Catsters--What do you know about Torties?

[libnnc]

We may adopt a 12 week old female tortie kitty this week.

I've had other cats but not a tortie. Any particular personality traits I should be aware of?

[conscious evolution]

1. if you mean tortoise hair BE CAREFUL

They act just like any other cat.

[ThomCat]

2. LOL!

:rofl:

You are simply wonderful. Welcome to DU!

[jrandom421]

3. Torties are little different

I've been adopted by a few tortoiseshell kitties in my time and here's what I have learned:

1. Most torties who are adopted young are sweet, gentle, intelligent, sensitive, loving, playful girls.
2. Some adult torties tend to have a "princess" attitude about them. They like what they like and want what they want, and that is that. This doesn't mean they can't be sweet, gentle, intelligent, sensitive, loving, playful girls, but they have pronounced likes and dislikes.
3. Some torties exhibit what is called "tortitude", taking the "princess" thing a little too far, being nervous, twitchy, insecure, clingy, controlling and so on. Can be moderated by lots of loving attention.
4. None of the torties I've known have ever meowed. They have purred, chirped, squeaked, trilled, warbled, snorked, growled, hissed, yowled, screeched, grunted, squawked, chortled and so on in as many as 3 different octaves and 14 different volume levels, but not a one has meowed within my hearing.
5. Give your new furkid a lot of loving attention and play time, with lots of rattle toys to chase and pounce. Feed her treats, pet her, call her by her name and tell her she's a good kitty. Torties tend to respond more to that than most kittys I've seen. She'll bond to you like superglue.

Not much else, to say. Torties are the female genetic complement to the male Orange tabby. Think of your girl as a slightly volatile redhead, and it can help make things more understandable. You are going to be blessed with the love of a torti girl, and it's something to be savored and enjoyed!

[libnnc]

4. Thanks so much!

We also have a 6yr old male collie/german shepherd mix. He thinks he's a toy poodle, is very, very submissive when it comes to cats. He grew up around our late female orange tabby so he's used to cats. We were able to spend a few minutes at the adoption shelter with the tortie kitty and she was really sweet and playful. Very pretty little thing. I think she's the runt of her litter. Her brothers are all black. I'm so excited!

[Flaxbee]

5. yes, exactly.

My "MommaKitty" (aka Novi) brought us three lovely daughters we kept (along with MK); she is a tortie. We didn't meet her until she was at least a year old, and while she is INCREDIBLY sweet, the woman is seriously bossy. MommaKitty is really loving, she stays close to home (of course she's spayed now, but we live in a rural area and since I think she was probably born in the wild, we have her as an indoor/outdoor girl; all her kittens are strictly indoor), and is very affectionate.

But, if we try to move her when she doesn't want to get off our laps, or keep her inside when she wants to go out, boy do we hear about it -- and jrandom is right - no meows, just every other noise she could possibly make. I'd almost say she was barking orders at us.

And she'd trill to her babies when they were young - one of the neatest sounds I've ever heard.

But she's a wonderful creature. Torties definitely do have perhaps more of sense of entitlement than others, but there is nothing wrong with that, and the love and affection and devotion you'll get in return are priceless.


edited for clarity

[Dora]

23. I agree with all, except the not-meowing part.

My mom took two female torties from a litter my Jezebel had.

One has passed now (cancer), the other still lives, but both have insanely piercing calls. Our dearly-departed Dud would bring out all her toys at night, toss them about, and caterwaul the entire time.

Whenever my stepdad used to travel, his Dudley (Dud's twin), would cry and look for him everywhere. Now that he's gone, she howls at my mother. She is a happy cat, but yes, she is needy and a princess.

[bluethruandthru]

6. I have a tortie.

She's the only tortie I've ever had. I didn't think there was anything different about them until we went to the vet for her first check up. The vet said he was surprised at how friendly she was. He told me they are typically a bit standoffish. Mine is slow to warm up to strangers...in fact when our neighbor comes to feed the cats when we're on vacation...Bubbles (my tortie) usually never comes out of hiding while the neighbor is in the house.
The vet also said that people say that torties are "90 percent sweet..and 10 percent nuts"!
Bubbles is a great cat with lots of personality. I wouldn't trade her for the world!

