Julie, our youngest cat, likes to sleep in the to-be-filed basket on my desk. Sometimes, like now, she watches me with big, unblinking eyes while I type. Other times she looks out the window, where she watches birds and insects in a big abelia bush and can see the street past the lawn through the branches.
She has her rituals. Unless you catch her asleep she will not allow you to pick her up or touch her. But every night at bedtime she jumps into the bed and wants to be petted. She will stay as long as the light is on but the minute it goes out she is gone. She won’t drink directly from a bowl. She dips her paw into the water and then licks the paw.
Julie is one of Sapphire’s kittens. The other two we found homes for but Julie was always too unique to match with anyone. Living her whole life with her mother has seemed to limit her. She has never quite grown up. She still looks to Sapphire for cues as if she were a kitten and Sapphire makes sure she stays in line.
In the book Tribe of Tiger, Elizabeth Marshall Thomas told a story about a cat who knew her place in the household. Her cat was well down in the cat social order and knew that she was not allowed to become pregnant. When she did against her will, she killed her own kittens rather than break the social rules. Of course Jule is neutered so this could never happen to her; but I can imagine her doing that.
Her fur is thick and of course she hates to be brushed. Our other two both love it but Julie cringes from the brush. She will never scratch you though. No matter how frightened she might become when you are holding her she always keeps the claws retracted. Last year her fur got so matted that we had to take her to the vet to be shaved. She was really embarrased when we brought her home, but her fur was so silky as it grew back in. I think she kind of liked having it short though. This summer she seems to be trying to pull it out herself.
One thing I have wondered about tortoise-shell cats. I have known several and they have all been at the bottom of their respective cat social orders. Is it possible that this could be a personality trait that is inherited along with the coloring?
Comments (60)
My sweet Patches is a torty and near the bottom of the five cat pecking order, despite being the oldest and matriarch cat of the clan.
She seems to be a cat most suited for a one cat household. Some are, and a vet once told my wife it applied especially to tortys. Also, they are supposed to have a shorter life span, but Patches is now about 12.
http://www.simmins.org/patches.jpg
Amazing! This is the first I’ve ever heard of the tortoise-shell personality, but it fits my Emily. Emily is a tortie, and she’s afraid of her twin sister (black and well-adjusted). Emily is actually a lot bigger than Pumpkin, but I have to stand guard at mealtimes to make sure Emily doesn’t get scared off. She isn’t too good at grooming herself, either. I have to give her little haircuts, because she doesn’t like to be brushed.
Hmmm. Interesting. My tortie, Dirt, is the definitely the dominant cat in our household. She’s the only one who goes on the bed (Max, one of our other cats, will hang out around the edges of the bed but will run away if you try to put her up on it while Dirt is in the room), and she’s the one who wins the majority of the fights.
It’s fascinating that you mention the bed behavior, as that is exactly what Dirt does. If it’s after 9 and we’re up and about, she will sit in the middle of the bed and wait for us. When we come in, she allows us to pet her for a few, then heads out for the night when the lights go off. She occasionally comes back, leading to entertaining games of Kitty Tiddlywinks (she gets between us, one of us rolls over, squashed kitty howls and launches off the bed. Great fun at 3 am.)
My favorite tortie description came from our vet who, when confronted with a hissing, spitting, yowling ball of Dirt, said “There, there. You’re a tortie, you can’t help being a bitch.”
If you’re wondering why she’s named Dirt, there’s a picture here (http://www.roverpundit.com/archives/000216.html#000216) that explains it all.
You’re behind on your cat reports. Post another immediately or risk the wrath of Bast. Her agents are everywhere and will use their claws to carry out her orders.
Coming right up
Wow, neat site! It was interesting reading these comments about this very special kind of kitty. My tortie, Halley, was the Queen Bee around our house, but was really a one person cat. She did NOT like to groom herself, and gained a lot of weight after being spayed. She fetched just like a dog, and would stay in our yard when outside, yet came to the sidewalk when my car rounded the corner. At Christmas 1997, she died suddenly at the young age of five. I still miss her terribly and dream of her sometimes.
Are all torties female???
My tortie, Siva, was 6 weeks old when we got her and she was the only cat in the house for a year. We brought another cat home (part Siamese, part everything) at that time to keep her company only to learn from her behavior that she would really rather be the ONLY cat in the house. She has maintained her Queendom (always queen of all she surveys) until recently when we brought 2 rescue cats into the house. Now, Siva seems to have reached the bottom of the pecking order. Quite a drop from queen to lowly peasant. And she doesn’t like it. Bed time, however, is special. She finds her spot and sleeps there until about 3-4 a.m. most nights. The bed is hers but she will leave as opposed to fighting for it if another cat gets on the bed. Also, I will need to shave her shortly as the mats are getting quite thick. She doesn’t groom much, apparently a tortie trait. She sure is beautiful, serene, elegant and a very special cat and we love her dearly.
Of 4 cats in the house, my tortie is the most verbal. She hisses frequently and growls when she’s really annoyed. Is this a tortie trait or just my darling cat’s behavior?
Sam - yes tri-colored cats are always female. Something to do with the ways genetics works. Torties are tri-colored cats with a black background.
Karen - Julie is the least verbal of all our cats, so I don’t think it is a tortie trait.
