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 had never heard of tortitude until today but, having read everyone’s posts, wow! my tortie is definitely true to form! She is called Snoopy ( called so because she was a stray who used to come into the house and snoop in all the cupboards..) I have owned other cats, but Snoops is a complete nutter; she will chase her tail for hours on end, she goes absolutely hyper for about half an hour after she eats, and hurtles around the house like a whippet with a jetpack, she shows her distaste at being fed late by bringing live mice into the house and watching with amusement while i try to catch them… she is very affectionate and will fix me with a deep stare then reach out a paw and tap my nose, if i stroke her then move away, she will grab my hand and pull it back over, she insists on sleeping on my pillow and she has recently discovered that if standing on my head in the morning doesnt get me up, then loudly and slurpishly chewing my hair will! She is adorable and infuriating in equal measures! I’m definitely a tortie convert. Snoops ensures that every day is slightly surreal, if not a little chaotic! are torties always wee gluttons? snoops is always hungry and i wondered if that was a tortie characteristic…
Ingrid: aah geez I forgot I would show up on the post. But my Steeler is very beautiful and playful (by herself). I wanted folks to see her as she is now. Thanks.
Bernie, it’s so great to finally get to see a photo of Steeler (and you, too)! She’s so beautiful.
I have posted a pic of Steeler on the Facebook. My comments says a couple of pics but only 1 is on. I tried to show a before I rescued her but it did not get posted. So what is shown is a playful Steeler. Love that Steeler.
Chester’s Mom. I think you mean Diane. She had Heidi. I know the Gremlins made your fingers type to me.
Diane. I can only say that you and your husband made a great friend and companion in Heidi. I am so sorry for your loss. Remember she was a happy cat while with you and that is a good thing.
Dianne,
Such a sad story about Heidi, but I’m so glad that she got to spend some time in a loving home, and keeping you such good company when you were recovering.
I’ve never heard a story about a young cat like that dying of a heart attack…it breaks my heart.
Bernie, I am so sorry to hear about Heidi. It has been less than a year since I lost a cat suddenly also, I think that is why I was so anxious to rescue Chester from that dumpster. Whether the vet actually calls him a Torbie or not he certainly follows through with all the traits of a Tortoiseshell cat. He is unique in his behavior that is for sure, but not unique from the stories here.
He is the highlight of my day, and just as your Heidi did, he opens the blind in the morning to let me know the sun is up.
Thank you for sharing your story and again I am so sorry for your loss.
Kelly (Chesters Mom)
I am so sorry about Heidi, Dianne. My heart goes out to you. I can’t even imagine what a shock this must have been for you. She sounds like she was a very special cat, and she came into your life during a time when you really needed her, even if was only for such a short time. You’re in my thoughts. This is such a hard time. Be gentle with yourself.
I rescued a beautiful Tortie from the street in December. She had been someone’s cat but had been in front of this ladies house for 5 weeks when a lady called me to tell me about her. My husband and I went to pick her up. She had ear mites and an ear infection but our vet took good care of her. The moment we brought her into the house my dog wagged her tail and she gave a hiss. My dog was a bit afraid after that. We heard her hiss now and again w her little sassy tortitude but the minute i sat down she was in my lap. She even sat on my lap while i was on the computer . I really fell madly in love with her, She has been my angel while I have been healing and on disability. She liked to lick fingers and then nibble on them and lick them some more. If you took your hand away from petting her she became an octopus with all four paws pulling your hand back to her. The vet said that she was about 3 yrs old. She loved to entertain herself batting this or that across the room. She pounced on playing cards and slid. Well the night before last after laying on the floor purring and being petted she went into our bedroom and laid down and dosed. She woke with a stretch and collapsed. My husband called me into the bedroom and he was kneeling beside her and said he was sorry that Heidi had she passed away. I am beside myself. She was young and appeared healthy and the vet said she must have had an anurism or heart attack. She was my joy for such a brief time. She loved me and entertained me and I just can’t believe it. I am glad that I rescued her and made her so happy and she cheered me when I was recovering. She tugged on the window shade at night if I forgot to open it to remind me that she wanted to see out the first thing in the morning. One day we thought she got out and we looked for her for 5 hrs straight and then we saw her crawl out of the closet, yawn and shake her head & jingle her bell oblivious to our concerns. I enjoyed all of your entries as it consoled me in all the thoughts i have had of her. She squeaked more than she meowed and my husband wanted to name her squeaky or squeaker but Heidi became her name and it fit as she loved to hide and watch us look for her, She always came when her name was called or most always LOL . thank You for letting me share.
