'Tortoiseshell Calico'

Tortoiseshell Calico

Turtle from Lily Pond -

My current favorite cat is the tortoiseshell calico. Anytime I see a tortie kitten I want to take it home. DH won't let me, though. We have enough cats and two of them are torties.

Comment #1 Alex Cates (65.197.129.187) -

I'm curious because my cat is about 1 year old now, and she's a tortoiseshell. I'm wondering what is the typical behavior of these kind of cats.

Comment #2 Torti and Calicos (207.207.133.111) -

I have a calico kitten, four months old and she seems to be a bit of a bitter but I don't think its aggressive. She mostly hugs my wrists and ankles with no claws out and nibbles my fingers or feet. She hasn't clawed once other then when she misses her landings in your lap when shes begging for attention and cuddles. She is the most affectionate and adorable little thing.

Comment #3 Erik from Purdue Philosophy Dept, Indiana -

Our tortoise shell callico is the most affectionate cat I've ever met; there isn't anybody she doesn't like, she likes to flop on the ground and have you rub her tummy as though she's a puppy. She's about 9-10 years old.

Her name is 'Socks', named after the white patches on all four paws.

I don't know of any other callico tortoise-shell cat owners, so I don't know if this is typical. But I'd be more than happy to chat w/ other owners.

Comment #4 Kristi (205.56.145.34) -

I have a 1.5year old female blue cream tortie and she can be very rambunctious. She is always very sweet to me but she often "attacks" my live-in boyfriend. She doesn't use claws but "hugs" his legs aggressively and sometimes bites playfully. We've decided that she thinks my boyfriend is a cat too!

Comment #5 Joanna from Rochester, NY -

I have a 3 1/2 year old Tortie kitty and she's all personality. She can be pretty chatty when she wants something and when she wants to play or is feeling ignored, she comes up behind my chair, jumps up and taps on my back (though sometimes she bites instead of taps). She's very social and most always wants to be in the same room as people. When I'm in one room and my live in b/f in the other room, she lays down in a place where she can get the best view of both of us. When we're in the same room she often sits in a location that is right between either one of us. BUT, if we pick her up to cuddle, she moans/whines something that sounds just like "noooooo". The only time she wants to be picked up is when we come home or OCCASIONALLY if she's being ignored, but only for a micro-second. She's always up for play and likes to do the aforementioned leg 'hugs'. She once did the leg-hug while thumping my ankles with her hind-legs. Of course, I was wearing jeans so it didn't hurt. THEN, the little stinker PUSHED UP THE LEG OF MY PANTS so she could sink her teeth and claws into my 'tender ankle flesh'. So, even though our tortie has a little cat-bad streak in her, I love that she has personality and isn't one of those cats that hides all the time :)

Comment #6 Natalie (90.200.119.246) -

I have a tortie and shes nearly 1 year old, shes been a big softy from the day we got her, she loves people but for some reason doesn't seem to like my partner, we think this is because shes jealous. She sleeps between us in bed at night and always has to be sat on someones knee. When we come in from work she runs downstairs and throws herself down on her back so we will tickle her belly, she also meows a lot like shes talking to us and talks back when we speak to her. She will only drink from a running tap and is extrememly playfull. Shes a big baby but I love her loads, wouldn't swap her for the world!

Comment #7 Kim Taylor from San Jose, CA -

We just acquired a tortoiseshell female when she was 2 months old; she is now 5 months old, and I can't imagine life without her! About a month ago we adopted my son's male cat from the same parents but different litter who is a bit older, named Nicky. He is as calm and laid back as Sofia is frisky! She hissed at him for 4 hours before they eventually started playing; now they are the best of friends and adore one another. Even my husband who has never owned a pet before in his life loves these cats and is entertained by them. They sleep at the foot of our bed or in our son's room at night and follow the sunlight as it moves from room to room in our house. I love the way these cats play together!!

Comment #8 Sydney (64.160.200.107) -

i have a calico i got her at 2 weeks so i had to mother her alot, she went every were with me. she just went thtough her "meanish" faze and now is more like her slef..., mama has never liked others cats or dogs, only one little puppy that belongs to my boyfriend. i just moved in with a friend that also has a cat and my cat "mama" is crazy around her she runs after her hind and waits around for her, they fight and hiz at each other ect. i dont know if shes just my little freak of if its still because shes a baby????? please let me know and any other info on calicos would be great!

