The Tortie Catz Story

Good morning / evening / afternoon (wherever in the world you are!)

My name is Michael, I am the founder of Tortie Catz and I wanted to take this opportunity to share the story behind Tortie Catz, the online community dedicated to the unique and wonderful world of tortoiseshell cats and the email to which you all subscribe.

It all started in 2011, when a small, scared and beautiful little tortie kitten entered our world. I had never been a pet owner (not even a guinea pig or hamster growing up), so this was my first experience of owning a cat.

We decided to name our little kitten Florence (Flo for short). The name seemed to suit her, she seemed to ‘go with the flow’ - and also we had just been to Italy on honeymoon!

As Flo started to grow, it soon became apparent she was a very feisty little thing. She would jump on your shoulder, hide in the bookcase and my hands were in shreds most days. “Are other cats like this?” I would ask my wife. “No” was always the answer.

With an interest in all things online, I was looking for a new project and so decided to launch a website dedicated to torties. Doing a bit of research, it seemed they were well known for their sassy personalities as well as beautiful coats!

The website at tortiecatz.com includes lots of info about tortie and how to look after them.

A Facebook page, group, Twitter(X) and Instagram and You Tube channels were also started. Soon the community began to grow, and it was clear there were lots of tortie owners out there having their hands scratched and shoulders stood on.

Flo has now been part of our family for the last 14 years and she is delighted she has inspired this community. We love reading all of the ‘tortie-tude’ stories when selecting ‘Tortie of the Week’ as well as seeing all the beautiful pictures!

Watch this space for news of our future plans for Tortie Catz!