Even the most committed cat lady will admit that some cats are jerks, so what if there was a way to know which ones are worse than others? Well, according to the Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science, there is a relationship between a cat's coat colors and how aggressive it acts.
A team of veterinary experts from the University of California, Davis collected answers from an online survey of more than 1,200 cat owners; they answered a range of questions, including how their cat behaves at the vet's office, how it acts around humans and other cats, and the color of their fur.
The results suggest that female cats with orange in their fur (including tortoiseshells, calicos, and torbies), black-and-white female cats, and gray-and-white female cats tend to be more aggressive towards humans.
The calmest cats had tabby, gray, white, or black fur. It's interesting to note, however, that "due to outdated (and incorrect) myths and superstitions, black cats have a really hard time getting adopted," according to the ASPCA. Hopefully, the survey's results will help the misunderstood felines find good homes.
One caveat to this study is that the answers were based on owners' perceptions, rather than actual scientific observation. It is possible, then, that the owners had their own biases (for example, tortoiseshell cats are stereotyped as jerks, a phenomenon that some cat lovers call "tortitude"). Since correlation doesn't necessarily mean causation, it's probably best to pick your cat companion based on your bond, and not by the color of their fur. Still, the study may encourage further evolutionary research about cat aggression and fur color.
At the very least, it's fun to argue with your friends over whose cat is the bigger jerk.
