Rare male tortoiseshell back in the limelight

Taken in at five months old by Cats Protection’s Wrexham Adoption Centre and believed to be a girl, Cresta, as he was originally called, caused great excitement among the team when he was discovered to be a boy.

Torties, which have distinctive twotone fur patterns, are virtually always female, but a one in 3,000 genetic quirk meant Cresta was one of only a handful of males born in 2019.

Rehoming and Welfare Assistant Laura Healey was among the first to uncover the amazing anomaly when she carried out initial checks, and it was a case of love at first sight as she went on to adopt him, giving him a new name, Ezra.

Laura said: “I had, sadly, recently lost my previous cat on the roads and I felt so lost without Nicholas that I wanted to adopt another little cat, and that’s when Ezra/Cresta came into the centre.

“We were a little worried about the kind of interest his rarity might spark, and my manager liked the idea of him staying in the ‘Cats Protection family’ so it was a perfect match for me. We still occasionally get people contacting the centre asking where the rare boy cat went!

“Ezra immediately felt at home and loved destroying the houseplants. I have another cat, Mouse, who was also adopted, and she adores Ezra, always letting him groom her and cuddle up.”

Ezra is now firmly settled in his home in Chester and his story so touched the creators of the Cats Protection 2023 calendar they offered him a prime slot alongside other cats who have been given a second chance at a happy life through adoption. n It’s still not too late to order The Cats Protection Calendar as we have a handful left! Now (£4.49 + £4.95 p&p) it is available online for UK delivery via https://www.catsprotectionshop.co.uk/ and from the charity’s chain of shops. Every calendar sold helps the charity to raise much-needed funds for cats and kittens in need of new homes.