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
Ingrid: Please delete the submission posted at 9:34 PM. As I was making corrections, I had a leprechaun glitch in my system and I see the wrong submission was posted.
I’ve enjoyed life with a lot of different cats but at 48 Lizzy is my first Tortie. She was a skittish barn kit that when I first adopted her and I had to carry her around in a soft apron to get her acustomed to being around me and humans in general. I’ve always thought that perhaps I was just never able to domesticate her enough until I learned about some of these unique personality traits. She has come to love me and it seems, me alone. also over the course of a few moves I have learned that she does prefer to be alone instead of being on a farm full of dogs and other cats. She is especially skittish of my boyfriend who just adores cats but also plays with them in a very boyish fashion. The other cats just love him and his antics and always come back for more but Lizzy is just petrified and runs up the closest tree to “be free!” I used to blame him for her skittishness but perhaps I should just give him a break and accept both kitty and BF as they are. Each adorable in their own way. 🙂
Joey: I think it’s great you have a small little lady. Being an audio engineer will fit right in with her when she starts to hum and talk at you. You will enjoy her as so many of enjoy ours. Intelligent, oh yea. I have had my Steeler for 10 months and gee I was saying a lot of what you are saying. Well if is like her sisters and brothers out there, you will be retrained before you know what hit you. She will become boss and you will be amazed at what she will do. By the way, I am now a guest in Steeler’s home, but I love her to pieces.
Your new little girl sounds amazing, Jeoy – what a quick learner! Sounds like you two will get along just fine.
Hi. I just got a tortie who is only 8 weeks old. I don’t know if it’s because of her age and being in a new home or if this is an indicator of her personality, but this little lady is by far the most intensely compassionate, loving kitty I’ve ever experienced. She is just a doll. But that’s not all. She’s also extremely intelligent – I’m an audio engineer and while I’m aware of the fact that she needs lots of love and affection because she’s so young, I also need my space and to be able to work on my projects and can’t have her jumping in my lap whenever she wants without my inviting her. So I got a water bottle and after squirting her 2 times when she jumped on me uninvited she now waits by my chair for me to pick her up if I choose to do so, and if not she finds something to do after a few minutes. It’s really cool because while I want to give her plenty of love and nurture her, I don’t want her running my life and she seems to understand that very well already without my feeling like I’ve hurt her feelings or neglected her. She’s also an EXTREMELY athletic cat. 🙂
Jeaneen, maybe now that Sophie has a buddy, she’ll start relaxing around the dogs, and she’ll eventually come around to letting you hold her again.
Lacy, “annoying but sweet” is such a perfect tortie description! Sounds like Isy was meant to be with you.
A few years ago my family and I found a tortoiseshell kitten under a bush in front of a Wal-Mart. We took her home and took care of her, and got so attached that we had to keep her. In the article, it sounded like you were describing Isy, literally. I’ve never met a more stubborn cat, or a noisier one. I’ll be sitting on the couch, and Isy’ll jump up, meowing as loud as she can in my ear for no reason. She still does. She’s also VERY attached to me. When my cousin brought her 2 tabbies over a while ago, Isy wouldn’t let them near me for almost half an hour, and I’m the only one she’ll let hold her. Sometimes she’s extremely annoying, but I’ve never had a sweeter cat.
I have a tortie named Sophie—she is the first cat I have ever owned. I adopted her from a friend who could no longer keep her when she was about two years old. She used to be very friendly and cuddly. She slept in my bed and followed me all around the house. But, when I adopted my dogs she became angry. Pooped on my pillow and took up residence in the basement. She finally started coming upstairs again after about a year. She still won’t let me hold her anymore. I did take in another cat—he was a stray who had been declawed so I didn’t want to leave him roaming the neighborhood. She liked him right away, so I’m glad that she finally has a friend. But, I do worry about her. She’s a tiny little cat—weighs only about 8 pounds.
