Gigi the Torbie Cat

I have a new best friend - her name is Gigi.  Gig’s a torbie (short for “tortoiseshell-tabby”).  A torbie is a cat that displays a mixture of two distinct coat patterns: the mottled colors of a tortoiseshell coat and the stripes or swirls of a tabby.

Torbies  have both the orange gene (usually creating tortie patches) and the tabby pattern gene.  If you look at my earlier What is a Tabby Cat article, I referred to this as a "patched tabby”.   Torbies have the blended colors of a tortie (black, orange, cream, or brown) interspersed with the distinctive stripes, swirls, or spots of a tabby.

Gigi seen from the side

Torbies usually have a distinct "M" shape marked on their brow.  They have striped patches instead of solid black or orange.  They also have stripes and spots within the different colors.  Gigi has an orange striped area on one hind leg. The coat color genes are linked to the X chromosome so about 99.9% of torbies are female.      

Torties are know to have an attitude.  In my experience Torbies have plenty of attitude, too. It’s known as “torbi-tude”. Gigi definitely has opinions and she expresses them!

Gigi’s eyes fascinate me. I’ve never seen a cat with eyes like hers.  They are a very pale green - sort of like sea glass.  I could stare at her eyes forever.   Gigi’s a torbie - a tortoiseshell kitty with four white socks, a white face and the spots and stripes of a tabby cat.  I think she’s one cool kitty.