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

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Passion Fruit Press. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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Years ago, when I first started Kitten Associates, some of my colleagues jokingly warned me about rescuing Tortoiseshell cats. I couldn’t imagine why, having never lived with one, but that soon changed. As fate would have it, my first litter of foster kittens included a “tortie.”

She was named Cinnaminnie and boy was she a pip! It is said that torties have big personalities, which can sometimes translate into being high-strung and more sensitive to their surroundings. A recent study done by UC Davis suggests there is scientific evidence to prove torties and their 3-colored, calico cousins can be “challenging” to live with.

The one thing they don’t mention is how devoted these cats can be to one person in their human family. I wonder if torties live big and love big, too?

Exploring that proposition is Ingrid King, author of the multi-award-winning blog, The Conscious Cat. In her latest book, Tortitude, the BIG Book of Cats with a BIG Attitude, King explores the mystique of these confetti-colored creatures. King is a long time tortie-devotee, stemming from her first tortie, Virginia, over a decade ago, to her girls Allegra and Ruby, who share their home with her today.

Tortitude is a love story, as told by King and championed in the forward by Catification expert, Kate Benjamin. In addition to their personal tortie-tales are fun facts about tortie-DNA and tortie-folklore. What makes up the majority of the book are carefully curated images of torties paired with charming quotes about cats.

[Full disclosure, three of my own photos are in the book. One is below.]

“Excerpted from: Tortitude: The BIG Book About Cats With a BIG Attitude by Ingrid King ©2015, used with permission.”

Ingrid King clearly adores torties (there are no crazy cats here) and to anyone else who also shares her passion, this is THE book to choose if you want to celebrate the wonder of these multi-colored marvels. The only thing lacking is I wish there were even more photos (can’t get enough) and a picky request that I wish the paper was glossy, to bring out the full glory of the images. But even with that minor issue it’s clear that if you love these sassy beauties, you’ll love this book.

I had a chance to ask Ms. King a few questions about her passion and her dreams for Tortitude.

CICH: What was it about Tortoiseshell cats that won you over or was it just fate that you would meet and fall in love with one?

IK: Torties just sort of grew on me. My first encounters with tortoiseshell cats were in a veterinary clinic setting. During my training, I was often warned to approach these cats with a healthy dose of caution, so it's actually kind of surprising to me how much I came to love these cats. But it wasn’t until I met Virginia, my office cat at the animal hospital I managed, that I totally fell in love with these special cats.

CICH: What are your top 5 favorite things about torties that you think makes them stand apart from other breeds or coat color of cats?

IK: I love cats of every breed and color, but there's just something about torties... I love everything about them! I love the uniqueness of their fur and coat pattern. I love their strong personalities. Maybe it’s because I can identify with their strong sense of independence. Maybe it’s because they seem to live by their own rules. Whatever it is, I’m a tortie lover for life.

“Excerpted from: Tortitude: The BIG Book About Cats With a BIG Attitude by Ingrid King ©2015, used with permission.”

CICH: Do you imagine you’ll ever open your home to a non-tortie?

IK: When I was looking for a companion for Allegra after Amber passed away, I wasn't specifically looking for another tortie, but I just kept being drawn to them, and when I met Ruby, I knew that we were going to be a two-tortie houshold. It's hard for me to imagine not sharing my life with a tortie, but you just never know with these things, do you?

CICH: Do you feel that having two torties is two-times the trouble?

IK: At times, it's tortitude squared, but it's also two-times the love!

CICH: What was the inspiration for your book beyond your love for multi-colored cats? Were there any myths you wanted to dispel?

IK: The book was inspired primarily by my love for torties, but I also wanted to show that even though all torties have tortitude, they're also all individuals. I'm all about learning from our cats, and I think torties teach us that you should never judge anyone or anything based on appearance alone.

CICH: If you had to do it all over again is there anything you’d change about your book?

IK: I wish I could have included more photos. I received almost 1,000 photos from my followers, and it was really hard to narrow it down to only the ones used in the book. Of course, it also meant that for about two months, I had the best job in the world: I got to sort through hundreds of photos of torties!

CICH: If there’s one thing you could tell my readers about torties what would you want them to know?

IK: Life will never be boring when you share it with a tortie.

CICH: Any plans for a sequel?

IK: You never know...

CICH: I’m starting to ask this of all my interviewees: What is your favorite cat body part?

IK: How could I possibly answer that! I love everything about cats - I think they're the most beautiful creatures on the planet. But if I absolutely had to pick one body part, I'd have to say the eyes, because, as cliched as it sounds, they're the window to a cat's soul.

“Excerpted from: Tortitude: The BIG Book About Cats With a BIG Attitude by Ingrid King ©2015, used with permission.”

Tortitude, the BIG book of Cats with a BIG Attitude is available NOW on Amazon (and can be pre-ordered from all other online retailers and will be available in stores after February 5th). Ms. King will donate $1 for every copy ordered before February 5 to the Jackson Galaxy Foundation to help at-risk cats.

If you'd like to WIN a copy of Tortitude, the BIG book of Cats with a BIG Attitude simply leave a comment here about something that shows your cat has tortitude (even if it's not exactly a tortie). Enter by 1/29/16 at 11:11PM EST. Winner, as chosen by me, will get one copy of the book. Entrant's mailing address must be in the United States for a chance to win. One comment PER person, please. Comments are moderated to prevent SPAM so it may take a few hours for your entry to appear.