Pele sounds like a very special little cat, Pam. Considering how far she’s come in a month, I think you’ll eventually get the biting under control, too. The cantankerous part – that just might be her tortitude in action :-)! Keep us posted on her progress.
I have really enjoyed the comments on torties! I rescued my kitten from the side of our rural road where she was lying exhausted and dehydrated. Her terrible condition did not stop her from chomping down on my wrist however. She is a CH kitten, my vet says she had feline leukemia in utero. She is half blind, has a head tremor, and shaky back legs. But she has come a long way in a month! She is fat and sassy, and completely unaware she has any physical problems. Her name is Pele for the Hawaiian goddess of volcanoes.
It took a while to litterbox train her, but she made it. She can run like mad, sorta like an intoxicated rabbit. She finds her way around very well. She is learning to accept and even respond to attention, and I think she will be fine. But she can be cantankerous, and bite. Working on that. She thinks she is fine, and since no one told her she is blind or uncoordinated, she just goes for it. Very determined kitten. Thanks for the information on torties!
Michael, the fact that Honey is purring is huge! It sounds like she’s quite comfortable with you already, and is just taking it slow getting comfortable with her new surroundings.
Susan, I’m glad you your daughter was able to take Bridie. It sounds like Smidgen is the perfect companion for a tortie since he lets her exhibit her tortitude in all its glory! Smart boy 🙂
Michael, I agree that you’re doing great with Honey. I rescued my Jo a little over 2 months ago now, and her favorite hiding spot was (and is still) under the buffet in the dining room. When she was still new to us, an unsuspecting relative (cat-lover, but not Tortie-smart) stuck her hand under there trying to pet her and lure her out and got bitten – drew blood. A wide berth and plenty of patience are some of the best things you can do. Honey should be happily running your house and running off any delivery guys in no time at all:) About the crying, I think that’s the tortitude coming out…a lot of us talk about how verbal our torties are.
Ingrid, our daughter’s female tabby cat (Bridgid) never got used to Josephine and started spraying several spots throughout the house with urine. Those two girls (joJo and Bridie) never learned to get along at all. Fortunately this marking behavior started a few weeks after our daughter moved out of the house into her own apartment, so our daughter was able to take Bridie. She reports the spraying has stopped and Bridie seems happy with her and her old poodle. And here at our house, JoJo and my old tomcat Smidgen are getting along quite well. Smidgen is passive, sweet, and loving, where JoJo is controlling, loud, and outgoing. Hey, it works!
Thanks, Ingrid.
Yes, I have a Comfortzone Feliway diffuser plugged in where she’s been spending most of her time – the living room. Perhaps it’s helping?
I’ve noticed a pattern emerging: She’ll come out at evening time. She was out for several hours last night. She ate some and followed me around the house. She used her litter box. When I go to bed, though, she cries incessantly. She’ll calm down when I pet her, and lay on the bed with me for a short bit, but then she runs out to the living room and cries and cries, whipping her tail. Of course, she’s marking everything she can get her face on.
One thing though…she’s purring a lot. She has a very loud, distinct purr. As long as I was nearby, she purred.
Right now, it’s morning and she’s back under the sofa. I expect that, once she’s done complaining, that’s where she goes to feel safe.
I was really happy to see her eat and drink last night, so she knows where everything is. So…progress!
Michael, I’ll echo what Harry and Bernie said – be patient. I think it’s a great sign that even though Honey has been spending most of her time under the couch, she IS coming out for short periods of time to explore.
One thing I’ll add to the suggestions – you may want to try the ComfortZone Feliway plug ins – they can really help calm cats down. Here’s a link to more information about them: http://www.catfaeries.com/feliway.html
Thanks, folks…yeah, that’s pretty much what I’ve been doing: giving her space and time. When I picked her up from the shelter on Saturday, the woman told me she was the longest resident at the shelter ever. To calm her, I even tried playing a Beethoven Sonata! LOL.
She came out for more exploring (and marking) about half an hour ago. I think she’ll be fine and settle into the house eventually. I know she’s used the litter box at least once (I checked!).
