The tortoiseshell cat (tortoiseshell cat) gets its name from a type of sea turtle—the tortoise shell—because its fur color is very similar to the sea turtle’s tortoise shell, hence it is called the tortoiseshell cat.

　　The name tortoiseshell cat is a simplification of "tortoiseshell-colored cat," so a tortoiseshell cat is not a breed of cat, but a general term for cats with a certain color. It needs special explanation that the commonly referred tortoiseshell cat and the British tortoiseshell cat are not the same.

　　Appearance:

　　Tortoiseshell cats generally have evenly colored fur, which visually looks fluffier and softer than single-colored cats. A tortoiseshell cat with well-mixed colors is like the dappled sunlight through autumn leaves under a tree in the afternoon; it disappears once slipped into the grass, truly an excellent protective coloration. If you have such a tortoiseshell cat at home, you will cherish this special little creature because it is hard to confuse with other cats.

　　Even more interestingly, many tortoiseshell cats have obvious black and yellow color divisions on their faces, looking like they have a large painted mask, which is very cute.

　　The difference between tortoiseshell cats and tortoiseshell-and-white cats:

　　The colors on a tortoiseshell cat’s body (black, yellow, white) are mixed without obvious boundaries; some have patterns, some have only black and yellow, and overall the distribution is irregular. Whereas tortoiseshell-and-white cats have fur colors of black, white, and yellow distinctly separated with clear boundaries. (Source：PetsZone)