Glossary

Tortoiseshell

A coat of mixed black and orange, or their diluted forms, in patches or brindled swirls, almost always seen in female cats.

Also called: tortie, tortoiseshell cat, tortie cat, torbie

A tortoiseshell cat, or tortie, has a blend of black and orange fur, often mingled in an irregular mottled pattern. The dilute version appears as blue and cream. Some torties also have tabby stripes mixed in, and these are called torbies. Like calico, it is a colour and not a breed.

The gene for orange is carried on the X chromosome. A female with two X chromosomes can have an orange gene on one and a black gene on the other, and different patches of skin switch one X off, which creates the patchwork. A male with a single X can normally be orange or black but not both. Males that are tortoiseshell are rare, and they usually have an extra X chromosome, which can make them infertile and can come with health issues. A vet can advise.

A tortoiseshell with a lot of white is called a calico in North America. Owners often describe torties as spirited, but there is little scientific proof that coat colour predicts personality. Show registries have their own pattern classes, and tortoiseshell appears in many breeds.

Last reviewed November 7, 2026

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Related terms

Calico A cat with large patches of white, black and orange, a coat pattern that occurs almost only in females. Tabby A coat pattern of stripes, swirls or spots with a dark M-shaped mark on the forehead, found in many breeds and in mixed-breed cats. Bicolour cat A cat whose coat combines white with one other colour, in patches of varying size, from a few spots to mostly white. Domestic shorthair The everyday short-coated cat of no particular breed, the most common type of pet cat in the world and in shelters. Moggy A British word for an ordinary non-pedigree cat of mixed ancestry, usually short-haired and often a tabby.