your description of how you bonded with Baby.
Aren’t we lucky that we have these wonderful torties in our lives, Kat?
I too am blessed to have a tortie in my cat family. She is the second tortie I have owned, being the grand-katten of my first tortie Minxie.
Yes they are fiercely loyal, have their moods, loud purring, and have that “tortie” gaze…….all of us tortie owners recognize what I mean!
What an awesome cat we have in our torties!
I also am human-mom to 7 other wonderful cats.
I adopted 3 feral litter mates about 15 months ago: 2 tortie females, and one black male cat. They are all very different. One tortie, Skittles, is so named because she is very skittish, even now, though she finally lets me pick her up. She still hems and haws first, backing up, turning around, but finally coming back for hugs. And she always hides when visitors come over.
Her sister, Baby, is the runt, and I had a beautiful bonding experience with her when she was just a couple of months old and still with their mom. I found her alone in my backyard, and was concerned, so I spent the next several hours checking on her and talking with her. I gave her a bit of milk. Finally I sat quietly on the steps and she slowly, tentatively came up to me and let me touch her for a moment. Her mom and siblings finally came back after dark.
Several months later, when they had been weaned, they kept coming to my yard to play. When winter came, I put them in my foyer, and needless to say, they’ve made their way into all of the house! But I have a special bond with Baby. Baby instantly came up to me, and followed me like I was her mom. She is especially affectionate, if not a bit needy, very vocal, and very playful, being able to entertain herself. She also plays with her dry food like she’s a soccer star. I thank God for the three now fixed kitties, but especially for little Baby, and for that pre-adoption afternoon we had.
Stormie, the black brother, is a sweetie, and is Baby’s buddy. He’s super well-adjusted.
I can just picture Kasey scarfing up the dog food while the two dogs watch from afar! Great story, Glen – thanks for sharing.
Kasey has a new interest, eating dog food.
My wife has been trying her silky terrier on a Royal Canin product.
Kasey likes it and not just for a curious nibble.
Kasey sets up at the dog dish and goes on “vacuum”.
Nothing interupts this until we pick the food up or I take her somewhere and distract her with something like a toy.
The poor silky just watches, so does my wife’s friend’s lab-mix, they both pretty much avoid annoying “the tortie”.
I hope this is passing interest in a new and different food but I have my doubts about that.
Monkey sounds like she has tortitude in spades, Lynn. I love the term “personal weapon of mass destruction” – I think torties everywhere would approve!
My little Torti girl, Monkey, is the definition of Tortitude. I adopted her from my neighbor, who had given her away as a kitten, gone to visit her 6 months later, found her skinny and covered with scabs and bald patches from a severe flea allergy, and took her back.
At first she was the cuddliest little love ever. But as her health improved, her true nature emerged with a vengeance. Not that she isn’t still cuddly, she’s a definite lap cat, and sleeps on top of me at night. But she’s a wild woman, and watching her cross a room is like watching an episode of Mr.Magoo. One day in the space of about 30 seconds, she jumped onto the bookshelf, knocked the Beanie monkeys off, hopped to the top of the TV, knocked the phone book off behind it, taking the cable out, then to the phone table, where she knocked the phone and notepad off, hopped down, shredded the notepad, and began wrestling the phone.
One morning she buried herself at the bottom of my underwear drawer and popped out at me when I went to grab a pair, nearly giving me a heart attack.
She’s hilarious and impossible to stay mad at, and she gives me the greatest stories to tell at work. I call her my “personal weapon of mass destruction”, and threaten to drop her off at the houses of people if they mess with me.
I had one other tortie previous to Monkey. Her name was Hatchethead. She was smarter than Monkey, and less impish, but she was a much bigger diva, and ruled the house with an iron paw. She was the greatest cat love of my life, but Monkey’s working her way into a serious contender for the position.
There’s just something special about a tortie, huh?
I’m glad you found The Conscious Cat, Beth – welcome! I love all the stories of these torties who demonstrate their tortitude in spades, but when it comes to loving their humans, they’re the sweetest cats. Sadie sounds like a wonderful cat.
