One notable biological trait of tortoiseshell cats is their gender. The majority of torties — The reason for this comes down to chromosomes. Two X chromosomes are required to produce the signature tortoiseshell coat colors and patterns. Just like humans, female cats have two X chromosomes and males have an X and a Y chromosome. Unfortunately, this chromosome imbalance will also make any male torties sterile. For example, there can be a significant different between an adult Maine Coon and an adult American Shorthair.
Adult Maine Coons — which are known to be one of the larger cat breeds — average 15 lbs. American Shorthair males average 11 lbs. Your veterinarian will be able to determine the breed of your tortoiseshell through a quick exam. Playing with your tortoiseshell and providing them with minimally processed, high-quality cat food is a great weight to make sure they maintain an optimal weight. Just like weight, the life expectancy of a tortie cat will depend on many factors, including their breed.
However, keeping your cat indoors can help them live longer. Thus, a three-year-old cat would be comparable to a year-old human.
According to their chart, cats age 24 years during their first two years of life. They then age four years for every year after. So, a three-year-old cat would be comparable to a human of 28, while a year-old cat would be comparable to a human of Prime and mature cats are, respectively, young and middle-aged adults. Older cats fall into the last two categories. If Tillie the Tortoiseshell is 12 years old, for example, she would be considered a senior.
A tortoiseshell cat that also has white blotches is often called a calico or tricolored cat. Torties and calicos are nearly always female, and the reason has to do with genetics. Julianna LeMieux, a writer for the American Council on Science and Health explains the mechanism that results in the birth of a tortoiseshell or calico cat.
Cats, like humans, have two sex chromosomes, X and Y. Each cat inherits a single chromosome from each parent. Girl cats end up with two X chromosomes, while boys receive an X and a Y chromosome.
One of the genes that determine coat color is located on the X chromosome. This gene has two alleles or versions; one results in a black coat and the other gives the cat an orange coat. Since male cats have only one X chromosome, they can only inherit a single allele that will make them black or orange. A female cat, however, is XX and can inherit both alleles. Very early during development, one of the X chromosomes in each cell will become inactive and form a Barr body, and the other X chromosome will provide the cell with instructions on which genes will be expressed.
Those instructions determine what color a given patch of fur will be. The result will be a cat with patches of black and orange fur.
Other genes determine if the cat will also have white blotches and be a calico or have stripes and be a torbie tortoiseshell tabby. Only one cat in calicos or torties will be a boy. These cats have a condition called Klinefelter Syndrome, which can also occur in humans. That extra X chromosome means their fur coloration works like that of a female cat, so they can have black and orange patches rather than being all black or all orange like their brothers.
Doing a google search to see if her breed specifically was her downfall. I somehow came across this site while not exactly searching for info on Torties… My daughter saw a Tortie kitten up for adoption with her littermates at PetSmart during a Saturday event.
We gathered her up with some supplies and toys and brought her home. She turned a youthful 9 last May and I cherish everyday with her. Ghey are the best my girl lola is the most affectionate loving sweetheart I could ever wish for she is like my shadow im terrified that one day ill lose her my heart would shatter truly amazing creatures love her with all my heart good luck with yours hope she brings you has much love has lola has to me xx.
I just inherited a sweet Tortiseshell female from a tenant in my building. Her name is Dollia and she is 5 yrs old. He got her from our local Refuge League. She was spayed and had all of her shots. He was going to take her back but I offered to take her I had to put my 17 yr old sweet buddy over the Rainbow Bridge because of lung problems and renal failure. I was without a furry friend for about a year and I was ready to adopt I prayed to the Lord to find me a furry friend and he answered me.
She is very skittish but I have plenty of patience. I feel so blessed. I rescued her from the humane society. They were just about to put her down but I fell in love and had to have her. She is the best cuddle bug and loves to watch t. She can never get too much love and often demands it lol. Her name is Mystic. I chose this name based on her personality, because …well every day is magical since I brought her home at 8 weeks.
Anita Tom my cat is 24 years old and doing well for his age he is little deaf and little bit forgetful he is very talkve love following me around I also have 2 other cats both girls name stormy age 8 Billie age I have 2 tortoiseshells they are both 2 Years old and their names are called Rosie and Bernice and they have a mix of colours but Bernice she has more black than any other colours on her, there is a rare chance for a male cat.
My girl is about 17 now. She had severe pancreatitis a couple years ago but we nursed her back to health. She has lost a bit of weight, but she is still strong and spry and frisky as ever.
You have inspired me. My Sadie is 17 and has been having an episode for the last two days. Because she is still going strong. Lots of tears and telling her how much I love her, but you have given me hope.
She is now 18 years old and still going strong. She talks a lot and her fur is still soft and well groomed. She is beginning to have some digestion problems now though. My tortie Drew likes to drink water from the tap and prefers just to lick the gravey from her cat food. It seems she throws every thing else up now a days. She talks to me a lot. I got my tortie when she was 4 weeks old. She just turned 11 years old last week. Fortunately she is still going strong with a lot of energy a lot of play and a lot of vocal demanding.
She my heart and soul hope she lives forever KCM. My Tortie is 5 months old, I am picking her up tomorrow. I became infatuated with Torties because I love their color and how it makes their eyes stand out. My tordie Goldie is a wild thing sometimes and the sweetest cat ever at other times I got her when I was at my parents house and I heard a meowing and found a cat!
She was very sweet and gentle. She was small but she was full of energy and fun. She was also very pretty with small specks of white, tan and black. She also ran to a certain spot on the rug when we came upstairs and kneaded it to let us know she was glad to see us. She would look for us and rub her head and face up against my ankle to let me know she was ours. We adopted her in and we were told she was 3 years old then.
