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Tortie, torbie, calico?

post #1 of 22
2/10/10 at 10:39pm
Thread Starter 
Not sure what to call my cat lol.

Instead of explaining, I will post photos!

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Her as a kitten (you couldn't see much white)


She has a black heart shaped patch, rather her tummy is more patchy whereas her back is rather blended.


She also has a leg (with orange tabby stripes) on it.
(no photo)

And all four white paws (pink pads).


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Also, is there any way in deducing what her mom or dad may have looked like to end up with these genetics?
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post #2 of 22
2/10/10 at 10:50pm
She's pretty! I love that heart-shaped patch.

A torbie is a cat with tabby markings (stripes, spots, or ticking) as well as patches, but to be a torbie they have to have the tabby markings in both their red and black patches. Since her black patches are solid she's not a torbie.

I was told that in the US tortoiseshells have more of a blended pattern and calicos have distinct patches, so I guess it depends on whether she has more blended/brindle markings or more patched. In other places I think tortoiseshells with white are called calicos?

Some interesting info here: http://www.messybeast.com/tricolours.htm
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post #3 of 22
2/10/10 at 11:07pm
I'm no expert, but my understanding is that (in layman's terms) a calico is essentially a white cat with red and black patches, while a tortie is essentially a black cat with red blended in, and a torbie would need to have tabby markings in an otherwise tortie cat. If that understanding is correct, then what you have is a calico.

Whatever the "right" definition is, you have a lovely girl.
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post #4 of 22
2/10/10 at 11:18pm
Calico... Beautiful girl!
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post #5 of 22
2/11/10 at 4:46am
Various associations would classify her a bit different. This is my opinion - she's a tortie & white (and LOVE the heart too - you should show her in HHP classes!)

Tortie - black and red coloring (red will always show a little tabby markings)

Calico - mainly a white cat with patches of black and red

Torbie (perfer to call it a Patched Tabby) - basically a brown, blue, or silver tabby that also has red tabby in the coat.

The biggest difference between a tortie and a patched tabby is whether the color is black or the brown/blue/silver color.


As far as genetics in order to get a tortie/calico one parent has to be carrying the black color gene and one has the red color gene - either or both could have white to produce a calico.
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post #6 of 22
2/11/10 at 9:39am
I agree she is pretty and you should show her in HHP.
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post #7 of 22
2/11/10 at 10:54am
That heart shaped patch is just about the most adorable thing I have ever seen. You have a beautiful baby.
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post #8 of 22
2/11/10 at 11:33am
OH and I agree fully that the heart shaped patch is just fabulous!! And she wears it in JUST THE RIGHT PLACE!!

I would be inclined to call her a calico!
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post #9 of 22
2/11/10 at 12:05pm
your kitty's beautiful
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post #10 of 22
2/11/10 at 12:37pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45 View Post
Torbie (perfer to call it a Patched Tabby) - basically a brown, blue, or silver tabby that also has red tabby in the coat.
I prefer to use torbie because it sounds weird to me when I combine patched tabby with my cat's color/pattern-- brown ticked patched tabby and white (or is that brown patched ticked tabby?) just sounds weird to me!
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post #11 of 22
2/11/10 at 12:42pm
Oh my gosh, what gorgeous markings!! That heart!
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post #12 of 22
2/11/10 at 12:51pm
I think we came up with the Brown Patched Ticked Tabby for your cat if I remember right - not a torbie.
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post #13 of 22
2/11/10 at 8:12pm
Thread Starter 
What's HHP?

Brown Patched Ticked Torbie? Still not understanding, why is she brown patched? What does "ticked" mean?

She has orange stripes on her right hind leg (much like a red tabby). Apparently one of her parents were mainly white but had black and a patch of stripped cream. Any idea what the other parent would look like? He brother was completely black.
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post #14 of 22
2/11/10 at 8:52pm
We don't use Calico or Torbie/patched tabby here.

She would be a tortie tabby & white (if she is indeed tabby, I'm seeing an M on the forehead), or just tortie & white.

The heart is just adorable.
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post #15 of 22
2/12/10 at 5:17am
Nolia - YOUR cat is not a patched tabby - its a tortie and white (or calico if you want to call her that). The patched ticked tabby was another member's cat - I was replying back to her.

HHP is household pet (mixed breed) for showing purposes - the class they would be in. Ticked tabby is like an Aby - where the hairs are ticked and banded. There are 4 types of tabby markings in cats.

1. Classic (bullseye pattern on the side, or circles)
2. Mackerel (fish stripes - vertical on the sides)
3. Spotted (like the Maus, Ocicats, Bengals)
4. Ticked (banded hairs like an Aby or rabbit)


Amanda - read what my first reply was - the red color will always show the tabby markings but that doesn't make the cat a tabby - its the brown, silver, blue that determines if its a tabby. If the cat has black and red (tabby) its a tortie or calico if its got white.
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post #16 of 22
2/12/10 at 5:00pm
Wow, what a lovely cat! That heart is just fantastic!

I was just wondering the same thing about my cat Wendy. She has similar coloring: solid black patches blended with red tiger ones. But she has more white on her face, chest, belly, and legs than Nolia's cat. Her whole back and tail are colored, as are a couple of her legs and some little spots on her paws. Our vet calls her a calico, but might she be a tortie and white, instead? Is it the amount of white or is it the type of patches that makes the difference?



Any thoughts from the experts? Thank you!
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post #17 of 22
2/12/10 at 5:10pm
Associations use calico and tortie & white interchangable. I think one said we really should be using tortie and white because you look at the color on the cat first - and the white really is not a "color".

Bicolors (two colors) would be (for show purposes) listed as Black Bicolor, Blue Bicolor, Red Tabby Bicolor, etc.

Personally if the cat is over 50% white I call it a calico; under that amount - tortie & white.

For your cat - she would be a tortie & white.
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post #18 of 22
2/12/10 at 6:30pm
I always thought Dusty was a patched tabby. She doesn't really have any white, her chin is a light gray. Maybe she is a torbie? I love her little orange spot on her head.

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post #19 of 22
2/12/10 at 7:16pm
Dusty is a fine example of a Brown Patched Tabby - NOT a torbie. She has brown tabby in the coat - not black like a tortie. Can you see the difference?

Patched tabbies don't have to have white - its not required. Its the same as having a normal all brown tabby or a normal brown tabby and white. If a patched tabby had white, then it would simply be a patched tabby and white.
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post #20 of 22
2/12/10 at 9:12pm
What's the difference between torbie and patched tabby?
I entered my cat in a show as a patched tabby and one of the judges said I should have put torbie. So the next show we went to I entered her as a torbie and none of the judges corrected me, so I registered her with TICA as a torbie.
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post #21 of 22
2/13/10 at 4:55am
Torbie and Patched Tabby is the same thing - depends on what the association chooses to use. IMO Torbie is too close to Tortie and I prefer using Patched Tabby
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post #22 of 22
2/17/10 at 3:56am
To the OP Tortoiseshell & White.
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