I just recently found this website. I have a Tortie named Sadie. I got her from a friend of mine who couldn’t keep her anymore. I have had other cats before but not like Sadie, I recently had some dental work done and was feeling sick from the numbing shots, as I was in bed Sadie jumped up on the bed got on my stomach, reached out her little paw and meowed as if to say, I understand and it will be okay. She then gave me a kiss. Never had her kiss me before or after that. She too has a tortiattude. She will slap me with her paw, head butt me but then she can turn right around and curl up in my lap.Her favorite thing to do is when I come home she will flop down on her side look up at me and meow I like to think she is saying “Pet me, pet me momma pet me, I have been a good girl and I deserve to be petted.” I love her so much and yes she is queen of the house.
Love your story about Poozy, Will! She sure sounds like a typical tortie. I think you translated her tortie talk exactly right – she had to make sure you knew who was in charge!
When my tortie was younger, she could be the sweetest cat in the world and then she could be a complete piece of work! One time, when I was seven, I was hanging with her outside and she just was in such a rotten mood, she bit and scratched me all over. I was in shock. I remember going into my parents room and laying down feeling kind of sad that she did that to me. I then heard some little footsteps in the room and I looked down to find Poozy looking up at me.
I screamed “NO! NO! I’ll do anything! Just please don’t get on the bed!” Then she crouched down and leaped up on there and gave me a kiss and fell asleep as did I. When I awoke, she was still there. She gave me a little nudge with some “Tortie Talk”. I like to translate what she said is “I gotta whoop your ass sometimes! I gotta show you some tortitude. It doesn’t mean I don’t love you.”
Kasey sounds like quite the huntress, Glen! It’s pretty amazing how fierce these small cats can be, isn’t it? I’ve heard of cats hunting and killing rats and rabbits, but this is the first time I’ve heard of one dragging a mallard out of a lake. Leave it to a tortie!
“Being a petite cat she surprised us while weighing only 7lbs. she killed and dragged a water rat up onto our hot tub and in through the cat window.
Our neighbour also has a torti(full size) named thomasina who pulled a huge mallard out of the lake and dragged it onto the lawn before we got it away from her.”
In her earlier life, before I brought her home, Kasey was quite tough on the local wildlife, too, at the company facility where she lived.
The facility she lived at was out in the country and she used to go out “beyond the fence” to hunt.
I was talking to one of the guys that liked her, who worked there at that time, he saw her take down and kill a rabbit. It was not the only “large game” she took, she was known to drag other large things back to the plant.
Even with this history, she is a very docile and content indoor cat, now, her big game is these days consists of those little catnip pillows.
At 10 years old, she still loves to chase a string if I pull it and she will do this until I tire of it (our cats are never left alone w/string). I wonder if the urge to chase a string so vigorously is linked to a strong hunting instinct.
Kiki sounds like quite a character, Nancy! Love your description of her practically clinging to your pant legs when you return from a trip!
Lin, I’m sure Phoebe appreciates that you understand that she’s in a different class from Jackson and Nelson 🙂
My 11 yr. old cat, Jackson, lost his very close buddy in Aug. who was 11 yrs. old. He was grieving so I bought home another tabby, Nelson, and a Tortie, Phoebe. They were rescued together and love each other. I was so concerned about the 3 of them getting along, but after a lot of patience of separating the kittens from Jackson for 2 months, they all get along great today! Phoebe is very smart and she is definitely different than the two male tabby cats. She is in a class all by herself….upper class. lol
After the passing of our 18yr old calico (puss-puss) and our 16yr old tabby (Spike) Our 14yr old dog a minature dachund/black lab (Joey) was losing all interest in life. We adopted Kiki from the SPCA she was 9months old at the time and is a petite dilute torti. When she feels like it she is extremely cuddly. Joey has been happy to have a playmate again and has a new spring in his step. Kiki is an agressive monster at times and will play rough, she makes me think of a rattler the way she will dive in and give a quick bite ( they dont hurt, just surprise). Being a petite cat she surprised us while weighing only 7lbs. she killed and dragged a water rat up onto our hot tub and in through the cat window. Our neighbour also has a torti(full size) named thomasina who pulled a huge mallard out of the lake and dragged it onto the lawn before we got it away from her. Our cats to not get along at all. Kiki is an amazing addition to our family and spends time alone when she needs to and demands attention and love on her schedule. If we have to go away for overnight though she is all but hanging off of our pant legs when we come home. She is the best!!
