Does color enter into personality?

^tanya^

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I have heard people say that a calico is more likely to have such and such personality, same with tabby, tuxedo etc. Is this true?

We are getting an adult, so it won't really matter because it will already have it's personality traits. I was just wondering.
 

strange_wings

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No more so than it does with people. Should one assume that a person will have certain personality due to hair or skin color?

The calico and tortie bit plays more into the fact that those color patterns are usually female and female cats have their own personality traits (such as wanting to be the only cat, aloof). Orange is more commonly male cats, and male cats are usually a bit more social. Some breeds will be more likely to have certain personality traits, but that is because most have been specifically bred for that - unlike a typical DSH.
Just pick out the kitten or cat that seems to best match you.
 

natalie_ca

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The only cat that I know that has an "attitude" is a Torti. Why that is, I don't know. But I've had a Torti and her personality was like Jekyl and Hyde! And I know people who have Torti's who go through the same thing with their's. I've even had 2 vets tell me that Torti cats are tempermental.

Cats are a complete mystery. With a dog you can pretty much groom their temperment and train them, but cats are way too independant for that. Yes, living circumstances can contribute to their personality, but I think much of their temperment is ingrained into their genes when they are born.

Dogs have been domesticated for much longer than cats, so it's possible that cats still retain some of the "wild" attributes of their ancestors.
 
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^tanya^

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Originally Posted by strange_wings

No more so than it does with people. Should one assume that a person will have certain personality due to hair or skin color?

The calico and tortie bit plays more into the fact that those color patterns are usually female and female cats have their own personality traits (such as wanting to be the only cat, aloof). Orange is more commonly male cats, and male cats are usually a bit more social. Some breeds will be more likely to have certain personality traits, but that is because most have been specifically bred for that - unlike a typical DSH.
Just pick out the kitten or cat that seems to best match you.
Actually, I mentioned I was asking for fun due to the fact that we were getting an adult that will already have it's personality.

I was in no way implying that I felt the color of a cats fur having to do with personality, and the race or hair color of a human having to do with it were anywhere even close to the same thing.
 

strange_wings

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Originally Posted by ^Tanya^

Actually, I mentioned I was asking for fun due to the fact that we were getting an adult that will already have it's personality.

I was in no way implying that I felt the color of a cats fur having to do with personality, and the race or hair color of a human having to do with it were anywhere even close to the same thing.
There has been more than a couple of these threads in the past, though. It's amazing how many people actually believe the color affects the personality, maybe so much so that some people would only want cats of a certain color or avoid others because of suspected personality. I don't think that's a problem with most of the people here - not when so many could have their version of a kitty rainbow.


As for "kitten"... I still call 1-2 year olds kittens due to behavior.
And you never know, you may find an older kitten that fits you perfectly! The best laid plans go out the door in the face of a determined cat.
 

calico2222

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My orange tabby and my MIL's orange tabby are both males and are the "investigators". They will try to get into everything! That probably is just a coincidence because they are probably related, but I've talked to other people with orange tabbies and they say the same thing, so who knows? I have 3 torties, I mainly black, 2 mainly gray, and only the black tortie has given me any trouble but she is the alpha cat. I really don't think color has to do with anything. I mean, people say red haired girls are fiesty...is that true?
 

miss mew

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Sydney is my first calico and I've found her to have a very unique personality!
 
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^tanya^

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We had several cats when I was growing up. I liked them all. But as a kid when I was allowed to pick a kitten to bring home, I would pick one that looked different than any previous cat. I was hoping to have one of each at some point I guess.
 

persi & alley

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Originally Posted by ^Tanya^

I have heard people say that a calico is more likely to have such and such personality, same with tabby, tuxedo etc. Is this true?

We are getting an adult, so it won't really matter because it will already have it's personality traits. I was just wondering.
I have just personally asked my calico cat about this and she says that this notion is
 

strange_wings

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Originally Posted by ^Tanya^

I was hoping to have one of each at some point I guess.
Kitty rainbow.


Note, I mostly base this on the fact that since childhood to present I've probably cared for (kept some, rehomed many more) somewhere around 50-60 cats. After a while they're all "kitty" to me, but still have their own behavior quirks. Part of the reason owners will say their cats are unique in some way is the same reason why parents will insist their human children are special.
And there's nothing wrong with that, we're all proud parents to furry kids or human ones -thinking they're special is just part of that.
 

arlyn

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I'm owned by a torti, aside from the fact that she is the top cat in any feline social structure she happens to be in, she has no 'tortitude'.

