What is the difference between tortie and calico?
Tortie and calico are terms that signify the color patterns of a cat’s fur coat. All tortie cats are calico but not all calico cats are tortie. The two are similar in genetics. The calico cats carry the gene of white spotting Torties have little or no white color in their fur coat. They are mostly female cats. They have an extra chromosome.
The main difference between torties and calicos is that torties have a combination of two colors; black and orange, they do not have a white color. Calico cats have black, orange, and white.
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Comparison Table (Tortie vs Calico)
| Characteristics | Tortie | Calico |
| Meaning | It is a feline coat coloring. | It is a cat that has coat fur that is typically 25% to 75% white with large black and orange patches. |
| Color of fur | They have a blend of orange and black colors. | It consists of white with black and orange patches. |
| Breeds | There are five breeds of torties. | There are 11 breeds of calico cats. |
| Other names | It is also referred to as tortoiseshell or torbie. | It is also referred to as brindle, tri-color, tortoiseshell and white, lapjeskat, and Tobi mi-ke. |
| Attitude | They are a bit hot-tempered, very possessive of their human, fiercely independent, and unpredictable. | They are more fiery, strong-willed, more temperamental, aggressive behaviors including swatting, hissing, and biting. |
What is Tortie?
They have distinctive colors that make up their pattern of their fur coat. The colors include amber, red, chocolate, brown-black, and cinnamon. They are of five breeds. They include; American shorthair, British shorthair, Cornish rex, Persian, and Maine Coons.
Diluted tortie cats have faint colors. Their colors are associated with the tabby pattern. In the UK calico is referred to as tortie and white cat. They come from both short and long hair varieties. They are aggressive in nature and can show great companion.
They are believed to bring luck to their owners. They are mostly females Males are very rare. They are sterile due to an abnormality in the genes. They have an extra X chromosome.
What is Calico?
They are considered to be very bold, very lively, and sassy cats. They possess a white coat with black and orange patches. The higher percentage of their fur coat color is white. A dilute calico possesses a softened to off-white, charcoal cream, grey and light orange, and some white base.
They possess a loving personality and habitual liking and penchant for creating trouble. There are various breeds which include; Manx, British shorthair, Arabian Mau, Norwegian Forest Cat, Turkish Angora, Siberian, Japanese Bobtail, American short hair, Turkish Van, Exotic Shorthair, and Persian.
There are more females. Males are rare to be found. They are sterile due to abnormality in the genes. They have an extra X chromosome.
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Main Difference between Tortie and Calico
- Tortie cats are black and orange in color while the calico cat is white in color with black and orange patches.
- Tortie is a feline cat while calico is a cat whose fur coat has 25 to 75 % white with black and orange patches.
- There are 5 breeds of tortie cats while there are 11 breeds of calico cats.
Similarities between Tortie and Calico
- Tortie cats are calico cats.
- Both are mainly females.
- Both have an extra X chromosome.
- Both are sterile.
- They both have tabby markings.
In Conclusion
Tortie and calico cats are similar in various ways although they are different in some ways. Tortie cats have a blend of black and orange fur coat. Calico has a larger percentage of white color on their fur coat with patches of black and orange color. All torties are calicos but not all calicos are torties. The main feature that makes torties different from calicos is the color of their fur coat.
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