My little pet peeve

Why does it bother me so much when people call red cats "orange"? Orange is not a recognized cat color, but so what. Either is gray. Gray is called Blue. Either is brown, for that matter, which I only recently found out. Brown is actually officially called chocolate or seal. But I just hate it when people call red cats "orange". WHY? Why does it annoy me so much? It makes no sense for me to be so bothered by this. There is no such thing as an "orange" cat. The ginger shades are red.

But who cares, right? I do, for some unfathomable reason. :lol3: :lol3:

people who don't know anything about cat breeds (like me) don't know that orange is not a color. My last cat was a light red tabby wtih white markings. I called him Orange with white markings. He died last month and I joined this forum when I got a new kitten so I could buff up on what I would need to do as I hadn't had a kitten in a while. That's where I read, for the first time, that there is no such thing as Orange cats. So, not everybody is as knowledgeable on the subject.

On a side note, "Peeve" would be a great cat name.

Thanks for your reply. I do realize that many people have never heard cats called red. Some even make fun of me for using the term, but having enjoyed the love of two consecutive red boys, I know in my heart red cats are red, not orange (or yellow for that matter).

But...why does it BOTHER me so much? It's so...illogical to be so annoyed when seeing a red cat called "orange". And I do see it, daily. There are people, who even knowing the correct color words, continue to call red cats "orange". That REALLY bugs me, LOL :lol3:!

I have a friend who had a red female . She called her kitty "orange" all the kitty's life, until she met me . Even after I gently corrected her, she had trouble, for quite a long while, even thinking of her kitty, or even my Tolly , as red instead of "orange". But, since I got offended every time she called Tolly an "orange boy", she finally got used to it, and now I am proud to see her use the term red cat whenever the subject comes up.

Because cats that are orange in colour are orange. Not everyone is a cat breeder and knows the terminology.

Trouts mom said:

Because cats that are orange in colour are orange. Not everyone is a cat breeder and knows the terminology.

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Thanks for your reply. You have misconstrued my intent . I understand that not everyone knows that red cats are not "orange", that they are red. One doesn't have to be a breeder to learn this fact, but that's not my point.

I started the thread because I don't understand why it bothers me so much, when I see red cats called "orange". A person can learn, easily enough, and if they care to, what colors cats come in. If they don't care to learn, or choose to be stubborn and continue to call a cat orange, even when they know the correct terminology, so what? Why should I care? It makes no sense for me to waste energy being annoyed by this, but I can't seem to get past it.

That's why I decided to go public with my peeve. Maybe someone can help me get over it. :lol3:

redvelvetone said:

people who don't know anything about cat breeds (like me) don't know that orange is not a color. My last cat was a light red tabby wtih white markings. I called him Orange with white markings. He died last month and I joined this forum when I got a new kitten so I could buff up on what I would need to do as I hadn't had a kitten in a while. That's where I read, for the first time, that there is no such thing as Orange cats. So, not everybody is as knowledgeable on the subject.

On a side note, "Peeve" would be a great cat name.

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You mean like "Peeves" in Harry Potter books.

To hear a medical word mispronounced grates on my ears, though I never say anything.  Then I stop and think that everyone hasn't studied medical terminology...or cares if they get the word exactly right.  I guess the orange comes in because most cats in that color family actually look more orange than red.  Speck was listed as buff on his adoption paperwork, but I call him orange or red, whichever color pops into my head at the time.  The same thing goes with tuxedo cats.  I know tuxedo is not a breed, but if the suit fits...   Anyway, I'm sorry if I offend.  I don't mean to; it's just the way I talk.

No, no, you guys are missing my point.

Okay, I know it sounds like I am complaining about people who call red cats "orange". I hate it, I admit it. And I appreciate you taking the time to explain how you happen to use the word "orange" to talk about a red cat.

But what is really bugging me, is that it bugs me at all. You see? I think it's ridiculous that this issue bothers me. It really really bothers me, but I think it's ludicrous that it does. Don't I have enough to worry about, without having this grate on me every time I see a red cat called "orange"?

So, HOW do I stop being annoyed by this? I am sincerely asking. HOW do I fix myself so this does not bother me?

I guess I should have not mentioned what the pet peeve is, instead I should have just asked:

How does one get over a pet peeve?