I CANT BELEAVE WHAT IM READING ABOUT TORTIE CATS . YOU ARE ALL WRONG I HAVE A TORIE CAT (FREE KITTY ) A RAGDOLL CAT AND A SCOTTISH FOLD . MY TORTIE IS THE BOSS BUT VERY LOVING TO THE OTHER CATS . SHE IS SOCIAL AND IS A TOTAL LAP CAT . SHE IS SO SWEET AND SMART . SHE JUST LOVES PEOPLE . MY OTHER TWO CATS ARE ALSO VERY LOVED AND GREAT CATS . BUT THERE IS SOMETHING SPECIAL ABOUT MY TORTIE
I just read a comment here that states tri-colored cats are always female. Our cat just had a litter of 6 kitten. Of the 6, 2 are tri-colored with a black background. Of these 2, 1 is female and 1 is male.
Deeda, from what I understand that is an extremely rare circumstance. The previous comment probably should have said that tri-colored cats are ALMOST always female. About 3 out of a thousand are male and those are almost always sterile.
Also sometimes people think a cat has three colors when they really only have two different shades of one color, like black and gray, or red and cream. Both those examples are really just considered to be two shades of one color.
Here is a web site that has a pretty good explanantion of why male tri-colors are so rare: http://www.fanciers.com/cat-faqs/tricolors.shtml
Thanks for your response. The web site you referred to was very informative. Both of our tri-colors are primarily black with white and orange. Thanks again!
Someone said that the name you give a cat is well suited, and I happened to name my cat “Merde”, which French for something unpleasant. She’s my baby and mean at tmes, but I wouldn’t trade her for the world because when she is good she’s the BEST Tortie!
She hisses a lot, hates to be petted, and never cries or meows. I thought she had a behavior problem, but her agression she displys seems pretty normal from what I have read.
She’s really good about car riding and I have taken her to fairs and restaurants in a satchel purse I have. As long as she can see out she doesn’t mind going along for the ride.
I’ve had Tuna Luna just a few weeks (from the shelter). We have bonded beautifully from the beginning. Yes, she doesn’t groom often; a surprise to me after other cats. She doesn’t even like Petromalt! However, I feel she chastises me for leaving in the morning; ie: “sulking”, and short gutteral crabbing when I return late afternoon. She loves routine however and is the first to head to bed and pretend she is “reading”! I have never experienced this with other cats!?? Is this common? She is my first Tortie… P.S. Am happy to have found this website!!
my tortie growls, which is perhaps the funniest thing i have ever seen, as she is absolutely tiny (still a kitten). she is an excellent groomer, however, which is very nice. she’ s very sweet and affectionate, but she does get a bit moody when i’m gone for a while, and she’ll meow her displeasure. not that i mind that — she’s one of the sweetest, most delightful cats i have ever come across. i found her a few days ago on my front porch in the middle of a thunderstorm.
Hi,
Our tortie, Tatiana, is nearly 3 months old. We adopted her from the SPCA about 3 weeks ago. She’s a pretty good kitty, has her moments, but overall is good. She “talks” all the time. She lectures us in the morning and when we come home from work. She grumbles quite a bit too, which is funny. She’s a sweet kitty - not big on being held for long, but loves to be petted, sleeping on our laps, hates to be alone.
We will be getting a puppy in about 2.5 months. Does anyone else have a tortie and a dog? Do they get along? The breed of dog I’m getting is supposed to get along well with cats, now I’m just wondering about Tatiana.
Thanks!
We just got my tortie, Jury, about a month ago. She is the sweetest cat i’ve ever had in my life. Every night she sleeps with me but she has to be completly under the covers curled up near my tummy. I’ve never heard her ‘talk’ though, and she’s NEVER been mean or hissed. She’s a huge lap cat and loves to be pet. Jury really loves to clean me and my husband. She enjoys licking our eyes and ears for some reason, but she cleans herself all the time but doesn’t seem to actually get anything clean. Every morn she sits in between the shower, so i was wondering if they liked to get baths. I’ve been tempted but i don’t want to be mean to her if she can do it on her own. I also read on here that tortie’s don’t live as long, and if that’s true does anyone know about average how long they live? And one last question. Jury is a very very very VERY big cluts, she pushes over everything on the table and always falls off of things, is this normal for a tortie?
Our Patches is actually closer to 14, now that I count on my toes. The vet told my wife years ago that torties have shorter lives, and are prone to stomach problems. Patches is said to be very long lived for a tortie.
No grooming problems. If anything, a half hour or more bath at bedtime. Needs attention, partly due to being an elderly cat. Will announce herself with a unique “yip” upon jumping on the bed, “Here I am” in cat.
Patches has been known to walk up to you, vomit at your feet, and walk away to make a point. She used to pee on my wife’s pillow when she was out late teaching. Never anyplace else, just the place where my wife would lay her head. Patches will express her emotions in a very direct and understandable way, grumbling, or stalking away in anger.
