Also called tortoiseshell, cats of this color have mottled pelts, expressing red, black, cinnamon, and chocolate. The term is usually used for cats with brindled coats, and the markings appear in many different breeds. It is also called calimanco or clouded tiger in North America. The pattern is commonly seen in Japanese Bobtails. The ones that are mostly white with red and black patches are called calico in the United States, or tortoiseshell-and-white in the United Kingdom. Sometimes they are referred to as torties for short.
The patterns are patches that may vary from red, black, cinnamon, or chocolate. The size of the patches can be finely speckled to large areas of color. Usually, the more white a cat has, the more solid the color. Dilution genes may vary the coloring, lightening it a mix of cream and blue, lilac or fawn. The markings on tortoiseshell cats are normally asymmetrical, but sometimes tabby patterns of eumelanistic and pheomelanistic colors are also seen. These are often called torbie or caliby. Tortoiseshell may also be expressed in the point markings. Calicos/Torties are predominately female and exist in many breeds of cat.
Cats of this color are believed to bring good luck in several cultures. In the United States they are occasionally referred to as money cats.
