Cat coat colour linked to aggression, study suggests
Cats with tortoiseshell and calico coats tend to be more aggressive towards their owners.
Cats with tortoiseshell and calico coats tend to be more aggressive towards their owners than cats with other coat colours, a recent study suggests.
The findings, published in the Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Research, back up the long-held belief that such cats are often the most challenging.
Led by Dr. Elizabeth Stelow from the UC Davis Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, the study was based on an online survey of over 1,200 cat owners.
The survey did not reveal the focus of the study and simply asked cat owners question's about their feline's behaviours. Participants were asked to select a colour category and written description that best fit their pet.
The researchers found that torties and calicos are more likely to scratch, bite and hiss during interactions with people.
Perhaps more surprisingly, the survey also revealed that cats with white and black, and white and gray coats are slightly more likely to engage in those behaviours.
The study is thought to be the first of its kind to look at the relationship between coat colour and behaviour. Commenting on the findings, Dr. Elizabeth Stelow believes that there is scope for further investigation.
Speaking to US news website Sacramento Bee, she said: "We thought the findings were very interesting and we would love other researchers to take the baton and run with it, to look at the genetics of why this may be happening."
Tortishells and calicos are reputed for being more temperamental than cats of other colours. Torties are a mix of brown, black, amber and red while calicos are mostly white with patches of black and orange.
Because two X chromosomes are necessary to produce their colouring, the majority of both types of cats are female.
The BSAVA has opened submissions for the BSAVA Clinical Research Abstracts 2026.