Anyway, thanks again for the feedback.
Michael – I echo what Bernie said. I work with a rescue, we deal with a lot of shy cats – it takes time. Feed her under the couch, and place the box not far away where she can see it. We fed a shy cat *behind* the drywall in our basement for days, before she decided it was safe to come out, when people were around. (It was quite a trick getting the water bowl in without spilling!) Honey will come around.
Michael: I rescued my Tortie Steeler after she was thrown away. She would follow me all around the outside, but always at a safe distance. To make a long story short, she was showing signs of losing weight and the weather was turning bad, so I made up my mind this cat was not going to die so I brough her in. I tell you this because while she was outdoors she was always following me around. Your Honey is doing pretty much what Steeler did when I brought her in. She found a spot and stayed. I didn’t fight her on where she was, I just earned her trust by placing water and dry food in small dishes, where she took up residence and slowly but surely she is now in charge of all house activities. So be patient with her and don’t try to pick her up if she doesn’t want you to, give her a wide berth. She will come to trust you and then you will become a guest in your own home, as I am. Good Luck
I’m really starting to worry about Honey. She’s spent 3/4 of her time here under that sofa, and she hasn’t eaten anything or gone to the bathroom (litter box). I would think she’d be hungry after 24 hours!
She talks to me occasionally, but that’s it.
Thanks, Ingrid, that makes me feel better.
Honey spent another four hours under the sofa, then came out for petting while I was lying on it, then went back under the sofa. She woke me up (I slept on the sofa to be close to her) by crying loudly, search the apartment once more, crying all the time; spent some more time (briefly) on the sofa with me, then went back under the sofa where she still is (at 11:26 AM). She’ll occasionally poke her head out for me to pet, but she seems determined to stay under there!
Patience is the key, I guess. I hope she gets used to my place soon.
Congratulations on adopting Honey, Michael! I think you’re off to a great start with her – the fact that she spent time with you in the couch after her initial exploration, rather than hiding under the couch right away, is a great sign. I think she’s probably just overwhelmed. Keep in mind that this is a huge change for her – she went from living in a shelter to having a whole apartment all to herself. I know it’s hard to be patient, but I’d try to let her explore and get used to her new home at her own pace.
Keep us posted!
**I’m back and Honey’s with me!**
Hi folks,
I finally got Honey from the shelter today (Some of you may remember me mentioning her). She spent 20-30 minutes exploring the apartment, talking a lot and snapping her tail, then spent a little time with me on the couch…all fine. Then suddenly she crawled under the couch. That was an hour or so ago.
Now, I’ve had new cats before, so I know this is just one of the things they sometimes do when in a new home…but I hope she comes out of there soon. I feel weird about it, like she’s unhappy and doesn’t like it here or something.
I’ll post pictures when I get the chance.
Lianimal, I’m glad to hear the can of pennies did the trick!
Susan, I’ve not had much success with the spray bottle, Allegra loves water, she just thinks it’s a new game!
Matieofleaves, have you tried the Furminator for Sophie? It might help keep her long, thick fur under control. And I’m sure you’ll have that one-handed typing down pat soon 🙂
My Sophie is huge at 14 lbs and about 3 feet long, tip to tail. I adopted her at 4 yrs old. She’s very friendly and laid back. She greets everyone at the door and is absolutely unafraid of anything except the vacuum cleaner. Her fur is very long and thick and causes problems for us both. It mats really easily. I think she must have undercoats because I’ve had other long haired cats whose fur did not mat like that.
She’s too big to fit on my keyboard, where my other torite liked to be, so I have a chair set up just for her, by my desk chair. (It’s really kind of hard to type with one hand and pet with the other….)
oh, what a great idea! i’ll try that for when the cats hurl themselves against the bedroom door wanting in before it’s time for me to wake up and feed them;) it’s just too much trouble to get out of bed and tiptoe over to the crack under the door to zap them with water from the spray bottle;)
Y’all KNOW I’m joking, right? I’d never duct tape, mail, or otherwise harm my sweetly psychotic monkey-brains.