WELL IVE HAD MY TORTIE FOR ABOUT FOUR MONTHS NOW.SHE SHOWED UP ONE DAY AND NEVER LEFT.SHE LOVES MY FOUR YEAR OLD AND FIVE YEAR OLD AND TREATS THEM LIKE THEY ARE HER OWN SOME DAYS.SHE IS THE SWEETEST CAT I HAVE EVER HAD THE PRIVELEGE OF BEING OWENED BYE,LOL.SHE STARTED GETTING BIGER AND BIGER SHORTLY AFTER SHE DECIDED SHE LIVED HERE. AND FOUR DAYS AGO SHE HAD FIVE KITTENS.SHE IS A VERY CLEAN CAT THOUGH SHE SPENDS MOST OF HER TIME CLEANING HERSELF OR THE KITTENS.MY QUESTION IS HOW DO YOU CLEAN THERE EARS?MY SISTER IN LAW SENT ME SOME CLEANER FOR THEM BUT I CANT GET HER TO LET ME PUT IT IN HER EARS.I MISSED AND KEPT GETTING HER ON THE FACE AND IM WORRIED IM GOING TO GET IT IN HER EYES AND HURT THEM.THANK YOU RHIANNON
I am a new torty owner and a little nervous. Actully this is my first cat as well. Bella is about 3 months old and I rescued her about a week ago from the shelter. I have noticed that she is a little on the shy-timid side. Whenever there is motion she runs under the bed then pokes out her little head (curiousity. However, at night she just licks and licks ME with an occasional nibble. Does anyone else experience this? Any suggestions!? Also, thank you for this site!
Tatiana is 3 and a half months old now. She keeps me awake every single night by licking my face. She first was nibbling on my nose, then on my earlobe. Now, it’s licking. I haven’t had a full night’s sleep in 3 weeks! I’ve heard from some people that she may be doing this if she was weaned too early (we got her from the SPCA). Today I looked on the internet for some help, other than shutting the door on her for the whole night. A few things I’m going to try: when she starts licking, one article said to keep her underneath the blanket so that she can’t move, but with her head out so she can breathe. Do this until she starts to squirm, then hold for about 5 extra seconds, let her go. After a week, they said this should stop. I also read, to hold her by the scruff (gently) and either cover her eyes for 5 seconds, or hold her by the scruff, then hold her front paws up and move them back & forth. These actions are supposed to be as if “momma” cat was there to discipline. I have no idea if this will work, but I hope so! It’s so hard to get mad at her, she’s just too cute.
Bon
I have owned a torty, Charlie, for 4 years now - she adopted me when she was living on the street. She was also my first cat, so a lot of things she did I assumed were normal cat behavior until recently - she loves to lick - anything really, but mostly windows, metal objects, and me. Most people who meet her think she’s mean and don’t appreciate her - I love her to death - she’s really sweet to me and sleeps with me every night, and wants to be petted at night sometimes, and every morning after my alarm goes off - I’m not sure if she’s trying to wake me up so I turn the alarm off! But she’s very sweet to me. I just adopted another cat, and she’s not very happy about it. It’s a 6 week old torty, Bugsy - and i’m hoping that it won’t be a problem - Charlie has been introduced to a few other cats on various occassions, and was always really upset by it - a lot of growling and hissing, but the most recent cat she met was a 6 month old kitten, a calico, who went after Charlie like she wanted to kill her - I was going to try to cat-sit for a friend, and not having done much research on this, just had the friend bring her cat over, and we left her in her carrier for a while, and then let her out, and she ran at Charlie and it was awful! No one was hurt, but Charlie was very scared, and I didn’t end up cat-sitting! Since then I’ve done research, and Bugsy is being kept in a bathroom until Charlie gets used to her smell. But whenever Charlie gets a whiff of Bugsy, she growls or hisses and becomes very withdrawn. I’m wondering, if torties are often at the bottom of the social totem pole, what will happen with two torties? I can’t imagine Charlie being scared of teensy little Bugsy, but I feel really bad that she’s so uncomfortable with this prospect. Any tips?
My tortie (Siva) seems to be in a bad mood most days. I believe she was meant to be in a one cat family and I have 4 now. The two rescue kitties have been with us for 4-1/2 months. I always hope that they will all get along and we can be one big happy family but so far that’s just not the case. My tortie doesn’t seem to like any of them and hisses and growls when one of them gets too close to her. It does help to take her for a walk - she does well with a harness and leash. I think she just wants us to be together without the others sometimes. Torties! Gotta love ‘em!
I have a calico I think.She is mostly black with a white chest and orange paws and chin.Her personality is awesome to us who live here.As soon as someone else comes into the home she hisses,chases them around and swats them.I dont know why,couyld anyone help me as to why she does this to other people?Thanks
I’ve been lucky enough to have lived with two Torties (not at the same time), and the two are as different as night and day. Bug (the first tortie, who now claims my sisters family as hers), has always been very social, mellow and got along with the two dogs in the house at the time. She’s a HORRIBLE groomer, and is ENORMOUS! My second tortie (now sharing residence with us) is OPAL, named for the tortie coloring.. She is an enigma. I rescued her after being rejected from her litter, and she had to be bottle fed. When I took her in for her first vet exam, the vet said she had “anti-social” tendancies. She’s just over a year now, and while she’s given to fits of moodiness, she’s really sweet. Grooms herself like crazy, and is known to groom me as well (she licks and pulls my hair through her teeth–OUCH!), but it’s a ritual that makes her purr non-stop, so I endure it. BUT, she DOES NOT LIKE to even SEE another cat from the window… and when she does– SHE IS READY TO RUMBLE!!!!!
