Toritude!

Have you ever heard of tortitude? It's the perception that the personality of a domestic tortoiseshell cat can be well... feisty, and that tortoiseshell cats are more independent and sassy than their less colorful counterparts, and even known to swat, scratch and nip. But is it true? Let's take a look at tortie personality!

First off, what is a tortoise shell cat? While you might imagine a cat with a shell like a tortoise, it's actually the color of their fur that gives them that name. Tortoise shell colored cats will have a mix of colors that are reminiscent of the colors of a tortoise's shell. They most commonly have a mix of ginger and black fur, but can also include cream or gold. TheSprucePets mentions that this mix of colors can either be bridled, where the colors look to have been woven together, or patched, where there are larger patches of color on the cat's face and body. If you mix in the striped pattern commonly found on a tabby cat, you get a "torbie", aka a "tortoiseshell tabby" or "Striped tortie"!

The ginger and black fur colors for a cat are controlled by the X chromosome. Since females have 2 X chromosomes, they have 2 sets of genetic instructions for fur. Because of this almost all tortoiseshell cats are female. If one is for ginger fur and one is for black fur, then the girl kitten can have that beautiful mix of colors. Since males only have one X chromosome, they can be black OR orange - but not both! In rare cases a male cat can have 2 X chromosomes and one Y, which then would allow them to develop the tortoiseshell fur that marks our turtle patterned cats. This XX-Y gene mutation makes the male tortoiseshell kittens sterile. A common question is "are tortoiseshell cats are sterile", and the answer depends on the sex of the cat - tortie females are not sterile, but male tortoiseshell cats are! 

Tortoiseshell cats can come in many different breeds and torties can be short haired or long haired. Cats.com says that the tortoiseshell color is common in Maine Coons, Persians and American Shorthairs. 

Tortoiseshell colored cats are popular around the world, and even known as lucky. Here in the United States they are known as "money cats" and in Japan they are said to be able to protect you from ghosts and protect ships from shipwrecks!

OK, ok, so what does all of this have to do with tortitude? Well, the cats.com article cites a 2061 study at UC Davis where it was found that the characteristics of tortoiseshell cats tended to be more aggressive, with females with a lot of orange being the most likely to swat, hiss, bite or chase. However, they are quick to point out that the study was based on subjective opinions of the cats owners, so while there might be some support that tortitude is real, there are other factors besides fur color that determine a cat's personality. In fact, thehappycatsite says that breed will influence personality more than tortie colors. 

Another factor that contributes to the to perception that tortie cats temperament is a bit spicy is that they are mostly female. Catster.com notes that female cats are generally considered to be more independent than male cats and maybe less affectionate too, so since most torties are female, tortitude might have more to do with female character than with fur color! 

 Besides breed and sex, another factor that contributes to a cat's personality, regardless of fur color, is how they were nurtured early on. The catster article mentions that cats that have a lot of interaction with humans at between 3-9 weeks of age are unlikely to develop a fear of humans, while those that don't have a lot of human contact can learn to be less trusting of humans and maybe develop some of that attitude later in life. And, they note that this could turn into a cycle, where the cat perceives humans fearfully and is more standoffish, which then in turns makes humans less likely to interact and more likely to perceive that cat has having some attitude - or if that cat happens to be one of our turtle pattern cats - tortitude! 

So, there is some evidence for tortitude, but as we've noted cat personality has more to do with upbringing, sex and breed than coat color. But, what do you think? Do you know any torties, and if so, do they have tortitude? 

Photo by Mitchell Orr on Unsplash,