Attention Tortie Owners!

trouts mom

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I have a hard time beleiving that Trout is my sweet girl some days. I am wondering if it really is just a tortie thing when she acts out?

Today's example was, I put my foot in front of her on the floor to block her way into my closet...and she striked at and bit my foot
I just don't get it..how can she love me and cuddle, and then bite me with no problems the next minute.

I am beginning to even wonder if I can really trust her not to actually harm me someday when she gets a good hold of me.

Any other tortie owners have the same problem? It makes me very sad that she can treat me that way. Like I am an awful meowmy.
 

arlyn

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Spaz is the sweetest cat ever, not just to me, but anyone willing to give a cuddle.
But heaven forbid a human or cat tick her off, she'll go after feet, hands, the dog


Spaz has always been this way, and she's 13 now, you can trust your kitty
 

ladycat

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I have a tortie, sweet one sec and bing all kissy faced, chomping on me and scratching the next.....she's pretty neurotic. that tortitude all seemed to make sence one I heard about! She could not fit the description anymore!
 

weldrwomn

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So I did an experiment yesterday just to see if I really could get Marcie to get really irritated with me. She was laying on the top of the couch with her butt in my face...
so I blew on her like I do when I want her to go away...after about a minute of this she turned and swiped me with the claws out....lucky I trim them so they aren't sharp. She has the "Tortiude", but normally she just runs away bouncing off the walls instead of striking out at me...

She will play "tag" though...hide and suddenly run out and strike my feet then go hide again. Or she will just lay in a pathway and swipe (claws out) at anyone that walks within range
 

katiemae1277

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well, Jinxie is a tortie and she had attitude like you wouldn't believe, but my Cybele is also a torti and the sweetest little thing ever, she has never bitten or scratched me (on purpose) ever
 

goldenkitty45

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Face it - torties have "attitudes"


Every single tortie I owned had one. I think its due to the mixed up colors


But you gotta love them
 

white cat lover

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Damita is a tortie & has hardly any tortie-tude to her! She is the sweetest thing. Only time she acts out is when I'm clipping her nails, but I attribute that to her eyesight. ...shrugs...
 

malakaiii

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I'm going to speak out and say that I think 'tortitude' is just a myth. Because it's due to the colouring of the cat and not a specific breed (ie: Siamese and their different mannerisms), I think that torties act differently than other cats because their owners expect the attitude... or the owners just attribute any and all attitude to the cat's colouring and not just to the fact that it's a cat.


Just the psychologist in me coming out!

I also read that most torties are female because the colouring gene is on the X chromosome and males with that colouring are very rare (and sterile). So another factor for the 'tude could be the gender of the cat.

On that note, I believe that if your cat is having behaviour problems that you should try to get to the bottom of it instead of simply labeling it as a characteristic of her colouring.
 

angier106

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is a tortie. Lately, she does seem a bit aggresive. She fights with her brother and sister. She has also tried playing a bit aggressive towards me.
She tries to bite my hand and scratch it but I feel like she is playing.
A question. Eventhough all my 3 have been spayed/neutered, these days they a playing aggresively with one another. They jump into one of the others. Would that mean that they are in heat even when they are spayed/ neutered?
Thanks
Angie
 

carolpetunia

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Genetics certainly can play a role in behavior, but the specific actions described by the original poster don't sound to me like they necessarily indicate any kind of attitude. Cats don't have the ability to speak to us in a language we understand (though goodness knows we try!), so actions are their form of expression. They can't say I love you, so they nuzzle up against us... they can't say Stop that, so they lash out!

We're lucky at our house -- all of our kitties have learned that they don't need to actually hurt us to get their Stop that (or in this case, Outta my way!) messages across -- they can just raise a paw or close their teeth gently on us to make themselves clear.