I was just looking on the web to find out if my kitten Frances (Frannie Banannie) is a tortie or a calico. From the information I found I still can’t decide which she is. I’ve decided that doesn’t really matter. She’s my baby no matter what she is. Frances joined my household this past June. She has definitely shaken things up a bit, but only for the better. I have two other cats - Oscar (an ornery orange tabby) who is 10 years old, and Edison (a cuddly, furry, black and white better known as Ed) who is 8 years old. Ed had seemed a little depressed, so I decided to try getting a kitten to bring back his youthful spirit. I must say that things did not turn out exactly as I had planned initially. A few times when I came home from work, Ed would greet me with his usual hoarse meow, but one of his eyes had swollen shut. FRANCES!!! After five months with Frances things have definitely settled down around here. I think she’s even improved the temperament of Oscar the grouch. It’s funny that there seem to be all of these specific traits about torties. I was laughing about all of the licking that seems to be going on with other tortie owners. That was the first wierd thing I noticed about Frances. She licks and licks and licks. She is a very good groomer, but she does have Ed to help her along now that they are the best of friends. Although she does still harass him from time to time. But, she’s young and I’m sure will grow out of that with adulthood. I think Frances is becoming the new head of the household. I never thought another cat could have any dominance over Oscar. She sure is a sassy little thing.
Wow. I am suprised at how many traits my cat Moon Unit shared with other tortoise shells. Sadly, we lost her at the age of 7 just last week to an upper resperatory disease that we (and she) tried very, very hard to beat. Even in the worst of her sickness, she fought pill time. She was probably the most affectionate cat we’ve had (when she was in the mood) and did not get along very well with the cat we rescued about two years after getting her. She would get this glassy-eyed look of total adoration whenever she cuddled with one of us. There was never any question in our minds that she loved us very much. I guess you could say that she was at the bottom of the pecking order, but was still best friends with our oldest cat. Definitely a talker, and did a complete change into an angry, hissing, growling biter whenever we took her to the vet. She was a voracious eater, a meticulous groomer, and very funny. I think we’ve definitely found our favorite type of cat. Such a bright spirit and a great friend. We miss her and I expect we always will.
I really enjoy this website!
I adopted my tortie cat Bonnie at an animal shelter 2 years ago. She was 2 years old when I first saw her trying to reach her paws out to me in a small cage that she was in and she looked like a kitten because she was so thin.
The volunteer at the shelter told me that Bonnie had just adopted two little kittens that a mother cat had rejected, cleaned them and had been taking care of them. Luckily, a couple adopted the kittens that Bonnie had been nursing but no one adopted Bonnie. Until I met her and adopted her.
She is one mass of speckles, loves to lie lazily in the sun for hours, chases shadows at the end of the day when the sun sets, basks in the moonlight, eats anything that anyone would give her (we think she grew up originally in a deli), has many toys that she plays with and puts them away at the end of the day in her basket so she knows where theya re
My daughter adopted what we lovingly refer to as a “garbage can” tortoise shell kitten almost two years ago. She was apparently abandoned by her mom and was crawling around the garbage cans looking for food. She was only about two weeks old, and when we took her to the vet she didn’t even weigh a pound. Both eyes were crusted shut with infection. My daughter Laura nursed the little baby to health, and now India is the crown princess of our home.
It’s amazing how many of the traits I have read about here are true for India. She doesn’t like anyone but Laura to touch her, except at bedtime when she jumps in my bed with me. Then she insists on a good petting before she runs away for the night.
India is the softest cat I have ever known. She grooms herself very well and she feels like an expensive mink coat. She is very tiny. She only weighs about seven pounds now. Yet she is the undisputed boss of our house.
India would probably prefer to be an only cat, but we adopted another abandoned kitty last year. Thai is a black and white male, twice India’s size, and yet he yields to her will almost constantly. We think India loves Thai as much as we do, but he is a bit of a clown and that seems undignified to her.
My cat is a douch bag.
As I write this, my sweet tortie is sitting on my lap, grooming herself. Her name is Circe, same as the sorceress in the Odyssey. She grooms herself, her adopted brother Fred, me… She also has the odd behavior noted by many of you of licking EVERYTHING. I thought it was really weird, but apparently it’s not unusual. I adopted Circe & Fred just over a year ago from the local SPCA. They were both around a year old and weighed the same; now Fred (a beautiful grey & white FURRY fellow) outweighs Circe by 2 full pounds, but that doesn’t stop her from attacking him when the mood strikes. For the first 3 days after I brought them home, she wouldn’t let him within 3 feet of her, but on the 4th day, they started playing together and haven’t stopped since. Circe is much shyer than Fred around other people, but when it’s just us at home, she is the most affectionate little girl. She wants to sit on my lap, knead dough, and always arranges herself for maximum contact, stretching herself out on my chest and wrapping her little paws around my neck. She’s also a big burrower, and just loves to crawl under the blankets for a nap. All my friends love Fred, because he’s such a friendly, outgoing cat (almost canine in his behavior), but I’m the only one who knows what an angel Circe is. She is definitely my girl!
