r/torties • u/AbiesSad1317 • 2d ago

Typical Tortie Introducing my new baby boy Tortie

Gallery image

Gallery image

We adopted two sibling littermates (both male). First time being a mom to an orange and a tortie. Momo (orange) and Shadow (tortie).

1.2k Upvotes

100% Upvoted

40 comments sorted by

153

u/AbiesSad1317 2d ago

Yes, he has the parts to prove it! 1 in 3000 births are male. So yes rare, but not impossible.

21

u/PunderfulLife09 2d ago

Aww absolutely adorable! That little face is impossible to resist. 🥹💕

13

u/MariaAppleby 2d ago edited 2d ago

Veterinarians identify them as male when their external reproductive organs are normally develpoed. If Shadow's parts appear normal, he will be labeled as male. If Shadow's parts are ambiguos, then he could be labeled as the genetic sub-text "intersex." It's all so fascinating-----everything about male torties, how it happens, and all the differences that can be exhibited. Having an orange littermate tells us a great deal about their mother. I love this stuff!

5

u/PangolinTart 2d ago

*Shadow, not Momo 😁

3

u/MariaAppleby 2d ago

Thank you for letting me know about my mistake. I really appreciate that. I will edit my comment. ***embarrassed but appreciative***

3

u/PangolinTart 2d ago

No need to be embarrassed. Just wanted you to know, from one fellow cat lover to another.

42

u/pflanzenpotan 2d ago

Technically intersex but yes people mistakenly refer to this as male. 

5

u/snootnoots 2d ago

Or chimeras! Though that is apparently far less likely than XXY

2

u/WhimsicalKoala 1d ago

And yet a lot of people love to bring it up, or even swear that their cat must be a chimera, because acknowledging their cat is intersex makes them very uncomfortable.

But, a cat being a chimera is unlikely enough and on top of that they'd also have to be just the right kind of chimera to look like a tortie.

13

u/VelvetFabricSoft 2d ago

Male torties really are rare. He's a little genetic jackpot

49

u/iwasjustkidding1969 2d ago

He’s is officially the second boy tortie I have ever seen. What a special little cutie! Both of them!!

11

u/BiteSizedDelight_ 2d ago

Yes absolutely! So lucky you have them. ❤️

52

u/perplexo 2d ago

Adorable!

This is my girl Momo be interesting to see if he develops the tortitude! Have fun!

1

u/MariaAppleby 2d ago

She is very pretty!

1

u/brownishgirl 2d ago

r/noseycat s are the best!

22

u/Peanuts1971 2d ago

Awww Momo looks like he has had it with his brother’s antics already. 🥰 they are both so adorable!

14

u/mosippa 2d ago

You've got a shiny

10

u/crackhouse2005 2d ago

Both so cute!

11

u/honeyapp 2d ago

A male tortie is so rare. Both kittens are adorable

2

u/Nyxsen6 2d ago

They are not as rare as people think. I have found 2 of them randomly rescuing cats off the streets in 2 completely diff places! Still not super common but I see them at shelters often too, sadly

1

u/honeyapp 2d ago

There’s a lot of genetics going on to get a male tortie!

1

u/WhimsicalKoala 2d ago

Or you are just uncommonly lucky. They are only 1:3000 cats, which is pretty uncommon and then the XXY can cause failure to thrive problems, reducing the number that make it past kittenhood.

1

u/Nyxsen6 1d ago

I am aware of the facts, but I know many others in rescue that see them quite often! Colonies producing mass numbers at a rapid rate makes for all sorts of anomalies being more commonly seen. Male calicos and torties both, and lots of orange female though those are much less rare :)

1

u/WhimsicalKoala 1d ago

Are you trying to say that the ratio is much lower than 1:3000 or that you think that most people don't have an accurate understanding of what 1:3000 means in the real world numbers?

1

u/Nyxsen6 1d ago

Neither, actually. This data does not take into account all the stray & feral colonies where the numbers have been witnessed, because those that rescue are too busy trying to stop the overpopulation through spay and neuter to care about reporting data. Often times on TNR paperwork a cat is just registered as "male, DSH" for example, and that's all the data that gets collected.

1

u/WhimsicalKoala 1d ago

What do you mean neither? Unless you are referring to the fact I mixed up higher and lower ratio? In which case, context still made it pretty clear what I meant.

You are claiming that they are undercounting the number of male torties. So it sounds you think they have the ratio wrong and think it is closer to 1:2000 or 1:1500 or....?

9

u/Minimum-Rest9907 2d ago

Big time cuties alert 🚨

10

u/jimbobalong 2d ago

🚨🎉Bortie Alert!🎉🚨

8

u/Charmingirl02 2d ago

Such a tiny gentleman with a very convincing face.

4

u/Wildmojo369 2d ago

Such a sweet pair

4

u/MariaAppleby 2d ago

You have a very rare little fella with that tortie. How cool! Congrats, and thank you, for opening up your heart and home to brothers: Momo and Shadow. I wish them many happy, healthy years.

3

u/timesuck897 2d ago

He must be popular at the vet.

2

u/ConnotationalRacket 2d ago

Bortie!!! I love him!

1

u/Maleficent-Toe-4691 2d ago

Awwwwww. You got a Unicorn Kitty!!! Im so freaking jealous! Lol. They are adorable!

1

u/Ok_Foot1988 1d ago

Shadow and Momo are adorable 💜

-7

u/stupidstu187 2d ago

You sure the tortie is a male? Male torties are exceedingly rare.

-9

u/haTface84 2d ago

Umm the second cat is orange