Why Tri-colored Cats Protect Homes From Fire

[Mamanyt1953]

This is a story my Gran told me years and years ago.

When a fire spirit is looking for a new home (and they do often, because the old one just keeps burning down!), they slip quietly along the sleeping streets, peering in windows for a home where no fire spirit lives.  When they look into a home where a calico or torty lives, they see the red of flames, the black of ash and embers, and the white of smoke.  They think another fire spirit already lives in that home, and they pass on by.

I don't know quite where that started, but I do know this...several times while sharing my home with torties or calicos, the house should have burned due to faulty wiring, etc., but each time there was only very minimal damage.

 

[blueyedgirl5946]

Thanks for sharing that piece of "Cat Lore." Grannies really are special, aren't they?

 

[swampwitch]

I love those kinds of stories. Our Tophel's fur is called "black smoke" so maybe that counts, too. 

 

[Kat0121]

 
This is a story my Gran told me years and years ago.

When a fire spirit is looking for a new home (and they do often, because the old one just keeps burning down!), they slip quietly along the sleeping streets, peering in windows for a home where no fire spirit lives.  When they look into a home where a calico or torty lives, they see the red of flames, the black of ash and embers, and the white of smoke.  They think another fire spirit already lives in that home, and they pass on by.

I don't know quite where that started, but I do know this...several times while sharing my home with torties or calicos, the house should have burned due to faulty wiring, etc., but each time there was only very minimal damage.

I bet the "tortitude" has something to do with it to. The Tortie told the fire spirit to take a hike! 

I love Torties 

 

 

[Mamanyt1953]

 
I love those kinds of stories. Our Tophel's fur is called "black smoke" so maybe that counts, too. 

Well, if the Fire Spirit subscribes to the old adage, "where there's smoke, there's fire," you're covered.  Or, you could get a white cat and a ginger, and be doubly safe.  Oh, and go ahead and get a torty, too!  The more the merrier.  My apartment complex has a strict "One Pet Per" rule.  Keeps me from turning into a crazy cat lady with 43 cats.  I just have to be a crazy cat lady with one cat.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

 
I bet the "tortitude" has something to do with it to. The Tortie told the fire spirit to take a hike! 

I love Torties 

 

You may be entirely right about that.  Hekitty has a way of making herself very clearly understood.

 

[swampwitch]

 

 
I love those kinds of stories. Our Tophel's fur is called "black smoke" so maybe that counts, too. 

Well, if the Fire Spirit subscribes to the old adage, "where there's smoke, there's fire," you're covered.  Or, you could get a white cat and a ginger, and be doubly safe.  Oh, and go ahead and get a torty, too!  The more the merrier.  My apartment complex has a strict "One Pet Per" rule.  Keeps me from turning into a crazy cat lady with 43 cats.  I just have to be a crazy cat lady with one cat.

We have two cats and the other is a tortie, so hopefully we have all the colors covered. 

 

[Mamanyt1953]

 
We have two cats and the other is a tortie, so hopefully we have all the colors covered. 

Sounds like you're under control.  Wait...you have cats.  You're totally out of control, along with the rest of us.  Yeah, there's that.  In fact, there's always that!

 

[newmamaof3]

Wow I must be in really good shape...I have a tortie, a tortie pointe, a ginger, and a black smoke!

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• newmamaof3
• Oct 29, 2015

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• newmamaof3
• Oct 29, 2015

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• newmamaof3
• Oct 29, 2015

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• newmamaof3
• Oct 29, 2015

You can see the "smoke" color best on his tail but he's getting more and more white undercoat in the rest of his black as he gets older.

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• newmamaof3
• Oct 29, 2015

 

[Anne]

I liked your Gran's tale so much, I hope you don't mind it inspired me to create this -

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• Anne
• Nov 2, 2015

 

[Kat0121]

That looks great and that cat is gorgeous. 

 

[Mamanyt1953]

MIND?!?!?!  I'm honored, and Gran would be thrilled!  She had a cat that looked very much like that little beauty!

 

[macha 143]

That's awesome!!! Congrats!!!

 

[losannageles]

I LOVE this story!! We have a resident tri-colored outdoor cat in our neighborhood. From what I've seen he's the only one. (We live in an area with a lot of wildlife so...) this guy greets us whenever we park and wants to be loved! We live near a lot of brush as well so hope the tale is true ( or he continues to chase away the fire.. As we have never had one!). :-) Thanks for sharing Gran's story!!

 

[Mamanyt1953]

I LOVE this story!! We have a resident tri-colored outdoor cat in our neighborhood. From what I've seen he's the only one. (We live in an area with a lot of wildlife so...) this guy greets us whenever we park and wants to be loved! We live near a lot of brush as well so hope the tale is true ( or he continues to chase away the fire.. As we have never had one!). :-) Thanks for sharing Gran's story!!

Well, if he's a tri-color, then "he" is almost certainly a she.  I believe that less than 2% (if someone has a better percentage, PLEASE let me know!) of calicos and torties are male, and of those, only one in three thousand is fertile.  It's because the tri-color in males is due to a genetic aberration, XXY, which in humans is called...dang...Kleinfeldt's syndrome?  Something very similar.  I'm reaching way back in my mind for this stuff.

At any rate, from now on, holler, "Hey, Girl!" instead of "Hey, Boy."  You'll be safe.

 

[lykakitty]

Well, if he's a tri-color, then "he" is almost certainly a she.  I believe that less than 2% (if someone has a better percentage, PLEASE let me know!) of calicos and torties are male, and of those, only one in three thousand is fertile.  It's because the tri-color in males is due to a genetic aberration, XXY, which in humans is called...dang...Kleinfeldt's syndrome?  Something very similar.  I'm reaching way back in my mind for this stuff.

At any rate, from now on, holler, "Hey, Girl!" instead of "Hey, Boy."  You'll be safe.

Yes, male calicos and torties always have Kleinfelter's, meaning they have XXY. This is because cat colors run on black vs red genes (red covering all red/ginger/orange/etc colors and black being black/gray/blue/etc) and it's carried on the X chromosome. Because females can inherit one of each they can be calico/tortie (showing both black and red) but males only can if the have this genetic condition, which can cause other health problems too. Though I've never heard of them ever being fertile I haven't looked specifically into it so I don't know for sure.

I absolutely adore torties and calicos. My first cat ever, who I got when I was just 4, was a calico tabby and my first rescue girl was a precious, feisty little tortie who just recently passed away. In her honor I'm hoping to adopt a tripod tortie from the humane society as my next baby. And knowing torties I can believe that story. They've got enough fire in them ;D

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Thanks, LykaKitty.  I knew that I was close, but...well...I haven't studied cat genetics in several years, and it just wouldn't come to the front of my mind.  Amazing what two color genes, and one inhibitor for the white, can come up with, given the amazing variety of "colors" and patterns out there.  I am in awe of genetics. 

 

[lykakitty]

I am, too. It's amazing that all the beautiful colors and patterns you see in cats are based in just black vs red.
We actually had a male tortie be brought into a shelter around here as a stray a couple years ago. It happened to be the one I volunteered at and I got to meet him briefly. Beautiful cat, and with all the tortitude to go with it. He got adopted out almost instantly.

 

[Twinklelight The Cat]

Best story ever!