What we have to remember is that these little aggressions (mock and otherwise) are generally expressions of their wishes... not of their feelings about us. A kitty may adore you, but still be upset that you won't let her into your closet!
Don't take it to heart...
 

lionessrampant

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I don't have a tortie, but have you looked up overstimulation? It's pretty common in cats and pretty easy to deal with


My calico is actually so sensitive and sweet and humble....it's my tuxie who has the attitude
 

karmasmom

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Originally Posted by Malakaiii

I'm going to speak out and say that I think 'tortitude' is just a myth. Because it's due to the colouring of the cat and not a specific breed (ie: Siamese and their different mannerisms), I think that torties act differently than other cats because their owners expect the attitude... or the owners just attribute any and all attitude to the cat's colouring and not just to the fact that it's a cat.


Just the psychologist in me coming out!

I also read that most torties are female because the colouring gene is on the X chromosome and males with that colouring are very rare (and sterile). So another factor for the 'tude could be the gender of the cat.

On that note, I believe that if your cat is having behaviour problems that you should try to get to the bottom of it instead of simply labeling it as a characteristic of her colouring.
While as a psychologist for humans it may make sence unfortunately it does not stand ground for cats. My Karma is a Torbi, Tort with tabby markings. She has more attitude than any other cat I have ever been sround and I have been around them my whole life, 29 years. She wil be VERY loving one minute laying on my lap purring and kissing my face then for no reason whe will bite me. Mind you she will purr the whole time once she bites she will go right back to kissing me. She will attack me if I don't pay attention to her. She likes to punch and go after feet. Lately she will go after my butt when I am walking to th ebathroom. Yea that ones interesting. Its not a behavior ting its more of just an attitude. She walks around the house like she owns the place. She does but she doesn't need to rub it in. There deffinately is tortitude untill you have owned one or spent time with one you would not believe it. I know many owners will back me up. A lot of the members here have multiple cat house holds and they notice a difference. They are special and know it.
 

krispie

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Many years ago, I had a tortie named tuttle. She was different than any other cat I have had( and I have had many!). She was very sweet, loving and cuddly when SHE wanted to be, but her attitude came through loud and clear when it suited her. She was a great cat, but get out of the way if she was in a mood
 

malakaiii

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Originally Posted by KarmasMom

While as a psychologist for humans it may make sence unfortunately it does not stand ground for cats. My Karma is a Torbi, Tort with tabby markings. She has more attitude than any other cat I have ever been sround and I have been around them my whole life, 29 years. She wil be VERY loving one minute laying on my lap purring and kissing my face then for no reason whe will bite me. Mind you she will purr the whole time once she bites she will go right back to kissing me. She will attack me if I don't pay attention to her. She likes to punch and go after feet. Lately she will go after my butt when I am walking to th ebathroom. Yea that ones interesting. Its not a behavior ting its more of just an attitude. She walks around the house like she owns the place. She does but she doesn't need to rub it in. There deffinately is tortitude untill you have owned one or spent time with one you would not believe it. I know many owners will back me up. A lot of the members here have multiple cat house holds and they notice a difference. They are special and know it.
But I have had cats that do the same thing and they weren't torties!
I think that people expect for their tortie to be a little different, so the cat is different (or the owner perceives that they are). I've done some research and apart from the colouring, there is nothing genetic about the cat that would cause them to act differently, so it must be in the way that we raise em! There have also been members on here who said that their tortie was the sweetest thing ever and did not have any attitude that others have experienced.

The only reason that I'm pressing the issue is because I think that it isn't fair for the cat or the owner to attribute the cat's aggression or misbehaviour on their colour when it likely has an underlying problem that should be dealt with!

