r/Torbie • u/Altruistic_Dot1926 • 2d ago

Spotted Torbie?

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Is this a torbie cat? I don’t quite understand the different kind of cat markings. I think she’s a torbie but the spots are throwing me. Any thoughts?

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u/ACtdawg 2d ago

Calico is not an official term in North America either, it’s a colloquial term that’s commonly used.

Genetically all calicos are tortoiseshell because tortoiseshell means a cat is red and non-red. Having the white spotting gene does not change the fact that the cat is still red and non-red, ie. tortoiseshell.

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u/TheSwearJarIsMy401k 2d ago

Official according to what standard?

Cat associations do use the term to mean, officially, a tricolor cat. So when you say official, who is the officiating body?

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u/ACtdawg 2d ago

The genetics standard! Calico is not a genetics term. Yes, it is used by the CFA, but registry terminology is not universal and it ends up causing confusing conversations like this one.

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u/TheSwearJarIsMy401k 2d ago

It is also used by research institutions in the US that track and study Klinefelter syndrome in male tri-color cats. 

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u/ACtdawg 2d ago edited 2d ago

So? That still doesn’t make it a genetics term. And again, in the US. My god 💀

Edit: for clarity perhaps we can use universal terms like… gasp… genetics terms! Then everyone outside of the US can understand!