Comment #9 Ay from Maryland -

I have a MALE Tortoise Shell Cat!! Surprised me, he did!!

I just figured it out today!!

I thought it was a girl for about ten months until HE was mating with a female Kitten I own, about the same age.

How common is it to have a male? He is VERY lovable and sweet!!

Comment #10 Rachel (128.146.175.100) -

I have 2 3-year old torties. They are sisters & were adopted together. They have always been very affectionatetowards each other, often sleeping together or bathing each other, recently the larger one (22 LBS) has been hissing at her sister whenever the little one shows her face. Ellie (the little one) is scared, she has been hiding in her basket & not using the litter box or eating. When I first wake up she is always affectionate but she getts hissy when I try to take her into the same room as her sister. She has only behaved like this once before when she knew we were moving. The vet says it's stress but I don't know how to snap her out of her mood. I bought a pharamone diffuser & am giving the big one homeopathic anxiety meds. Does anybody have any suggetsions??

Comment #11 garret (76.4.174.227) -

i have a tortoiseshell cali and she is the only cat ive actually liked, she is basically a miniature dog sniffing our food and following us from room to room, shes a little crabby in the morning and becomes more affectionate through out the day at night she sprawls out on my lap and falls asleep till i kick her off to get some food :)

Comment #12 Raven from Austin -

I have had cats before and have never experienced behavior from a cat like I am having with the newest addition to my home….I am also not familiar with the behavior of tortoiseshell cats…..I think my cat “Evil Lynn” is one….you guys seem to know …perhaps you can ..”school me”…. She’s very aggressive…growls like a dog ……especially when my other cat tries to eat from the same bowl….she tips over the trash cans ..to get what ever it is that is driving her crazy in there…she has a stuffed bear I got her …when she was just a kitten….that she caries around the house in her mouth ….she goes around the house opening all the cabinets in the house….she tries to open dresser drawers, cabinets…she hisses…and make this noise as if she is hacking …when you try to pick her up….if she sees a glass ....she knocks it over….and she hoards items in her cat tent I got her…..when she sleeps with me on the bed …her lower body is twisted …and her up body is face up....with her paws sticking straight up….and she follows me every where…I love her ..she makes me laugh …with all the crazy things she does…I just want to know if it normal behavior of tortoiseshell ….thank you all for any information you can give…

Comment #13 Julia Larson (198.179.147.18) -

I have a Tortie. She is already 9 years old, but in perfect health. Every summer she gets an allergy to her face because she goes outside and hides in the bushes trying to attack bugs and birds and things. She even puts the dead birds on the deck right by the sliding door. We got her as a family cat, and we had a german shepard dog who my cat thought was her mother and acted just like the dog. She wags her tail, meows when she wants something, and drinks and eats dog food and the dogs water. After my german shepard died, my cat got more to be less a family cat and more my cat. Now everytime I get home from work, she runs downstairs into my room and doesnt leave until I go to work the next morning. She gets extremely jealous when I have people over and cries constantly when she doesnt get what she wants. Basically she is the princess of the house. We have to lift her up to the counter to get her food, or else she cries and follows me around until I do, and she cries to go outside all day and night. I love my cat, but she is definitely spoiled and thinks she is a dog.

Comment #14 Meredith (75.67.142.234) -

I have a 2 year old female tortie. I have have many cats, including another calico and I have never had a cat like this one. She reminds me of my black lab. She greets me every morning.. waits outside the shower.. then proceeds to follow me everywhere I go.. when we wake up the kids, she jumps up on their beds ands meows at them.. she begs for food.. sits on my lap every time I sit down.. and always greets me at the door when I return home. She even drinks out of the toilet!!! I will add that she has never displayed any aggression, never growled or hissed, and she has been manhandled by my 3 kids. She, like some of the others also has her stuffed toy mice and even a stuffed kitty. We are definitely amused at our house!

