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A tortoiseshell cat is a coat color where the cat is a molted brown cat with black, reddish, or orange patches. They can also have white paws.
Tortoiseshell cats have unique genetics. The vast majority of tortoiseshell cats are female, because two X chromosomes are required to produce black, gold and orange coloring. Male cats only have one X and one Y chromosome, so technically it's genetically almost impossible for a male to inherit the tortoiseshell coloring. A male tortoiseshell has an extra X chromosome, making it an XXY.
According to a study by the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Missouri, only 1 in 3000 tortoiseshell cats is male.
Wiki User
∙ 10y ago
Wiki User
∙ 15y agoTortoiseshell describes a coat coloring found in cats. Cats of this color are mottled, with patches of red and black, chocolate, or cinnamon. They are sometimes called tortiesfor short. The term "tortoiseshell" (also called calimancoor clouded tiger in North America) is typically reserved for cats with brindled coats that have relatively few or no white markings. Those that are largely white with red and black patches (rather than a brindled aspect) are described as tortoiseshell-and-white (in the United Kingdom) or calico (in the United States). Tortoiseshells and calicos are not specific breeds of cat. The tortoiseshell markings appear in many different breeds.[1] This pattern is especially preferred in the Japanese Bobtail breed. Both calico and tortoiseshell cats are almost always female
Wiki User
∙ 15y agoTortoiseshell cats are usually white with brown, blonde and black blotches. also, Tortoiseshell cats are almost always girls. if 1 is a boy, it becomes infertile
Holly Denney
Wiki User
∙ 11y agoCats with a fur pattern similar to a tortoise's shell. Most calico cats are tortoiseshells.
Wiki User
∙ 15y agoTortoiseshell cats are nearly always female
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Does a cat's coloring indicate gender?
Sort of. A Calico cat is almost always (99.9% of the time) going to be female. The reason is that the female has two X genes, one has to carry red and the other black to get the 3 color effect. For a male to be a calico, it has to have XXY and is normally sterile.
How rare is a torby cat?
dont you mean tortioseshell its only rare for male not really for female but its hard to produce and you cant clone it because it wont be the colours of a tortioseshell a tortioseshell is black and orange sometimes white when it is an adult
What do tortoiseshell cats eat?
Cat food!!!! Tortoiseshell cats eat just the same as all other cats.
What are male and female cats called?
They call a male cat a 'Tom', and a female a 'queen'.
Are tortoiseshell cats aggressive?
No by what I am aware tortoiseshell cats are not aggressive.
Are tortoiseshell cats male female blind or deaf?
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How can you tell the difference between a female and male tabby cat?
You can determine if a tabby cat is male or female by its color. Ginger tabby cats tend to be male while tortoiseshell tabby cats are female.
Can tuxedo cats be female?
Yes, tuxedo cat doesn't refer to a breed of cat like the Tortoiseshell does, it refers to the color of the cat which can be either male or female
Are all peach cats male?
By peach I expect you mean ginger. No, 90% of ginger cats are male just as 90% of calico/tortoiseshell cats are female. Those two colours are part of the same mutation, Ginger being male and tortie being female but there is cases of ginger females and tortie males.
Are all yellow cats males?
Orange cats can be either male or female. The only color that I know of that is most always female is the Calico color. Personally I have never seen a male Calico cat. Most male calico or tortoiseshell cats are sterile.
Do you get male tortoiseshell cats?
First, you should understand that tortoiseshell is not a breed in and of itself. It can occur across breeds. Second, the majority of tortoiseshell cats, like calicos, are female. One source I checked claimed that only 1 in 3,000 tortoiseshell cats were male. This has to do with what chromosome this color variation is linked to (X). When you have a male tortoiseshell cat it is quite often sterile - can't make babies - because it has an extra X chromosome which messes with their sex characteristics. Most boys are XY, girls XX, male tortoiseshell & calicos XXY - that extra X causes a male tortoiseshell and messes with its ability to breed. A pretty scientificy answer, the long and short of which is - such a mating is highly unlikely to produce any kittens. It's rare "luck" when you get a boy.
Does a cat's coloring indicate gender?
Sort of. A Calico cat is almost always (99.9% of the time) going to be female. The reason is that the female has two X genes, one has to carry red and the other black to get the 3 color effect. For a male to be a calico, it has to have XXY and is normally sterile.
Was Redtail a tortoiseshell?
No, Redtail was a ginger tomcat with a distinctive red tail. Tortoiseshell cats have a coat pattern with a mix of black and orange colors.
How rare is a torby cat?
dont you mean tortioseshell its only rare for male not really for female but its hard to produce and you cant clone it because it wont be the colours of a tortioseshell a tortioseshell is black and orange sometimes white when it is an adult
Are all tortoiseshell cats girls?
Male tortie and calico cats are extremely rare. Here's a little feline genetics lesson: The reason is that black and orange hair can only occur together in the hair coat if that cat has two X chromosomes. Calico cats (white cats with patches of black and orange) and tortoiseshell cats (black and orange swirled together), therefore, have to have two X chromosomes, and two X's means that you're a girl.In order to be a boy, you need a Y chromosome. Boys are XY; girls are XX. Very rarely, a mutation occurs that leads to a calico or tortie male. Genetically, these cats are XXY. The two X's allows for the color; the Y allows for the maleness.The incidence is reported to be 1 in 3,000.In other words, out of every 3,000 cats with black and orange together in the hair coat, on average, 2,999 will be girls, and only one will be a boy. The XXY mutation leads to sterility. They can't reproduce. Your orange tabby girl is not sterile. Get her spayed.Fun Fact:Orange female cats are a little uncommon; only about 1 in 5 orange tabbies are female.
Why do we not normally see male tortoiseshell cats?
Well, because to have a tortoiseshell to begin with there has to be two X chromosomes, therefore usually only females are born. Every once in 3000 times there will be a male tortoiseshell, and they are usually sterile, and prone to shorter lifespans. Very, very rarely there will be a non-sterile male tortoiseshell, but only exceptionally rarely.
Are all white cats males?
No, there are females as well. Yes, there are female orange/red/ginger tabbys, but the chance of one being born is about 20% Verifying the above statement, around 1/4 of orange cats are female. :) To get an orange female, both parents must have some orange in them. To get an orange male, the mother must be orange or tortoiseshell/calico, and the father can be any other colour. Actually 80% of orange tabbys are male with the rest being sterile it is a mutation in the xy chromosone
