Tortoiseshell cat

Tortoiseshell is a coat coloration in domestic cats named for its similarity to tortoiseshell pattern. The coats of tortoiseshell cats, or torties for short, are two colors other than white in an asymmetrical distribution, either closely mixed ('brindled') or in larger patches. The two colors always consist of one eumelanistic (black, blue, chocolate, lilac, cinnamon or fawn) and one phaeomelanistic (red or cream) color. The most common tortoiseshell coloration is black tortoiseshell (black and red). Tortoiseshell can occur in combination with other cat coat patterns, such as tabby and colorpoints. Tortoiseshell cats with the tabby pattern in their eumelanistic color are tortoiseshell tabby cats, sometimes referred to as torbies. Like the tricolored tortoiseshell-and-white or calico (in North American English) cats, tortoiseshell cats are almost exclusively female. Male tortoiseshells are rare and are usually sterile. Tortoiseshell markings appear in many different cat breeds, as well as in non-purebred domestic cats. This pattern is especially preferred in the Japanese Bobtail breed.