Is anyone else annoyed by the 'orange cat' stereotype?

clary7

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So I know this post is a little bit of a rant, but this has been bugging me for a while already and I just want a place to be able to discuss this. I've noticed that there seems be an 'orange cat' stereotype on the internet. If you don't know what it is, it pretty much says that orange cats are dumb/have one brain cell and are super goofy and always doing dumb or weird things. Any time I see a funny video of an orange cat on social media, half, or even most of the comments are all commenting things about how obviously the cat is being weird/funny because it's orange. I know it's supposed to be a light hearted joke, but I really hate it because I have an orange cat that is the sweetest thing in the world. I have 5 cats and he is the sweetest, most laid back of all of them. I guess it just bugs me that everyone would assume he is a pyscho dumb cat just because he is orange. I guess because orange is a color that stands out, people notice and remember funny orange cats more than they would remember a funny tabby cat or a funny black cat. But yeah I just wanted to rant a little bit because I dont like that my sweet cat would automatically be thought of as a dumb cat just because of his color :(
 

FeebysOwner

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I don't listen to any of the stereotypes of any cats - they have ones for torties too! I have had an orange tabby and he had his own personality. He was intelligent enough know how to open food packets without destroying them, and only ate what he needed!! I have a dilute tortie who does not fit the typical stereotype either. The thing is their coloring/pattern are not breeds, so I am not sure how anyone can label a cat to be a particular way based on coloring. That is just like the old, tired, and thankfully outdated adage that blondes (humans) are dumb, and we all know that is not true!
 

Smarl

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My orange boy is really talkative, confident and somehow smart, and does not mess around or do stupid things. He also has a bit of attitude every once in a while. His calico sister other ways does every single thing that comes to her mind, and is in trouble quite often. 😄 So no, single brain cell and torbitude are not things here. I have five cats too, and I've noticed that temperament and socialisation when young have a biggest impact how kittens turn out when they're older. Calm personalities stay calm, and those who are more curious and open to new experiences will be like that for rest of their lives.
 

catsknowme

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You definitely found the right site to rant! People who truly understand animals realize the folly of stereotypes. I cannot imagine my senior feral "Coach" or my "grandkitty" Garfield being considered dumb. I agree with S Smarl that socialization and training matter most. I did have a "developmentally delayed" cat, Forest, but he had brain injury from nearly dying of exposure, dehydration & starvation (he and his littermates were in a brushy riparian area, heard meowing, but it took several days & a very determined, agile young lady to reach them. All 6 kittens survived despite a grim prognosis and only Forest was impaired).
 

Meowmee

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My Merlin and now Cinnamon who just came inside are gingers and very beautiful cats both, tabby tuxedo bicolors.

I do think some cats can have certain personalities according to their color or pattern but it’s not going to be every cat that has that personality. Breeders for example do try to breed for personality, and breeds of dogs and cats have known features.

I have never heard the stereotype of orange cats being dumb or maybe I forgot about it. Siamese cats most definitely have a very distinct personality and you can see that it is inherited in many color point. cats who are not pb. But again they are not all going to have that typical personality.

Tortoiseshells are known to be very feisty. But my first tortoiseshell girl was the most mellow, sweet unafraid cat. My second was a feisty tortie which fit that typical personality much better, she was also part meezer.

Merlin is a very funny, sweet guy- he’s very smart and mostly laid back except about food and he is overweight. He is so fast if he doesn’t want you to catch him, like when I brush his teeth, it’s really hard to, he can run faster than any of my other cats when he wants to even with being overweight. He and Cinn had to survive outside so they were obviously very smart. Cinn is much more timid, time will tell what his personality is like. Merlin has some dog like Bengal like qualities, he is also pretty large.

I think red cats are actually very beloved, you see them on the lot of advertisements and I remember a lady who ran a shelter I volunteered with years ago telling me her first cat was an orange cat who was the sweetest most loving cat, and she thought that all red cats were like that.
 

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There's stereotypes about many colors and breeds. Orange cats are dumb, torties are mean, colorpoints are loud. The cats surely don't care or listen. I will occasionally make fun of my Bengal for not being the noisy water loving creature she's seemingly supposed to be.
 

