The word “torbie” is a shortened version of “tortoiseshell-tabby”. The word describes a coat that is an amalgam of tabby patterns/colors and tortoiseshell patterns/colors. Both pedigree cats and moggies have torbie coats. The black areas are replaced by dark tabby patterning. They are also known as a ‘patched tabby’.
To people unsure about cat coats, torbie looks like a spelling mistake. There is a “b” where there is usually a “t” as we are used to seeing “tortie” cats (short for tortoiseshell).
So, what does a torbie cat look like? Here are some examples. The coat patterns and colors are quite subtle, I think you’ll agree. For example, tabby stripes on a tortoiseshell coat sounds fairly easy to visualize but when you see the coat it is not so straightforward.
Other names for a torbie are:
- Patched tabby. This describes a tabby cat with patches of cream and red fur.
- Tortie tabby.
How do you identify a torbie? The silver classic torbie in the picture above is fairly easy to pick out because you can clearly see the classic tabby pattern of swirls etc. as well as the red fur which is what you see in the tortoiseshell cat.
I think the key is that you are looking for some red or orange within a tabby pattern of some sort, be it, spotted, stripped (mackerel) or swirls and blotches (classic). For example, in the cat described as a brown mackerel torbie in the picture above (second from bottom on the left), you can clearly see the stripped tabby pattern and just about see the red in the coat.
It is easier to see the tabby pattern. If you have that and no red the cat is probably a straightforward tabby cat. Apparently torbie cats have spotted bellies (as do tabby cats) whereas a tortoiseshell does not.
You can get some complex color mixes with torbie cats. There are silvered, non-silvered, golden, and chinchilla or shaded silver/golden. You can add white to these patterns too.
Here is an interesting type of torbie cat. This cat has torbie pointing. Seal colored torbie pointing is standard colored solid pointing that has been “broken up” by making it tabby pointing and tortoiseshell pointing combined. When pointing is just tabby pointing it is called “lynx pointing”. It’s a bit complicated, isn’t it?
Because there are two coat types interacting there is a very wide range of color+pattern effects in torbie cats.
There is nothing about the genetics of torbie cats in the what is supposedly the best book on cat genetics: Robinson’s Genetics. Actually, it is a poorly written and prepared book.
One final point; some people believe that calico and tortoiseshell cats have a certain personality or attitude. I am not sure. However, if they are correct then torbies also have an attitude and the attitude is that they have an opinion and are not afraid to voice it.
This connection between tortoiseshell coats and ‘catitude’ is born out in the character of my friend’s cat. She is a little, independent-minded feline. She looks like an old opinionated granny!
This is my Malia. I’ve always thought of her as a calico cat. But since her siblings were tuxedo cats, I wonder if she might be a Torbie after all because She has the tuxedo pattern of her siblings with orange tabby and marking added. As you can see in the photo. What do you think?
Hi Tracy, thanks for uploading the picture. It can be hard to tell a torbie but I’d say you have a torbie cat companion.
Thanks…how about her sister Isabel? I’ll show you her face in attached photo
I see a tabby pattern on the forehead so I believe the coat is torbie but I will bow to superior knowledge of someone else if they come forward.
I would think-and I may be wrong about this-that with the clearly-delineated patches plus the white, she would be classified as a Caliby. Caliby, as you might expect, is like a Torbie but with calico markings instead of the more brindled tortoiseshell coat 🙂 she is a beautiful cat, for sure!
Thanks Sadie. Until your comment I had not heard of a “Caliby”. I’ll check it out asap 😉
I am wondering if one of my cats is a Torbie. She has a distinct tuxedo cat and orange tabby markings. I had thought of as being a calico cat strictly. But her siblings were mostly tuxedo. And she resembles them except she has the orange tabby markings. Maybe you can help me figure out her markings? She also has a sister who is a more traditional calico who has longer hair.
