Saturday, September 13, 2008

Cats and Coloration

A friend asked me today if I've ever had an orange cat. She said she's found orange cats to be the most eccentric and "human" of all the cat colors. This is a topic for more than one column, but here's a start:

I had two orange cats in childhood and one more recently. Jingles was a Persian who died from a miscalculation made when she jumped onto a table and missed, hitting the edge and injuring her organs. Rusty was an orange tabby and my dear companion. We gave him away after my mother died. (That really shouldn’t have had to happen, but that’s another story.) Fortunately, he found a good home.

And then there was Grimmy, a semi-longhair who was chosen at the shelter by my daughter Gillian, who said he had a face like a lion. She named him after the cartoon character in "Mother Goose and Grimm." (Yup, we knew Grimm was a dog.) Grimmy was shy with strangers (like many orange cats, I’m told) and quite sensitive to our emotions. He was as soft as down, and very sweet.

I think there are big differences in cat coloration and personality. The ones who have seemed most “human” to me are the blacks. I’m particularly drawn to them, and to black & whites. One of the most remarkable cats we ever had was part black & white and part Siamese. Morgan was deeply connected to us, and his personality was unforgettable. If I ever see another like him, he’s coming home with me.

6 comments:

Joya said...

I once had a long-haired orange cat named Squirrel. She'd had a real name at one point, but Squirrel fit her so much better and it eventually replaced the other, now forgotten, name. I always thought she was kind of dumb. Sweet, but dumb. And, yes, totally shy around strangers.

crystal said...

I've never had an orange cat. Data was black and white and his mother was siamese. He was really special.

Jean Campbell said...

A kitty joined us this week, a stray that just turned up. I was going to call him 'Ike' because the Hurricane was blowing in west of here, but 'Inky' seemed to fit him better.

Haven't seen you at GW Cottage Forum lately; come back and visit, please.

Nell

Susan said...

Nell, how nice! I'll be right over.....

By the way, my childhood dog's name was Inky. Have fun with your kitty!

LL aka Lisa-Lin said...

Back in the day--like the 80's, I took in a log haired tabby--Morris. His name fit his personality. Today, I have a 7 yr old orange tabby, Perry. When I took him to the vet for the first time, the vet smiled and said,'You're going to love his disposition. I still do. Loving, playful,talkative and personable. I still think if I let him outside he'd still swipe hubcaps. After all, when I took Perry to have a picture taken with Santa, Perry made Santa's forehead bleed...alas, that's another story. :)

Thomasina
http://thomasina1616.blogspot.com/2008/09/scaredy-cats.html

Susan said...

Uh-oh, Thomasina . . . did Perry find something from Santa under the tree that Christmas? Knowing Santa, I'll guess he probably did.