Tortoiseshell Cats
I've been googling information about "Tortoiseshell" cats, since the girl at the pet store said our Macy Mae is a Tortoiseshell. I found out that the word has to do with the coloring, not the breed. (Who knows what "breed" Macy is - American shorthair?) A tortie can be any type of cat, any length of hair, and can even be a white cat with tortie patches. Torties can only be female, with a very rare, and infertile male being born with the coloring. There are also some folklore and superstitions related to the Tortie color: --The Celts believed that a tortoiseshell cat was good luck in a home. The English believed that torties could remove warts if you rubbed their tail on the wart during the month of May. --In Scotland and Ireland, a stray tortoiseshell cat settling in one's home is a good omen. --To dream of a tortoiseshell cat means luck in love. --In Normandy, seeing a tortoiseshell cat foretold death by accident. --Edgar Allen Poe was devoted to his t...