She is a very loving, affectionate cat.
There are no strangers to her, only friends she hasn't met yet.
She is accepting of any and every situation she's been put in, and takes everything in stride.
 

valanhb

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I say that black cats have THE BEST personalities every!


OK, actually, I just know that black cats usually have the hardest times finding homes, and I adore my two black kitties, so I just think everyone should open their hearts to black kitties.


Just go in with an open mind, and the kitty will find you and let you know that they are supposed to come home with you.
 

addiebee

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I've dealt with shelter cats of all stripes (pun intended) and I really, really think it depends on the cat's personality. We had torti sisters come in who were just LUV Bugs!!!!!! One was outgoing, the other more shy - but sweet!!!!
 

cococat

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Not much, if any at all. I personally don't think any.

I hate this sterotype, it reminds me of people thinking humans act a certain way due to their skin colour.
People do it will all animals too, it is dumb. Fawn Chihuahuas act like this, black Chi's act like this, or blah blah colour reptiles or small animals like rats act *x* way just since they are so and so colour.

I think the breed sometimes can have something to due with personality, since a lot of time breeding programs breed outgoing cats on purpose generation and temperament is important in a show cat, so maybe more like specific lines, but even then not every cat will be as outgoing and friendly all the time.

Cats are individuals and each have their own temperaments and personalities which aren't linked to colour or sex. There have been a few of this threads recently and I am amazed at the numbers of people who actually believe all colour cats act this way, or all males act this way, and so on.
 

strange_wings

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I just found this in my bookmarks... I'm not certain when I bookmarked it because I did not know it was there.
http://www.messybeast.com/colour-tempment.htm

Ironically, a little while ago, a neighbor's tabby was sitting in a flower bed at the side of the shop building - the bed is full of weathered mulch and a few dead plants. I did not see him until he moved, and thought "What great camouflage! - tabbies must have came from wooded areas"...
 

carolpetunia

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Well now, just a minute here... I think we may be overlooking some facts in our eagerness to disclaim "kitty racism." I'm not an expert on this, by any means, and if there are real geneticists among us, I hope they'll correct any errors I make. But let me try to make a general point here:

1. It is perfectly true that certain character traits are often linked to specific breeds in cats (and dogs as well). The entire pet breeding industry is (for better or worse) predicated at least partly on this fact.

2. Calico and tortie are not breeds, however, but colors. Still, color is an inherited trait, so genetics does play a part in it.

3. We all know that white cats with blue eyes are often deaf. That's because of the proximity of the genes for White, Blue-Eyed, and Deaf: where one is present, the others are also likely to occur.

4. So why would it be difficult to imagine that a gene for hypersensitivity, for example, might exist in close proximity to the one for a tortie coat, so that the two would usually occur together?

5. Before you presume that I would make the same generalization about people, consider this: the shorter lifespan, more frequent reproduction, and more heavily instinct-based behavior of cats (not to mention directed breeding) all contribute to the perpetuation of "genetic cliches" like the classic diva calico. The obvious differences in human reproduction choices and timelines, plus the much more intense role of "nurture" in the development of human personality, drastically reduce the effect of genetics on human behavior...

6. ...Reduce, but do not eliminate: who among us has not been told we have Uncle Max's sense of humor or Great-Grandma Mary's soft heart, even though we may never have met them? There are indeed genetic influences in human behavior, and just as in cats, human personality traits can be genetically linked to characteristic appearance, as well. Perhaps the genes for red hair and a hot temper occur in close proximity, and that's why redheads have such a fiery reputation. (Again, a "coloring" example, rather than one of breed or race.)

7. But again, largely because our upbringing plays such a major role in our personality, we humans quite rightly place less emphasis on the genetic element. Just as it is ignorant and foolish to make assumptions about a person based on the color of his skin, it is unwise and unfair to presume that every tortie will be "difficult." (However, it is somewhat less unfair in the case of cats than in the case of humans. For the reasons stated above, genetic stereotypes tend to apply a lot more often in cats than in people.)

8. So... the personality of a cat may be somewhat predictable, based on breed and/or coloring, and with no account allowed for formative experiences. But no one who loves and understands cats would pass such rash judgment! Cats, dogs, people... we all deserve to be understood and appreciated as individuals.

...As Sassy, our temptuous little cali-tortie, never lets us forget!
 

weldrwomn

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I have two torties and while they both have different personalities, they both have lots of tortitude!!!
 
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