She became sick recently, stopped eating or drinking and would not respond to any fluids or other treatments from the vet. This happened very suddenly. I guess she was 16 years old by then.
We had to say goodbye to her yesterday at the vet. She was my first cat and we would talk to her and believe it or not she talked back to us. Once I got sick and had to have surgery. She would come and sit quietly with me on the couch as a recovered.
I am already missing her very much. I am so sorry to hear about your little tortie passing. Right now she is resting and we can give her food and CBD drops on the gums to help ease the pain.
Thanks for your sharing. Mine is 9 years 6 months and in critical condition now. Vets do not know why she has blood clots and inflammation. Love reading the stories! I am amazed as well as her vet of how her hearing, vision and agility are excellent. I do have to give her fluids every other day for her kidneys and special food as of the last 2 years.
As long as she gets those she is great. She loves to lounge in the sun, goes on adventures sneaking into the garage while I am doing laundry or sneaking outside when I water flowers. She has her energy bursts through the house, acts silly, loves car rides and is very, very bossy. She is my little shadow and has been with me through many life events. I am so grateful of each day we have together. My Torti, my beautiful baby girl Timone, passed away in her sleep April 14th, last week.
She was 3 months shy of I had her from the time she was a kitten. I became pregnant a few months after she came to live with us. She spent my entire pregnancy laying on my tummy.
She and my daughter had a special bond. My Timone was so patient and loving towards her but she was always my little fur baby. She loved cuddles and was so affectionate. She absolutely could not stand the puppy. But he had a way of getting to her. He adored her. I have a huge soft spot for our four legged friends and our family grew. She was so motherly to all. Then the weight loss started.
Although she was still eating well, she was losing her muscle mass. I read on here that when your beloved crashes, they crash hard and I too found that to be the case. My poor girl, still so affectionate and loving, would need help to her favourite spot on the couch etc.
She would sleep there close to everything, litter, food, her favourite heater floor vent. Losing her has been devastating. No matter if you try to prepare yourself, the pain is deep. My heart is broken. She will always be my beautiful baby girl. I had two cats. There names were ready and steady.
One past away nov and the other one Dec They were both 4 years old. They were very special to me. Steady love to cuddle with me in my bed. Ready love cuddling in my bro bed.
When steady died It was after thanksgiving. I had just went back to college and got the call. Ready how ever I was home. I still miss them to this day. I have an 18 year old tortie called Florence, she has been with me since she was 16 weeks old. She is suffering IBD now but with meds is holding her own, I dread the day I have to say goodbye, she is my little soul mate and we have a special bond.
My tortie will be 13 this year. She is a sweet spoiled baby. Her back is not as strong but she runs when leaving her litter box like she was being chased by the poop monster.
Her fun at times becomes matted from lack of grooming and she started this loud meowing several years ago after our 15 year old beagle died. My tortie Pepper is nearly I took her vets yesterday which was well over due and was shocked that the vet was so negative. Mine is also and is also hyperthyroid.
I hope your girl is still with you, and screw the vets that are pessimistic! Our cat Phoebe is also 17 and has hypothyroidism. But do not let the vet give them to you. They charge far to much.
Get a prescription off the vet and buy them from pets drug online a lot lot cheaper. Also vets only give 90 tabs but pets on line give you Hi there. My gorgeous dark tortie girl, Chai,had hyperthyroidism and on researching hyperthyroidism in cats, I discovered the only cure is to take them to a vet clinic that treats hyperthyroidism. I did that in Sydney and Chai has improved so much on all levels. Expensive but worth it. Nothing else cures it, but only helps with the symptoms.
Hope this helps. My cat, Natasha is fifteen and a half years old. She recently began to encounter some health issues, specifically, an over-active thyroid gland and also, either irritable bowel syndrome or intestinal cancer.
She takes two medicines: methimazole 5 mg for her thyroid gland, one pill in the morning and half a pill at night.
She also takes prednisolone, 2. If you cat experiences dramatic weight loss over a short period of time, rush her to the vet! My tortie, Jade, is 13 years old. She is so beautiful and sweet, at least with me! She actually hisses and growls at other people. But she sure loves me! Torties are notorious for being one-person cats. My Natasha, being what is often called a torbie, or tortoiseshell tabby, or patched tabby has a less persnickety personality.
She is very mellow, but at the same time, very slap-happy. She will accept pets from anybody, for the most part. The only time she ever hisses is when on of our other cats start playing rough with her. She is 15 and a half years old. Instead, enjoy every minute you have with her! I have a tortie named Pinky. She is 12 years old. In June of she was diagnosed with Pacreatic cancer. I was so devastated. One night I searched on line for any stories about cats with pancreatic cancer. This one lady said she fed her cat pink salmon in water just like albacore tuna every other day, including the water Pinky loves Salmon water especially.
Anyway, the lady said she got 2 more years out of her. Maybe it cleans her system. Pinky is still going strong today and I continue giving her the salmon water first then she eats the salmon pieces. This is done every other day and it does boost her energy too. I am so glad I have gotten 3 more years. My hubby and kids still cannot believe this miracle. What an amazing story! Thank you for sharing this. Although my Natasha does not have pancreatic cancer, it appears that salmon has medicinal qualities that should not be overlooked.
Natasha, who is 15 and a half years old, will start getting regular meals of salmon per your advice! My old siamese cat Bailey died of pancreatic cancer. I wish I would have known this. My tortoiseshell Chloe is 13 and very healthy, so she should have a while longer. She is very skinny, and always has been, hence her knickname shrimpy. My Natasha like to drink cold black tea with a spot of skim milk. I think the anti-oxidants in the tea are helping to keep her health up.
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