CatladyJan

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I have never heard of this stereotype and I'm laughing at whoever came up with it. Cats are cats and are each their own.
 

catloverfromwayback

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I’d probably be annoyed by it if I’d ever had the good fortune to own an orange cat! My two torties and torbie were all very different personalities. Phoebe and Maddie have/had plenty of cattitude, but nothing else about them was alike. Freya was a sweet ditz.
 

lucho

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Same here: I've never heard of the orange cat stereotype. My own experience is that, if anything, ginger cats are highly variable. I have noticed that there is one constant: every single black and white (tuxedo) cat I've seen shows above-average aggression. Every single one. Dunno, maybe it's a brazilian thing...:dunno:
 

Maria Bayote

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I have an orange cat, his name is Barley. He is the sweetest and most docile cat I know, but is also very smart.
 

catloverfromwayback

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Same here: I've never heard of the orange cat stereotype. My own experience is that, if anything, ginger cats are highly variable. I have noticed that there is one constant: every single black and white (tuxedo) cat I've seen shows above-average aggression. Every single one. Dunno, maybe it's a brazilian thing...:dunno:
That’s interesting - my two black and white tuxies weren’t aggressive at all. (My tabby and white tuxie, now … he wasn’t called Magnus the Monster for nothing.)
 

betsygee

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I have noticed that there is one constant: every single black and white (tuxedo) cat I've seen shows above-average aggression. Every single one. Dunno, maybe it's a brazilian thing...:dunno:
Must be a Brazilian thing. :lol: I've had three tuxies, sweetest cats ever. In fact, the one we have now we call our 'zen' cat. He's got the calmest disposition ever.

I've never had an orange cat but my mom did. He was a sweetie pie, too, and perfectly normal, nothing weird going on with that guy. :)
 

CatladyJan

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So I know this post is a little bit of a rant, but this has been bugging me for a while already and I just want a place to be able to discuss this. I've noticed that there seems be an 'orange cat' stereotype on the internet. If you don't know what it is, it pretty much says that orange cats are dumb/have one brain cell and are super goofy and always doing dumb or weird things. Any time I see a funny video of an orange cat on social media, half, or even most of the comments are all commenting things about how obviously the cat is being weird/funny because it's orange. I know it's supposed to be a light hearted joke, but I really hate it because I have an orange cat that is the sweetest thing in the world. I have 5 cats and he is the sweetest, most laid back of all of them. I guess it just bugs me that everyone would assume he is a pyscho dumb cat just because he is orange. I guess because orange is a color that stands out, people notice and remember funny orange cats more than they would remember a funny tabby cat or a funny black cat. But yeah I just wanted to rant a little bit because I dont like that my sweet cat would automatically be thought of as a dumb cat just because of his color :(
Thats just idiots trying to find something stupid to say! Orange cats are amazing!
 

Zara12345

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So I know this post is a little bit of a rant, but this has been bugging me for a while already and I just want a place to be able to discuss this. I've noticed that there seems be an 'orange cat' stereotype on the internet. If you don't know what it is, it pretty much says that orange cats are dumb/have one brain cell and are super goofy and always doing dumb or weird things. Any time I see a funny video of an orange cat on social media, half, or even most of the comments are all commenting things about how obviously the cat is being weird/funny because it's orange. I know it's supposed to be a light hearted joke, but I really hate it because I have an orange cat that is the sweetest thing in the world. I have 5 cats and he is the sweetest, most laid back of all of them. I guess it just bugs me that everyone would assume he is a pyscho dumb cat just because he is orange. I guess because orange is a color that stands out, people notice and remember funny orange cats more than they would remember a funny tabby cat or a funny black cat. But yeah I just wanted to rant a little bit because I dont like that my sweet cat would automatically be thought of as a dumb cat just because of his color :(
Wow! I didnt know that such a stereotype existed but if there is one how silly of people to assume!!😠🤣 I also have an orange cat and contrary to what they think he is a very smart cat; clever enough to inconvenience me lol. He knows how to open windows, and doors and sometimes even jumps at the handle to twist the knob. Try not to be offended by such stereotypes; gingers are amazing and quite frankly it's their loss, not yours🤗
 
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