Nan: I am sorry. Gremlins on my laptop. I inadvertently referred to Buttons as Nan. Please forgive me. Sometimes my finger don’t do what my mind is saying.
Nan hi. I was reading about Nan’s being unable to clean under her tail. I have just had a scare with my Tortie, Steeler, who ended up with a gland infection. She did not have any matting and was cleaning herself. Ingrid is right to tell you to get her to a Vet. I would go a little further and say go now. Don’t wait until the little one gets infected. From the way Steeler started pulling out chances of her fur on her hunches and I knew she was in pain. I took her to the vet right away and she needed antibiotics. She too had an upcoming vet app’t but I didn’t wait, I took her right away and boy am I happy I did. Please consider moving her vet appt up, I sure you will be relieved and so will Nan. Lots of caring here.
She can’t seem to reach it, her belly gets in the way. Thank you for your advice. We have a vet appt coming up, so we’ll see about getting her shaved and cleaned up.
Nan, if the hair underneath her tail is already matted, you’re probably going to want to have it shaved off. Mats can be very uncomfortable and even painful, since the matted hair tugs on the skin underneath. It doesn’t sound like Buttons would sit still long enough for you to do it yourself. You don’t want the area to get infected.
The bigger question is why she won’t groom herself there. Can she not reach the area? At the very least, once you have the mats shaved off, you can try and keep the area brushed or combed on a regular basis to prevent this once the hair grows back in. Unscented baby wipes are good for this, or a wash cloth with just warm water.
I have a question. My Buttons, currently dubbed the Teddy Cat because she somewhat resembles a teddy bear, is having a hard time cleaning herself. Her fur underneath her tail is extremely dirty and is started to mat into dreadlocks. I have in-between bath wipes, but she won’t sit still long enough for me to do much by way of helping her clean up. Any suggestions for what I can do to at least take care of the smell?
I don’t know why Emma yowls into her bowl…and only into one bowl, not the other one! We say she’s “scrying.” Maybe some sort of magic happens that we poor humans can’t see…
Chester’s Mom, Chester is gorgeous!
To all the other tortie lovers, you can see his photo on our facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/consciouscat
What do you think? Tabby, or tortie?
I will post one asap he loves his photo taken too. Thank you Ingrid
Chester’s Mom, from your description, it sure sounds like you might have found one of those very rare male tortoiseshell cats! Unfortunately, there’s no way to post photos here on the site – could you post a photo of him on our Facebook page? He sounds like a wonderful cat, although your older cat probably disagrees with this statement!
I have been researching Torties because of my new kitten. He was a rescue from a chip dumpster so I call him Chester Cheetah. He was only about 3-4 weeks when I got him but I have had cats all my life and could not pass helping this little one out.
He is about five months old now and so different than any cat I have ever had before. He has attached himself to me like a dog, follows me from room to room, talks to me to tell me what he wants from me and knows just what it is he wants too!
Talk about attitude, he is over-flowing with it. My older cat is not allowed any where near me anymore since Chester came into our lives.
But I have done my homework and HE is a male, has a little white on his neck, but for the most of him he is orange with the tabby stripes. My other cat is a short-hair tabby and his markings are the white with black and gray, Chester is definately different. He is a beautiful orange/black/white tabby… how do I authenticate that he is a Tortie? A vet?
Michael, I have a pet sitter come to the house twice a day when I’m out of town. I think that’s the best thing for cats. They tend to get very stressed if you take them to a boarding facility, no matter how cat oriented they may be, and leaving them along for even an overnight, to me, is not a good idea even though most cats would probably do fine.
Given how hard you’ve worked to bring Honey out of her shell, I’d consider that option. Even though nobody can subsitute for you, at least she’ll have company a couple of times a day. The best way to find a pet sitter is through recommendations from other cat lovers. I can’t recall which part of the country you’re in, but maybe some of our tortie lovers on here can recommend someone.
Obsidian kitten, that’s so funny that Emma yowls at her water bowl. Do you think she sees her reflection in the water?
