I always try to rescue black cats because of the stigma around them and how people mistreat them. I love my shiny voids.
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I really hope the stigma is fading. Looking at this thread black cats seem popular which is great to see (obviously not representative of everyone)
Having a preference is not morally wrong. It's part of being human. I happen to have a strong affinity for all black cats. But I am still a cat lover at heart and my guess is so are you.
So here's my perspective: you should get a cat you'll love, because that cat will need to depend on you for care. Not going to be a great relationship if 2-5 years down the road you find yourself sighing, reminding yourself that "it's for the internet" and/or "I'm not a cat racist" / some other bullshit as you sign the credit card bill for $50/mo in cat food, litter, cleaning supplies, etc, or worse, $500+ in vet fees to treat an illness.
No, you need to love your cat because you love your cat. Not because a rando on the internet said you're morally obligated to love any/all cats.
$50/mo in cat food
That is some expensive cat food. I buy a 6,5kg bag for 50 euros and that lasts my cat 5 months. And it's no cheap stuff, comparatively, either.
We combine wet and dry food for 2 very small cats, and we probably pay 60β¬ / month. If we'd buy the high quality tier, it would be easy too spend 150β¬ and more. Location: Germany. It's easy to spoil your pets around here.
To be fair, I did have a comma after that. The $50 included litter, which should be changed at least every 2 weeks, and is currently about $18 for the stuff that works best in my household.
I like black because it accentuates the goofy faces cats make sometimes. I also just like the way they look in general.
Practically, it's easy to see when there's something in their fur and when it needs brushing.
As a bonus, they're easy to adopt. Every shelter seems to have a bunch.
I think my favourite is jet black for cat fur. But being honest I like the coat of bengals the most, and they're a tabby type. Lilac burmese running up second.
You do you. People choose cats for whatever reason. Some don't want long haired, some want a specific sex, some want them to be friendly and won't adopt a cat that doesn't greet them first. What matters is that you love and take care of your pet.
I like being owned by black kitties too!
As long as you're not choosing based on superstition i dont think its wrong personally
I forgive you lol, and your cat doesn't have to because it will never know. Nothing wrong with liking a certain kinda cat. I like cats with piercing yellow eyes
Black cat fur is easiest to conceal on my clothing without spending a half hour lint-rolling everyday. That's about the only preference I maybe have.
I love all cats, they're all little weirdos. I don't much like the idea of preferencing people and animals for purely cosmetic reasons, and the idea of assigning personality types to coat colours also makes me uncomfortable. I just don't know if there's any evidence for that correlation, and the concept hits too close to home for me. I also am not a fan of breeding for cosmetics.
I still enjoy the images that come from oneorangebraincell, because I like seeing any cats doing silly things.
Black cats are the best.
Black cats are the best cats.
I really love black cats but Iβm unfortunately allergic to them. Looking forward to the day you can be routinely vaccinated against cat allergies, apparently thatβs a thing.
I had no idea that was possible! Science is amazing. Are you allergic only to black cats?
Google search shows this:
Some research found that dark-colored cats are more allergenic than ones with lighter fur, but other studies suggest that fur color had no link to allergen amount. Another study found that people living in the Western U.S. had higher cat allergen concentrations in the homes than those in other parts of the country.
Yeah I read about it a year or so ago! Itβs not just the black ones, itβs shorter haired ones in general for some reason. My old bossβs Maine Coon was never an issue.
Are you only allergic to the black ones?
I love all cats, but I'm especially fond of how goofy black cats look. Like eyes floating in a shadow. They're hilarious.
Black is the best color for cars and cats
Fun fact: most cats with more than two colors are females
Itβs a good colour for boats as well, sailing boats especially. A sailing ship painted black with gleaming white sails is a beautiful sight, but it works well for stinkies too.
When my wife and I are looking for a cat we are looking for their personalities.
Our oldest is a void, we were at a local shelter and she was just immediately so outgoing, reaching her paw to us from the cage, meowing at us. It was an open adoption weekend so there were a lot of people there, turns out we asked to adopt her just 15 minutes before someone else wanted to take her home.
The second is a calico whoβs mama was caught in a trap and release program. My friend who works for the program fostered the litter and posted a picture of the tiniest calico fluff ball and when I went to meet her she was an instant friend, sheβs lying between my legs right now, she sleeps with me every night.
The youngest is a Hemingway that came from a different shelter, he was so scared when we met him, but you could tell that he was friendly if he could be comfortable. He turned into my wifeβs lap cat, though sheβs not a fan of when he sits with his back to her so his puffy tail is in her face.
You might be missing out on a wonderful friend if you go in just looking at them for their coloring.