Comment #15 Cloe from Pensacola -

Those of you that have a MALE tortie or calico you have yourselves a gem. That combination can only happen when the color section of the x chromosome is different between the two (one says orange, the other says black), hence the reason it is almost solely females. A male tortie or calico can happen two ways... 1) he's got an extra x, so instead of his genes being xy they are xxy. He's gonna be sterile 2) there were two embryos one for a black male, and one for a orange male and one basically swallowed the other. i don't know a lot about that, but some people call it something else.

Comment #16 jewels from earth -

Our calico is a house cat. We only have one. She's typically a friendly, playful, outgoing cat, who isn't at all shy. She loves to come out and sniff everyone's belongings, and everyone, and loves the attention. Many friends who are dogs and/or cats owners have come over to the house, and she has never had any problems with. But there has been two particular friends of my daughter's who have come over whom owns 2-3 cats, that she has problems with. She'll sniff their belongings (i.e., shoes, bag, purse, etc.) and begin to hiss and growl. When this happens, we usually lock her up in one of the bedrooms until my daughter's friends have left. I hate to have to lock her up but not sure what is making her act this way. Is there a particular breed of cat's that a calico may not agree with? The owners comment that they have 2-3 cats and that they are all spayed/neutered.

Comment #17 I luv cats (82.34.60.86) -

I have a 6 year old tortie called flossy and she 'owns' me completely, very demanding and vocal and she has what I think is know as tortietude which is the attitude that some torties have. She wraps me round her paws so to speak, is very playful and can be a right little handful at times but she is the sweetest most loving cat i have ever owned. The only downside is that she is extremely nervous of visitors and will often hide as soon as the doorbell rings.

Comment #18 Sarah (213.94.176.130) -

Wow, so many things I've just read from the other posts ring true. I've got an 11 year old torti called Goldie, we got her when she was 3 months old from a lady who was kind enough to give homes to stray cats. She was born there and due to being with about 20 other cats was a little on the wild side. She had cat flu and if we hadn't taken her when we had I think she would have died in a few days. However, 11 years later and she's still going strong. She loves to be with people, recently she has started to howl when left in a room alone. She gets a toy that she has (a screwed up piece of paper lol) holds it in her mouth and howls her head off until someone comes running into the room, then she's happy and purrs her head off! The longer we have her the more affectionate and responsive she gets. She can totally read us and vice versa. It took about 8 years before she stopped scratching and biting fully. She absolutely adores being brush and if I was able to start over again I think that using brushing to build trust would have helped. Now she is the kind of cat that you can do anything with except hold on your lap in the house. She does a strange mieow that sounds like no and squirms and hisses, she'd never scratch just desperately wants to get off. She is, however, perfectly happy to have unlimited cuddles while she is on the ground, she even had assigned a chair to be a cuddling chair, if anyone sits there they'd better cuddle her or they'll get a gentle reminder from her teeth - nothing rough, just a grazing of the skin.

She is such a contradiction, she wants to be close, but not too close and totally on her terms. I think that's what I like about cats, you can't dictate to them like dogs, with cats you only get to suggest!

Comment #19 Tom H (24.118.75.49) -

Hi,

I couldn't help but comment. I just put down my nearly 18 yr old tortie "Trouble" a couple of weeks ago. She was a very special cat. She got shot in the spine 13 or so years ago by a neighbor. Her back legs were useless and I would have put her down right away, but the vet encouraged me to wait a little bit as there were signs she might be able to recover. Well within a few months, she did, sort of. She regained her mobility despite never being able to feel her tail and back legs. Her walking was very deliberate and her back legs kept a methodical pace that was slower than her front half, which became pretty buff after a few years (I called her "Trouble Schwartzenegger" for a while). She could even run and jump, but always looked like she was scrambling.

Unfortunately, she never learned to void her own bladder, so I had to learn early on how to do it myself. Expressing a cat's bladder isn't a real pleasant experience, but it isn't all that difficult either. I did that 1 to 2 times per day from November 1994 until the day before I had her put down. I begged and bribed friends, family, and local boarders to do it a few times when I had to travel, too, but nobody ever took care of her like I did.

