Which Cat breeds come in Tortoiseshell?

Club breed standards describe Tortoiseshell for the Abyssinian, American Bobtail, American Curl, American Shorthair, American Wirehair, Aphrodite Giant, Asian cat, Asian Semi-longhair, Balinese, Birman, British Longhair and British Shorthair, and 39 more breeds.

Which breeds disqualify Tortoiseshell?

At least one club disqualifies Tortoiseshell in the Ocicat.

Cat pattern

Tortoiseshell

Black (or blue, chocolate) mixed or patched with red (or cream) with little or no white, almost always in female cats; in rabbits an orange coat shaded black at the extremities.

55 Cat breeds list Tortoiseshell. It is in a club standard for 53 breeds. At least one club disqualifies it in 1 breed.

Breeds whose standards accept Tortoiseshell

Breed	GCCF	TICA	CFA	FIFE	ACFA	CCA	WCF
Abyssinian	Standard (“Tortie”)	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling
American Bobtail	No ruling	Standard (“Tortoiseshell”)	Standard (“Tortoiseshell”)	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling
American Curl	No ruling	Standard (“Tortoiseshell”)	Standard (“Tortoiseshell”)	Standard (“tortie”)	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling
American Shorthair	No ruling	Standard (“Tortoiseshell”)	Standard (“Tortoiseshell”)	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling
American Wirehair	No ruling	Standard (“Tortoiseshell”)	Standard (“Tortoiseshell”)	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling
Aphrodite Giant	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling	Standard (“Tortoiseshell”)	No ruling	No ruling
Asian cat	Standard (“Tortie”)	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling
Asian Semi-longhair	Standard (“Tortie”)	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling
Balinese	Standard (“Tortie Point”)	Standard (“Tortoiseshell”)	Standard (“Tortie Point”)	Standard (“tortie”)	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling
Birman	Standard (“Tortie Point”)	Standard (“Tortie Point/White”)	Standard (“Tortie Point”)	Standard (“tortie”)	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling
British Longhair	Standard (“Tortoiseshell”)	Standard (“torties”)	No ruling	Standard (“tortie”)	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling
British Shorthair	Standard (“Tortoiseshell”)	Standard (“torties”)	Standard (“Tortoiseshell”)	Standard (“tortie”)	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling
Burmese	Standard (“Tortie”)	Standard (“Tortoiseshell”)	No ruling	Standard (“tortie”)	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling
Burmilla	Standard (“Tortie”)	No ruling	Standard (“Tortie”)	Standard (“tortie”)	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling
Colorpoint Shorthair	No ruling	No ruling	Standard (“Parti-Color Point”)	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling
Cornish Rex	No ruling	Standard (“Tortoiseshell”)	Standard (“Tortoiseshell”)	Standard (“tortie”)	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling
Cymric	No ruling	Standard (“Tortoiseshell”)	Standard (“Tortoiseshell”)	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling
Devon Rex	No ruling	Standard (“Tortoiseshell”)	Standard (“Tortoiseshell”)	Standard (“tortie”)	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling
Donskoy	No ruling	Standard (“Tortoiseshell”)	No ruling	Standard (“tortie”)	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling
DonskoySkin and scales	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling	Standard (“tortie”)	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling
European Shorthair	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling	Standard (“tortie”)	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling
Exotic Shorthair	Standard (“Tortoiseshell”)	Standard (“Tortoiseshell”)	Standard (“Tortoiseshell”)	Standard (“tortie”)	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling
Foldex	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling	Standard (“Tortoiseshell”)	No ruling
German Rex	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling	Standard (“tortie”)	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling
Highlander	No ruling	Standard (“Tortie”)	No ruling	No ruling	Standard (“Tortoiseshell”)	No ruling	No ruling
Himalayan	Standard (“Tortie Point”)	Standard (“Tortoiseshell”)	Standard (“Tortie Point”)	Standard (“tortie”)	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling
Japanese Bobtail	No ruling	Standard (“Tortoiseshell”)	Standard (“Tortoiseshell”)	Standard (“tortie”)	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling
Javanese	No ruling	No ruling	Standard (“Parti-Color Point”)	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling
Kurilian Bobtail	No ruling	Standard (“Tortoiseshell”)	No ruling	Standard (“tortie”)	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling
LaPerm	No ruling	No ruling	Standard (“Tortoiseshell”)	Standard (“tortie”)	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling
Lykoi	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling	Standard (“tortie”)	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling
Maine Coon	Standard (“Tortoiseshell”)	No ruling	Standard (“Tortoiseshell”)	Standard (“tortie”)	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling
Manx	No ruling	No ruling	Standard (“Tortoiseshell”)	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling
Norwegian Forest Cat	Standard (“Black Tortoiseshell”)	No ruling	Standard (“Tortoiseshell”)	Standard (“tortie”)	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling
Oriental Bicolor	Standard (“Tortie Point & White”)	No ruling	Standard (“Tortie Point and White”)	Standard (“tortie”)	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling
Oriental Longhair	Standard (“Tortoiseshell”)	No ruling	Standard (“Parti-Color”)	Standard (“tortie”)	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling
Oriental Shorthair	Standard (“Oriental Tortie”)	No ruling	Standard (“Parti-Color”)	Standard (“tortie”)	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling
Persian (modern)	Standard (“Tortoiseshell”)	No ruling	Standard (“Tortoiseshell”)	Standard (“tortie”)	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling
Peterbald	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling	Standard (“tortie”)	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling
PeterbaldSkin and scales	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling	Standard (“tortie”)	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling
Ragamuffin ( Liebling)	No ruling	No ruling	Standard (“Parti-Color”)	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling
Ragdoll	Standard (“Tortie Point”)	Standard (“Tortie Point”)	Standard (“Tortie”)	Standard (“tortie”)	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling
Scottish Fold	No ruling	No ruling	Standard (“Tortoiseshell”)	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling
Selkirk Rex	No ruling	No ruling	Standard (“Tortoiseshell”)	Standard (“tortie”)	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling
Siamese (modern)	Standard (“Tortie Point”)	No ruling	No ruling	Standard (“tortie”)	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling
Siberian ( Siberian Forest, Neva Masquerade [colorpoint variety])	Standard (“Black Tortie / Blue Tortie”)	No ruling	Standard (“Tortoiseshell”)	Standard (“tortie”)	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling
Snowshoe	Standard (“Tortie Points”)	No ruling	No ruling	Standard (“tortie”)	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling
Somali	Standard (“Tortie”)	Not recognised	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling
SphynxSkin and scales	No ruling	No ruling	Standard (“Tortoiseshell”)	Standard (“tortie”)	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling
Thai	No ruling	Standard (“Tortie”)	No ruling	Standard (“tortie”)	No ruling	No ruling	Standard (“Tortiepoint”)
Tonkinese	Standard (“Tortoiseshell”)	Standard (“Tortoiseshell”)	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling
Turkish Angora	No ruling	No ruling	Standard (“Tortoiseshell”)	Standard (“tortie”)	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling
Turkish Van	Standard (“Tortoiseshell”)	No ruling	Standard (“Tortoiseshell”)	Standard (“tortie”)	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling

Breeds where Tortoiseshell is disqualified or not accepted

Breed	GCCF	TICA
Ocicat	Disqualifying (“tortoiseshells”)	Disqualifying (“phaeomelanistic color”)
Ojos Azules	No ruling	No ruling

Color changes

How Tortoiseshell can appear or change over an animal's life.

Bluechanges toTortoiseshell
Coat · With age

See all Cat colors, patterns and markings