hehe. my pastel calico is the same way. she play-fights with Vlad the
impaler all the time, but leaves Giant alone. she actually hisses at Giant
when he tries to play with her, but if she casually walks by him and he
licks her a few times, she pays him no mind. calico cats and their brethren
are indeed strange, but fascinating cats :)

-agent smith

yeah, got two, one's a tiny lunatic pretending to be a cat (which I
understand is standard tortie temperament), the other totally Maine
Coone in size, looks and attitude.

pat

Yes, I think they are.

We have two, and both are more skittish than the others. They are hyper
and quirky.

One was found as a feral 6-month old kitten, so I've always thought it
was formal-feral characteristics. Then we got another one...

Love 'em to death, though.

Rhonda

It is probably nothing to worry about.  All of my cats do it.   They
will be sitting in one room quietly all of a sudden they will race
into the other room.  It's like they look at their watch and say
to themselves. "Uh...oh, i'm supposed to be in the living room now."

My tortie Pudge was very sweet and laid back. When she was young, she
was inquisitive and playful and probably hyper, but most young cats are
like that.

Perhaps it's best to say that torties have agendas. They won't go along to
get along. They know how things ought to be, and they insist that things be
that way. My tortie is the best cat ever, but I know better than to
challenge her authority.

I don't know if the foregoing applies to *all* torties, but the description
probably can't be dismissed.

BTW, here's an interesting brief article about the genetics of tri-color
cats. A tortie owner ought to know this; it will make you appreciate the
special magic that went into the creation of your cat:

http://www.fanciers.com/cat-faqs/tricolors.shtml

Remember: A tri-color cat is as good as three ordinary cats!

Are torties "wired"

We those of us that love torties call it "tortietude"
They definitely have a personality all their own

Beverley

I'm SURE that torties are wired differently.  Every tortie I have known has
exhibited more active and almost destructive or neurotic behavior than other
cats I have known--either my own or the tortie cats of friends and family.

I mentioned this to some other cat lovers at a party one evening and a woman
there swore she had a friend who had recently presented a paper in Dallas to
a group of vets regarding what she labeled the  "devil gene" in torties.

It was second hand info but I sure think it's a possibility.

We named our tortie Buffy, after the vampire slayer, because she survived a
very rough start to life (abandoned) and is terminally cute, too.  She is
living up to her name and her genetics every day. Her zip-zooms are much
wilder and last longer than any of our other cats, she is more destructive
(knocks things off any horizontal surface just for the fun of it) and starts
fights with her partner more than vice versa.

see one of her more entertaining adventures here:

http://www.davidandmollie.com/kitties/peanuts/

I have a tortoise shell and she is about 2 1/2 yrs. old. We had a stray
litter in our barn and she was the runt.....i ended up bringing her in to
feed her and then adopted her.  She is so incredibly sweet. From reading the
other replies, i guess my cat is different for a tortie.  She is my and my
husband's 'baby'....she has to sleep next to me every single night....i ask
her if she wants to go to bed, she replies, and trots down the hall. Every
evening when my husband gets home from work, she has to have her 'daddy time',
by cuddling in his lap like a human baby.....so funny to watch.  She always
has to touch us with one or both front paws when she is sitting or lying near
us.  And she likes to be near us an awful lot.  At the vet, they can't
believe how good she is.  She will be friends with most people.....although
she hissed at my sister (can't blame her...ha ha).  I have had pets most of
my life, and she has been the best pet ever, esp. for a cat.  She does not
have a typical 'cat' personality.....she is very tolerant of us, and seeks us
out to spend time with us.