I only lost a couple night’s sleep, and gained a few bruises and claw marks before I managed to break the habit. I kept a peanut can full of pennies on the night-stand, and every time she landed on me I gave it a good shake.
Vivienne sounds adorable!
=-/…….I wish Pumpkin would come sit on Monkey, just to keep her still for a few minutes lol
Monkey’s now decided it’s too time-consuming to walk over and sit on me when she can just take a flying leap and body-slam me from 12 feet across the room. She’s only about 7 lbs, but that’s a lot at that kind of velocity. Her new favorite time to do this is when I’m sleeping. Me and the girls at work were discussing what to do about it this afternoon, a couple of tempting suggestions were; Duct tape her to the wall, or mail her to Afghanistan (Bin Ladin won’t know what hit him…in a month he’ll be jibbering in the corner like Richard Dreyfus in “What about Bob”)
Stirfry sounds like she’s all tortie, that’s for sure, Jay! I’m still laughing at the image of 20 pound Pumpkin sitting on little Stirfry as she’s throwing a hissy fit!
I love this site of yours.
I was searching on cat types and coloring and say the word
“Tortitude”. That sure does describe my cat.
I had a Bichon that loved cats and would let me know when one was outside. There was a tortoiseshell cat where I threw scraps and as soon as I opened the door she ran off. I put hotdogs out for her and after a week she would not run. 4 weeks later she jumped up on the porch and rubbed against me. Followed me when ever I went outside. Finally in Feb during a bad storm I decided to take her in. Could not find her for 3 days then she showed up. Didn’t have a name yet and was quite feral. I tride to find a home for her as I already had 1 cat and my dog. After a few months she had 6 kittens of which 3 lived. I gave 1 to a friend, 1 to my son and kept the male who I named Pumpkin (orange and white) The feral cat I named Stirfry and I jokeabout giving her to the oriental restraunt where they would make stirfry out of her.
She is very unpredictable and her moods change in a second. I had her fixedalong with declawing her front paws. Tired of giving blood. I took her pic to some booksellers and they both said ” Pet Sematary”. They gave me the book and the wild cat on the cover is the splitting image of Stirfry – teeth out and ears back. Now 7 years later she still does not get along with my 2 cats but will sit in my lap as soon as I get on the computer.She weighs 6 lbs. Pumpkin weighs about 20 lbs and has never hissed or growled. He catches mice but doesn’t hurt them, just gives them to me to put outside. If I hear 2 cats fighting it’s usually Stirfry with Pumpkin who knockes her over and sits on her while she is growling and hissing. He just looks around with the expression of “Mom was bad and I told her so”.
@Glen, Kasey sounds like an excellent schoolteacher. You made me laugh out loud:)
@Rebecca, I love your Vivienne story:) I hope she’s all better soon and able to take control of those Maine coons for you:) My JoJo is still loudly “schooling” my female tabby but I have no doubt who will ultimately win:)
@Drew, SO happy to hear Nuggs is doing better!
Drew I am pleased to hear that Nugget is showing some improvement. While “Nuggs” will be wearing her Saints bandanna Steeler will be wearing her Terrible Towel. Good news all around.
Thanks everyone for the advice you have given to help me help my precious Nuggie Bear (Nugget). I got the Cat vs. Cat book and after I read it, I think I’ll have a better idea about what to expect if we get another cat. Then we’ll decide if we think it would help her. We actually changed her food about a week ago….sort of by accident (hubby came home with the wrong kind) but she likes it and honestly, I think her obsessive grooming is getting a little better. I’ll keep everyone updated! Oh and Bernie, Nuggs it completely ready for football season, she told me the other day that she’s ready to don the Super Bowl Saints bandanna!
