77 Things to Know Before Getting a Cat. Susan Ewing M.
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will be exceptions, but cat owners generally agree that males are more affectionate than females. Affection doesn’t matter if a cat lives in a barn as a mouser, but most people who have pet cats prefer their cats to show some affection.
The striking Siamese is a popular breed.
In their book, Your Ideal Cat: Insights into Breed and Gender Differences in Cat Behavior, authors Benjamin L. Hart, DVM, PhD, and Lynette A. Hart, PhD, rank some cat breeds according to how affectionate they are. The Ragdoll scored the highest, followed by the domestic shorthair, Burmese, and Maine Coon. Least likely to show affection were the Bengal, Manx, and Abyssinian. Still, many owners of cat breeds that aren’t known for showing affection will argue that their cats are affectionate. Members of the Cat Writers’ Association to whom I spoke were all in agreement that a cat’s affectionate and outgoing temperament is the result of both genetics and living environment. It partially depends on how much, and what kind of, affection you expect from your cat.
Teresa Keiger, editor of Cat Talk magazine, notes that some breeds are more gregarious than others, and some are more cautious around strangers. “Russian Blues are [more cautious]. They also bond closely with their owners . . . and are a classic example of what breeding to improve temperament can achieve. Breeding for temperament changed their demeanor.”
Keiger discusses another factor that influences an individual cat’s personality. “The usual ‘pecking order’ is whole females, whole males, spays, neuters. Genetics plays a huge role in temperament, and breeders take that into consideration in their breeding programs. I would not be surprised to learn that sensory input played a role in temperament.” She also says, “Another factor is exposure to various and frequent stimuli from an early age. Kittens exposed to a higher level of noise and activity generally seem to be less shy than ones raised in a quiet environment. So, it’s nature and nurture.”
While Bev Caldwell, retired feline health and behavior writer and longtime owner of pedigreed cats, agrees that males are generally more affectionate, she adds that it also depends on the individual cat and probably whether the owner has had the cat from kittenhood or has adopted an adult cat. Sometimes adult shelter cats may come with bad habits or may have temperaments shaped by previous mistreatment, such as being removed from their mothers too early or being neglected by former owners.
Russian Blue kitten.
Being regarded as more affectionate gives males an edge over females, but, on the negative side, males are much more likely than females to spray their urine. It’s a way of marking their territory. Neutering helps, but may not totally extinguish, spraying behavior.
SAY WHAT?
Some breeds are more talkative than others. For example, the Siamese is noted for carrying on almost continual conversations. Some people find this charming; others may find it annoying.
Regardless of breed and sex, all cats will have their good and bad points. It’s a good idea to research breeds and to consider what traits you can and can’t live with. In the end, though, you may have decided on a shorthaired male Siamese only to be captivated by a female domestic longhair. Do your homework—but it’s also OK to listen to your heart.
AFFECTION MATTERS
Take into account both the breed and the sex, but don’t ignore the power of affection and attention as it relates to your cat’s temperament.
How affectionate a cat is varies by breed and individual.
5
Kitty Colors
Colors in cats are almost as mysterious as the cat itself. To make things even more interesting, different breeds have different names for the same colors. Add different patterns into the mix, and you have an almost infinite variety.
The cat’s basic colors are black, red, and brown. Red may be called “flame,” and black is described as “ebony” in some breed standards. From the basics, you get into dilute shades and all of their hues. Blue is a dilute color of black. Indigo is a dark blue or gray, and lavender and lilac are the same: a soft pinkish-gray.
A silver cat in a tabby pattern.
Abyssinian cats display a ticked tabby pattern.
Patterns include solid, tabby, pointed, piebald, and van, but it’s not that simple. For instance, in the van pattern, the cat is white with a colored tail, color over the ears and top of the head, and possibly a spot of color on the back. The colored fur can be a solid color or in a tabby pattern.
There are four tabby patterns: mackerel, classic, spotted, and ticked, all of which have a mark on the forehead resembling an “M.” The mackerel tabby is the most common, with narrow stripes of a darker color on a slightly lighter background and dark bands on the legs and tail. The classic tabby has more of a bull’s-eye pattern on the sides and a dark center stripe along the spine as well as the dark bands on the legs and tail.
A ticked tabby pattern lacks the stripes of the mackerel and classic and has hairs with distinct bands of color on them. These agouti hairs give a textured look of light and dark to the coat. The Abyssinian is an example of a ticked tabby.
X FACTOR
Both tortoiseshell and calico (black and red on white) cats are generally female because the X chromosome carries the calico factor.
In the spotted tabby pattern, the stripes are broken up to look like spots. The Bengal, Ocicat, and Egyptian Mau are examples of this kind of pattern.
Pointed, or colorpoint, cats include the Siamese, Burmese, Himalayan, and Ragdoll. True colorpoint cats always have blue eyes. According to the Cat Fanciers Association, Siamese cats may have seal (almost black), chocolate (warm brown), blue (slate blue), and lilac (pinkish-gray); the International Cat Association additionally recognizes red, cream, and tabby points.
In all colorpoint cats, the color is the result of a gene that inhibits pigment. This gene is affected by temperature; the dark color comes out on the cooler body areas, like the tail, face, and legs. As a pointed cat ages, the skin temperature cools and the body darkens.
Piebald cats have two or more distinct colors, generally on a white background. Tortoiseshell cats, or “torties,” are cats whose fur combines two colors other than white, usually black and red or the dilute variations of these colors. Our neighbor’s beautiful tortie would be described as lavender/lilac and cream. If the tabby pattern is also in evidence, the cat is called a “torbie.”
Colors vary according to registry and can be put together into many combinations. For example, the American Cat Fanciers Association lists thirty-nine possible color combinations plus “and white” and “van-colored” for the American Shorthair, which includes fifteen tabby variations, such as brown, blue, cameo, golden, and silver. Besides the standard black, blue, red and cream, there’s also chinchilla, cameo, blue smoke, black smoke, and blue cream smoke.
The classic tortoiseshell colors are black and red.
DID YOU KNOW?
A “mitted” cat has four white feet.