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

7. I had a tortie, Alice.

She was very sweet, quiet and a little shy. She tended to let herself get pushed around by her younger "roommate," Teddy, so sometimes I had to separate them so he wouldn't pick on her -- she was a good deal older and didn't like getting pounced on by an obnoxious kitten, but she was too gentle and passive to fight back. She was timid around strangers, too -- she'd hide if people visited, and I had friends who didn't believe she existed because they never saw her. Even so, she was a sweetie; I still miss her.

[TrogL]

8. I've had two

Did you mean the psychoses, neuroses or that they're batshit?

[conscious evolution]

9. My present kitten

is a torty.She is a rescue kitty a friend found in backyard.As a result she will absolutely not venture outside.She knows what it's like out there and prefers the good life.
In other words she thinks she is a princess.

When I was a kid we had one that randoms description to a tee.

[idgiehkt]

10. my parents have three calicos

and they are all bitches. I mean it. I love them, but they don't take any shit, and woe be unto you if you happen to catch them in a bad mood. I wonder if it is just some genetic trait attached to the mottling of the color.

Also they are all female. Are all torties and calicos female?

[jrandom421]

12. Nearly all calicos and torties are female

Has to do with the genetics of the tricolor coat. Check here
http://www.messybeast.com/tricolours.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tortoiseshell_cat

[conscious evolution]

15. If you do find a male

hang on to him and dont have him spayed.They are worth big bucks as breeders.

[jrandom421]

18. Only one caution

This only works if he's not already sterile, which 99.9% of tortoiseshell males are.

[conscious evolution]

28. Did not know that

[ThingsGottaChange]

11. Torties are the best!

They are hilarious to watch play. And they do play! Playtime is just as you are going to bed, by the way! When I got my girls about 3 years ago their personalities couldn't have been different. They are littermates, by the way.

Meka was very skittish around people. I just let her be and it took her about a month before I could pet her. She still doesn't like to be picked up or *GASP* kissed but, she is totally hilarious when she gets in play mode. Her latest is to watch me brush my teeth so she can play with the water. She never did learn how to meow. It's more like "Meep". Too funny!

Touky is my little sweetie baby. Used to sleep on me every night. And she gives me kisses. They truly are the lights of my life!

Meka and Touky

[bertha katzenengel]

13. You "may" adopt her? No "may" about it -- don't pass her up!

I can't tell you much about ours disposition toward friendliness, because she is semi-feral. But if Skittles were tame, I'll bet she'd be like her littermate, a ginger boy named Moose: pure lover. She lets me pet her when she's in the mood, and she purrs like a chain saw.

Go get her!

Strangely, I can't find any photos of Skittles in my Photobucket! :wtf: But . . .

Here's Moose, her brother



Here's a half-sister, Peaches, a gorgeous tortie



Here's her mama, Ringtail, also a tortie

[LiberalHeart]

14. I have a male that Humane Society said is a tortie...

They said it's a cat with three colors -- but the third color on my little guy is just the barest touch of white on two of his feet. He's the sweetest thing on four legs. Everyone at the vet's office keeps wanting to adopt him. Fat chance.

[conscious evolution]

16. see post 15

Thats why they want him

[distantearlywarning]

17. My favorite cat ever was a little long-haired female Tortoiseshell.

I got her really young (4 weeks) and she was my baby. I was devastated when she was killed by a coyote at the age of 5.

She was extremely timid around strangers, but was totally devoted to her human (me). She had an incredibly sweet personality. She never once bit or scratched me, even with provocation - I honestly think it never occurred to her that she could do that to "her" person. When I would trim her claws or bathe her, she would lick me fiercely, like "See what a nice kitty I am? Please stop pestering the nice kitty!", but she never struggled or fought back. That's how trusting and loving she was.

