The color of the coat in a cat is determined by the concentration and distribution of melanin in the body. However, from a physiological point of view, the synthesis of melanin by the body has common first steps with the synthesis of neurotransmitters such as dopamine, which is well known to play a role in mood. Moreover, several studies have confirmed this hypothesis in mammals in general, that yes, there is a link between physical appearance and temperament.
However, the color of the coat cannot be a criterion of choice when adopting a cat. Because even if there can be an influence, it really does not weigh much compared to other much more important criteria: age, sex, the environment in which the cat was born and spent its first weeks, the possibly traumatic experiences he may have had and come to modify his basic character…
On the other hand, no study has yet been able to establish a link between a specific color and a character. The only tracks put forward today are the following:
– The orange color is linked to the sex of the animal: 4 out of 5 ginger cats are male. However, it is advanced, but it is still much debated within the scientific literature, that male cats are slightly more sociable than female cats. However, since a large majority of ginger cats are male, we will tend to say that ginger cats are more friendly and sociable!
– Conversely, tortoiseshell coats (presenting red, black and possibly white) are 99% female, so there we could argue that this coat color is rather associated with more timid and less easy.
– In cats that are still sometimes called “gutter” cats, which reproduce on their own, without human intervention to select this or that color, it would seem that fully tabby cats are a little more “difficult” than two-tone, black, or white cats … because the tabby appearance would be a resurgence of wilder characteristics (wild cats, not domesticated, are tabby).
On the other hand, what is certain is that our perception to us, humans, inevitably influences the way we imagine the character of a cat with regard to the color of its coat!
