"Calicoes share that personality trait of tortoiseshell cats commonly described as ‘tortitude.’ They are sassy, spunky and very independent. On the other hand, calicoes are sweet, loving, and loyal cats. If you hunger for unconditional love, a calico cat will willingly and enthusiastically fulfill that need.” (Franny Syufy, Calico Cats Profile, The Spruce Pets, updated 10/02/19)
So why would a busy life invite “tortitude” into it? It started in our new home. A beautiful calico kept appearing at our front door. Finally, I opened it one day and invited her (almost all calicoes are female) in. She went on an extended house tour of each level, entering every room with the appraising eye of Marie Kondo and then left, never to return. Rejected by a cat? My first experience with tortitude -- I was smitten. Months later, when visiting new friends in the neighbourhood, we learned this feline beauty was theirs. “Bandit” would hang out with the next-door neighbour at their former home. Never able to muster the secret sauce of that former neighbour, we could not win her over. And so began my fascination with a cat so independent that it chose its own friends. It culminated with Mom calling to say “the cutest calico kitten” (note the singular) was available for adoption at the animal shelter. As we greeted the arriving family vehicle, two calico kittens appeared. Saying she couldn’t “break up the bookends” by taking just one, my mother offered to take one back home if we really didn’t want two. Hello, we never did! Having barely convinced my cat-allergic partner that we could handle one, we now had double trouble. Have you ever tried to tell a toddler you can’t keep two kittens? We might as well have called them Pandora and Box. And so began 18 years of life with calico cats. At times vexing and challenging, I wouldn’t have traded the ride for anything. As a kitten, Molly was so aloof and non-responsive that I asked the vet to test her for deafness! He laughed and educated me on “the calico personality”. Molly was so combative they had to put the “Hannibal Lecter” mask on her for even the most routine of examinations. Yet, at home, she was as sweet as you could hope. She and sister (Mustang) Sally adopted the “dog behaviours” of our springer spaniel. The three of them would run to the door when the bell rang, groom each other, and nap together. One day while gardening in the front yard with them, a neighbour’s dog ran over and started a vicious fight with our spaniel. It was only broken up when Molly jumped onto that dog’s back, startling it so much that it ran away with Molly riding it like a horse! Yes, tortitude aplenty. Loving and loyal? You bet. Calicoes are constant companions, intelligent, easy to train and followers of routine, putting themselves to bed at night and asking for food only when it is, indeed, meal time. If you are a firm believer, as I am, that life is more interesting when you have some colourful characters in it, check out a calico cat the next time you are considering a pet. “Cat-itude” in a beautiful package. What’s not to love? Comments are closed.
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February 2022
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