She loved to be held, and I would hold her like a baby in my arms, upside down with her tummy sticking up. She spent every waking moment next to me if I was home, but she would run and hide from strangers, and it took her a long time to get to know people. But even as an adult cat, she was vulnerable and emotionally attached to me like a kitten. It was like she never grew up.

I loved her more than anything, and I miss her terribly, even after 5 years.

I would definitely get a Tortie again if I could get another kitten. I say go for it!

[NYYFan]

19. Theta, is my Tortie

She was a stray that showed up at my job around May of last year. She lived outside my job until last October when I finally took her home. She has made herself completely at home, and has no interest in returning to the great outdoors. She's a sweet cat, with a squeaky voice. Because they estimated her age at 2 months when she appeared last May, she's fairly small for her age (3 weeks ago, she weighed 8.25 lbs), but lively, and active.

She's like any other cat. She gets the late night and early morning crazies, wants love and attention on her terms, and rules the roost with an iron paw ! ;-).

[MissMillie]

20. My tortie is so sweet

All she ever wants out of life is someone to rub her under her chin.

She doesn't "talk" much.

[calico1]

21. I have been told that torties, like calicos can

tend to be a little "kooky." I have a calico and she is a little kooky. At night she goes down to the basement and brings stuff up. Paint brush rollers, my exercise DVD's, shoes, anything she can carry. You know when she has brought the item up because she will run around and meow excitedly. I had a roommate once who had a tortie. She was kind of standoffish but I don't know how she was raised. She was already older then. You have the advantage that yours is a kitten, so that should help.

[Phillycat]

22. They're nuts

Seriously, they are all a little off. But they're great. :)

[Tyler Durden]

24. Can a torti be a longhair?

Rikki is VERY small and slight, with almost no white. Rescued from under a house. No meows, LOUD purr, she does a "Paw Push dance" when particularly happy. Hides a lot. GENTLE.

[jrandom421]

27. Of Course!

We have a 10 week old long haired tortie kitten. She's adopted my wife and is her velcro kitty. She's sweet, gentle, sensitive, intelligent, playful and VERY loving. "No more kitten kisses! I KNOW where that tongue has been!" :)

[RebelOne]

25. I owned a tortie at one time

and she was a very aloof cat. Not affectionate at all. Never really wanted to be petted.

[NV Whino]

26. My favorite cat of all time was a tortie.

Miss Ana never met a person she didn't like.

[Jamastiene]

29. Interesting info I read years ago.

I no longer have that book, but it mentioned that a black cat and a yellow tabby cat get together and that is where the gene comes from to get a tortie. Well, as it turns out, according to that book, most tortoiseshell cats are female. If there is a rare male, it would be sterile. It's interesting reading.

I had one who was diabetic. She was such a sweet girl. I also had her mother who was a long haired tortie. She was sweet and polite, from what I experienced. She would always ask if she could jump in my lap. She would place her paws ever so gently on my leg and pat it. When I would pat my leg, she would jump up, but not until I invited her. She also was polite when it came to food. When I would offer her food, she would put her mouth close to my hand and rest it there until I dropped the food. Only then would she eat it. If I offered it in my palm she would pull her lips back and gently take the food being careful not to touch my skin with her teeth. She was a great cat. My experience with torties has been excellent. I love them.

Congratulations on yer new kitty.

[Liberalynn]

30. This is Cally our Feral barn kitty

two of her kittens look like the short haired blue dilute tortishell. They are both female too. Tonight there was a strange cat in the barn. Almost the same color pattern as Cally only with a black stripe down her nose.

I think she maybe related. Either Cally's Mom or Cally's kid from a previous litter before she showed up here. I don't think the other kitties care for this outsider so I hope it travels on. My Mom has only agreed to let me keep the ones I have, I know she's not happy about the prospect of another joining the group.

Anyway back to your question Cally is a sweetheart. She loves to rub around the legs and purr but she doesn't like to be picked up. She won't chase toys or a stick in the grass but she plays with her six month old litter, like she was a kitten herself.

Good for you though for considering adopting a shelter kitty! I wish there were more people like you! :hug: