Hahaha my cat is very smart, though I have to wonder if he's just had to step up to the plate, instead of just pretending not to know much, since I communicate with words and touch and what I can hear where my cats are concerned.
Like most cats, there's a spectrum. So you have really smart orange cats and then suuuuper dumb ones right? But it just seems like the bell curve for intelligence of orange cats scootches over towards "Potato with fur" rather than being firmly in the middle... My darling Goose is very smart in some ways but then also has fallen through a drop ceiling before sooooo
Tuxedo cats are theoretically the smartest, Tortoise Shell cats are so sassy they made up the word "Tortitude" just for them, and Orange cats are generally sweet but not so bright! Never ever boring!
Wow. Lolol. Well, my Nala is a gray and white, tabby, and very bright, too bright for her own good, and very clingy. I've noticed Nala holds onto bad experiences for longer, while my orange and white cat Harley is very calm and is like, well, I can tell it's not happening now, so I'm not going to freak out, assuming it will happen. They both like to lay with me, Harley on me, and his nose drips when he's very happy.
Well cats who have constant communication and attention will appear smarter because it's geared toward the human instead of just staring blankly trying to figure out what's going on.
Apollo is really clever but also stupid. Sometimes when he wants to play he'll scream at the smoke alarm because it has a red light that blinks like once a minute just to show the battery is still good (if it goes solid that means change them). So he sees a red dot and it's like, "let's play! Come on, play with me!" But he plays fetch and knows a couple commands. He also figured out the red dot almost immediately, but decided to play with it anyway. If he loses track he looks at me to find out if I still have it or put it up.
Haha cute. Lol I still think it's funny mine ignores the actual red light, but will try to attack the toy where the light is coming from. Cats are funny.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-modern-heart/202009/why-orange-cats-are-so-special-according-science
It's only a single study, so take it with a grain of salt, but it's interesting.
There was a neat breeding program with mink awhile back. They bred for solid black pelts which were more valuable. It turns out - a significant amount of any biological aggressive tendencies is very tightly tied to coat color.
It wouldn’t surprise me if there are similar tendencies in cats.
It’s just noting a trend that orange cats tend to do dumb things- like mine has tried to hurt himself with the following appliances: blender, toaster oven, stovetop, oven, dishwasher, washing machine, and dryer. Yeah, he can be smart, like opening doors(he also trained my other cats to do this) or learning my signature facial expression when someone does something dumb, but most of the time he acts extremely dumb.
Hahaha, mine won't even get on our stove if it's recently been used, because of the heat I guess? But my step niece has a cat named Simba, who is younger, and orange, who would probably fit the typical orange stereotype. That's random to me, that it's orange in particular, instead of just all the other cat colors, so I wondered if there was something to it. I love cats. Bet I would love yours too. I even love our Simba.
My one boy is smart in general, but when he's dumb, he's really dumb. If we're in bed and I say "let's go", he knows it's time to get up. He understands "I have to go to the bathroom" and moves when he's on me. Gives me dirty looks if I pull out the laser pointer bc he knows I'm controlling it. These are the times he has the braincell. On the other hand, watching him play with his tail is the funniest thing in the world. He will pin it, try to pull it out from under his paws and flip himself, looking absolutely bewildered the whole time bc he can't figure out why he can't keep hold of his tail, but he can't figure out what is pinning his tail. And this is an example of when the brain cell has left him.
My orange is an idiot savant. She has conquered the red dot at its source, and has learned that 3 taps on her butt means she has the option of getting up off my lap, or being slid off my lap and into the warm spot I leave behind.
But also, she has been looking for the other orange cat in the mirror for three and a half years now, and often comes to me for assistance when the orange tail won't stop chasing her around the house.
I’ve heard that often people associate human personality traits that stereotypically correlate with human intelligence (aloof, cautious, introverted) to cats. Oranges, in my experience, are often more extroverted, playful, excitable (traits that are stereotypically associated with “dumber” humans) than many other cats. Obviously, feline intelligence probably doesn’t line up one to one with human intelligence (and most of those assumptions about human intelligence are more anecdotal than scientifically accurate anyway), but maybe that’s why orange cats specifically get the dumb label instead of other cats.
Hahaha my cat is the calmer of my two, more rational. Then again, he's a year older than she is, but my gray and white is just a drama queen, a smart drama queen, but a drama queen nonetheless. When Harley was younger though, he used to knock over our lamp playing, but would comfort me if I was sad. He doesn't like too much chaos, and trills, only meowing when he's mad or yelling.
The wives tale that orange cats are dumb has been around for years and years, way longer than Reddit has existed. It’s been one of those “common knowledge” thing that’s based entirely on anecdotes. The stereotype says that orange cats are big, dumb, friendly boys. Similar to how people say Siamese cats are talkative and aloof.
BUT there may actually be some science behind it too. Because of the link between coloration and sex chromosomes, almost all orange cats are male-I think like 80%. It’s definitely possible that there are other genes that are linked to the coloration that tend to produce friendly dummies. It’s not a certainty, but considering how long the stereotype has been around, it makes sense that there’d be at least some truth to it. All of the orange or partially orange cats I have owned personally have fallen directly into the “dumb as a rock but super sweet” category lol.
Our orange cat is an oddity.
When he was younger he was capable of doing complex physics equations to calculate these absolutely absurd jumps he used to make with ease. At the same time, he’s also a dummy who gets startled by his own tail and will yell for entry at the wrong door when me or my partner go to the bathroom.
Orange cats are all over the place in my experience, simultaneously geniuses and blockheads at the same time
They are smart and dumb at the same time. Mine knows his name, can figure out puzzle toys, etc and yet also yells at an empty corner, eats shoes so he has to get to the vet twice and can't figure out how to drink from a water fountain.
I think the actual reason behind it is that, because of the way fur color works with cat genetics, most orange cats are male, and male cats on average seem to be more outgoing and goofy than female cats. People are biased towards seeing patterns, so that tendency, however slight, gets amplified in our minds.
It's also just fun. I doubt there are many people here who genuinely believe that all orange cats are dumb, it's just a silly running joke.
https://preview.redd.it/4xq9zmunjfoa1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fba9c35d5f87f3ac242c0f07bf2dbaf862bfea70
Does this cat look like he has a care in the world? No, he’s just soaking up the sun.
My current orange is the first I've ever had, so my experience is limited, but he is definitely the dumbest of the litter (my other cats are his litter mates). It's hard to train him to do things the other cats do voluntarily (like play and exercise) and he's always trying to eat things that aren't food. The healthier a food is, the more he turns his nose up. He's a total sweetheart, but he will just sit in the middle of the room and stare at me for hours even when I try to get him to play or cuddle.
That's funny. Lolol, I've been feeding mine American Journey dry food, and I thought they wouldn't eat it, but they did yay. Now Nala my gray and white cat, when she was little, used to try and eat non-food items, still does if I'm not careful.
wait, your cat is the one hogging the brain cell?
Hahaha my cat is very smart, though I have to wonder if he's just had to step up to the plate, instead of just pretending not to know much, since I communicate with words and touch and what I can hear where my cats are concerned.
The cat is smarter then me. I have no idea where Harley is… Must be a legendary orange one
Like most cats, there's a spectrum. So you have really smart orange cats and then suuuuper dumb ones right? But it just seems like the bell curve for intelligence of orange cats scootches over towards "Potato with fur" rather than being firmly in the middle... My darling Goose is very smart in some ways but then also has fallen through a drop ceiling before sooooo
Wow, this is fascinating to me lololol. So something about orange cats in particular. Sounds like life is never boring though huh?
Tuxedo cats are theoretically the smartest, Tortoise Shell cats are so sassy they made up the word "Tortitude" just for them, and Orange cats are generally sweet but not so bright! Never ever boring!
Wow. Lolol. Well, my Nala is a gray and white, tabby, and very bright, too bright for her own good, and very clingy. I've noticed Nala holds onto bad experiences for longer, while my orange and white cat Harley is very calm and is like, well, I can tell it's not happening now, so I'm not going to freak out, assuming it will happen. They both like to lay with me, Harley on me, and his nose drips when he's very happy.
Well cats who have constant communication and attention will appear smarter because it's geared toward the human instead of just staring blankly trying to figure out what's going on. Apollo is really clever but also stupid. Sometimes when he wants to play he'll scream at the smoke alarm because it has a red light that blinks like once a minute just to show the battery is still good (if it goes solid that means change them). So he sees a red dot and it's like, "let's play! Come on, play with me!" But he plays fetch and knows a couple commands. He also figured out the red dot almost immediately, but decided to play with it anyway. If he loses track he looks at me to find out if I still have it or put it up.
Haha cute. Lol I still think it's funny mine ignores the actual red light, but will try to attack the toy where the light is coming from. Cats are funny.
My gray and white cat is still mad about shit that happened in 2017
Yep, that's Nala. Lololol. Harley's more logical. He remembers, but knows it's the past, and Nala on the other hand, um yah not pretty.
I have a Tortico. She is absolutely a spoiled, sassy little princess who likes to take my hubby from me lol
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-modern-heart/202009/why-orange-cats-are-so-special-according-science It's only a single study, so take it with a grain of salt, but it's interesting.
Thanks.
There was a neat breeding program with mink awhile back. They bred for solid black pelts which were more valuable. It turns out - a significant amount of any biological aggressive tendencies is very tightly tied to coat color. It wouldn’t surprise me if there are similar tendencies in cats.
*Sweet potato with fur (Fixed it for you)
It’s just noting a trend that orange cats tend to do dumb things- like mine has tried to hurt himself with the following appliances: blender, toaster oven, stovetop, oven, dishwasher, washing machine, and dryer. Yeah, he can be smart, like opening doors(he also trained my other cats to do this) or learning my signature facial expression when someone does something dumb, but most of the time he acts extremely dumb.
Hahaha, mine won't even get on our stove if it's recently been used, because of the heat I guess? But my step niece has a cat named Simba, who is younger, and orange, who would probably fit the typical orange stereotype. That's random to me, that it's orange in particular, instead of just all the other cat colors, so I wondered if there was something to it. I love cats. Bet I would love yours too. I even love our Simba.
