Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Tortitude: The BIG Book of Cats with a BIG Attitude Review

A close-up photo of Jewel's face.
I knew that Jewel was a special cat the day I met her.  Not only was she a gorgeous cat on the outside, but she was intelligent, stubborn, loyal, and talkative!

After my precious baby made her way to the Rainbow Bridge, I began to notice that one of the shelter cats I've bonded deeply with also possesses some of these qualities.  Not only does Mango look like Jewel, but she is also intelligent, loves to talk, and is loyal to those she loves.  Mango is a dilute tortoiseshell cat, and a few people had told me that Jewel was a dilute torbie - a tortoiseshell cat with tabby markings.

I just figured that Mango reminding me so much of Jewel was a coincidence.  Of course Jewel and Mango have unique personality traits, but the fact that they share some personality traits really intrigued me.

Tortitude: The BIG Book of Cats with a BIG Attitude by Ingrid King book cover.
Photo courtesy of Ingrid King.

In Tortitude: The BIG Book of Cats with a BIG Attitude by Ingrid King, I learned why it is that Jewel and Mango share some similar personality traits - they have tortitude!  What is tortitude exactly?  In her book, King says:

They (tortoiseshell cats) also have a reputation for unique personalities, often referred to as "tortitude."  They tend to be strong-willed, a bit hot-tempered, and they can be very possessive of their human.  Other words used to describe torties are fiercely independent, feisty and unpredictable.  They're usually very talkative and make their presence and needs known with anything from a hiss to a meow to a strong purr.



She also notes:

While there are some commonalities between torties when it comes to personality, there seem to be wide variations in the degree of tortitude and in how it is expressed.  Some cats appear to have read the book on tortitude, displaying all the traits attributed to cats with this coloring.  Others may vary in temperament, and only demonstrate certain aspects of it.  All cats are individuals, and torties are no different in that respect, with the possible exception that they are far more demonstrative of their unique personalities than cats of other colors.

Not only will you learn about tortitude in this book, you'll also learn about tortoiseshell genetics and folklore.  I found the section on genetics very interesting, and I definitely learned a lot from it.

Two pages from the "Quotable Torties" section of the book Tortitude.
“Excerpted from: Tortitude: The BIG Book About Cats With a BIG
Attitude by Ingrid King ©2015”

The second half of King's book is entitled, "Quotable Torties," and has absolutely gorgeous photos of tortoiseshell cats with a quote under each one.  I am a quote collector, so I really loved this section of the book as well!  Here are a couple of my favorite quotes.

"Cats are dangerous companions for writers because cat watching is a near-perfect method of writing avoidance." -Dan Greenburg

"There are few things in life more heartwarming than to be welcomed by a cat." -Tay Hohoff

If you are a cat lover, I believe you will love this book - whether you've ever had the pleasure of being owned by a tortie or not.

Tortitude: The BIG Book of Cats with a BIG Attitude is currently available for purchase on Amazon.  The book will be available through other online retailers and physical bookstores beginning February 5th.  For each book ordered before February 5, 2016, $1 will be donated to the Jackson Galaxy Foundation to help at-risk cats!

I am truly honored and thrilled I had the opportunity to review this book, and I'm confident that you'll love this book as much as I do!

Ingrid Kings' author photo
Photo courtesy of Ingrid King.

About the Author: Ingrid King is a former animal hospital manager. She writes the award-winning blog, The Conscious Cat, with the mission of providing readers with well-researched and accurate cat health information. She is the author of the books Buckley's Story: Lessons from a Feline Master Teacher, Purrs of Wisdom: Conscious Living Feline Style, and Adventures in Veterinary Medicine: What Working in Veterinary Hospitals Taught Me About Life, Love, and Myself. Her articles have appeared in Cat Fancy Magazine, NOVADog Magazine, and Urban Animal. She is also a professional member of the Cat Writers' Association and a certified veterinary journalist. You can learn more about Ingrid King by visiting her About page on The Conscious Cat.

FTC Disclosure: I received a complementary copy of, "Tortitude: The BIG Book of Cats with a BIG Attitude" in exchange for a fair and honest review.  Receiving the book did not influence my opinions in any way.  All opinions expressed on Fur Everywhere are my own.  

