Ever seen a Maine Coon with patches of black, brown, and orange? They are what you call tortoiseshells – one of the most beautiful patterns that exist in the feline world. The glamorous fusion of dark colors with orange combined with the long, silky hair makes this already beautiful breed even more regal-looking.
Tortoiseshell Maine Coon aren’t just remarkable appearance-wise, but they also have some pretty interesting genetics and so much variation in coat color. From a high-contrast black-orange coat to a more diluted, lightly colored tortoiseshell, these cats are easily one of the most popular among Maine Coon enthusiasts.
This post will dive deep into the tortie Maine Coon colors classes, their genes, and how they might differ from other Maine Coons. So if you’re going to adopt a giant tortie of your own and want to know more, read on.
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What the Tortoiseshell Pattern Looks Like
This pattern isn’t called tortoiseshell because it has a geometrical look like that on an actual tortoise. It’s called so because these Maine Coons have coat colors similar to a tortoiseshell – dark brown, yellow, and everything in between with patches of black.
Tortie Maine Coons are primarily black and orange, though. In between these deep, brilliant colors are lighter and diluted shades of orange and sometimes gray. These colors are spread out in big and small patches throughout the body and the extremities.
Tortoiseshell Maine Coon Color Classes
Although tortie Maine Coons may look very similar to one another, the CFA and the GCCF have many color classes or categories to differentiate between them. Some of these categories look almost identical to one another, but they’re different to the keen eye.
1. Tortoiseshell
The classic tortie Maine Coon is the most recognizable, even from afar. The coat is black with patches of orange throughout the entirety of the body, including the face, limbs, and tail. The orange is present in many shades that sometimes look light orange and brown when mixed with the black fur.
What’s adorable and most striking about these Maine Coons is that their faces are often different colors on each side, so one eye has orange fur around it while the other has black. The tail is also often a mix of two colors – a dark and light shade, as are the legs.
2. Tortoiseshell and White Maine Coons
With a dash of white, you get the ‘tortoiseshell and white’ Maine Coon category. The white is not very dominant on the back, sides, and limbs, which are primarily black and orange. The white part is only prominently visible on all four paws, the belly, and the chest, giving the coat an interesting mix of colors.
3. Shell Tortoiseshell Maine Coons
The shell tortoiseshell Maine Coon has the lightest coat among all the variations. Their hair is only colored at the very tips, while the majority of each hair strand is white. So with a white undercoat, the tortoiseshell colors are only slightly visible on the head, back, sides, tail, and sometimes the face and the underside.
The CFA has a separate category called ‘shell tortoiseshell and white’. These Maine Coons are very similar to shell tortoiseshell, with the only difference being in their paws and underside that are pure white.
4. Shaded Tortoiseshell Maine Coons
The shaded category has a white undercoat as well, but the hair is only colored halfway through each strand. This gives a ‘shaded’ effect to the coat, with black and orange appearing in diluted tones all over the body.
The CFA also has a separate color class for shaded tortoiseshells with white. Once again, they’re quite similar to the shaded tortie except that this class has white on the chest and all four paws.
5. Smoke Tortoiseshell Maine Coons
The darkest after the original tortie is the smoke tortie Maine Coon. These coats have white roots, while the rest of the hair strand is colored in tortie shades, that is, black and varying tones of orange.
This results in the Maine Coon looking exactly like a classic tortie when sitting still, but when moving or when you part their hair, you can clearly see the white roots peek through.
The ‘smoke tortie and white’ is a separate color class, where the difference lies in all four paws and the belly and chest which are pure white with no shading.
6. Blue Tortie Maine Coons
Blue tortie Maine Coons aren’t quite like regular torties. The ground color of their coat is a beige tone, with patches of blue and cream instead. The ‘blue’ is a diluted form of black, and the cream is a very diluted form of orange.
So if you think about it, blue torties are simply the diluted versions of the classic tortie. Other color classes include blue torties with white, shaded, and smoked coats.
7. The Torbie Maine Coon
Just when you thought tortie Maine Coons couldn’t surprise you anymore with their beautiful coats, the torbie comes into the picture. Although the CFA doesn’t recognize this variation, the GCCF does, and you’ll find many catteries that breed beautiful torbies.
The torbie is a tortie with tabby markings on its coat, so you can imagine the color fiesta going on there. These Maine Coons can either be a classic or mackerel tabby, but they all have the same ‘M’ shape on their foreheads and varying dark stripes down the sides.
Calico vs. Tortie: Differences Explained
Torties have two main colors – black and orange – while calicos have lots of white in their coats as well. You won’t find white in tortoiseshell Maine Coons, and that’s the main difference between the two.
But wait – aren’t ‘tortoiseshells with white’ and calicos the same? Not exactly, although they look extremely similar. There’s just a slight difference in the amount of white that’s present on both coats.
Tortoiseshell Maine Coons with white will have a white belly and white on all four paws, but the legs and neck area may have prominent orange and black patches.
