It is estimated that cats have been domesticated from as early on as 9500 years ago. You’d think that after nearly ten centuries with our furry friends by our sides, that we’d have them all figured out by now – but that doesn’t seem to be the case. We are still trying to make sense of their quirky characteristics, their fickle attitudes and the wide range in personalities! There is documentation stating that we have been trying to attribute these characteristics to the gender and colour of cats since the late 1800s. Although there is no scientific evidence confirming that a cats coat can dictate its personality, there are many theories as to how certain cats will behave…
Calicos and Tortoiseshels- Calicos and tortis are almost always females (the only exception being males with a chromosomal mutation giving them three sex chromosomes opposed to two). As female cats are seen as a little more sassy, calicos are thought of as wild and lively companions. They are also considered good luck in some parts of the world, including Japan!
Grey Tabbies- Are considered to have a bit of a wild edge and love the outdoors, and are inclined to hunting and more aggressive play (I can confirm this stereotype – I have a grey tabby, and he is quite the little door dasher! He will do anything to get outside, and he is always up for playtime!).
Black/Grey with white- Resourceful, clever, and active are the characteristics used to describe these guys, as a result they are less affectionate (We have a black and white guest that stays with us that is very active and clever – he constantly rips up his kennel card, and even figured out how to turn on the lights at night time! Although now as he is getting older he is becoming more docile and affectionate)
All Black- Well there seem to be mixed feelings about black cats in diferent parts of the world. In many parts of Britain Black cats are seen as good luck, or a sign of prosperity and good times to come. In other parts of Europe it is considered a bad omen for a black cat to cross your path. Finally in north America we have associated black cats as being familiars with witches, and therefore… bad luck (My personal experience suggests that black cats are neither good luck, or bad luck, just awesome! I find it rare to meet a black cat that isn’t friendly and snuggly, although some say I’m a little biased…).
White cats- White cats with blue eyes are quite often deaf, making them good companions, although this could also be described as clingy…
Chocolate cats – Are delicious!… Just kidding. The dark brown or mocha coloured fur is failry rare, and these kitties tend to be very intelligent, friendly and playful (according to the internet at least!)
Seal Point- Seal point kitties, like Siamese, or tonkenese are very vocal quirky and dog like (Again, I will attest to this based on some of the guests we’ve had! Almost all of the Tonkenese, Siamese, and Rag dolls we’ve seen at the Cats’ Castle will chat your ear off, and will NEVER pass up a chance to snuggle!!).
Orange/Ginger/Red cats- These cats are very loving, but can have slightly unpredictable behavior, which is often entertaining and humorous!
These descriptions were based on information that I gathered while doing a little internet research, and I found many websites blogs and blurbs tended to contradict one another. In my opinion it is our personal experiences with cats that leaves an impression, and affects how we expect cats of a similar appearance to act or behave. For instance when I was younger I had an experience with an aggressive tuxedo cat that lead me to be weary of every other tuxedo kitty that then crossed my path! As well, if you were to ask me which colour of kitty I expected to be the sweetest or cuddliest I would answer you without hesitation, “Black cats”…. But this is surely because I have one at home, and I can guarantee you would get a different answer depending on who you asked! If you spoke with Kirsten, she would tell you that Ginger cats are the ultimate love bugs, while it takes a Calico to melt Miranda’s heart! The bottom line is that there is no direct correlation between a cats coat colour and their personality – each kitty is unique regardless of its fur!
Resources:
http://cats.about.com/od/amyshojai/a/Cat-Color-and-Personality.htm
http://www.readersdigest.ca/pets/what-your-cats-colour-says-about-its-personality
http://voices.yahoo.com/what-cats-color-says-his-personality-2091133.html?cat=53
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_cat
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