Thanks for sharing Vivienne with us, Rebecca! She sounds like a delightful cat and definitely seems to be all tortie! I love the term “ghosting” – I’ve never heard it called that, it’s the perfect word for it!
Kasey definitely rules, Glen!
I never had a torti cat before and had never heard of “tortitude”, but having acquired my torti, “Vivienne, I have to laugh when I read what describes her to a “T”. Last October, my fiance arrived at his workplace, an auto collision repair center, and a little black and orange kitten ran up to him out of nowhere, crying and rubbing around his legs. He being an animal lover, immediately petted her and fed her, etc. He observed that she seemed to be sleeping under the cars to be repaired. After the first day, she would wait for him at the office door, dart in and cry and demand to be fed. She would then proceed to jump through the open partitions between offices and sleep in people’s laps or take over their office chairs! My fiance was very concerned for her safety, fearing she would be hit by a car or someone would be mean to her. He suspected that she had been abandoned and he knew she needed a home. My daughter tried taking her home with her, but the torti kitten spent a miserable night in her laundry room, growling and hissing, as my daughter’s curious cat attempted to visit with her through the door. The next day, she brought the cat to my house, stating that it was too bad tempered for her other cats. We knew right away that we had just acquired another cat.
I have always had rescue cats. My home is never without at least two cats or more. At that time, we had two 8 year old maine coon brothers that I had raised with bottles from 3 weeks old. They are definitely a unit and very sweet, rather lazy, and never a hiss or snarl between them. Well, they did not know what hit them with this little torti kitten! I had to keep her separated from them for almost 2 full months because Vivienne began to show signs of illness right away when she arrived at our house. Come to find out, the vet said she would not have survived the first cold snap if we had not brought her home when we did. She was infected with a fairly rare parasite, called lung worm, which evidently is transmitted to cats from eating infected toads or slugs, among other things. In fact, it is so seldom seen that our vet was only able to diagnose it because she had seen it once years ago when she took in a stray kitten who was infected. Poor Vivienne was so sick! She had to be on medication for over thirty days for this, and had to go back and forth to the vet several times. It was while we were taking her to the vet the first time that I learned that torti cats have a distinct personality and the vet informed us that they can be very imperious and sometimes downright mean. She was never very good at the vet, but after the first visit, was never as bad tempered.
During Vivienne’s illness, she came to trust and rely on me. She would lay on my lap in her room and would become very ticked off if I had to get up and leave her. She would eat for me, and let me give her her medication, but only reluctantly. She tolerated my daughter sometimes, and my son occasionally. She decided that even though he rescued her, she would completely dislike my fiance and would have very little to do with him. I believe this is because he is not the kind of person to tread lightly and would just always try to scoop her up and give her pets. She took offense to this and hates it to this day. She will run to see him when he comes home from work, but quickly demands to be put down and if he doesn’t she gets cranky! She will even try to bite his shoes! But he is in love with her and puts up with her tortitude.
After reading the “tortitude traits”, I understand her so much better. She is hot tempered, but over it within seconds. She loves “ghosting”, where she hides under the bed or behind a door and runs out to very lightly paw my leg and disappears! She is a tiny, determined climber, running up to the top of the cat condo and hanging there, doing a quick chin-up, only to clamber back down and do it again! She chirps to the birds that she watches from the storm door or window seat constantly. She is a one person cat who has chosen me as her person and cries loudly if I leave her when she thinks it is not time. I feel guilty leaving for work most of the time because of the look on her face, and have even taken her with me before! She loves people and enjoys company. However, she is extremely protective of me. Once, a repairman came to the door when I was home alone. She flew to the open door like a stalking lioness and I had to snatch her up as she was preparing to launch herself at him!
Vivienne is learning to trust again and she is getting there. I don’t believe she will ever be friends with my other two cats, she is too jealous and territorial. But she has learned not to attack them (most of the time). She is a joy to us despite her sometimes cranky attitude and we are so glad she found us!
Canine Discipline By Tortitude;
We have made great strides in reducing the barking sessions of our Silky Terrier but there are still some relapses.