On the other hand, a calico Maine Coon’s underpart is usually entirely white, including the legs, paws, belly, chest, and neck. Patches of black and orange are usually only seen on the back, head, tail, and a bit on the face.
Most people don’t really care about these small differences, though, and the terms tortie and calico are used interchangeably very often.
The Genetic Science Behind Marbled Maine Coons
Did you know that tortoiseshell cats are only ever female? The process through which this is possible and how the stunning pattern forms is actually quite interesting and maybe a tad bit complicated, so buckle up for some scientific discussions.
The pigment responsible for orange fur is pheomelanin, and the gene responsible for bringing about its effect is ‘O’ – a dominant allele. This gene also has a recessive version called ‘o’, which results in black fur.
The ‘O’ gene is also sex-linked, and this is where gender comes into play. A sex-linked gene means it’s either present on the X or Y chromosomes, and never on both. In the case of the ‘O’ gene, it is only found on X.
If you jog memories from high school biology, you may remember that females always have XX chromosomes while males are XY.
This means that male Maine Coons can either inherit the ‘O’ gene for orange or the recessive allele ‘o’ for no-orange. They can’t have both at the same time since there’s only one X chromosome.
Meanwhile, female cats can inherit both alleles – ‘O’ and ‘o’ – one on each X chromosome. So now, they have the O/o gene set for orange and no-orange fur, both.
This results in a blend of orange and black that we know as tortoiseshell. As you can see, males are biologically unable to achieve the O/o gene set that brings about tortie colors – they’re either orange or not orange.
Male Tortoiseshell Maine Coon – an Exception
Since, there are exceptions to every rule, one in every 3000 cats is found to be a tortoiseshell. Within the Maine Coon breed, male torties aren’t unheard of, although they’re very, very rare.
This happens due to Klinefelter’s syndrome – a condition where a male cat has two x chromosomes. The XXY gene set results in sterility and often causes developmental problems that unfortunately reduce the cat’s lifespan.
How Genes Bring About the Patched Pattern in Spotted Tortie Coons
The way the patched colors come about in tortie Maine Coons is pretty fascinating. It happens due to a process called lyonization that happens in female cats thanks to their two X chromosomes.
The X chromosome is responsible for sending out instructions for the development of cells. But because there are two of them in females, it can result in an overflow of x-linked genes. To balance things out, each cell in the body deactivates one of its X chromosomes. This restricts that chromosome from carrying out any action.
Meanwhile, the active chromosome brings about the pigmentation in the fur. The deactivation happens at random throughout the body’s cells, so any of the two chromosomes can get shut down.
This results in some cells producing orange fur while others produce black, depending on whether it is carrying the orange or non-orange gene. This is how the ‘patched’ look is achieved in tortie coats.
The same process is carried out in the rare male tortie Maine Coon, where one of its X chromosomes is randomly inactivated in each cell.
Do Tortie Maine Coons Have ‘Tortitude’?
You may have heard of torties and their ‘tortitudes’, with owners claiming their cats to be quite full of attitude and sass. But is there any truth to these claims? According to a study by vets at UC Davis University, this might be true in some cases. The study surveyed 1200 cat owners, the results of which seem to imply that tortie cats are slightly more ‘hot’ tempered.
However, the study provides no scientific explanations for the connection between coat color and behavior. Also, note that the study has subjective opinions of the cat owners, so it all depends on their perceptions of which behavior is good.
It also doesn’t take into account the breed of the cats, the environment, early socialization, and neuter status, all of which play an essential role in how cats behave.
With tortie Maine Coons, there isn’t much anecdotal evidence to prove that they’ve got the ‘tortitude’. They’re more likely to be gentle and sweet-tempered – things that are deeply rooted in the Maine Coon genetics.
So if you’re getting a tortie Maine Coon, don’t fret thinking that they might be a bit too feisty for you. As long as your breeder is good at socializing the kittens, you’ll likely have a playful, affectionate, and attention-seeking feline who is sure to amuse and bring smiles with their endless shenanigans.
Caring for Tortie Coon Cats
Tortie Maine Coons need the same kind of care as others do, focusing on daily exercise, lots of play, and a diet rich in protein.
What about their fluffy, colorful coats? Luckily, there aren’t any extra or special steps here either. To keep it luscious and smooth, just remember to brush around 4-5 times a week and detangle any mats that form.
Unlike other cats, Maine Coons do need baths every now and then, so investing time into training them for this can help you keep their long hair clean and silky.
Final Thoughts
The tortoiseshell is a show-stopping coat variation within Maine Coons. Whether they’re bicolor, with white, or have intricate tabby patterns, they’re sure to become the center of attention in your household with their amusing personalities and purr-fectly sweet nature.
Also remember that every Maine Coon’s personality is slightly different, irrespective of its coat color. So if your tortie does happen to have a big and slightly sassy alter ego, trust me – you’ll be in good company either way!
