I’m sure many of you have heard some myths about the association of a cat’s color with its personality.
It’s really challenging to say just to what extent beliefs like these are myths and whether there is some truth in them.
When it comes to black cats, there are especially many things that people assume right away based on their coat color.
For instance, most people will consider them aloof, mysterious, or cats that bring bad luck. Some will even refuse to take them as pets since they don’t find them adequate as family companions.
Is this just too harsh? Can black cats make good pets?
Let’s learn everything about the five personality traits of black cats to make all the doubts about them go away.
1. Playful And Curious Nature
Life is never dull with a black cat around.
These felines are curious in their nature and are always up for some exploring. This will likely lead to your little black cat often following you around to see what you’re up to.
They also enjoy activities like climbing to the highest shelves in the house for the best view or engaging in playful antics, either solo or with anyone in a cheerful mood.
New sights, smells, and sounds are something that every black cat enjoys. So, closed doors are out of option with a black cat in the house!
2. Independent Spirit
A black cat will mostly be up for socializing and spending time with their humans. However, just because a black cat follows you around, this doesn’t mean it’s always in the mood for cuddling.
It can be curious to find out what you’re doing, but, once it satisfies its curiosity, this can be enough for it.
After this, a black cat could just enjoy spending some quality time alone. This doesn’t imply these cats aren’t social – they simply possess an independent streak that allows them to be content with their own company at times.
If you ask me, this is a trait I would love to see in any cat! Independence means that a black cat is self-assured, confident, and knows how to always make things interesting for itself.
3. Loyalty Is In Their Blood
While they’re very independent, at the same time, black felines are exceptionally loyal to their humans.
Once a black cat gets close to you, you will gain the best furry friend you can imagine. You can recognize this by the cat being perfectly comfortable around you, headbutting you, and curling up with you on a sofa.
Traits like these confirm that many myths about black cats are indeed only myths. So, you shouldn’t be afraid to adopt a black cat for fear it may have a higher chance of showing aggression.
Moreover, there are even some studies that suggest this is an unjustified fear.
The study conducted by Mónica Teresa González-Ramírez and René Landero-Hernández [1] showed how, despite the myths surrounding cats with black fur, according to the owners that took part in the study – friendliness is a predominant trait with black cats.
Therefore, they make loyal and friendly family pets.
4. Sweet Troublemakers
Black cats, known for their playful nature, often display a mischievous side as well.
They just adore chasing after prey and getting on your kitchen counters. These activities can lead them to knock dishes around your house or make a mess out of your plants.
Black cats are goofy and silly and will put a smile on your face while performing something hilarious.
However, these behaviors can also be annoying at times. Cleaning the mess a black cat makes every day just stops being funny and becomes an additional tiring task.
Still, Cats Protection explains how we sometimes can consider something as “naughty behavior”, while this can just be about a cat being a cat.
Felines have natural behaviors that we find inconvenient, but they shouldn’t be punished for actions they don’t understand as wrong.
So, we should accept that having a black cat at home can sometimes mean a little mess. Most of them will eventually adapt just fine to living with humans and will not cause bigger problems.
5. Brainy Companions
Finally, a trait that you can expect to see in a black cat is high intelligence.
These felines are resourceful, curious, and capable of learning new things quickly. Most likely, you’ll have a lot of fun teaching your black cat some interesting tricks.
Smart cats easily adapt to new surroundings and appreciate a good mental challenge. They learn their household routine quickly and will eagerly wait for mealtime or you coming back from work at the front door.
What Breeds Can Have Black Coats?
All cats, regardless of their coat color, should be treated as one of a kind. Finding out interesting information about cats’ personalities based on their coat color is interesting, but this is a pretty limited area.
It’s important to understand that different breeds can have black coats. Also, these cats can have very different lifestyles that can determine their personalities. Furthermore, the level of early socialization is crucial for a cat’s future behavior.
The popular breeds that can have black fur are the following:
• American Shorthair
• Bombay
• British Shorthair
• Japanese Bobtail
• Persian
• Oriental Shorthair
• Maine Coon
Bombay is the only breed among these that’s exclusively black. Another interesting fact here is not all black cats share the same shade of black.
Therefore, black cats are unique and it’s pretty hard to find two of them that have the exact same black coat shade.
Final Thoughts
Unfortunately, many people associate black cats with negative traits, such as aggressiveness and aloofness.
I will have to stay in defense of black cats here and say that this really isn’t true. These cats have marvelous personality traits that make them desirable as family pets, such as loyalty, friendliness, and playfulness.
Other personality traits specific to black cats are mischievousness and independence.
While felines with black furs are likely to share these traits, you should understand that different cats can have this coat coloring. So, a cat’s breed also greatly influences its personality. Moreover, a cat’s lifestyle and socialization are other important factors here.
The final thing I would like to emphasize is that these are some personality traits that are expected to be seen in black felines. This isn’t a guarantee and there isn’t a way to tell for sure what a cat with any coat color will turn out to be.
References:
[1] González-Ramírez MT, Landero-Hernández R. Cat Coat Color, Personality Traits and the Cat-Owner Relationship Scale: A Study with Cat Owners in Mexico. Animals (Basel). 2022 Apr 15;12(8):1030. DOI, Retrieved January 22, 2024.
