Preference for Color in Cats

metaoblivia

I was reading recently that black cats and b&w cats are the least likely to be adopted, and I don't think that surprises anyone. Some people still associate them with bad luck, but many just consider them too plain (although I've seen a completely black Maine Coon and he was stunning). I've had a black cat and a b&w cat before, but even I have to admit, they wouldn't be my first choice if I were searching shelters/rescues for a new kitty. I would be much more interested in seeing the available calicos, colorpoints and grey, chocolate, dilute cats first.

On the one hand, I feel a little bit bad about that. On the other hand, I can't help what I find aesthetically pleasing, and I don't think it's wrong necessarily to look for a cat who's both a good fit personality-wise and beautiful in your eyes.

And I should probably say, I've never actually gone to a shelter or rescue to find a cat for myself. All of my cats have just sort of fallen into my life, and they were whatever color they were, and they were all lovely. So I know that the coat doesn't make the cat, and yet I do have preferences in coat and color.

So what about you? Do you find that you have preferences when it comes to coats and colors? If you do, do you stick to those preferences or have you ventured outside of those preferences before?

Nody

When I got our first cats (rescue) we wanted siblings and indoor people cats; colors were of secondary consideration (I wanted black cat as I had one earlier); we ended up with a black and white and a brown/black tabby (sisters). Now as a rescue family we got a whole range of cats and some people go for looks (i.e. our silver cat has attracted a lot of attention) but we find most people actually care more for the personality (i.e. how they are described) and age over color.

Irish Stones

I never looked at the colour of the coat, though I have to admit that my favourite are the tortieshell and the calico, in both cases they would be female cats.
At the moment I have a tortie, a white with two or three black spots and a ginger cat.
All of them came into my life as they were, I didn't look for them, they just crossed my path and I accepted them.

Pumpkinseeds

I've never gone by colour, our cats have always just 'arrived' in the garden in various states of neglect and we've kept them. We have 2 tuxedos and a tabby and hopefully we'll get Pepper home with us tomorrow night and she's a black cat.

To me it's all about the personality of the cat. I don't really care about colour. I love them all:)

SillyMangoX

I have to admit I never liked tabbies, I just found them to look dirty or something, but since getting Dude I really like them! I guess I never really got to see the coat in proper detail before I had a tabby myself and now I think it's so interesting! When I was working with a rescue before I was automatically drawn to the black kittens though, having had one myself in the past I think they are amazing, they look so sleek when they have a properly looked after coat I remember I really wanted to adopt one kitten, Parrot, a jet black little girl who straight away when I went into the cattery would hop up on my shoulder and stay there while I cleaned out all the enclosures but she got adopted by another family. I think once you've owned a black/ b&w cat then you may be more likely to be drawn to them again!

anniehoo

I had a similar conversation with a friend of mine before I got Eddie (he's black and white) and said that when I was looking at websites, I subconciously found that I wasn't really paying attention to the black/black and white cats and had to force myself to go back and read their info. I felt so guilty as I know how hard they are to rehome.Black dogs too have the same problem.

I have a preference for gingers or greys as I automatically seem to look at those first, so it's funny that I picked Eddie in the end.

Magenta

A good cat is never a bad colour
I love black cats.

muddypaws

Our first cat was black, I've always wanted a ginger, so we got a ginger girl as our second, then a black and white, then a tortie, all rescues. At the moment we have another black boy and the tortie, won't get anymore cats while I have so many huskies, but I love torties and calicos, but due to their difficulty in being homed, I will probably get another black or black and white.

metaoblivia

SillyMangoX wrote: »

I have to admit I never liked tabbies,

I'm kind of the same. I really love classic (a swirl pattern) and spotted tabbies, like the Ocicat, but I'm not so crazy about the others. I don't feel as bad though because a lot of people love tabbies. Our newest addition, Gryphon - a solid blue and white tuxedo - was the last left in the litter as his siblings were two calicos, a ginger tabby, and a silver tabby and people wanted them first. We brought him home because no one else would, but he's the loveliest little cat you could ever imagine.

rannerap

I've always wanted a grey cat and when I decided to get a cat I just happened to see a lady online who had found a stray that had given birth and was looking for homes for the kittens after deciding to keep the mother. Not long after we decided to get her a friend and one of the kittens available in the shelter was a long haired calico, I fell in love with her and adopted her straight away. I do love how they both look but it was just by chance I found them. I would love to get a black cat at some stage. But there is no cat colour that I dislike

boomerang

Tabbies, white and tabbies, and tuxedo cats.

I'm definitely influenced in my tastes by the colour of the cats we had growing up. It partly depends on what you're used to. I think before you bring a new cat into your life, colour sways you. But once you know the cat, the colour isn't important anymore.

Like, I went out of my way to adopt a black dog, because I knew she'd be overlooked. I didn't have a black dog before and by choosing her, I was kinda denying myself the colours I love, in dogs. But once she stole her way into my heart after I brought her home, I found that her colour was completely irrelevant.

Ms2011

Never knew what colour a calico was so googled it there, now a I'm not sure what colour our cat is tortiseshell or calico??