This site is great. I have enjoyed reading about other torties out there in the world and have seen simmilarites to my own tortie. She is named Obi Wan Catnobi, but we call her Obi for short. Six months ago, I was doing summer stock theatre in Virginia City MT. and a local cat had a litter, and Obi just kind of fell into my lap by accident. She was the runt of the litter and one day I was suckered into watching her for an hour while the mom was at the vet. I fell in love with her, and she was old enough to be seperated from her mom so she now lives with me.
She’s so sassy and bratty sometimes. Very small for her age wich from what I have read here is common. There is a specific way each morning must be executed, or she gets pouty. She must have fresh cat food in the morning. The stuff already in the bowl (wich is still perfectly good) is just not good enough. Sometimes I stir the food around so it looks “new” and that usualy gets her to eat. Then after I get out of the shower she sits on the side of the tub starts to “chat” with me. She makes this short “maw maw maw” sounds like she’s trying to do a full meow, but doesn’t want to bother with the “ow” sound. I answer her back (as best I can) and she will make a little trill sound and continue the conversation. This is the first cat that I have met that “talks” to me. We’ve had banter back and fourth for close to five minnutes before she decides that I just don’t get it. She then ignores me. Anyone else expierence this? Her favorite game is putting random objects into shoes and “discovering” them five minnutes later. I am not a cat person at all, but I sure do love this one.
Yesterday we had to put down our baby cat “Katie” due to FIP. Katie was a torty we saved along with 5 other kittens on Labor Day wekend. All the others were adopted and we decided to keep Katie for ourselves since she looked the most like her mother. We loved her dearly and have spent the weekend overwhelmed with emotion over her loss. We are grateful for the time we had with her as she was most definately a special angel. She will forever be missed.
Hi .. Just wanted to wish all Cat Lovers ( & Animal Lovers in general), a Loving, Blessed & Special Christmas Eve & Day..and a New Year filled with “All Things Bright & Beautiful” ~ & “All Creatures Great & Small..” From the Hudson River Valley, NY…(Dylan, my 6-yr. old Wonderful Yellow & White DSH, is suffering from an upper resperatory infection … please pray for him..), also Gabrial (no “Angel”! found him just born, ouside my apartment 3 yrs. ago–along with his 3 sisters..took them all in, had them nursed by mom who was a stray & I got her inside..the four of them made my kitchen ‘their’ home…I loved it!..all three sisters found loving homes..& I kept ‘Gabe’..all orange & a face that stops traffic!)…and there’s Noel..a beautiful grey & white long-hair with incredible green eyes..adopted her from the SPCA last Christmas, many months after having to have my ’soul-mate’ calico Flicka put to sleep after a year+ battle with cancer…she’s in ‘Rainbow Bridge Heaven’ along with Max (the Manx), Dora, Cupcake & Zack…anyway, Noel is a ’special-needs’ 3-yr old, who wasn’t being adopted due to kidney problems & having been abused! She’s a love x 10, and I’m lucky to have her ! By the way, do you know about ‘Best Friends’ in Kanab, Utah ?? A 5* Organization! See their Web Site !! It will add Many smiles to your Holiday! God Bless Us Everyone!! Mary J.
Interesting…reading all of the above comments got me reflecting back on all of the cats I have had own me, and the bitchyest ones were female. If there was only one of them she was a sweetie, any more, male or female and they showed their attitudes. Since Torties are ALMOST always female, maybe that is why they are so cantakerous. I have mostly male cats now, as they are sooooooo loving. Gotta snip ‘em early though, before they start spraying.
Our tortie, Keeva, is “the awsomist cat ever!” (as my 3 year old would say) She is 6 months old and is so good with our daughter, Liv, she scratches sometimes but it seems that she is provoked. She groules also, but it’s more like talking. She is super-protective of our family, especially Liv; she sleeps in her doorway, guarding it, and lets us know if Liv wakes up, and is so cuddly. She also is a LICKER of us! I was told by soooo many people not to get a cat with a kid… one woman was shocked that I chose to have a tortie with a child, she went on about how I would have to get rid of her!
Someone else told me she would grow to be huge; is this true?? Are torties really big cats?
Love the site.
- Meaghan
Great site. One disturbing piece of info I didn’t want to hear though. Please tell me my Jackson (female) won’t die young. She is 9 now. Only cat, she prefers it that way. I have had to rent with others that had cats and she will have no part of them. She won’t use their box, food or bedrooms and wants the same from them. She is extremely clean and tidy with the litter box. She weighs 9 pounds but everyone says she looks big. Jackson also is not a lap cat but several times a day will lay on my chest, wrap her paws around my neck and lick me. Then she just lays there for five minutes or so and is done with it. I love all cats but there is something about this one that is special beyond description. She also likes to go under the covers…but when lights go out she is gone. I used to think she was an angel but i don’t think angels attack other cats. She has her brutal side. Loves people..hates the vet and other cats.
Ms. Sanford, or Sanford for short (after Fred G. Sanford) is my sweet little tortie that I found outside of a friend’s apartment. Her colors are crazy-she has a huge cream colored stripe right down the center of her face, where her paws are black her claws are black and the cream parts of her paws have white claws! Her whiskers are white on one side and black on the other. Under her chin is split down the middle-black and white. She is timid when company comes over, and she does’nt like to be held a lot, except for when she first wakes up. I am about to get her fixed, but when she is in heat she is the sweetest kitty ever. WILL FIXING HER CHANGE HER PERSONALITY? If you can answer this please tell me. I would like her to be more affectionate and let me hold her longer, but I love her anyway. She talks a lot, a sort of grr grr grr, half purr and half meow, I think! I hope she does’nt leave me while she is young, but if she does, I think she converted me to torties for the rest of my life!