Personality-wise, I have to say she was a real gem. Even before her injury, she was very needy and talkative as others have described. And mischievous: she would plant herself on the back of a chair in a doorway if possible to monitor as much of our apartment as she could. Then she'd take a swipe at someone if they dared to walk too close by her. She earned her name by breaking into a gerbil cage on the day I brought her home (a six week old kitten), so I came home with a litter box and food dishes to find her staring down my really-scared gerbil from 3 inches away.

She had a reputation for disappearing some days in the house. I would call and look for her, but couldn't find her, then 20 minutes later she'd appear, just as mysteriously as she disappeared. She and her gray tabbie adopted sister would both wait for me at the door just before I came home from work (my sister reported) after a day of complete dormancy.

Putting her down was very sad, even though I saw it coming a long way out. Fortunately, I'm pretty sure she outlived the guy who shot her. I had fantasies of bringing her to the guy's funeral and saying, "See this... ha!" That little cat was with me through every main event of my adult life, sobered up in 94, started and finished college 94-98, got married and divorced, got married again, had 2 step kids, 2 biological kids, bought and sold a house, bought another, lost two grandparents, 2 aunts, 2 uncles... it's gonna be different without her now.

I, my wife and kids buried her in the back yard and planted a hearty rose bush on the grave... my 13 year old thought it was appropriate - beautiful, but with thorns.

Some people think I'm nuts for everything I did for her; Others admire it. I'm glad to have shared almost half my life with that little cat and would do it all over again if I had to. I hope this story has brought something positive into your life.

Regards,

Tom

Comment #20 Jen (68.200.243.172) -

I have never before posted on one of these sites before, but I just have to comment!

First of all, to Tom - the owner of Trouble - my heart goes out to you. You are a wonderful kitty owner, and Trouble was so lucky to be with you. I know it doesn't make the pain go away, but thank goodness you had her for such a long time.

And now, I have to tell you all that I have gotten quite a chuckle reading your postings. As I sit typing this post, my own Tortie, Punky (yes, she IS a little punk!) is sleeping on my desk right next to the computer. We adopted her from a friend who found her hiding in her mother-in-law's car engine. She was only 1.5 pounds at approx. 4 weeks old, had a raging fever, and yet came right home and jumped on the head of our 18 pound male tabby! At first I wasn't sure we would keep her (we weren't "in the market" for another kitty), and I told our vet that when I took her in on the day I brought her home (we stopped by there before coming home.) My vet laughed at me and said, "We'll see." She laughs every time I bring Punky in because she says noone can resist a tortie. Boy is she right! Punky, like the other kitties I've read about on here, has her favorite stuffed mouse (Mousy-mouse) that she carries around in her mouth. She plays fetch with it, begs for food (I think sometimes she might just put her paw in my mouth to get what she wants!), "talks" and lets me know just how she's feeling, waits for me at the door every afternoon, waits for me to get out of the shower, HATES early mornings, HAS to be in the same room with my husband and I, follows me everywhere, dips her paws in any water glasses sitting around so she can lick the water off of them, climbs our screen on the porch to get the lizards, and "yells" at any stray cats who come close to the screen. She is truly the best thing (other than my husband of course) that has ever happened to me. I know how ridiculous that sounds, but only other tortie slaves would understand! And, yes, she does have the tortie-tude.

I count us tortie slaves as very lucky. Anyone who has never had one of these wonderful little beings is missing out! Long live the torties!!

Comment #21 Elena from The City of Angels -

My tortie, Libby, found me one morning on my way to the bus stop. She was making horrible, indistinct sounds & I saw her hiding near the bushes in front of the library. She was SICKLY-LOOKING, with runny eyes & sticky fur and skin (from a bad case of mange) I grabbed her anyway. I ran back to my apt complex & called in sick. It took me weekly visits to the vet for a month to treat & cure Libby (my hubby named her after the LIBrary). Incidentally, the mange spread to MY chest area since Libby preferred to sleep there, so I had to get special cream, too!! Our first months together were a NIGHTMARE: super-hyper episodes, running & jumping on me when I slept, jumping on my BACK after I would get out of the shower & the BIGGIE: litter box 'issues'. I almost got rid of Libby when I came home from work and found THREE of my brand-new knitted sweaters with HOLES in them!!! She likes to chew and suckle on certain knits, I've learned, so I safely put away all knitted items. She used to climb my clothes in my closet to sleep on the top shelf, but I broke her of that bad habit with a water pistol.

