These cats are Tortoiseshell

[Bertha Venation]

in reply to progressiveBadger's query yesterday

The mom (on the left) and one of the kittens are torties.

[WildClarySage]

1. Awwwwwww

they're adorable!

[ScreamingMeemie]

2. Awwwwww....can I have one?? Please, PLEASE

PLEASE!!!!!???????!!!!!!! I'll be good. ;)

They're adorable. They're your feral ones, right?

[Bertha Venation]

5. Yep, our ferals.

Due to our negligence (and Ringtail's slipperiness!) she's had another litter. We'll be trying to trap as many cats as we can this weekend. The youngest kittens we'll socialize; all the other cats go to the low-cost spay/neuter clinic next week.

There is a tortie in that younger litter....

[AllyCat]

3. I have a tortie asleep on my lap right now.

Cute kittens and she looks like a good momma!

[mike_c]

7. my tortie is a total lap monster....

She's one of my rescues and is otherwise quite solitary-- doesn't tolerate the other cats at all, prefers the outdoors unless the weather is REALLY foul, but she is a lap clinger. As in hide your lap if Marble is in the house and you don't want her laying on it....

[Bertha Venation]

9. What a great name for a tortie! Marble. Love it.

[jukes]

4. def torties!

!y muy bonita, tambien!

[Zuni]

6. can I have the lil' black one?

Please............

:hi:

[Bertha Venation]

8. If you can get to So. MD, and if you can tame him/her...

it's yours!

Oh--but it has asthma....

[Zuni]

10. I live in Maryland

I live in Annapolis. (he is feral? I have a lil' old kitty and I don't know if bringing a feral cat home would be a good idea)

[Bertha Venation]

11. Yes, he's feral. BUT:

While I'm afraid this one's too old to be socialized, we have four younger kittens around here.... :) We plan to socialize the ones we can trap this weekend.

[RivetJoint]

13. Bertha

If you are able to socialize the new torty, would you consider letting me adopt her?

[Bertha Venation]

14. Unless MrsGrumpy can make it down from Michigan,

Absolutely, RivetJoint. As long as you can get here & home safely with her, she's yours -- if we can catch & socialize her. Keep your fingers crossed.
:bounce:

[RivetJoint]

18. COOL!

We live in Annapolis. We have two male cats, one 17 and one 7. They hate each other.

We had a scare two weeks ago, we were SURE the 17-year old was dying; he just sat in one spot Adan would not eat or drink ANYTHING for 2 days. Took him to the vet and they tested for just about everything-- blood work and tests came back negative, but the told my wife it looked like he might have cancer. She cried her eyes out for two days until we took him for x-rays which came back negative. Whatever he had he got over it, BUT I decided that we need another kitten around to give the boys a playmate.

[Bertha Venation]

20. We had a similar scare w/ Richard, but he's too ornery to die.

I'll let you know how the trapping goes this weekend. :D

[skygazer]

12. From what I understand

Torties are all female, for some strange genetic reason. At least that is what I've always heard - perhaps it is an urban legend. I shall have to look it up now - I'm curious.

[Bertha Venation]

15. I think that's true. Don't know for sure.

I know that most plain calicos are female.

[NuckinFutz]

17. I think they are considered

to be like calicos. I have a torti that is shiny black with specks of orange mottled through. But I have noticed specks of white as well, though not as many. Her name is Motley. I think it's probaly fair to say that 99% of cats with more than two colors are female, but I'm unsure of the genetics that cause it.

[Philostopher]

16. One in 3,000 (approximately) is male.

It's on the X chromosome, so 'genetic sport' males who have the color pattern are almost always sterile, because they have an extra X chromosome. Of course, with cats, there is no 'always' -- and there's a genetic skin condition called mosaicism that can cause a red male cat to develop black fur, sometimes they're mistaken for male tortoiseshell or calico cats, but it's just extra melanin that affects their fur color.

[NuckinFutz]

19. Thanks for the explanation...

Do you happen to know why almost all yellow/orange tabbies are males?

[Philostopher]

23. I understand it's the same thing.

Generally, I mean -- the 'red tabby' trait is also genetic, and appears more often in males than females.

Sarah Hartwell, a British shelter/rescue veteran, has a great resource on this stuff on her website:

http://www.messybeast.com/catarchive.htm#genetics

There are several articles on her site about cat coloration and the genetics of it.

[NuckinFutz]

26. thanks a bunch!....n/t

[arwalden]

21. Why Tortoises hell? Do they not like turtles or something?

[NuckinFutz]

22. We're talking about cats, Emily.........n/t

[Sabriel]

24. Those would make a nice retirement gift!

I think I'll send one to Asscroft.

[Bertha Venation]

25. I don't think they'd appreciate being anointed.

On second thought, if he tried, they'd scratch the shit outta him....