These cats are excessively cleanly, and vain of their white, spending much of their time in keeping themselves clean." A tortoiseshell without any white, however was "one of the best hunters a most patient mouser, and is brave to the extreme. The Black and White cat is affectionate and cleanly, but it is a selfish animal, and is not one for children to play with." Huidekoper went on to claim that the gene which caused a cat to have white markings was also responsible for a drastic deterioration in temperament: "The Tortoiseshell and White is apt to become lazy when old - the more so the more white there is in its markings. Of the black-and-white biclour he wrote "‘It tends more than any other cat to become fat and indolent, or ragged and wretched, as the case may be. R S Huidekoper in his book, The Cat (1895) wrote of colours and temperaments. According to Gordon Stables in 1872, there was a tradition that white cats were favoured as mousers by millers as they did not show up against the flour bags. seldom take undue advantage of their great strength". Meanwhile, of the Brown Tabby he wrote that they "possess all pussy’s noblest attributes to perfection! They are docile, honest and faithful. They are often, moreover, very expert fishers." (Cats are, in general, enthusiastic rather than expert fishers.) In the Red "Urbanity of countenance not to be overlooked". They go farther afield and tackle larger game. They are the same kind-hearted, good-natured animals as their brown brethren, and as a rule are better hunters. His description of the Red Tabby in class V read "The Red Tabby ought to approach in size and shape, nearly to the Brown. In his list of classes at the Birmingham and Crystal Palace shows he described the exhibits. In some rodents, the white colour is associated with greater docility and increased tolerance of handling which may be why white mice and white rats are common laboratory animals.ĭr Gordon Stables, in 1872, firmly attributed different characters to felines of differing coat colours.
Coat colour, fur type and certain personality traits may be linked genetically. We selectively breed cats for their looks, but seldom for personality. How much of this is myth and how much is a cat's colour and pattern linked to personality? Both are, after all, inherited and genetically controlled, so it is not impossible for coat colour to be linked to temperament. There is a list of characteristics associated with particular colours at the foot of this article. Black and white cats are said to be wanderers while white cats are shy or nervy. Many cards depict tabby cats curled up by a fire as a symbol of domestic warmth and comfort. A fiery or assertive temperament might be an advantage in some environments - for both cats and humans! Meanwhile, blotched tabbies of either gender are considered "comfortable, home-loving" cats languid and good pets. Oddly enough, ginger colouration in cats is relatively common in Scotland. Confusingly, ginger cats are also quoted as being laid back, but they supposedly have very hot tempers when annoyed - just like the stereotype of human red-heads, especially those of fieryĬeltic origin (which would include me). Blotched tabbies are "real homebodies" while their striped cousins are "more independent".Ĭommon stereotypes are the "archetypal ginger tom" - the flea-bitten, irascible alley cat. Ginger cats are said to be spirited and fiery (and sometimes mean-spirited or sly) - very apt considering their fiery colour and there is the epithet "ginger tom" to describe the supposedly typical alley cat. The naughty tortie tag is not applied to dilute torties (blue-creams), possibly because they are less common in the moggy population. However, the addition of white has a "calming effect" and tortie-and-whites are "not quite as temperamental as brindled torties. One of our vets also used the "naughty tortie" epithet and told us it is "well known that tortie cats are temperamental".
At the cat shelter where I work we refer to "naughty torties" and "laid back blacks".
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