While most Tortoiseshells are female, it is possible to find a male with the tortoiseshell pattern. Many people mistakenly believe that all Tortoiseshells are female. Some others believed that having a tortoiseshell in one’s dream gives that person luck in love.Japanese fishermen believed that male tortoiseshells protected the vessel from ghosts and storms.The English believed that warts could be healed if rubbed by the tail of a male tortoiseshell’s tail during May.The Celts considered it a good omen if a male tortoiseshell stayed in their home.There is also other interesting folklore concerning the tortoiseshell including the following: According to their folklore, the first tortoiseshell arose from the menstrual blood of a young goddess born of a lotus flower during a magical ritual. However, there is some folklore the Khmers of Southeast Asia offer one interesting explanation. The tortoiseshell pattern simply arose due to a combination of genetic traits, which is discussed below. The factual history of the tortoiseshell coat pattern is not a glamorous one. For more information on different types of cats, see: Types of Cats and Cat Breeds.Cats with these types of coat markings are called a Calico Cat in the United States and a Tortoiseshell and White Cat in the United Kingdom. They differ from the Tortie Cat in that the colors are solid blocks, but like the Tortie, the coat pattern can also include blocks with tabby markings. These are mostly white but with red and brown patches. The Calico Cat, another very beautiful cat, is also a tortoiseshell. These tortoiseshell color patterns have a mix of the tortoiseshell colors intertwined with a Tabby Cat patterning throughout. The Tortie Cat is an interesting variation of the Tortoiseshell cat. They generally have numerous flecks of color that soften or nearly eliminate any clear boundaries between color sections. The name “Tortoiseshell Cat” generally refers to those with an overall brindle coat, having very few or no white markings. The tortoise shell pattern ranges from patches of color to a fine speckled patterning. Tortoiseshell coat colors can include red, brown, chocolate-toned brown, black, cinnamon, or cream. Since the orange tabby areas are two-toned, it creates the appearance of a three-toned cat.

Although it appears to be three colors, in reality, it consists of black areas and orange tabby areas. This combination looks like black, red, and cream-colored hairs. The defining feature of the classic tortoiseshell coat pattern is its color combination. The Tortoiseshell Cat is referred to as a Tri-Color cat, though in reality, this is not quite true. Tortoiseshell Cats have a beautiful tapestry of wonderful interweaving colors!

Calico cat tortoiseshell