This time, it involved barking at something imagined in the front yard, a few days ago
He let out a few barks at something known only to him and dashed for the front window, with their low sills that he can stand up and look out of.
I was getting ready to give the “cease and desist” order, HOWEVER, he did not know that Kasey the tortie was relaxing on her side on the throw rug near the window.
She got partially up and let out a very evil sound combining a hiss, growl and snarl.
The barking stopped, IMEDIATELY and he did a very quick 180 degree turn and beat a silent retreat.
The old girl was more effective in canine discipline then anything I could have said..
Susan, I think most cats like things to be on their terms, not ours, and that’s probably the case even more so with torties.
Drew and Bernie, it’s certainly possible that Nugget is allergic to something in her litter, although I believe it’s rare that cats are allergic to the dust in litter. Typically, that presents more of a problem as asthma or other upper respiratory problems. It could be worth a try to change to a different type, though.
Drew: I am sorry to hear that Nugget is still overgrooming.. I am not a doctor, but just sitting here reading the posts you have put up, I look at Steeler, and I wonder where I would start if it were her. There is no answer. I do know that I had used a litter in her box that created dust. Do you think you might try a different litter for her. I feel so bad to know she is suffering. You have did everything right. I just happened to think maybe it is in the litter.I really have no real example of why, but maybe it might be looked into. Thinking of Nugget and you. Good luck.
It’s been my experience with cats in general (and with torties especially) that they prefer to be the instigator for affection or attention. Have you found this to be true? I’ve seen my tortie hiss, growl, scratch, and bite when either human or other cat tries to play with her or pet her when she doesn’t feel like it. Oddly, when I hold out my hand and say her name softly, she will come running for a pet. I think it’s because I never come to her…I always just ask her to come to me, and if she doesn’t feel like it, I just let it go. Same with toys…sometimes she wants to play and comes over to play with me but sometimes she just watches while I play with another cat. I’ve noticed other family members go TOWARD her with toys and it scares her away. You have to wait for them to come to you, or they won’t play at all. Have you noticed that? I wonder if I’m onto something, or if the cats only react to me better because I’m the one who feeds them and washes their water bowl:)
Mary, you’re probably seeing a combination of tortitude and the fact she was alone when you found her. What you’re seeing in terms of behavior is probably not meanness, but rather, fear and natural defense mechanisms. Typically, kittens learn from their littermates what’s okay and not okay in terms of rough play and behavior. Since she didn’t have that, you’re going to be the one to have to teach her. It’s going to take patience and consistency, but I think you’ll find that eventually, as she comes to trust you and settle into her home with you, and as you continue to work with her and correct the undesirable behavior, she’ll come around.
i have a baby tortie. her name is cookie, she has 5 months, and her temperament is a lot different from all the cats ive seen or had. She is a bit mean, she dont like to cuddle and she bites a lot.
i found her on the street with 1 month, and she was so alone.
I dont know if her temperament as to do with her life before i took her in.