My long haired tortie Cleo is the sweetest cat. I got her when she was just a kitten (she is now 4 years old)from a pet store. They didn’t know what was wrong with her, she wasn’t eating at all like the other kittens in the cage. I took her and her sister Zip (black & white half siamese tuxedo). Zip seemeed to be the one eating all of the food, When I took Cleo into the vet, all of that changed. She now eats the most of the food. She loved to cuddle with me at night and knead my hair when she was a kitten and she still loves to do that with me to this day. She keeps herself very clean and neat. She has even taught her sister Zip how to groom herself as well. It seems though lately for no reason she will scratch at the wall. I don’t know what the reason is for this is. Can anyone help me on that? She is a very loving cat, if she doesn’t want to be held she will go completely limp so she can slide through your hands and for no reason she will hiss… Like when my mom was walking into the living room and Cleo was a good two feet away she hissed for no reason. Is this normal? Watching her over the years I have learned to figure out that she is the one that figures things out very quiickly and she is the one that generally teaches the other one how to do things. She wasn’t very vocal as a kitten, but in this past year she has become very vocal when she wants attention and her cry is a pittiful cry, nothing like our tuxedo cat at all, but the cry is just too cute. When she sits on the edge of the bed or the coffee table she will put her front paws together and wrap her tail around her and sit like a prim and proper cat should. Don’t know where she learned that, our tuxedo cat doesn’t even do that.
My kitty precious was a torti. she died 4 days ago and she was onnly 5. she died from liver problems
!she was a sweetie… we have other cats and she was fine w/ it. if some 1 could email me at godsliltiger@yahoo.com with information on tortis that would be great . please no attachments because i dont open emails with attachments. she wasnt a healthy cat…. she ate things constantly she liked things like the straw of a broom…. thanx.
Tortoises are very psychic. Or is that just cats in general? My cats senses are incredibly tuned to our household, she knows all the routines and can predict many of our activities. When my father died and I was really full of sorrow she comforted me by getting closer, coming to be with me at times other than the expected ones and she talked to me a lot. She always blesses us after large sneezes and growels when the meterman is in the yard. She has a relatively short thick tail and is very sensitive to touch, but enjoys being groomed and I give her baths in the kitchen sink. She does not like to travel really but we have taken her on many airplane and car trips which she has made much more of an adventure for us. Once she isolated a poisonous coral snake in a corner on my Moms porch. tama is our second tortoiseshell and is currently pushing 14. shima, the first we had, lived to be 21 and her ashes are in a box make of brasilian tortoise shell wood on our mantle.
My tortie Xanadu (Doobie) is a little 7 lb ball of lovin’. I found her by accident 1 1/2 ago in a drainage ditch living with ducks. She was just a little kitten and I called out for her and she immediately came galloping towards me, and she’s been with me ever since. After putting some weight on her and getting rid of her ear mites I decided to keep her. She is such a sweetheart and she gets along so well with my other cat Fluffy even though he is more than twice her size (16 lbs) which is very apparent when he pins her down when they play. She is VERY social and takes it upon herself to clean the other two cats in the household. She is a bit of a bully at times and she always has to be the first to eat. I recognize a lot of her physical /personality traits from reading the previous entries, it’s good to learn about other torties out there!
Here’s a pic:
http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2004-2/647789/bestbuds.jpg
Sassy is my cat, you can probably guess why we named her that. She is also a tortoise shell cat and has the biggest additude of any cat I have ever known. She is very nice in the morning and when I get home from work everyday but the rest of the day is off limits unless she comes up to me for attention. I got Sassy when she was about 7-months old, she was a stray who somebody left after they moved away from the apartment they were living in. She has such a great personality even though half the time she acts like a little Devil. She’ll bite, scratch and hiss even though I’ve shown her nothing but love and affection for the last 6-years. She has come a long way with her personality problems but she still thinks she owns everything she looks at.
Even though Tortoise Shell cats are hard to live with I don’t think I could ever own another kind of cat. They are definetly the pick of the litter.
