Tortoiseshell and calico coats result from an interaction between genetic and developmental factors. ( October 2012) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message) Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. This section needs additional citations for verification. This pattern is especially preferred in the Japanese Bobtail breed, and exists in the Cornish Rex group. Tortoiseshell markings appear in many different breeds, as well as in non-purebred domestic cats. Torbie cats with a predominantly white undercoat are often referred to as "caliby" by their respective owners, an amalgamation of Calico and Tabby.
Ĭats with tortoiseshell pattern and small blotches of white are sometimes referred to as "tortico" by their owners, a portmanteau of "tortie" and "calico" Those that are predominantly white with tortoiseshell patches are described as tricolor, tortoiseshell-and-white (in the United Kingdom), or calico (in Canada and the United States). "Tortoiseshell" is typically reserved for particolored cats with relatively small or no white markings. Cats having torbie coats are sometimes referred to as torbie cats. Tortoiseshell cats with the tabby pattern as one of their colors are sometimes referred to as a torbie. The colors are often described as red and black, but the "red" patches can instead be orange, yellow, or cream, and the "black" can instead be chocolate, gray, tabby, or blue. Īlso called torties for short, tortoiseshell cats combine two colors other than white, either closely mixed or in larger patches. Male tortoiseshells are rare and are usually sterile. Like calicos, tortoiseshell cats are almost exclusively female. Tortoiseshell is a cat coat coloring named for its similarity to tortoiseshell material.