SillyMangoX

Calico is the American word for tortoiseshell, what you have there is a lovely tortiseshell and white

ferretone

That's a beautiful calico lady you have there

I'm also not swayed by colour at all, although I do have a special soft spot for the blacks and b&w's. At the moment I have a b&w tuxedo and a blue mackerel tabby who turned up in the bonnet of my car, aged around 4 weeks :eek:

ferretone

SillyMangoX wrote: »

Calico is the American word for tortoiseshell, what you have there is a lovely tortiseshell and white

Hah! You got in ahead, and gave the alternative answer. Although I thought a tortie-and-white was a tortie pattern with white patches, and that a calico was in solid blocks of orange and black on a white background, like Ms2011's cat? Am confused now

Edited to add: Like the tortie is kind of a ticked pattern, instead of the patches, but obviously I'm misinformed.

boomerang

I'm with you, ferretone...

For me, tortie is that black/ginger ticked mix predominating, with *maybe* some white on the chest/chin.

Whereas calicos are predominantly white, with patches of ginger and patches of black.

ferretone

That's what I thought alright, Boomerang

And just out of interest, what do you call it when you have the patches on the calico in ginger-and-tabby, instead of ginger-and-black? They seem to be generally all female too; just wondering is there a name for that at all?

muddypaws

SillyMangoX wrote: »

Calico is the American word for tortoiseshell, what you have there is a lovely tortiseshell and white

I thought torties were solid and calico's were white with the tortoiseshell as well.

shamrock55

Thats funny op cos i prefer black cats or mainly black with bits of white, one colour i dont like is pure white

ferretone

shamrock55 wrote: »

Thats funny op cos i prefer black cats or mainly black with bits of white, one colour i dont like is pure white

Yeah I find it strange that the white ones are among the top favourites for adoption. I would never turn one away for being white, but it definitely wouldn't be a favourite for me.

SillyMangoX

ferretone wrote: »

That's what I thought alright, Boomerang

And just out of interest, what do you call it when you have the patches on the calico in ginger-and-tabby, instead of ginger-and-black? They seem to be generally all female too; just wondering is there a name for that at all?

That would be a torbie - tortie tabby! I originally thought that calico was the solid patches with white, but when it came to entering peach into shows she was classed under classic black tortie and white, so at least in Irish cat shows anyway anything with a tortie or calico parttern is classed under tortie or tortie and white, then there are variations of tortie like blue, chocolate, lilac, sable, sepia.. The list goes on!

anniehoo

SillyMangoX wrote: »

Calico is the American word for tortoiseshell, what you have there is a lovely tortiseshell and white

boomerang wrote: »

For me, tortie is that black/ginger ticked mix predominating, with *maybe* some white on the chest/chin.

Whereas calicos are predominantly white, with patches of ginger and patches of black.

I never hear the term "Calico" used here at all. It's "Tortie"(none or little white bits) or "Tortie mix (half n half)".....:o

anniehoo

SillyMangoX wrote: »

sable, sepia.. The list goes on!

Can you post pics?? :P

boomerang

We don't even use the word tortie. They are "tortiebombs" or, um, "tortieb*tches" - the latter usually when they've improved impossible to catch. No one does hauteur like a tortie!

ferretone

boomerang wrote: »

No one does hauteur like a tortie!

Have often heard the word "tortitude", to describe precisely that attribute!

SillyMangoX

anniehoo wrote: »

Can you post pics?? :P

They seem to be rare enough but ill have a search through the web and see what I can find just got the list of colours from the TICA website :P

Edit: aha now I know why I can't find any, sepia and sable are genetically black but in Burmese shows up as brown.. Or something like that. The genetics of cat colours confuses me :pac:

boomerang

:eek:

SillyMangoX

ferretone wrote: »

Have often heard the word "tortitude", to describe precisely that attribute!

Oh tortitude, now there's something I know all about! Someone knocks on the door, peach growls. Someone rings the phone, peach growls. A car pulls up, peach growls. Someone sneezes or coughs, peach growls. Someone looks at her funny - growl. Lift her off the bed - growl. Offer her something she doesn't like - growl. Crazy tortie lady! She makes a great guard cat though

SillyMangoX

Just found these online, colour charts for different tortie and torbie colours!

Torties :



Torbies:

ferretone

SillyMangoX wrote: »

Oh tortitude, now there's something I know all about! Someone knocks on the door, peach growls. Someone rings the phone, peach growls. A car pulls up, peach growls. Someone sneezes or coughs, peach growls. Someone looks at her funny - growl. Lift her off the bed - growl. Offer her something she doesn't like - growl. Crazy tortie lady! She makes a great guard cat though

Oh, that's awful abuse, what you're doing to your poor tortie :eek: You should definitely stop all that stuff, warn everybody in the world to stop telephoning and never approach HER house! You must obviously just sit there quietly, wherever she allows, no coughing or sneezing, and don't even get me started on funny looks, lifting and dodgy offerings :rolleyes:

Simply await her regal commands, as nature has clearly ordained, and if you fail to interpret them correctly, well obviously you deserve her just reprimand :P

SillyMangoX

ferretone wrote: »

Oh, that's awful abuse, what you're doing to your poor tortie :eek: You should definitely stop all that stuff, warn everybody in the world to stop telephoning and never approach HER house! You must obviously just sit there quietly, wherever she allows, no coughing or sneezing, and don't even get me started on funny looks, lifting and dodgy offerings :rolleyes:

Simply await her regal commands, as nature has clearly ordained, and if you fail to interpret them correctly, well obviously you deserve her just reprimand :P

Thank god she can't read otherwise there would be no living with her if she saw this :P I already give into her too much so she won't growl at me, right now she has me pinned to the bed because she wants my heat