I have a 6-month old tortie named Muffin. It’s funny to read everyone’s comments about torties because she has so many of the characteristics. I’ve owned cats my whole life and I have never seen one who looked like Muffin. She’s so unusual but beautiful. She wasn’t always so beautiful however. She was a stray ferral cat that my husband brought home for my youngest daughter’s birthday. She was a tiny, ugly, bulgy-eyed kitten. She had ringworm so she had patches of hair missing and was so scraggly. I love all cats but I was like “what did you bring into our house?” to my husband. She also had a high pitched meow that would set your teeth on edge. She’s now a petite beauty with deep green eyes and those tortoise shell flecks of orange and tan all over her black coat (and one very white ring around the end of her tail). Even my friends who are not cat people comment on how pretty she is. She does not have the submissive characteristics that I keep reading about. She came into our household of three children, a one-year-old beagle, and two-year old siamese, and was instantly unafraid and bold with everyone. The beagle constantly licks and grooms her clumsily which sets her off purring. The siamese, named Blueberry for her eye color, was none too happy when Muffin arrived but she backed off and accepted it, after all she had survived a beagle puppy so a new kitten was no biggy. Muffin is by far the coolest cat I’ve owned. She climbs all our trees and it’s not unusual to look up and see her peering down at us from the roof of the garage. We would prefer her to an indoor cat only like Blueberry but there is no taming this wild child. She’s learned to listen for when the beagle scratches at the door to get in or out because that’s her ticket in or out. At night she sits on my chest while I read or watch TV and licks and nibbles and purrs so loudly that I have to make myself not pet her so my husband can sleep. I tell my husband all the time how much I love this little cat but that I know she probably won’t live long because of her wild fearless nature. I’d just hate to break her spirit though. I’ll just have to enjoy her while I can.
I have a tortie too. Her name is Sooty. She is now 6 months. She is an amazingley playful cat, loves grooming, absolutely hates the sun. However, she enjoys car rides, especially at night. She is a very very fussy eater, she seems to communicate well with us. When we first got her at 6 weeks, for months she was very scared (we have a one cat household), didnt like to be petted. Last month she had a minor case of diarroeah, and since then her personality did a 180. She is so loving now, even more playful than before, sleeps less and very affectionate. I am thinking of getting another kitty for her to play with, but Sooty doesnt seem to like other kittys. She prefers dogs.
Oh yeah, she loves bubble baths
I have 2 torties, Rusty & Bailey. These girls are my pride & joy - but both are completely opposite of one another.
Rusty is 7 years old & only weighs 8 lbs. She has a rusty brown stripe that goes directly down the middle of her nose. She also has a matching stripe down her left rear paw. The rest of her is black with rusty brown flakes throughout. It’s funny that it was mentioned earlier, but both Rusty & Bailey both have a greyish stripe that encircles the tip of their tails.
Bailey is 5 1/2 years old & weighs 21 lbs. Her coloring is very patchy - mostly caramel brown & Black with small flakes of blonde.
Rusty is a lover. She loves attention & will go up to anybody to get it, even strangers. And she loves to PURR!!! She loves to be close to you - she has to have you in her sight at all times. She growls & hisses at Bailey when Bailey gets too close, but she’s best friends with my other cat (a black male named Nightmare). She would never even think of growling at him. It’s very rare that you ever see the 2 torties within 5 feet of each other, but I think there is some hidden love there. All 3 of my cats have their claws, but Rusty is the only one who uses them. She loves to tear apart screens. She’ll climb just about anything. She scratches the hell out of the wooden door frames in my house and then climbs to the top and swings for a while. Apart from her devilish scratching issues, she’s an angel with a heart of gold. She’s the first kitty to console me when I’m feeling down, and she very rarely begs for anything. Just some lovin’ now & then. Again this was mentioned from a few of you before - but Rusty sits on the side of the bathtub while I’m in the shower & when I’m taking a bath. She actually likes the water - she’ll stick her paw in a few times and loves to be splashed with water (unlike my other 2 cats, who would rather never see a drop of water if they could help it). She also doesn’t like to drink from a water bowl. She either takes her paw to splash the water out of the bowl & onto the floor so she can lick it up from there, or she will sit by the bathroom faucet & wait for that to drip. I actually started to leave it drip on a regular basis so she always has fresh water when she wants it!
Now Bailey is a different story. Even though she’s almost 3 times the size of Rusty, she’s the one who gets run off most of the time. Bailey is a momma’s girl. And only Momma’s girl. She doesn’t want anything to do with anyone else. I’ve had her for almost 5 years, and everytime my mother comes to visit, Bailey is no where in sight. Except for picutres, my mom wouldn’t even know Bailey exists. She’s never seen her, not even once! But the minute my mom is gone - out comes Bailey! He’s very skiddish - sometimes with me too - if I make a sudden movement - she’ll jump away. But she’ll come right back when she knows it’s safe. She’s also a lover - but again - only with me. She’s also very vocal - and will beg way too often. She’ll eat just about anything - lately she’s been on a vegetable kick - she loves cauliflower! She snores too - but I think that’s because she’s just so chunky!
All in all - torties are my kitties of choice - and if the time comes again - to get another kitty - it will definitely be another tortie - strange little habits & all!
hi, just thought it was nice to see a site on torties. ours is peanut butter and black. she is three months old we just bought her at the pet store, she is very smart and spastic we named her spaz.very loving and vocal, and also very clean always cleaning her fur, she does get into things like the fridge and the toilet and the tub.