Being overtired, I'm really tempted to tell you that the cure is to go to the nearest shelter, adopt a red tabby and name him/her "Orange".

Trying to overcome a pet peeve would be a good New Year's resolution. I'd just have to decide which one of the many I have needs the most work, and then figure out how to go about it.

jcat said:

Being overtired, I'm really tempted to tell you that the cure is to go to the nearest shelter, adopt a red tabby and name him/her "Orange".
Trying to overcome a pet peeve would be a good New Year's resolution. I'd just have to decide which one of the many I have needs the most work, and then figure out how to go about it.

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I only just lost my beautiful sweet red tabby boy, and I will be paying off his vet bills for a while, so that is not an option. I've had the great pleasure of living with red boys twice, though neither of them were long lived (Baby 1/2/98, was 14 1/2, Tolly 11/29/11 was only just past 12. ) There may be another red cat in my future, you never know, but not just now. And though you never know what name a cat may choose, I would have a hard time calling ANY cat "Orange":lol3:.

(Though I did rescue a red girl last spring whose name was, still is, Blue She doesn't live with me and Mazy, Jennie and Queen Eva though, she is the Greeter Cat at the shelter.)

I know there must be a way to put mind over matter, and stop having this bother me so much.

otto said:

How does one get over a pet peeve?

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LOL, I get your point, and I don't think you CAN get over them (that's why they're pets!   ). Honestly, just grit your teeth and bear it? I have my pet peeves too. My big one is "text-talk". Now, I can understand abbreviating something if you are texting on your phone. But if someone sends me an email, spell out "you", don't use "u". It's not that hard. It's 2 extra letters. It drives me crazy and is like nails on a chalkboard to me (actually, THAT doesn't bother me).

What's weird, now that I think about it, is that Germans always say "red", most Brits say "ginger", but a lot of Americans say "orange". Red tabbies are almost always males in Germany and practically always females on Malta.

My niece's red tabby, Trey, is 16 1/2 now, so some are long-lived. He's always had a lot of trouble with allergies, though.

jcat said:

What's weird, now that I think about it, is that Germans always say "red", most Brits say "ginger", but a lot of Americans say "orange". Red tabbies are almost always males in Germany and practically always females on Malta.
My niece's red tabby, Trey, is 16 1/2 now, so some are long-lived. He's always had a lot of trouble with allergies, though.

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Yes, the expression 'ginger tom' is almost generic in the UK for any big bruiser of a cat, whatever the colour!

Here you go, let me try to help you out:
Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * Orange * :lol3::lol3::lol3::lol3::lol3::lol3::lol3:

Same with me. I've only heard of Ruddy Abbysinians, not red cats. Most red cats look very orange to me, including my next-door neighbor's cat.
 

Trouts mom said:

Because cats that are orange in colour are orange. Not everyone is a cat breeder and knows the terminology.

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I never knew this fact. I always called them orange. I'm totally going to pass this tidbit onto everyone I hear call them orange. 

But I think it's normal to have silly things get on your nerves. I know I certainly have a few, and in my head I know it's silly that it's bothering me, but I've just come to accept it. I'm not sure how to get over this, but I did enjoy the post above with the repetitive orange 

I'm not sure it's possible to not let your pet peeves annoy you. I always got top grades in grammar and spelling, have been an avid reader my whole life (my parents don't even really know how I learned to read), and my biggest pet peeves in life have to do with incorrect spelling and bad grammar. I know it's never going to stop bothering me, so I just have to remind myself that in the grand scheme of things, it's just not a big deal when people don't know the difference between there, their and they're. I just acknowledge that it annoys me, and I move on.

Mystik Spiral said:

I'm not sure it's possible to not let your pet peeves annoy you. :lol3: I always got top grades in grammar and spelling, have been an avid reader my whole life (my parents don't even really know how I learned to read), and my biggest pet peeves in life have to do with incorrect spelling and bad grammar. I know it's never going to stop bothering me, so I just have to remind myself that in the grand scheme of things, it's just not a big deal when people don't know the difference between there, their and they're. I just acknowledge that it annoys me, and I move on. :lol3:

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That is very helpful, thank you! I'll try that, because I really dislike getting so annoyed with myself. Then I am doubly annoyed, you know? Annoyed by the peeve, then annoyed at myself for getting annoyed. So rather than trying to "get over it" I should work on self-acceptance....! "This bothers me, so what, it's just who I am, so just allow myself to be bothered, love myself in spite of it, and keep on truckin."

nurseangel said:

To hear a medical word mispronounced grates on my ears, though I never say anything.  Then I stop and think that everyone hasn't studied medical terminology...or cares if they get the word exactly right. 