When Michael asked about Honey’s talkativeness (and he’s not the only one who mentioned it) I thought yep, she’s a tortie alright! Emma often talks to us, and sometimes herself, and quite loudly, although it may just be that she’s lost her hearing (she’s 11). She also yowls into one of her water bowls with one of the loudest, most pathetic songs ever.
Bernie: Yeah, and I’d say Honey’s still working on it! She’s a little pistol!
I’m wondering what the rest of you do when you go out of town for a few days. I’ve had cats before and haven’t had any problem, but Honey…well, I would think she’d freak out if I wasn’t here for that long, but I have to visit my mother (in California) sometime.
Any suggestions?
Leah what great names Carmel and Muppet. Torties are heart stealers also and soon they will do everything but pay your taxes.
Ingrid, thanks for all your support, you are right, Steeler is back and I couldn’t be more relieved.
Michael, I have been teasing you about how Honey going to own you and she had a game plan. Sounds like she has won game, set and match.
Thanks, Ingrid.
Now that I know that there’s nothing really wrong, that’s she’d just being a Tortie, I’m really enjoying Honey’s attentions when I come home. She talks and rubs, talks and rubs…it’s a lot of fun.
She’s still after the snacks, but I’m trying to be strong.
Carmel and Muppet sound wonderful, Leah. I love the names!
I recently adopted two torties from the local no-kill shelter this summer. Carmel and Muppet have brought so much joy to our home. Carmel is the dominant kitty, I describe her as a bowling ball with legs. Her purr is one of the loudest I have ever heard! Muppet is the little shy girl. She loves to flirt and nudge you with her foot when she wants attention. I would recommend this breed of cat to anyone! They truely have big hearts and have such charming personalities!
Michael, torties do have a reputation for being very talkative, so it sounds to me like Honey is just relaxing more and more and her true personality (complete with tortitude!) is starting to show.
Nan, good to hear from you. I hope Buttons’ eyes will clear up quickly. As for her diet, she seems to know what’s good for her! Wet food is much healthier for cats than dry, and will also help control their weight better. The best choice is a grain-free canned diet. There are a lot of resaons why cats shouldn’t eat dry food, the main one being that they need moisture in their diet that they can’t get from dry food. I covered more reasons in this article: https://ingridking.com/2010/04/05/the-truth-about-dry-cat-food/
Bernie, I’m so glad to hear Steeler’s infection is clearing up, and good for you for refusing the leukemia vaccine! I’m so happy to hear she’s pulling your hair again – she’s baaaack :-)!
Ingrid. I took Steeler back to the vet today. Her one gland is cleared up and the right one is still showing some black mixed with the yellow fluid. Good news because she is getting over the infection. I know covering this topic would be really helpful.
Michael: Thanks for your concern and support. Steeler will be ok and I can breathe again..
Bernadette: Thank you also. You have been helpful as each person that followed Steeler on this illness.
Harry: I thank you for your support and advice. I do appreciate all the concern you showed.
Now a HUGE THANKS to all of you mentioned. I took your advice on the vaccinations and Steeler received her 3 year rabies booster and distemper shot. No FELINE LUKEMIA VACCINATION. I TOOK ALL OF YOUR ADVICE AND SAID NO TO THE VET. I POINTED OUT THAT STEELER IS NOT OUTSIDE AND IS NOT GOING TO BE OUTSIDE.
You have all been a great inspiration for me as I watched my Steeler go thru this. But she is getting better. Last night, she repaid me for all my concern, by reaching out thru out the night and pulling with her claws on my pj top. By morning she was on my pillow, above my head, pulling my hair with her claw. That was the best night I have had, not because it was pleasant, but because the Steeler I know and love is back to her old tactics.
Thank you for your kind words. 🙂
Here’s an update, Tipper’s worms are gone, but we have to treat both her and Buttons for fleas, Tip brought them with her from the shelter.
Buttons’ eye infection has spread, she’s now got both eyes, but we’ve been using her medicine and it looks like it’s working pretty well, she can open at least one of them now.
We’ve had to put Buttons on a wet food “diet” since she’s extremely overweight. But she seems to really like the wet food, so it works out good. We’re hoping to get her to lose 6 pounds before we switch her to a half and half diet. Tipper loses the wet food, she licks the gravy off it.
Bernie: I hope Steeler is okay. I’m keeping good thought. I know how much you love her.