I always felt there was something different in the personality of the torties, I have 3 and they all have had unique but similar traits. Pooh ,being our first Tortie is loving wanting attention but not allowing you to pick her up. she “chirps” and when she wants you she will make a deep throaty growling noise. Pooh is 14 and has always had chronic respiratory problems. she like my other torties always sleep in that otter position with paws held on their chest. Maypo is the youngest and she also does not have much of a voice but will do the growling noise when she is looking for me in the house and she is afraid I have left her. The Torties I have are very ritualistic. Maypo will do the exact thing every night and morning never changing the order. She does the licking thing only on my face and ears. kind of a slurping thing. When I hear her coming I try to get my head under the covers but she is persistant and wedges her self in to slurp my face. she also wakes my husband the same time every night to play attack hand!! He loves her so he does not mind. All of the torti’s prefer to take their catnaps at the feet of the sofa always in the same place. Pooh does not lick but has an elbow fetish. all three cats Ellie (who has passed away) Pooh and Maypo are hardly vocal but all three had fetching skills which really amazed me!! Maypo actually fetches fuzzy balls to me. she never tires of it. dropping them right next to my hand all the time!! Ellie loved her tortie-boo mouse and would fetch it to me (we buried her with her torti-boo mouse) Pooh would take a little jack ball and run to the top of the stairs with it and drop it watching it bounce down, and then run and get it to do it over again. All of you tortie owners should try out the fetching thing, It is a bizzare trait that I think they all share. Thanks for listening..
Our Tortie, Weirdcat, is definitely the dominant cat of our two cats. We “inherited” her as she was passed around college-kid homes and was left with my fiance to whom she took a peculiar liking. Weirdcat is roughly 12-13 years old and is quite spry considering she looks as if she’s swallowed a grapefruit. She’s the joy of our household and we’re always laughing at her peculiar antics. She doesn’t like to be petted, but as soon as we’re in bed she’s up purring and snuggling. She’s definitely a morning cat. Much more moody in the afternoon. She enjoys juming in the shower after someone’s just gotten out. She’s very verbal, but her meow is more like a quack. She’ll quack at you if you talk directly to her. Nicecat, (gray tabby) our lap cat is not allowed in Weirdy’s territory. Weirdcat keeps close tabs on her domain. Weirdcat would probably be much more satisfied if Nicecat were not around, but they manage to tolerate each other. I never knew about the grooming issue with Torties - Weirdcat grooms quite often contrary to comments I’ve read about other torties.
Here’s our story: Our tortie is Owen. She will be 4 yrs old next week. We love her so much, but she is a monster! Just before Christmas she was diagnosed with Chronic Renal Failure (CRF). She had shrunk from her heaviest (8 lb little girl) down to barely 6 lbs. Since then we have started daily fluid therapy, low protein diet, and lots of attention….and as of this week, she is 6 lbs 15 oz and very energetic!!!! We hope to have her with us for as long as possible–no one can really tell us how long that will be (weeks, months, or years, but we are treasuring all of the extra time that her medical care is giving us!
My daughter finally convinced me to get a kitten. I asked her to choose a male but she chose the runt. I already had a name chosen for our new male cat…. Elliot but upon the new kittens arrival, we discovered that he was a she so she is now named Missy Elliot. Never having owned a cat before we were so looking forward to a cute cuddly, affectionate pet. Missy is a tortie and has all the classic traits, mean, hissy, hates the vet, doesn’t like to be petted, loves to play fetch and jump. She also loves to cuddle in my bed or with my daughter at night time. She is extremely expressive and talks to me all the time. She seems to be very timid and will not leave our balcony or stray outside at all. I think that Missy is very smart and my daughter and myself agree that even in spite of her bitchiness….. our lives would not be the same without her. She communicates with us all the time and has found her permanate spot at the head of this household. We love her dearly.
I have 2 torties and both are completely opposite. Yet Sophie is still a kitten she has dominated 2 out the 3 other cats that we have, she is Fearless, Nosey, and has a constant supply of energy. On the other hand Shay tortie #2 is very shy, hardly ever talks except when she wants to play then she sounds like she is dying, she likes to stay close to me most of the time and has to sleep under the covers with me all night. She has also put on ALOT of wait after being spayed. Oh and they are the only two that Love to play fetch.
After reading a few more stories here i notice a few people mentioning that their Torties dont like being held. As I siad before i have 2 of them Shay HATES being held but love to be petted and brushed and Sophie Likes being held but not being petted.Could it be a trait or just a prefrence.
I have a Torti, as well. She is 17 years old. Her name is Kitty Kitty…. the only way you can hold her is if you take her outside or if you are laying down on the couch. She hogs the foot of the bed. Some nights she lays on her window cat napper. She loves Fancy Feast cat food, and she will only drink ice cold water from the faucet. She still plays like a kitten with socks and paper balls. Also she only likes the people who live in the house.
Hi all,
I am bringing home my first torty in two days. Wish me luck with my other cat (a 6 year old siamese/persian mix) and my dog (a 8 year old beagle/lab mix) We had 2 cats but our domestic grey long hair cat passed away 4 weeks ago at the age of 15. Its been a while sence i introduced a new pet to the house and dont want to get anyone mad. Have a great day
I found my Tortie, Sweet Pea, Christmas at midnight. She was so tiny, cold, wet and smelled like a dead carcass. She had ear infections in both ears. After cleaning her up and getting her ears cleaned up she turned out to be the best pet I have ever had. She grooms herself all the time. When I get home from work she asks me to pick her up - then she rubs her face all over mine. She seems to be all my cat though. We have four dogs in our home - she seems to be a queen around them. The dogs are also aware if they touch her they will get a dose of water sprayed at them. I have never heard her growl or hiss. She is just a tiny, loving pet that someone sure missed out on by their abandonment of her in the heart of the winter. (I found her in the trash trying to find some food)
T.