Thanks for your comment, Lin. Phoebe sounds like a wonderful girl. Welcome to the wonderful world of torties!
I’ve had dozens of cats my whole life, but just got my first Tortie, Phoebe. She was 16 weeks old when I got her and now she is 6 months. She has just started with the vocal chatter I’ve been reading about, with weird sounds. I was afraid something was wrong with her until I read all of these Tortie stories. She is very loving, and when I stop petting her, she makes a definite sound to continue. I have two tabby cats and they all get along, but this Tortie is like no cat I’ve ever owned. I love her and those golden eyes.
Andrea, I introduced two adults torties to each other when I brought Buckley home to live with Amber and me! They were both about eight years old at the time, and Amber had been an only cat for about six years at that point. You can read all about my experience with the introduction process in Buckley’s Story – and I don’t think I’m spoiling the read by saying that the end result was an incredible connection between the two of them.
Sooo… what do you think about two torties in one household? 😉 I have already told you about my dilute tortie Angel and I have fallen in love with another tortie at the cat shelter I volunteer for…. she is the most adorable, cutest thing I’ve ever seen and I have never seen a more affectionate kitten. She is probably about 6 months old from what I’m guessing and my Angel is 1 1/2 years old and she lives and gets along great with her two ‘brothers’ a black male cat and a grey tabby male. However, she is also the most moody of all my cats and I am a little concerned whether she would get along with another female cat that also has the same or a similar personality as her. But they are both still fairly young… hmm.. I don’t know. What do you think? Any previous experiences?
I can’t even begin to describe just how cute this cat is… what a jewel! She literally crawls into your neck so that she can get more pets and when you pick her up she won’t let you put her back down again. She reaches out for your hands and doesn’t let you go but she never uses her claws… and I guess I don’t have to add that she is just beautiful. She is not dilute like Angel is, but a ‘true’ tortie and sooo pretty! <3
My Calico Cat Sparkles is an amazing creature, nearly a second skin to me. Or she would be if I sat around long enough.
I wrote about how she came into my life in Hubpages if anyone wants to read theis Dog reincarnates as Cat story entitled The Story of Mr Grumpy The Dog http://hubpages.com/hub/Not-So-Shaggy-Dog-and-Cat-Story
Looks like two more votes for Madeline, Morgan! We’d love to hear from you after you make a decision on your new family member.
Morgan, I think you will be fine. Madeline is absolutely prescious and since you’re getting her as a kitten, you will be able to influence her personality in a big way. My tortie Nugget is a doll. We adopted her a few months ago and she is a complete sweetie pie. She’s chatty like other torties and rules the roost but I couldn’t be happier with any other cat. Go with your gut and get her if you really want her :-). Good luck.
If you have read my accounts of Kasey, she is an extreme tortitude case.
In my opinion some of her traits are nurture (she didn’t get a lot of that), rather than nature.
She spent a lot of years having to fend for herself in a place where she was little cared for, kicked around and people would bring their dogs in to the facility where she lived and thought it amusing to set them on her.
Understandably, this would bring out a fierce nature in a shear fight to survive. I think this brings out behaviours like the “guard cat” episods or scaring our silky terrier or my wife’s friend’s lab-mix.
I think it is a credit to her that despite her tough early life, she still loves human attention and is a “serious” lap cat. She wasn’t even used to being picked up, for nice reasons, until she came home w/me and now she likes that.
