In the world of cat fanciers, some coat colors elicit more curiosity than others. I am 63 and have rescued all of my life.Tortie is short for “tortoiseshell”, a popular coat pattern seen on many cat breeds. All 5 of these babies are my children even though I have 3 human children. She’s mine now! Couldn’t love her more if I had given birth to her myself. She had recently had puppies when she was dumped at the dump. Had a difficult time trusting anyone that wanted her and after vetting, she was heart worm positive, had her fully vetted and spayed. Srescued her 12/21/22 just before that frigid cold hit Bham and it was -4 Christmas morning. I have 3 rescue kitties in all that are now all 3 seniors, a rescue chi, gotten as a 7 or 8 week old puppy and a pittie I just rescued from a north Jefferson county dump in north Bham, AL.

I’m boots on the ground, get them vetted and with the help of one of the foundations and/or rescues, adopt them out. Yes, I’m a rescuer and work closely with some rescues and foundations. I love her so much! She loves my 2 rescue dogs. She is se blended with the black and orange. She has a small white spot on her chest and another very small spot on her tummy so I guess she is really a calico? I just don’t see it though. Many does she have the personality and is a talker. I have had 2 female torties over the years and now have a 14year old what I’ve always thought is a tortie. This is known as Klinefelter Syndrome, which renders the cat sterile and can cause cognitive and developmental issues as well as other medical difficulties. Rarely, a male can inherit two X chromosomes along with the Y chromosome (XXY), which would then undergo Lyonization just as in a female cat. Males only have one X chromosome (XY), and the allele is not carried on the Y chromosome - so they are normally either all orange, or all black. The allele that determines tortoiseshell expression is carried on the X chromosome, of which females have two (XX), one expressing orange and one expressing black, simultaneously. Torbie is short for “tortoiseshell tabby”, and is a patched tabby, or one with brown tabby patterns instead of black fur.ĭid you know that almost ALL calico and tortie cats are born female? Male tortoiseshell or calico cats are possible, but extremely rare. You may have heard the term “torbie” being tossed around, too. A dilute calico with cute pink toe beans. Like torties, calico cats can also come in dilutes. These patches of white may be rather small and interwoven, or relatively large and cover almost the entire body.Įven a cat with mottled tortoiseshell patches will be considered a calico if she has significant amounts of white in her coloring thanks to her genetics! Calico cats have an additional genetic condition at work called 'piebalding' in which white (i.e. This is the main difference between a calico cat and a tortoiseshell cat. However, tortoiseshell cats have no white at all.Ĭalico cats are also referred to as “tricolor” or “tortie-and-white” - and sometimes even 'piebald' cats! Why? Because calico cats have the same black and orange color as a tortoiseshell cat - but with white, too! A dilute tortie may have blue and cream fur instead of black and orange. These colors can come in various shades of dilution, from soft grey to brown, ginger, cream, amber, red, and cinnamon - called dilute torties. Their mottled coats are as a result of what genetics call Lyonization. Tortoiseshell Cats, often called “torties” for short, have a combination of two colors, normally black and orange displaying in a patchwork or mosaic.

So, how can you spot the difference between a calico cat and a tortoiseshell cat? Read on! Tortoiseshell Cats To the untrained eye, these gorgeous mosaic-furred felines can be easily confused for one another. So a domestic shorthair cat can be a tortoiseshell just as much as a Japanese Bobtail can be a calico cat!

Calico and tortoiseshell cats are best known for their beautiful multicolored coats of black, orange and white - and their “ tortitude ”.īoth “calico” and “tortoiseshell” are terms that refer to the color and pattern of a cat’s coat and do not actually refer to the cat’s breed.

Male calico cat tortoiseshell cat