Your description indicates Torbie because there are the three colors for tortie-and-white (black, orange and white – calico) plus the tabby pattern. If you have a picture please upload it using the button below the comment box. Thanks for visiting and asking.
I just posted a picture of Malia below because I had to resize the photo it did not work in the first posting. Here’s another with both of my cats. They are siblings. Malia is on the left. My sister Isabel looks a lot like her hair is longer. To me she looks more like a classic calico cat, but I wonder if she could be a Torbie be as well?
Beautiful high-contrast coats. Much loved cats.
This is my female Torbie Olivia
Linda try to upload a photo again. It didn’t work.
i have two torties now who ate six weeks old that no one has even shown interest in…..my tortie had babies and she had two torties and three black kittens!
i meant to say who “are six weeks old…” also good to note is that all kittens will be spayed or neutered with their momma and ready at twelve weeks
I don’t believe it. I never realized my Nicky was a Torbie! The body of the Brown Mackerel Torbie is a dead-ringer for Nicky. He had a bit more of the tortie markings than the beautiful specimen above, but his fore paws ruff are dead-ringers for Nicky. There is a Maine Coon named JB whose face is identical to Nicky’s. Since we have no photos of him, I could photoshop JB’s head onto the above Brown Mackerel Torbie’s body. 🙂 I’m not that crazy. I can still see him in my memory. Thanks. I learn so much from this website!
Fantastic. I am pleased because I think torbies are quite rare, really. The mix of tabby and tortie is quite a special mix. It is almost like a artist’s palette. Torbies are very special looking cats. There seems to be that little bit of red/orange lurking there in the background on a tabby coat.
I rescued a Torbie and she’s a handful! She’s got attitude, but she is so smart that I’ve been able to train her to fetch, shake and give kisses. She’s got to be one of the best cats I’ve rescued!
She sounds gorgeous. I think torbies are quite special. The coat type is not that common.
I had a Torbie, sadly she passed away on Saturday at the age of 4. She was beautiful. We didn’t know the term torbie, we referred to her as our little Tabby-toice. Miss her so much already. If I get another cat in the future I hope I find a tabby-touch as beautiful as she was.
Thanks Sunshine for sharing.
I got my Nadya as a kitten from friends three years ago, and all this time I thought she was just a simple Tabby-until I looked into the Torbie and saw that picture! Nadya’s nose is less brachycephalic than the kitty in that picture, but her coat is very nearly identical! Visitors have always remarked that she has beautiful coloring, but I didn’t realize just how special she is until I found this page 🙂 and if “torbitude” is a real thing, Nadya’s got it! She’s friendly with almost all people, but very opinionated and not shy about voicing it. She knows her place in the household (right on the chest of any of her three humans) and carries herself with dignity even after she’s been scolded for sneaking a bite out of my soup-a real princess, true to the classic Tortie personality, but with an irreverent Tabby twist! I’m very happy to know my lovely girl isn’t just an odd Tabby; she’s a beautiful, unusual Torbie!
Wow, you have a wonderful companion. She sounds fantastic. Thanks for sharing Sadie.
Well they says tortoiseshells have ‘tortitude’ so I guess torbies have ‘torbitude’ – perhaps its a little less assertive and opinionated than ‘tortitude’. Actually I think its not true. My tortie is positively skiddish. I am trying to understand why at the moment – maybe the dog in her young days with mama scared her or a human did but I am not satisfied that she is just randomly scared off so easily. Trouble is I can’t ask without sounding accusing, at the home where she was born.
I have had 5 litters producing about 22 kittens out of those I have had 2 kittens (separate litters and no relation) that were almost half feral from birth. It was like they wanted to be a pet but any movement from a human sent them running and being inside seemed upsetting. Maybe your kitty is just of that type. I never did find a way to calm the cats down so they just became outside pets and seemed happy that way. Good luck to you.
Thanks Jamie for your thoughts.
I guess I should have mentioned they were all rescued animals. :0)