24 Sep Second Chance: Cats’ True Colors!
Since 1994, the Animal Resource Center and the Shops of Second Chance Humane Society have been dedicated toserving animals in Southwestern Colorado. Adoption hours are every day from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The facility is located at 177 County Rd 10, Ridgway, CO. View shelter pets and services online at secondchancehumane.org.
View shelter pets and services online: www.adoptmountainpets.org..
Donate here or mail to: PO Box 2096, Ridgway, CO, 81432.
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There are very strong opinions about cat colors. Some people are partial to tabbies; others prefer a tortie. It may seem hard to believe, but genetically speaking, there are only two colors of cats: black and red. All other colors are combinations, dilutions, or mixtures of the two.
Most cats are black (genetically). Unless they have the sex-linked orange gene, in which case, they might be red (commonly called orange or ginger). Other genes affect coat colors and patterns, such as the dilute gene (turning a black to gray or orange to cream); point-restricted gene (creating Siamese type marking); pie-bald white spotting gene (creating bi-colored cats like tuxedo); or the W-masking gene (which produces a white cat).
Another interesting fact is that all cats have a variation of the “tabby gene” (agouti), which creates the striped pattern. Whether they show their tabby pattern or not depends on whether the cat has the dominant agouti gene or the recessive non-agouti solid color gene. Solid-colored kittens will sometimes show their underlying tabby pattern when young, before their adult coat grows in. Also, when an adult cat with a solid coat lies in bright sunlight, their underlying tabby pattern can sometimes be seen.
Black cats, grey tabbies, and brown tabbies are the most common cat colors. Fawn is the rarest because it relies upon an unusual combination of recessive genes, which are easily masked by other colors.
If you’re a cat person, you know that calico and tortoiseshell cats (those with both black and red coat colors) are almost always female. That’s because the orange gene is carried on the X chromosome. Because males have only one X chromosome, they can only be black or red (or the variations of each), but they won’t have both genes that make the calico/tortie coat.
The same logic explains why orange cats are more likely to be male. Since females have two X’s and males have one X and one Y, this means that a female orange cat must inherit two orange genes (one from each parent). A male only needs one, which he gets from his mother.
Why is this important? Some believe that a cat’s color will give a clue to his or her personality.
One researcher was interested in the link between how cat color influences adoption rates. After surveying 189 responses, it was found that people were more likely to assign positive personality traits to orange cats and less favorable ones to white and tortoiseshell ones. Orange cats were largely regarded as friendly; white cats as aloof; tortoiseshell cats as intolerant.
The link between cat color and personality has been studied in several studies.
There is little evidence that coat color determines personality or friendliness. With these prejudices, there are serious repercussions for cat adoption rates if people believe that some colors are friendlier than others. At Second Chance, we see a preference for white, calico, and Siamese-type of cats. Our “plain” cats, especially black cats and tabbies, tend to wait longer for their people. We strongly recommend that people consider every cat as a unique being, regardless of color!
BK
BK is a tabby cat who might be overlooked, despite having a handsome white bib and adorable white toes. He came to us after living as an outdoor cat (see the ear tip) and he was shy. Our incredible staff helped this four-year-old boy learn that he loves being loved. He’s now a staff fave, and would love to find a new home.
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