What is Tortitude?

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: I know the answer–definitively!--to the question the wonderful Clea Simon is asking.

She says “Thank you, Hank, for having me over on Jungle Reds today! I’m going to dive right in and get all cat-centric and ask your readers: Are tortoiseshell cats crazy?”

Let me answer that quickly. Yes yes yes. My dearest cat Lola, who lived to be 20, was the bossiest most persnickety cat that ever existed. Back in the day, when we did not know things about cat food, she would ONLY eat Tender Vittles. And ONLY from a new pouch. And one night when I got home a tiny tiny bit later than usual, she’d –I am not kidding–opened the cabinet, pulled out the cardboard container box, ripped it open and taken out ALL of the vittles pouches, ALL of them, and opened ALL of them and scattered the food all over the kitchen floor.

Don't you love the reflection?

So many more examples, but here’s one more. Lola was famously a one-person cat. She hated, HATED, everyone but me. When Jonathan arrived in our lives, he turned out to be allergic to cats. Well. Apparently Lola, seething with jealousy, decided to drive him away, and honestly, followed him relentlessly wherever he went. When he sat down, she was instantly on his lap. See photo! She was so brilliant and diabolical.

I got Lola from the humane society when she was so small she could not go upstairs, because she couldn't put her front paws on the stair above her back paws. I had gone to get a fluffy gray kitten, but when Lola saw me, she put her paw through the bars and tapped me. So, that was that.

ANYWAY. Here’s the wonderful Clea Simon with proof.

Are tortoiseshell cats crazy?

CLEA SIMON: I’m asking because that’s one of the (non-murderous) questions raised by the sudden inexplicable appearance of a tortoiseshell kitten in TO CONJURE A KILLER. The multi-colored cats are known for their odd behavior, and, after all, this kitten has been responsible for leading my cozy’s human heroine to a dead body. A day later, a kindly vet, who examines the stray, offers the theory that this little creature might have been dumped by its previous owner because of what has become known as “tortitude,” a combination of attitude and, yes, aggressiveness that can seem positively un-feline to the uninitiated.


That nice vet isn’t nuts, nor is he perpetuating old wives’ tales. As the partner (I don’t dare say “owner”) of a tortie, I know that they are very different cats. Before Thisbe came into my life, I lived with the wonderful Musetta, a tuxedo cat who loved us ­– and no one else – and was otherwise a wonderful, and perhaps traditional, cat. But since my husband and I welcomed Thisbe into our home, we’ve become accustomed to having an extremely loyal and attentive – but very assertive ­– little tortie in our lives!


When I launched the “witch cat of Cambridge” series, I hadn’t yet met Thisbe, and so I made the feline heroine a calico named Clara. As a calico, she’s basically white, but with orange and black markings. (Because she has one black ear and one orange, colors that continue down like patches over her eyes, her litter-mate/sister Laurel teases Clara, calling her “the Clown.”). I liked the idea of a calico’s very particular genetics. Cat coloring is controlled by genes on the X chromosome, so in order for a cat to have all these colors – the orange, black, and white, they must have XX chromosomes. Which means that, although there are a few genetic oddities, 99% of all calicos are female.



I love Clara. She’s the point-of-view character in my “witch cat” cozies, and she’s unfailingly loyal to her human, Becca. But having lived with Thisbe for a few years, I knew I had to get a tortie into the mix in this new book. Torties have the same genetics as calicos, but their base color is black or brown (as opposed to a calico’s white) mixed with the gingery red or peach. And unlike calicos, they’ve developed a reputation for being … well, assertive. And smart, as well.



There may be some genetic reason for this. The Conscious Cat blog cites a 2016 University of California-Davis study, based on a survey of 1,200 cat owners, that found that, indeed, torties were more likely to exhibit “challenging and aggressive” behavior. (The blog also notes that some people report female cats as being more independent than males, which could also be a factor.) Cats.com cites the same study, while noting that understanding your cat is key to a good relationship. And as someone who cohabits with a tortie, I can attest both to their energy level (at five, Thisbe still plays like a kitten – jumping six feet off the ground to smack at anything flying by) and her intelligence.



Do you know the old saw: Dogs have owners, cats have staff? Well, Thisbe has proved this true. When we hid one of her interactive toys (one we put away for her safety when not in use) above a wine rack, she proceeded to bang on the hanging wine glasses to get our attention. One broken glass (she knocked it down) was enough to make us jump – and now she bangs on the remaining glasses whenever she wants us to do something, even if her toy is already out for play! She has us thoroughly trained. On the plus side, she’s one of the most attentive and affectionate cats I’ve ever met, and every day she lets us know we are her humans.



So is this tortitude? And is there a reason that the little kitten in To Conjure a Killer is keeping silent about the murder? To Clara, the newcomer is a mystery – that little kitten isn’t talking. To Becca, she’s just a beautiful stray, one that she wants to welcome into her home. But is she ready for the tortitude? Are we?



Have you had an experience with a tortie? Or with another cat that exhibited … shall we say, unusual behavior?



HANK: See above! And Lola still comes to me in dreams, and tells me–yes, she talks–that she’s fine and happy. I rely on that. How about you, Reds and Readers?

About TO CONJURE A KILLER: Kitten season can be murder…

Becca Colwin is coming home from her job at Charm and Cherish when she sees a tortoiseshell kitten run down an alley ­– leading to a dead body.



As a connection between Becca and that corpse is confirmed, Becca comes under suspicion — and is dragged into a cyberware scandal, thanks to her cheating ex, Jeff. The unfaithful computer geek and his high-power investor were working on stealth software designed to record and transmit personal data – a new form of spyware that would be of interest to everyone from the police and security agencies to cybercriminals. And when Jeff’s former friends and colleagues approach her, Becca finds the police aren’t the only ones watching her. (To Conjure a Killer will be published by Polis Books on Nov. 14.)




About CLEA SIMON: Clea Simon is the author of more than two dozen mysteries, most of which involve cats, and three nonfiction books, including the Boston Globe bestseller, The Feline Mystique: On the Mysterious Connection Between Women and Cats. A former journalist and New York native, she now lives in Massachusetts, the setting of TO CONJURE A KILLER, the fourth in her “witch cats of Cambridge” series. She can be found at www.CleaSimon.com and on Instagram (cleasimon_author) and Facebook (Clea Simon).