39 comments:

  1. Mom says that this is a must have book for her. XOCK, Lily Olivia, Mauricio, Misty May, Giulietta, Fiona, Astrid, Lisbeth and Calista Jo

    ReplyDelete
  2. I would LOVE to read it as Mom to Admiral!!! xoxo

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ingrid is such a cool lady! There's not much that can compare to some serious tortitude!!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I want to read that book. My Penny definitely has tortitude. :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. I've never had a tortie myself, but I've sure known some, and "tortitude" is definitely a real thing. This sounds like a great read!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Our mom simply must find a way to afford this book! Most people don't know that ginger girls are more often than not born to tortie moms and usually have that same tortitude that their moms have. And we have an abundance of that in our house!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I have never heard of tortitude. How utterly interesting.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Ah yes, the tude of the torties! My aunties Snowdrop and Primrose were torties and I know of the tortitude, well. Lovely kitties, to be sure. WONDERFUL that someone has written about this tortiness and got it all down on paper. Gotta check out the book, for sure. purrs

    ReplyDelete
  9. My mum had a tortie some time before she had me and Eric, and she says she had tortitude by the barrow load.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Sounds like a great book! Sophie is a dilute tortie, but I must say that she does not fall into the stereotypical "tortitude" category. I had a tortie growing up though, and she DEFINITELY fit the bill. MOL! She was very talkative and stubborn, and she only bonded with me. If anyone else tried to pet her, she would bite them. I always thought it was hilarious. haha. Anyway, thanks for this great review. I'll have to check it out!

    ReplyDelete
  11. This is Binga's favorite book of all time!

    ReplyDelete
  12. What a wonderful book! My Lucy was a torbie. I loved her tortitude! The genetics sections sounds interesting, and judging by these pics, I bet all the pictures are beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
  13. That sounds like a wonderful book! We'll have to check it out, for sure!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Its great to have a book all about that kind of kitty 'style'!

    ReplyDelete
  15. That sounds like a beautiful book! A must have for real :) Pawkisses :) <3

    ReplyDelete
  16. Thank you for this wonderful review!

    ReplyDelete
  17. We think Ingrid is one of the wisest cat ladies we know!

    ReplyDelete
  18. OMC - Tortitude Rules! -Annie May, a very Tortie Cat.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Hey, this will make a great gift for our neighbor who has a super cool Tortie!

    ReplyDelete
  20. I've had several torties and they all had unique and rather crazy personalities!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Tortitude sounds very much like the terrier personality in dogs!

    ReplyDelete
  22. Sounds like a great read! When I was in my twenties, I rescued a tortoiseshell Manx cat that was hanging around my office. She was beautiful. Brought her home and a few days later she had kittens right in my Mom's closet! She had lots of "tortitude" too! A wonderful girl...and we kept several of her babies, too!

    ReplyDelete
  23. This sounds like a great book! My aunt would love to read it! :)

    ReplyDelete
  24. Sounds like a great book - I've never had a tortie, so am sure I'd learn lots.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Very interesting! There are many sites that share information about dog breeds but I haven't seen very much about cat breeds.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Torties are truly special kitties. :) I love how Jewel's markings were a mix of of tortie and tabby - a unique look. This sounds like a wonderful book! :)

    ReplyDelete
  27. I love reading a book from an author that understands the breed they are writing about.

    ReplyDelete
  28. I've always loved Torties & Calicoes! I think mostly because they're so beautiful & unique looking. This sounds like a really interesting book, thanks for sharing!
    Love & biscuits,
    Dogs Luv Us and We Luv Them

    ReplyDelete
  29. I've always loved Torties & Calicoes! I think mostly because they're so beautiful & unique looking. This sounds like a really interesting book, thanks for sharing!
    Love & biscuits,
    Dogs Luv Us and We Luv Them

    ReplyDelete
  30. I recall that tortitude wielded by a barn cat who arrived one day and decided the service was good enough to stay. Sounds like a great read! Thanks for the excellent review =)

    ReplyDelete
  31. I need to get this book! Sweet Praline was a beautiful tortoiseshell Persian. She was a little Diva with attitude.

    ReplyDelete
  32. Sounds like a great book. Nala was a mix but sure had attitude and was fiercely loyal.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Sounds like a good book for cat lovers!

    ReplyDelete
  34. They're so gorgeous, too! I hadn't heard of tortitude before, I just love it.

    ReplyDelete
  35. I have experienced Tortitude first hand while volunteering, but I love cats with personality!

    ReplyDelete