Libby's a loner and will engage in a catfight here and there to protect her space. She was terrified of people which she got over after the first year. I treated her with BACH flower essences, which helped A LOT with her behavior problems, but not the infamous 'tortie-tude'-LOL She will only be affectionate on her terms, and can't stand being held for more than 30 seconds--we've timed it. She sleeps nestled between my knees, and will sleep on my stomach whenever I am sick. She's fascinated by water in the bathtub, and once jumped in (but leapt out FAST!) She's extremely playful and will bring me a rubberband, Q-tip, or whatever, to play "fetch". She taught ME this our first year together.

She loves saltine crackers, Mexican sweet bread, whipped cream, and egg yolks. Because she's SPOILED, she runs whenever we use the can of whipped cream! We can't leave out our glasses of water without covering them--she'll stick her whole face in for a sip. She loves to hide in the dresser drawers, and one time, was "lost" inside our entertainment center for a day. She still doesn't like my sister (who's on to Libby's tricks and let's her know it)so Libby hisses and avoids her like the plague-hilarious!

If something ever happened to my husband or me, she's willed to my friend, who affectionately dubbed her "Monkey-cat", because of her swirled tail--It curves up into a backwards 'S'--no, it's not broken, just unique :) We always joke that she's part rabbit or another animal because of her unique physical characteristics and general craziness.

At 8yrs old, Libby is still playful, tips over trash cans, moves my books from my nightstand with her paws so she can hide, runs like crazy when the full moon nears, AND is a great 'watch-cat'(She GROWLS whenever someone's near our door) She still has to have the last swat, though, when we are playing(or not).

Life is sure interesting with her, without a doubt! She's my baby and I LOVE HER!!

(God help us though when my husband & I do have children!)

Comment #22 erynn (76.31.130.134) -

omg! all these stories make me life....i googled "why are calico cats crazy?" and found this!!!!

my tabby died on my 20th birthday and now 5 years later i decided i was ready for another cat. i wanted to rescue one from the SPCA and was set on a kitten until i found "patches." it was love at first sight!

she's my first calico and has med/long hair. she's DEFINETLY a character! between 9-10 pm, she does this crazy, run around the house, thing! from room to room, stops, looks at me, and does it again! when my bf comes home from work, she's right in the middle of us, she is an attention-, so to speak!!! she makes me laugh all the time! i read somewhere on here that their cat drinks from a running faucet! haha, so does mine!!! rather strange, but it's cute! anytime i walk to the bathroom, she takes off and passes me up, by the time i flip on the light, she waiting on the counter next to the sink!

needless to say, i'm sooooo glad i got a calico, she's definetly my entertainment!!!!!

Comment #23 Linda (70.185.192.42) -

I have just found out that my little stray is a girl and she is preggie, they had to give me a chair when i found out she was not a boy with worms{I thought}so i brought her into the house to have her kittys, it is 104 degrees outside, she is quite a handfull.I have to keep her separate from my other cats Newman and Redford. I first introduced her to newman because he is such a sweety he was sniffinf and she just swatted him, his feelings was hurt so i keep them in the bedroom when she is out and when they are out she is in the bathroom it gets quite comical in this small apartment, but she is so small and i don't want her kittens to be born wild and strays, maybe i can get them good homes and get her spaded, she is dark grey and orange they told me at the vet she is a dilute tortie i had never heard of that before

Comment #24 Deb (65.191.174.204) -

We have a Tortie that showed up on our front door steps one night. She immediately feel in love with our dog Gracie. Gracie is a brindle Boxer. When the two of them take a nap together on the couch, they sort of blend in together. KeKe (cat)cleans te dog and the dog cleans her too. When KeKe is in the house and Grcie is outside, she will whine until I let Gracie in. I know that Boxers love everyone but I had no idea that a cat of ANY kind would take to a dog.

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