Okay…Honey is comfortable and relaxed most of the time now, but lately she has gone from “going crazy” once a day to following me around crying and running around playing with her toys and “crying” some more four or five times a day. Then she’ll stop and take a nap on the sofa. I can’t figure her out. LOL
Is this typical for Torties? I’ve never seen her this “talky” and I’m trying to figure out what it is she wants. She’s not sick in any way, and she’s eating well.
Ingrid: Thanks for your kind words. Steeler is really special to me and I have said many times, that fate stepped in and brought Steeler into our lives.
Bernie, I’m so sorry to hear about your husband, that’s such a devastating disease. Steeler sure came to you at the right time, and I love that she brought joy to your husband while he was still able to live at home. I already knew Steeler was special – it’s just so amazing how cats seem to intuitively know when someone needs them.
Bernadette, I’m contemplating an article on anal glands after this discussion… even though it brings back some, ahem, not so fond memories of my days as a veterinary assistant. I loved almost everything about that job, but expressing anal glands was most definitely at the bottom of the list!
Bernadette, thank you for your kind words. My husband always called Steeler a big bunny. She really stayed by his side and never once did she show him her attitude. On the other hand, she gave me the dickens and now that her vocal cords have healed, she wacks instead of meows and does this when raising cain with me. I never heard of glands in cats. I have learned a lot about my Steeler on this site. I am really glad that Ingrid has set it up for all to use. It really helps me understand Steeler from all the advice that everyone give so caringly.
Bernie, my thoughts are with you in your husband’s condition! Sometimes kitties take on a little of the emotion around them and process it in their own bodies, and they miss people and grieve losses too. Let’s hope this passes soon and she is back to being your little dervish. And don’t kid yourself, giving medication to a kitty who doesn’t want it is not easy!
P.S. I only get mine rabies every three years because it’s a state law, only basic vaccines as kitten, booster and first adult, then they’re done, and no extras. I don’t get a flu shot. We don’t get our vaccinations every year as humans. Overvaccinating doesn’t keep anyone any healthier.
P.S.S. Ingrid, someone has to tell the kids about impacted anal glands! Really, veterinarians rarely ever seem to explain conditions like that and pet owners don’t understand it can be a serious condition and also a symptom of other conditions.
Harry you are right. She owns me. After reading what Ingrid and you have to say about the vaccine, I will not allow the leukemia vaccine for Steeler. I can’t imagine losing a precious buddy to a vaccine. Right now I am trying to find a way to feed the liquid antibiotic to her. She may not feel well, but she is beating me at every turn. Large Leather Gloves here I come. Thanks for all your help.
This statement is so you all will understand the strong bond I have with Steeler. She came into my life unexpectedly as an abused cat as many of you know. The other part of the equation is that my husband called her a big bunny. You see this little whirlwind gave joy to my husband who has Altzheimer’s disease. She was always by his wheelchair and under his hospital bed. He is now in a VA center for advanced stage altzheimer’s. Steeler is a real comfort to me now.
Bernie – you don’t own a cat NOW 🙂
I really agree with Ingrid on vaccines, and that’s coming from someone who used to vaccinate his cats for everything. It just takes losing a beloved cat to a vaccine sarcoma to make you rethink what’s necessary, and FeLV for an inside cat is not.
I also strongly endorse pill pockets. In all the years of doing rescue, I’ve been bitten twice. Once was my own considerable stupidity in handling a cat, and the other was by our tortie, trying to give her a pill. We tried mixing in baby food, tuna, etc. Nothing worked until we tried pill pockets. They must spray them with crack (beef broth, actually, is my understanding) because Brooke would swallow a Toyota in one.
-Harry
Ingrid, thanks for the info. It is not more than I want to know. I really appreciate any advice from someone has real knowledge concerning my Steeler. I will ask that she not give her the leukemia vaccination. The liquid addition to med is really a good bit of advice. As you all know from my past posts, I have never owned a cat before so all this is new to me. But this littler Steeler just took my heart away. Thanks
Feline leukemia is a virus, and it’s only transmitted by direct cat-to-cat transmission, so there’s no way you could bring it in on your shoes or clothes. There is absolutely no reason why an indoor cat should need the leukemia vaccine. You can refer your vet to the Association of Feline Practitioners’ vaccine guidelines, it’s accepted and standard practice to not vaccinate indoor cats against leukemia. You can find more information about vaccines in this article : https://ingridking.com/2010/04/19/feline-vaccinations-walking-through-the-minefield/
Unfortunately, you can’t put the liquid Clavamox inside a pill pocket, but Clavamox does come in pill form. It can also be compounded into a flavored liquid (tuna, beef, chicken) which some cats consider a treat.