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Thank you, it helps to know others have these little peeves, too.

calico2222 said:

LOL, I get your point, and I don't think you CAN get over them (that's why they're pets! :lol3:  ). Honestly, just grit your teeth and bear it? I have my pet peeves too. My big one is "text-talk". Now, I can understand abbreviating something if you are texting on your phone. But if someone sends me an email, spell out "you", don't use "u". It's not that hard. It's 2 extra letters. It drives me crazy and is like nails on a chalkboard to me (actually, THAT doesn't bother me).

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Your comment I bolded and underlined above is absolutely priceless and makes perfect sense!:lol3:. I love it! Text talk in e mails or in posts in forums bothers me, too. Not to the extent of the peeve I mentioned here, but it is annoying, though comforting to know that it bothers others too.

x2006nkg said:

I never knew this fact. I always called them orange. I'm totally going to pass this tidbit onto everyone I hear call them orange. 

But I think it's normal to have silly things get on your nerves. I know I certainly have a few, and in my head I know it's silly that it's bothering me, but I've just come to accept it. I'm not sure how to get over this, but I did enjoy the post above with the repetitive orange :lol3:

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Thank you. It really does help to know I'm not alone in having idiosyncratic irrationalities. Learning to accept that this is how I feel, rather than berating myself for it is the key, I think, I appreciate your help!

My advice is each time some calls a red cat orange, just ignore it. Don't make a response about how its not an orange cat but red cat. Reacting to it just makes it worse, you're pretty much telling that part of your brain that its okay to let it trigger your anger or anxiety, when your brush it off then it tells that part of your brain "who cares."   That method always works on my pet peeves. 

On another subject, I think people aren't really thinking on correct coloring terms when they talk about a cat's color, they see a cat that's about the color of the pumpkin they think orange because on the color wheel that's what the color would be called. If I saw a rest colored cat, I would call it red because it is, but if I saw an orange cat, even though I know the correct cat color would be red, I call it orange because 1) as mentioned, that's what the color would be called on the color wheel and 2) most people would say, "that cat's not red, its orange" because most people don't know that's what an orange colored cat is called.     Of course I usually just call a red/orange cat a Ginger cat anyways because then everyone knows what I'm talking about.

Other colors on a cat are the same.  A gray cat may be correctly called a blue but when generally speaking, the color makes sense for most people when you just call it a gray cat and on the color wheel it would be called gray (though there are some shades of gray that can be considered a shade of blue.)    As far as Chocolate and seal colors, if you're talking about a color point on a Siamese or other pointed cat, most people would know what you're talking about, however if you called a non-pointed cat, seal. A lot of people would look at you weird.  Chocolate is a little different because many people use the word chocolate as a synonym of brown because it sounds prettier.  Anyways, speaking of terms on actual colors, techniqually, white or black isn't a real color too. White is the absence of color while black is all colors, so if you get upset with people calling a red cat, orange, then you should get equally upset when someone calls white a color. 

You can also use that reasoning to help with your problem, each time you start getting angry you can tell yourself that you don't get upset when someone calls white a color, why should this get me upset.

otto said:

No, no, you guys are missing my point.
Okay, I know it sounds like I am complaining about people who call red cats "orange". I hate it, I admit it. And I appreciate you taking the time to explain how you happen to use the word "orange" to talk about a red cat.
But what is really bugging me, is that it bugs me at all. You see? I think it's ridiculous that this issue bothers me. It really really bothers me, but I think it's ludicrous that it does. Don't I have enough to worry about, without having this grate on me every time I see a red cat called "orange"?
So, HOW do I stop being annoyed by this? I am sincerely asking. HOW do I fix myself so this does not bother me?
I guess I should have not mentioned what the pet peeve is, instead I should have just asked:
How does one get over a pet peeve?

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One good thing, at least as a pet peeve it's not such a bad one (not in IMHO, anyway).  It kind of bothers me if I see a picture just little bit crooked and I think "OMG...I'm like that man they're hunting on America's Most Wanted!"