I think if she was home raised from the start, things would have been different. I am sure if Madeline was raised in a good home, she would be fine.
Quite a few adoption agencies do require that cats adopted from them be kept indoors. Ana, I agree – Madeline does have that special tortie/calico twinkle in her eyes!
Morgan, your Madeline already looks like a kitten with attitude and super georgous too. I agree with Ingrid, take no notice of your m-o-t! I just wonder why the adoption people say she she must be kept indoors…
I’m so sorry about your loss, Morgan.
Madeline looks adorable! I can see why you fell in love. It is most definitely not true that all torties have horrid attitudes. While there are commonalities in personality traits for torties and calicos, each cat is still an individual. That special “tortitude” is exactly what makes these cats so special. As you probably saw from reading through the comments on this post, there are lots of very sweet torties out there! My advice would be to follow your heart and disregard your mother-in-law’s advice 🙂 I’m sure others may chime in with their opinions.
My small Kitten Canni recently passed away, and my siamese mix (Izzy) misses him dearly. She’s almost a year old and has never been without a friend. To rememedy her kitty depression, I’m currently looking to adopt a small kitten named Madeline from the place my mother in law works. Madeline though is a tortie with white on her underbelly that runs from her chin to her back legs. she also has white “socks” on all four of her feet.
I’ve fallen in love with her, BUUT
My mother in law told me that any and all torties have horrid attitudes, and most likely would not get along with Izzy, or even be remotely cuddly.
is it the coloration? and is it true that torties with large spots of white are sweeter?
http://www.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=15161562
that’s the lovable little baby, from her coloration do you think she’d have the extreme attitude??
-Morgan
What a fierce little guard kitty! Thanks for sharing this story about Kasey, Glen.
Another “guard tortie” episode.
I was off work on a vacation day on Nov. 20/09.
That day, the work crew was finishing their last day of a new water main installation on our road (thankfully!!!).
In the morning, I was sitting in my recliner chair taking in the news on the TV.
Kasey jumped up on my lap and was going to settle down when she spotted the activity outside. We are in the country with a reasonably large lot, so this was well over 100 feet away.
She reacted BUT, it was not like a scared small, feline.
She sat bolt upright, ears forward on alert, glaring at them and sitting agressively; her whole demeanour was; maybe I had better “run them off”.
I pet her and asked her to settle down, which she did.
This whole thing is funny because she is fine with visitors that come in the house.
Thanks for your kind thoughts, Ingrid. We were really devestated when Bracken died – she went very suddenly from pyelonephritis ( a bacterial infection of the kidneys) and although our wonderful vet tried everything, there was nothing that could save her. But the discovery of tortitude gives me hope that one day we will have another chatty, demanding little madam who will rule our lives like Bracken did! I am sure that Icy will improve but I don’t think she will ever fill Bracken’s paws!
Obsidiankitten, torties do seem to have a tendency to want to be the queen, don’t they? Thanks for sharing Emma’s story.
Joanna, Selena sounds like a wonderful girl, and she has definitely read the “Tortie Manual!”
Ana, I’m sorry about your loss. Thank you for sharing Bracken with us, she sounds like she was very special. You must miss her so much. It sounds like Icy is starting to come out of her shell and trusting more. I’m sure she’ll just need time to really believe that she’s in her forever home with you now.
We have a 10 year-old tortie named Emma Fife Peale who was a rescue. She developed from a shy, nearly feral kitten that almost shredded the vet tech in her panic and fear (Emma’s story: http://obsidiankitten.blogspot.com/2006/12/cats-on-tuesday-pt-2.html) and eventually became a cuddly, affectionate, and talkative tortie that sleeps with us every night.
I loved reading everyone’s descriptions of their beloved torties and had to laugh because we’ve often referred to Emma as the Queen of Everything. She has nighttime crazies which include singing loudly (scrying?) into her waterbowl and chasing her tail and is both very talkative and very insistent.
I’m looking forward to reading more about Buckley in your book!