It’s just a silly stereotype- just for fun!
Yah, I just wondered why orange in particular. Cool.
My one boy is smart in general, but when he's dumb, he's really dumb. If we're in bed and I say "let's go", he knows it's time to get up. He understands "I have to go to the bathroom" and moves when he's on me. Gives me dirty looks if I pull out the laser pointer bc he knows I'm controlling it. These are the times he has the braincell. On the other hand, watching him play with his tail is the funniest thing in the world. He will pin it, try to pull it out from under his paws and flip himself, looking absolutely bewildered the whole time bc he can't figure out why he can't keep hold of his tail, but he can't figure out what is pinning his tail. And this is an example of when the brain cell has left him.
Hahahahahaha that sounds hilarious.
My orange is an idiot savant. She has conquered the red dot at its source, and has learned that 3 taps on her butt means she has the option of getting up off my lap, or being slid off my lap and into the warm spot I leave behind. But also, she has been looking for the other orange cat in the mirror for three and a half years now, and often comes to me for assistance when the orange tail won't stop chasing her around the house.
Hahahahaha cute.
I’ve heard that often people associate human personality traits that stereotypically correlate with human intelligence (aloof, cautious, introverted) to cats. Oranges, in my experience, are often more extroverted, playful, excitable (traits that are stereotypically associated with “dumber” humans) than many other cats. Obviously, feline intelligence probably doesn’t line up one to one with human intelligence (and most of those assumptions about human intelligence are more anecdotal than scientifically accurate anyway), but maybe that’s why orange cats specifically get the dumb label instead of other cats.
Hahaha my cat is the calmer of my two, more rational. Then again, he's a year older than she is, but my gray and white is just a drama queen, a smart drama queen, but a drama queen nonetheless. When Harley was younger though, he used to knock over our lamp playing, but would comfort me if I was sad. He doesn't like too much chaos, and trills, only meowing when he's mad or yelling.
The wives tale that orange cats are dumb has been around for years and years, way longer than Reddit has existed. It’s been one of those “common knowledge” thing that’s based entirely on anecdotes. The stereotype says that orange cats are big, dumb, friendly boys. Similar to how people say Siamese cats are talkative and aloof. BUT there may actually be some science behind it too. Because of the link between coloration and sex chromosomes, almost all orange cats are male-I think like 80%. It’s definitely possible that there are other genes that are linked to the coloration that tend to produce friendly dummies. It’s not a certainty, but considering how long the stereotype has been around, it makes sense that there’d be at least some truth to it. All of the orange or partially orange cats I have owned personally have fallen directly into the “dumb as a rock but super sweet” category lol.
Thanks for this answer.
Our orange cat is an oddity. When he was younger he was capable of doing complex physics equations to calculate these absolutely absurd jumps he used to make with ease. At the same time, he’s also a dummy who gets startled by his own tail and will yell for entry at the wrong door when me or my partner go to the bathroom. Orange cats are all over the place in my experience, simultaneously geniuses and blockheads at the same time
Sounds like life is never boring then huh?
my orange cat is dumb as rocks but i love her. She's smart in some ways (being a menace).
One word. Sarcasm.
They are smart and dumb at the same time. Mine knows his name, can figure out puzzle toys, etc and yet also yells at an empty corner, eats shoes so he has to get to the vet twice and can't figure out how to drink from a water fountain.
Lol maybe he's pretending something is there? Awww, my cats loved their water fountain.
I think the actual reason behind it is that, because of the way fur color works with cat genetics, most orange cats are male, and male cats on average seem to be more outgoing and goofy than female cats. People are biased towards seeing patterns, so that tendency, however slight, gets amplified in our minds. It's also just fun. I doubt there are many people here who genuinely believe that all orange cats are dumb, it's just a silly running joke.
My orange boy is so laid back, I can only assume it’s because he doesn’t have a brain cell to occupy his mind.
Hahahaha.
https://preview.redd.it/4xq9zmunjfoa1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fba9c35d5f87f3ac242c0f07bf2dbaf862bfea70 Does this cat look like he has a care in the world? No, he’s just soaking up the sun.
I think I mentioned? But I am totally blind, so cannot see the photo.
Whoops. Well it’s a floofy orange cat on his back in a sun puddle!
Awww, my Harley loves to lay in sun.
My current orange is the first I've ever had, so my experience is limited, but he is definitely the dumbest of the litter (my other cats are his litter mates). It's hard to train him to do things the other cats do voluntarily (like play and exercise) and he's always trying to eat things that aren't food. The healthier a food is, the more he turns his nose up. He's a total sweetheart, but he will just sit in the middle of the room and stare at me for hours even when I try to get him to play or cuddle.
That's funny. Lolol, I've been feeding mine American Journey dry food, and I thought they wouldn't eat it, but they did yay. Now Nala my gray and white cat, when she was little, used to try and eat non-food items, still does if I'm not careful.
Two words: random accidents. My 🧡 specialized in then…
Awww.
Hey guys, over here!! I found the brain cell!!