Torties

[NoahsMommy]

Hi,

We just got Noah and new little sister, Noel. She is a really small, 3 month old Tortie. So far, she is really sweet, but a tiny bit standoffish. Does anyone know about Torties? Do they have any qualities that define their breed?

Thank you!!

[NoahsMommy]

Wow! I didn't know that! Spencer, you are a plethora of knowledge, you are wonderful!

So, is Noel like a domestic shorthair then? Have you ever fostered a Tortie? I would love to see some pics if you have. :)

[4 feline house]

Noah's mommy, to address your second post, tortie (and calico) are color patterns, not a breed. Any breed can be a tortie or calico (except, of course, the breeds that breed true to only one color or pattern, such as abys or chartreux, to name a couple). Her breed would be domestic short hair.

When will we see photies?

I have fostered a callie, owned a callie, and owned a tortie-point, but none of their photies are scanned. This is a project I hope to do in the future, though.

[ December 04, 2001: Message edited by: Leah S ]

[wayne0214]

There are three torties in my menagerie. I have seen them run the gamut of cat personalities. Particularly, there is one tortie who is very affectionate (Princess), while I have one that is feral (Checker). She will come up to you for rubbing your legs, but otherwise does not like to be touched. The third tortie is a large cat for a female (Fluffy), and often hisses and fights with the others, but is friendly and doesn't mind being picked up for some petting.

...........wayne

[ December 05, 2001: Message edited by: wayne0214 ]

[ December 11, 2001: Message edited by: wayne0214 ]

[NoahsMommy]

Here she is...
http://wsphotofews.excite.com/026/wP/9O/QC/l359044.jpg

She is trying to be the dominent one, but Noah is putting up a fight! :)

[BigCharles]

So cute! I think that Noah is just adroable too. Now Noel comes just in time for the holidays. You can start the carols:


"Noah. Noel."
"Noah. Noel."
"Sing we now of Christmas..."

[wayne0214]

Noel looks like my Princess, except Princess has less brown on her legs and tail. But otherwise they look almost identical. Am I noticing correctly, on your tortie, is that a brown line of fur going up between her eyes? If so, Princess has identically the same marking.

..........wayne :)

[ December 13, 2001: Message edited by: wayne0214 ]

[NoahsMommy]

Wayne, How cute! And how fitting....Noel sure is a princess!!! Do you have a picture of her?

[libracats]

Noahsmommy, No wonder you fell in love, Noel is adorable. What a sweetie!

[wayne0214]

Noah'sMommy. no, darn it! I have a camera but I havn't gotten anyone to set it up for me. I don't like to mess around with things that I know little about. But when I get it going I will send pictures of Princess, and Snow Cat, Snow Tiger and etc, etc. I think that when you see Princess, you will probably think it is your kitty!

[slleipnir]

My friend had a tortie. I had a calaco. Torties (to my knowlegde) are very affectionate and loving :] I miss my calaco :[ she wasn't really mine..she was my sisters. My sister had to go the the hospital for a long time once..and her boyfriend and kids stayed at his moms. So the kitten was left by itself. So with some convincing, my mom let us take care of her. I got REALLY attacted to her..she was soo sweet! but my sis wanted her back when she was out, and ended up giving her the the humane society, my sis was still sick and had 3 kids and was on welfare..she just couldn't afford her. It was really stressful for my cat when we took her home, and my mom didn't want to put her threw that again

[christinescats]

Hi fellow tortie lovers.
Denver joined our lives in July, when she was just 10 months old. I adopted her from the Ontario SPCA, which had rescued her from a cat hoarding situation. She is very different from my other three cats (which are all very big long hairs--one Main Coone, one Persian cross and one domestic long hair). She doesn't meow really, it's more like "eek, eek." Has anyone else experienced this?

I was told that torties make excellent mothers, but since we should all be responsible and spay our little girls (usually calicos and torties are female)we will never know this.

Although Denver is the youngest and smallest, she is bold, brave and very vocal. She is loving, but on her terms and in her own way. She doesn't like to be picked up--literally squeals when I do, but loves to be near us.

Anything anyone can add to their tortie experience would be greatly appreciated! null

[ December 23, 2001: Message edited by: christinescats ]

[4 feline house]

I fostered a calico and kept her two babies - another calico and a tortie point.

Mystery Girl was left when a neighbor moved. It was June in Texas and the power had already been cut off so she was in the apartment with no air conditioning, no fan, no food or water, and only one window cracked about one inch.