As for how the anal gland infection “just happened,” infection is always caused by bacteria. When anal glands function normally, the passage of stool causes enough pressure to naturally express the fluid contained in those glands. But sometimes, even one occurrence of slightly softer stool can fail to naturally express the glands, and then the fluid accumulates, and that can lead to impaction. If too much fluid accumulates, bacteria grows in the glands, and that’s what causes the infection. Probably way more than you wanted to know :-)!
Ingrid, thanks for the input. Steeler is on liquid Clavamox. Can that go into the pill pockets? Steeler is an indoor cat. The vet is the one who said she needed this and I to wonder why on the leukemia vaccine. The rabies is law so I know I will have to get that. I made it clear to the vet Steeler never goes out while she was looking for fleas etc. and said there’s not a flea on her. So I said what you said that she is not outside at all. The response was that “the bugs could come in on someone’s shoes or clothes.” Steeler has been a very vibrant cat and never needed vet care, since I rescued her. I had everything taken care of then. When I asked how gland infection happens, she just said it happens. So I too, have questions?
I’m glad Steeler is getting better, Bernie. She’ll be back to normal in no time. She must be feeling better if she’s stopped biting at the area.
Have you tried using the pill pocket treats to give her her medication?
I thought you said Steeler is an indoor cat? When it comes to cat vaccines, the fewer the better. The feline leukemia vaccine is not considered necessary for indoor cats.
Ingrid, thanks for asking about Steeler. She is still not herself, however, she is getting there. However the advice I gave to others to use the syringe or pill popper devices, well forget it.
I have been clawed by Steeler trying to give her the meds. I go back on Monday for her follow up. If the infection has cleared up she will get her booster shot for rabies and vaccinated for cat leukemia. She has stopped, for the most part, biting and pulling her fur out. I think I will let her sit out the Steelers’ football game tomorrow.
Bernie, how is Steeler doing?
Harry – Thanks for the encouragement. I have read so many posts on the site about different ailments and losses of the Torties, that when Steeler showed such discomfort, I really became scared. I had not read about the diagnosis on here before, so I am really happy to hear that May is recovering and her fur is growing back already. It sure did relieve me to know that. I look forward to my Steeler being her own little unpredictable self. Thanks for the support.
Bernie -two weeks ago we took May, our torbie (tabby stripes, but brown and black like a tortie with grey too) to the vet as she was tearing the fur out from between her back legs. Don’t know how it happens, but same diagnosis. She’s now stopped licking, and the fur is already coming back.
Ingrid Thanks for the pep talk. She scared the dickens out of me. She is really my buddy and I was really scared. But Steeler showed she can take it. I will keep you posted.
Oh no, Bernie, I’m so sorry to hear about Steeler – poor little thing! She’s going to feel better quickly once the antibiotics kick in. Interesting that she acted like an angel for the vet – I’m guessing she really wasn’t feeling well, or else you would have seen her usual tortitude there! Sending lots of good thoughts her way for a quick recovery!
Well I just arrived back home from the Vet with Steeler. She had not been herself and was tearing her fur out by the chunks on her hind quarters and tail. I called the vet and she took her in.
Well since I have never owned a cat, as those of you that read this site know, it turns out she had a fever caused by infected back end glands. How in the world does that happen. Anyway she is on antibotics now and will get her booster shots next week after the fever and infection clear up. Someone please tell me why this little one gives me the dickens, but she acts like an anget for the vet. Go figure.
Nan, I’m so sorry your babies are sick! Hopefully, Buttons’s eye infection will clear up quickly. Tapeworms usually just require a round of deworming tablets. Your vet willl probably want to examine a stool sample. Keep us posted – sending good thoughts to you and your kitties!
My husband and I just got back from vacation and both our babies are sick. 🙁
Buttons has an eye infection and Tipper has tapeworm. My poor babies.
How is tapeworm taken care of? Is it a surgery? Or just a quick in and out visit?