Video screenshot by Gael Fashingbauer Cooper/CNET
The latest viral fame of an orange tabby cat named Jorts led to debates about whether or not Jorts was much less clever than different cats just because he has orange fur. Some mentioned it was unfair and prejudicial to evaluate the feline primarily based on its look.
But is there actually a medically identified tie between cat fur colour and character or intelligence? People assume so, however science does not, Zarah Hedge, chief medical officer on the San Diego Humane Society, instructed me.
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“While there could possibly be some genetic parts related to coat colour that additionally impression character, there may be little scientific proof demonstrating this to be the case in home cats,” mentioned Hedge, who has 5 cats of assorted colours.
The concept that fur colour dictates character is not as loopy because it sounds. Some research do present associations between coat colour in different mammals and their habits — silver foxes, for one. But that hasn’t been confirmed in home cats. And cat fur colour can fluctuate even inside the identical breed. The widespread home shorthair cat is available in many fur colours, so actually, the stereotypes are sometimes evaluating apples to apples.
Still, even when cats do not act a sure method due to their fur colour, we people would possibly assume they do, and that may trigger issues.
“Despite not having stable proof linking coat colour to character, folks, to a point, doubtless make selections on which cat to carry into their residence primarily based on this,” Hedge says. “It can arrange folks to have unrealistic expectations for the way the cat will behave within the residence.”
Orange cats: Friendly however dim?
Let’s have a look at the stereotypes: Orange tabby cats are thought-about by many to be essentially the most gregarious of felines, although some, as seen with the weird Jorts and Jean saga, assume orange tabby cats are additionally the least clever.
“I’ve positively seen and labored with a whole bunch of orange tabby cats and seen all kinds of character varieties,” Hedge says. “I might say {that a} cat’s upbringing and socialization to people, different animals and completely different environments performs a bigger function [than fur color] of their total character and the way they work together with people.”
Orange cats are also popular culture favorites. Morris the Cat, the 9 Lives cat meals mascot and the comic-strip cats Garfield and Heathcliff are orange. Hedges guesses that maybe the creators of those characters had orange cats as pets, however notes that the artists could have been influenced by the stereotype of orange cats as friendlier and extra social.
“From a advertising and marketing standpoint, it type of is smart,” she says.
‘Tortitude’ and playful tuxies
Got a tortoiseshell cat? These cats could be from many alternative breeds, however have a particular tricolor coat. Does your tortie appear particularly sassy and full of life? That suits the stereotype about their colour sample, too.
“There has been a long-held perception that tricolored cats have what has been coined ‘Tortitude’ or tortoiseshell perspective,” Hedges says. “Tortoiseshells are identified for being extra spicy and sassy.”
But she notes {that a} 2016 examine from the University of California at Davis discovered little distinction in cat perspective between completely different coat colours.
“I’ve additionally heard that tuxedo cats are usually extra playful” than most cats, Hedges says. “And after all, there’s been an extended superstition surrounding black cats. And having lived with many alternative cats over time, and dealing with many extra within the shelter, I can say these stereotypes should not true. Each cat has their very own distinctive character.”