Luckily, I was home for lunch when the exterminator came. He played with my kitties a few minutes then told me about the cat in the other unit. We quickly went through our options - all of which meant Mysti goes to the pound. Finally, he said, "Look, I won't tell the management that you have an unreported cat if you don't tell them I let you into the apartment to get her". It was a deal!

Mysti spent the next few days under my son's bed. When she finally emerged I was still unable to touch her, becuase every attempt resulted in a fully shredded arm. She seemed to be especially stressed by Toot, one of my own kitties. Finally, I was able to quickly stroke her, and I noticed her nipples were prominent. I took her to the vet and sure enough, she was pregnant, but he couldn't get an indication of how far along she was. We kind of guesstimated she would be due about July 11th.

As her time got closer, I made a nest for her in my closet, but didn't really expect her to use it since she still spent a large amount of her time under my son's bed.

Around the first of July, though, I noticed she was nosing around it, arranging the towels, etc. I speculated to my son that maybe we had misguessed how far along she was. I even told him "I'll bet she's going to have those kittens on the Fourth of July!"

That particular fourth was on a Monday, so it was a long weekend and we went to spend it with friends, although we were still in town. On the morning of the fourth, I was so nervous, I felt I had to check on Mysti. So four of us trooped on down to my apartment. I opened the door, and Mysti was sitting there. She yowled and then ran to the closet. We followed her, and she got in her nest, laid down, and almost immediately popped out her first kitten! (Well, "popped out" isn't correct - she was a breach and I had to assist! :eek: )

About forty minutes later she had her second, also a breach but not as large as the first, so no help was needed.

That was all she had, and of course we named them "Yankee" and "Doodle". We knew Yankee was a girl because she was a beautiful callie like her mom.

I realize now that the reason she was so mistrusting at first was because she had babies on the way to protect, and this is why my one male cat particularly bothered her.

Boosie (as Doodle came to be called) was white, though, and we thought she was a boy (two little tufts of fur strategically placed to appear to be testes! :o ). After a few days her points began to appear, and we realized she was a colorpoint, but we still thought she was a boy. After a few weeks, though, her fur started to take on the mottled look of a tortoiseshell, and that's when I realized she was a girl and a tortie-point!

To this day it still amazes me how Mysti was so mistrusting she was fighting me, but was smart enough to realize within about a week that I was there to help her, evidenced to her by the way I made a nest for her.

And she was a wonderful mom. Boosie was a little slow at first and had a weak suckling instinct, but Mysti always made sure that she had a teat and would stimulate her to suckle.

Yankee and Doodle were both spayed so never became mommies, but they ended up being two of three of my very favorite cats. Yankee had such a funny personality, and Boosie was so sweet. Mystery Girl went to a good, loving home once Yankee and Doodle were weaned, and we kept them.

Anyway, sorry I went on and on, but just wanted to tell my story of my wonderful callies and the good mothering by Mystery Girl!

[wayne0214]

It is a great story, and I for one, like to read such accounts.

..........wayne

[NoahsMommy]

Great story Leah! I too love reading stories like this.

Noel has become quite the love bug. She is such a little vocal girl and is a lap cat!! We love her dearly! Such a sweetie!!

Here's a new picture of her:
http://wsphotofews.excite.com/025/PJ/kP/9x/rt27730.jpg

Fellow tortie owners, are your torties really vocal? When are they vocal? How did they react when they meet other cats? Do they like to be held or pet?

Noel is really vocal at night and in the morning, she seems like she's talking to me when she meows, like she wants something. Usually she wants to be held...too cute! When Noel first met Noah, she hissed a lot, it took about 3 days before she would even come near him.

[I_love_cats]

Hello

I have a black tortie, I adopted her from my shelter when she was tiny 2 mos and seh was foster care. She was soo loving, use to jump on my leg and give me kisses. Now she doesn't do this anymore, she is not friendly at all. Vey scared of noises and runs away when I try to pick her up. I love to know why he like this, maybe it is the breed but I would love to find out.

[moosmom]

I have an 8 year old tortie named Mollie Rose who is as quiet as a mouse. She never meows. All she does is eat and sleep. She is the matriarch of my 6 cat family. And, she was my very first cat.

She has somewhat of a tortietude. She loves to snuggle after the lights have been out for a little bit but only on her terms. She LOVES being combed and will come flying out from another room when I tap the comb on the chair. Her purr is very soft. The only way I can tell she is purring is by putting my finger on her throat. Once in a while she'll stick her cold, wet nose in my ear. ANd she doesn't like being held for too long. Again, most of the loving she gives is on her own terms and when it's convenient for HER.

Gotta love her!