Drew, what about the raw food diet idea? You indicated she does well with turkey/chicken cold cuts…how about raw? Have you tried that for an extended period of time to see if it helps with her obsessive grooming? Of course you would have to be fastidious in handling raw meat for her, but it truly is the most natural way for us to feed our animals. Just a thought. Our daughter has seen significant changes in her elderly poodle after feeding him raw food for the past couple of months so I thought Ingrid’s suggestion held some appeal. Here’s a link for you to check out…note the links on this page to discussions of raw foods for cats….http://cats.about.com/cs/catfood/a/comparisonatoz.htm
Drew, Pam Bennett Johnson’s “Cat vs. Cat” is a great resource about living with more than one cat, and also covers how to properly introduce cats to each other. Here’s the link to Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0142004758?ie=UTF8&tag=healhand-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=0142004758
Drew I am sorry to hear about Nugget’s problem. I don’t know if it will help or not but Steeler likes to control the room so to speak. She demands attention. I finally found that if it were a long ribbon or plush toys (with long tails) she is finding ways of entertaining herself. She too, seemed to be in a groomfest. so when I noticed her grooming and twisting to groom all over, I decided to let the shower on a mist and let her play in the spray. Then her grooming was down to drying herself off. This might help Nugget, I hope so. By the way, you have to get her in shape, it’s football season. Good Luck
Thanks Ingrid. The vet has ruled out allergies and we feed her dry food…the brand we have is about the only thing besides cold cut turkey/chicken slices she will eat. She turns her nose up at wet food and we had her on a different brand of dry food first, but she developed a bit of a “scooting” problem because her little glands would swell up from the food/allergy to that particular food. We have put her on antihistamines and they didn’t work, so basically we’re running low on options. We were thinking a very mild mannered kitten (since they would most likely be small in stature and not too overpowering) would be a good match. Does anyone have some good sites/info regarding introductions between pets when a new member is added to the family? Thanks again for the help.
Hi Drew, I’m sure others will chime in here, too, but my first advice would be to dig a little deeper on the medical side. What diet do you have Nugget on? Has your vet done any allergy testing? Obsessive grooming and licking can frequently be caused by allergies – either to something in her food, or something in her environment. What are you feeding her? If it is an allergic reaction, and if it is caused by something in her food, sometimes, switching to a grain-free canned diet, or even a raw diet, can make a huge difference. If it’s something in her environment, you may also be able to make changes that can help with the issue. A friend of mine has a cat who used to exhibit the same symptoms, and it turned out to be that she’s allergic to various pollens. As long as my friend keeps all the windows in her house closed at all times, her cat does fine.
If the cause for her compulsive grooming is behavioral, getting another cat may help, but it may also compound the problem by adding more stress. There’s really no way to tell for sure. If you decide to go that route, I’d look for a cat similar in temperament to Nugget.
I need some advice regarding my 9 year old tortie, Nugget. My husband and I adopted her almost 1 year ago, and while she is more loving and snuggly than ever, she has recently developed some issues. She has apparently become obsessed with grooming and licking herself, which other than leading to some bald spots and more frequent hairballs, is not really a big issue. However, our vet says that she could be constantly grooming because she is bored or lonely. When we are home, we show her a lot of attention and she loves playing with her charmer and chasing a laser light around the apartment, but apparently this attention just isn’t enough. Our vet suggested getting her a friend to help with the boredom/lonliness she may experience when we are at work. On the surface this seems like a great idea, but when we first adopted her, the shelter we acquired her from warned us that she is a little uneasy and timid with other cats. Apparently the home she lived in previously had another cat that was somewhat of a bully. Do you still think she’ll be okay with a friend? We really want to get her one but we also want make her happy at the same time. Would a kitten with a laid back, calm personality be best or should we just keep things as they are (a solo cat family)? Any thoughts/help would be greatly appreciated!!
Thanks Ingrid but have to say that I feel lucky that we found her, as I say I’ve always had cats but have never met a cat with such a big personality, as a result I’ve now become an obsessive cat owner much to the amusement of everyone who knows me!
It sounds like Cody is lucky you found her, Lindsey – and it sure does sound like she’s all tortie!
Michael, I’ve used the Feliway diffusers and the spray with good success. We used to use the spray for the inside of cages in the veterinary hospital I worked at, and it really seemed to calm cats down. A friend of mine used it when her three cats, who always got along beautifully, started fighting all of a sudden, and it really helped calm everything down again.
Feliway diffusers: I have not tried anything like this. But I think like humans, different cats would react differently to different stimuli. I would try it. More important, I think, is to make sure to be VERY patient and kind with your new cat. Let her adjust to her new home at her own pace…if she wants to spend two days in her cage with the door open, let her:) and for heavens sake, don’t stick your hand in there to try to pet her. My rule is to never go toward a cat or pet a cat until and unless she comes to you for attention, no matter how long that might take:)