Male Tortoiseshell Health?

[mmdesolate]

I'm going to be adopting a pair of kittens in a few weeks where one is (supposedly, they are 7 weeks old right now and not fixed yet so it's not 100%) a male calico/tortie-and-white.

Cursory google has some results saying they usually don't make it past 6 months, some results saying they can live almost as long as a normal cat but tend to have more health issues. Has anyone encountered enough male torties to see a trend either way?

The kitten in question (notice the orange spot on their back, there's also one on their head above the black eye spot)

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi, welcome! Geez what a totally darling cat!!

I can't answer your question per se, but I'm thinking this;

if he has decent food (which can be a loaded question in itself regarding what people feel qualifies as decent, but a variety of canned brands so he doesn't imprint on any one brand and also gets the different nutritional benefits, and maybe just a little dry) ...and as much as he can eat until he's at least a year old, in a clean dish (ceramic or glass seems better to help avoid chin acne) for each meal,

a pet water fountain with filtered from the tap water (I know fountains have filters but those aren't enough to handle the flouride, chlorine or chloramine etc) that is also cleaned regularly with hydrogen peroxide,

annual vet wellness checks to hopefully catch any issues as early as possible,

an indoor lifestyle with either a safe outside enclosure, harness and leash walks or backpack rides, or if those options aren't safe then a window where a bird feeder is hanging outside or if not that, then a cat video player, and also cat music

lots of toys where probably he'll end up loving the box they came in and a crumpled-up wad of paper the best lol, along with a wand style one,

he'll and his sibling will be living their best life (oh, by the way, museum putty under your breakables can help a lot when they find their feet and start turning up those inexhaustible little inner burners of feline energy).

9 Tips That Will Help Your Kitten Adapt To A New Apartment or House - TheCatSite

New Cat Checklist: What You Need To Get Before Bringing Kitty Home - TheCatSite

How To Choose The Best Name For Your New Cat - TheCatSite

 

[mmdesolate]

The foster just took a better look at the kitten and it's probably female lol. We'll know if I have an insanely rare kitten or just a cute average one in a couple weeks when the babies go in to get fixed.

 

[mmdesolate]

These two will be additions to a household that already has two cats

 

[Furballsmom]

This might also be helpful if you haven't seen it yet

How To Introduce A Kitten To An Older Cat [A Guide] - TheCatSite

 

[mmdesolate]

This might also be helpful if the u haven't seen it yet

How To Introduce A Kitten To An Older Cat [A Guide] - TheCatSite

I've been looking at these babies since they were a week old (as in, before their rescue officially intaked them! They were a "mom and kittens taken voluntarily from a backyard breeder who had realized the mistake of putting more cats in the world to be fixed and adopted out more responsibly" case so I've known about them since I saw the person who caused them to exist putting up a Kijiji listing for them) in June, so I've done a ton of reading on how best to make the older cats tolerate them.