Tortoiseshell describes a coat coloring found almost exclusively in female cats. Cats of this color are mottled, with patches of red and black, chocolate, or cinnamon. They are sometimes called torties for short. The term “tortoiseshell” (also called calimanco or clouded tiger in North America) is typically reserved for cats with brindled coats that have relatively few or no white markings. Those that are largely white with red and black patches (rather than a brindled aspect) are described as tortoiseshell-and-white (in the United Kingdom) or calico (in the United States). Tortoiseshells and calicos are not specific breeds of cat. The tortoiseshell markings appear in many different breeds.This pattern is especially preferred in the Japanese Bobtail breed.