My Torties Are One of My Inspirations

Tribbles "Cat on a Leash"

My tortoiseshell cats are one of the inspirations behind many of my designs. Anyone who has ever loved a tortie knows about what people call “tortitude.” They are famous for their big personalities, independence, and sometimes their strong opinions. But my little Tribbles is different.

Tribbles was named after the Star Trek episode “The Trouble with Tribbles” because of the happy little sounds she makes when she’s content. She is a very tiny girl and was our very first tortoiseshell cat.

While people say tortitude is about attitude and aggression, Tribbles really has none of that. She’s gentle, affectionate, and incredibly devoted.

And if she ever has to choose sides in an argument?

She always chooses mine.

Tasha and Tavi – The Two Sisters

I can’t tell Tasha’s story without including her sister, Tavi.

We lost Tavi a few years ago. She passed away from an enlarged heart, which somehow felt fitting because she truly had the biggest heart of any cat I’ve known.

Tasha in the cage at Petsmart

We adopted the sisters from Animal Hope Alliance at the Petsmart in Christiansburg, Virginia.I first noticed Tasha sitting in the window. The stripe down her nose reminded me of Tribbles, and I fell in love immediately. Inside the cage with her was her sister, Tavi.

She didn’t have the stripe, and honestly, asking my roommate at the time to accept one cat was already a stretch. When my roommate arrived and looked at Tasha, he said,

"That cat looks nothing like Tribbles."

I replied,"But look at the stripe down her nose… please?"

Eventually he said yes to Tasha.

By this point, though, a small crowd had gathered around the adoption area.

People kept asking,"But what about her sister?"

Tavi

My roommate scowled and said we couldn’t afford two adoption fees.

Just then, Betty from Animal Hope Alliance reached into the cage and brought Tasha out. Her sister stayed inside, looking sad, batting at a toy before plopping down in disappointment.

The crowd reacted all at once with a big“Awwww…”

Someone said,"You can’t take one and leave the other. Look how sad she is."

Then a man stepped forward and asked,"If I pay the adoption fees, will you take them both?"

Of course we said yes.

The adoption fee was $60 each, but he handed Betty $100 and told her to keep the change.

And just like that, we had our Tortie Trio.

Their Rough Start

Both Tasha and Tavi had runny noses and sneezes when we brought them home, and Animal Hope Alliance gave me medication to help them recover.

They had been found alone as kittens after their mother was hit by a car, so they never received the nutrients kittens normally get from their mothers.

Despite that rough start, they grew into two of the sweetest cats I have ever known.

I kept them separated from Tribbles at first in case anything they had was contagious.

That first night, I slept on the bathroom floor with them. Tasha curled right up beside me,

Tasha & Tavi

and in that moment I knew she was meant to be my baby. Tavi stayed nearby. Throughout their lives they sometimes got annoyed with each other the way sisters do, but the bond between them was always there. Tavi loved everyone. She will always be deeply loved and remembered by me, my husband, and my former roommate. When I got married, Tasha stayed with me, and my roommate kept Tavi.But during the last week of her life, Tavi came back to spend time with her sister. And that meant everything.

Tasha has had some health struggles over the years, but that’s a story for another time.