That said my dad has 4 orange dummies, so different strokes and all that
orange
Hey, I think it's fine to cut yourself some slack on this issue. :-)
You like what you like, and if you're going to commit resources and time to another being over 18 years or so, I think it's fine to enjoy the way it looks! I for example love gray cats, but only because of a positive association I have with a previous pet. Are all gray cats as loving as he was? I'm sure not, but I still have such positive thoughts in my head about the grey babies. οΏΌ
Wasn't really a fan of calico until I got Salome:
Morally wrong? lolwut? Please don't ask the internet moral advice...
This is literally a discussion forum for talking about whatever you want.
As opposed to figuratively a discussion forum for talking about whatever you want?
I'll see you in the town square
Lol that's because I remember some redditor called another redditor a "racist" for having preference in cats color.
You know what's crazy is I am pretty sure I remember that thread...
It's a little funny to me that you asked this question because a few years ago, I remarked to my partner that I don't like orange cats (in general) and she jokingly called me a cat racist. I felt so guilty about it that I was like I HAVE TO START LOVING ALL CAT APPEARANCES EQUALLY. I still feel a little guilty about it tbh π
Anyway, my actual answer is that black and white cats are my favourite. But I can now accept that orange cats have an allure for some folks π I did know an orange cat who was lovely and I liked him a lot. Just if faced with the choice of multiple cats with personalities suited to mine, I'd pick the black and white one first.
Ginger cat π
I've had a lot of cats as pets over my life to date.
Three of my favourite were all black kitties.
Then there was my dark tortoiseshell who will always have a special place in my heart.
It is not wrong to choose animals based on colors. In ornithology this is a big criteria in bird selection and pricing. For example, there is a whole category of canaries based on their colors. Other small parrots have been bred specifically to be of some color or color mutation and it is a big factor on bird price. This is also very common to choose dogs based on color when the breed has many.
I have a preference for black kitties, and currently have five in my life (thankfully not all at my house). When we went to adopt I was specific about not wanting a long-haired cat with how much a pain it is to clean all the fur around the house. Naturally we came home with one.
Preferences are normal and totally fine!
I mean, don't beat yourself up too much about it, it's a pretty normal feeling, and there's a decent chance all of our cat based emotions are caught up in complicated fungal infection web, but I would push back lightly in saying that I felt what you're feeling and had a strong preference for female short haired calicos since I was very close to ours growing up, but in the ensuing ~17 years, I've lived with, taken care of, and grown to love a large number of different cats, and these days it's a lot easier to see through the fur to the personality, so to speak.
It sounds like you're experiencing a cognitive bias towards the type of cats you've been close with, or just biased because of some other phenomena (maybe you had a bad experience in an all white ikea kitchen or whatever), but cognitive biases are a normal part of how are fast thinking brains work, quickly, but wildly biased at times. The important part is not to beat yourself up about it until you're in an anxiety loop, just use your slow thinking brain to recognize it as a normal somewhat biased reaction that you can probably see through if you squint real hard. This is a good video on the two different systems of thinking that your brain uses: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBVV8pch1dM
I've long been partial to orange tabbies and standard issue cats, but my current one - a stray that just showed up one day and moved in - is a tuxedo, and that just might be my new favorite.
The prettiest one I've had was a Siamese/tabby cross (also known as a lynx-point Siamese), She had classic Siamese markings and blue eyes, but instead of solid color points, her dark patches were gray tabby stripes.
I've only adopted one so far, but I find that I absolutely love torties. The funny thing is I don't even like the color orange that much but I think my cat wears it super well. Black cats are a good second place. I almost adopted a black kitten but my heart just wasn't in it that day, and I ended up finding my tortie instead.
I love black cats and tortoiseshells. Had a lovely tortie on my street growing up who would talk to you and follow you up the street every day π (let's not have the outdoor cat argument please, not my cat, this is the UK, etc).
I adore Ragdolls aesthetically but never interacted with one so not sure I would get one as a pet until I had.
I am slightly biased against ginger cats as there was another cat on my street growing up who would scratch us after seeking us out for pets. I don't dislike them but I probably wouldn't get one
I love all cats but the colouring of the cats I have been close to shines out for me.
I think the cats made me come to love their coat colours because I associate those colours with them.
Short hair black cats are my personal favourite. I grew up with a black cat so I have a particular fondness for them. Little things like the way they rust in sunlight, blend into black/darker colours (which apparently is a reason people don't adopt them as much as they don't photograph well??), and the lightness/sleekness of their coat make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside when I see them.
My wife wanted an orange cat while I wanted a black one. We both got what we wanted with a black tortie with orange fur speckles. Having a preference isn't bad and honestly someone will have a preference for every type of cat. For example: I'm not big on hairless cats (lots of upkeep I've heard) but I know multiple people who go out of their way to adopt only the hairless babies. Just because it's not your preference doesn't mean they won't find a loving home elsewhere!
Hairless cats are my favorite. So pink I guess.
I like to think that I am a good person...
Tuxedo patterned cats are my favorite. Especially if they have a mustache.