Robert Sijka photograph of tortoiseshell Maine Coon and kitten

Here is another Maine Coon tortie snap, crackle and pop portrait of a mother and child 👌.

Robert Sijka photograph of tortoiseshell Maine Coon and kitten.

I say 'snap, crackle and pop' because the tortoiseshell pattern and colours produce this highly textured feel to the photo. It is almost as if you can touch the fur. I took the liberty to enhance the image a bit for the internet. I did this because when good quality digital photos are uploaded to a website, some of the quality goes missing normally. You lose some detail and sharpness. This is because built in software can lower the definition to reduce the file size to ensure that the image loads faster. I also feel that you have to make sure that you keep the images bright so they can be 'read' more clearly. Visitors want to see the subject matter.

I have many pages of tortoiseshell cats. Below are a couple if you are interested:

• Male Tortoiseshell Cat Acts like a Masculinized Female Rather Than a true Male
• Rare male black tortoiseshell discovered on streets of Welsh town

The tortie coat is black with orange tabby. The lighter orange tabby areas are two-toned which creates the impression that there are three colours. Rare male tortoiseshells are sterile. Dr Morris says that one in 200 torties are male (Cat World). The internet tells me that the rarity is 1 in 3000. I think the internet is more accurate in this instance. Males torties only exist because of a minor genetic error. They develop with the genetic combination XXY. The Y chromosome provides the male characteristics. The XX provides the red and black.

The first link above takes you to an interesting page about the sex aspects of the male tortoiseshell. In respect of their coat genetics the Maine Coon torties are exactly the same as any other cat, mixed-breed or purebred.