And we all love our kitties... no matter their colour, shape or size.
 

rushrulz

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Mi-ke is a tortie, and she definitely has her own peculiarities. But my last cat, Tao, a Siamese mix, she had her ways about her, too. Some of it's a result of an inborn personality, I suppose, and some is upbringing. Tao lived with me, my mother, my father, and my brother. There were always people around and laps to sit on (well, my mother's, mainly). Mi-ke spends much of her day alone because I'm the only one here and I'm at work all day. So she hasn't been socialized much and isn't used to constant attention from me because I have this pesky internet addiction that keeps me occupied. Does she bite? Sure. So did Tao, though, if she felt like it. Unless tortitude involves suckling and not liking people food, I don't think Mi-ke has it.
 

karmasmom

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Yes all cats have attitude in one way or anouther but torties are just more pronounced. Look at it this way, if a woman is a b with an itch, is that behavior or attitude? To me its attitude. Behavior as far as I know is learned where as attitude is just there.

Have you ever owned a tortie? Or spent a considerable amount of time with one. You will see most tortie owners have the same attitude. I can go from sweet and loving to flying of the handle at the smallest thing. Its not a behavior its just that sometimes I get annoyed and let everyone around me know it. Asme thing goes for my Karma. If she is annoyed with me she lets me know.
 

malakaiii

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Originally Posted by KarmasMom

Yes all cats have attitude in one way or anouther but torties are just more pronounced. Look at it this way, if a woman is a b with an itch, is that behavior or attitude? To me its attitude. Behavior as far as I know is learned where as attitude is just there.

Have you ever owned a tortie? Or spent a considerable amount of time with one. You will see most tortie owners have the same attitude. I can go from sweet and loving to flying of the handle at the smallest thing. Its not a behavior its just that sometimes I get annoyed and let everyone around me know it. Asme thing goes for my Karma. If she is annoyed with me she lets me know.
Yes, I have had a few torties and they were all as varied in their attitude as my current cats are! My cat Tak behaves a whole lot like your Karma, and she's a tabby. Meanwhile, a tortie that I had when I was a child was extremely patient, quiet and calm.

I didn't even hear about the 'tortitude' thing until I came on this website, of course I hadn't heard about a lot of things until I showed up here.
But to me it sounds like saying that "all blondes are stupid"... while there may be some that are, there are definitely some that are not (as well as people with other hair colours that may or may not be those things).

However, I don't want to completely hijack this thread, so I will leave it there. Feel free to respond if you wish as I fear we will have to call it a difference of opinions!
 

rapunzel47

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I had never heard of tortitude before I came to TCS, which was two years after Cindy came into my life and demonstrated it in spades, confirming the impression I had had for years about a friend's tortie. When I came to TCS and learned the expression, it simply fit what I already knew.

Cindy is the ultimate luvbug -- when it suits her. Piss her off, and she will let you know. It often involves teeth applied, but with no pressure exerted -- she has never broken skin, and it's quite clear that she never intended to -- i.e. "I don't want to hurt, Mum, but I've had enough, so cut it out -- now." And yes, that can be a result of overstimulation. It can also be simply that she doesn't agree with the human edict.

It just goes with the territory -- what a lovely territory!
 

bonnie1965

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I have only positive experience with torties. I had a Sarah 15 years ago. She was the great huntress lol, but very sweet. Always depositing half- disected "treats" by my bed so I could find them first thing in the morning. I used to dread getting out of bed. This was before I knew to keep cats inside.

My mother had two up until a few years ago. Sassy was a long hair torti, independent, regal and beautiful to look at. She loved all of us but preferred to do her own thing. She would come in to watch tv with us in the evening and get some loves. Autumn was a short-haired torti rescued from a truck stop as a small kitten. Her most irritating trait was suckling. As soon as she got comfy and very relaxed, she would start sucking and kneading. This lasted all the way through her life. Otherwise, she was a sweetheart, too.

None I have known were crazy cats. The only thing they all had in common - they are in multiple cat households. Wonder if that means anything? Sarah was with two others. Mom's were with 6 others.
My mother used to run an in-home daycare so the cats couldn't be scratching the little ones. Maybe the cats knew that. If they were bratty, there would be no money for food?


The only aggressive cat I know is Mom's current cat, Pookie, a 13 yr old delicate-looking Siamese mix. She is anything but delicate. I think she was a saber-tooth tiger in a former incarnation.
 
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