Do Black Cats get Along with Other Cats? The Truth Detailed…

Do black cats get along with other cats? Every black cat is different. In fact, there are 22 breeds of domestic cat that can have a solid black coat so there are a lot of variables.

Age, breed, sex, diet, environment, and social standing to name a few can all play a part in a cat’s temperament.

Are Black Cats different from other Cats?

Recent studies suggest that black cats may be more resistant to disease and may have inherited the genes that make them black through survival of the fittest.

A lot of the common ailments that cats can suffer from appear to be less prominent in black cats.

Does this affect a black cat’s temperament? This requires further study and research but as there are 22 breeds of domestic cat that can have a solid black coat, I think it’s a pretty complicated question to answer.

However, a study conducted by the University of California found that black cats, white cats, and tri-colored cats were seen to be more anti-social.

Contradicting this, Mikel Delgado a doctoral student in psychology at UC Berkeley said that there’s little evidence to suggest that there are differences in cat’s temperament based on the color of their fur.

Are Black Cats Adopted Less?

In the United States, millions of cats each year go into shelters and many of them are black.

I wrote a blog post on this subject that you can read more in depth here…

‘Black cat syndrome’ appears to be a thing. It may lead to darker colored cats being less likely to be adopted than others.

A cat’s temperament is a deciding factor in whether a cat is adopted or not and the poor perception of black cats can very much influence people’s decision making when it comes to adoption.

Many black cats are unfortunately put to sleep every year in shelters and fur color seems to have a big influence.

Trends are changing and in recent years, living with a black cat has become fashionable.

Hopefully, these trends continue, and with this shift in perception comes education on what black cats are, why they are black, and just how amazing they are…

A Black Cats Character

Studies suggest that black cats may have less extreme character traits but what does this say about the black cat?

Does this mean that a black cat is more balanced temperament wise?

This description of a black cat’s character is pretty vague and leaves the topic wide open for discussion and can be interpreted in many different ways.

Black cats have the reputation of being sneaky and mysterious and could this be due to the fact that they are hard to read? Having ‘less extreme’ character traits may make getting an insight into black cats harder to achieve.

Black Cat Stereotypes

When asking the question ‘do black cats get along with other cats?’ I think it’s a good idea to talk about the stereotypes surrounding black cats.

Black cats have long been associated with witches, dark forces, shape-shifting, and Halloween, etc…

You can read more about black cat superstition here.

The reason why I bring up these stereotypes is because I feel that a lot of people go into the process of adopting a black cat with pre-conceived ideas.

The tales, superstitions, and traditions weigh heavily on the minds of some people when it comes to deciding to take in a black cat or not.

This decision has to be made harder if the person has children and or other pets.

One of my main aims when creating this blog is to give people a greater insight into black cats and to dispel the stereotypes and myths.

Education on why some cats are black can go a long way in changing people’s perceptions and in turn, this can only lead to increased numbers of black cat adoption.

My Thoughts

I think the question ‘do black cats get along with other cats?’ is a bit of a nonsensical question. I don’t mean any disrespect by this at all.

I see it as a common misconception about what a black cat is.

A black cat is not a breed, a black cat is a cat that has a survival of the fittest type gene that gives them a black appearance.

This gene is showing us that cats may benefit greatly from being black.

In fact, that black coat is sort of like a suit of armor and many black cats have ghost-stripes signifying that they may actually be a Tabby Cat in disguise and the Tabby gene has been suppressed by the black gene.

As I mentioned earlier in this blog post, people’s perceptions must change if we are to give the black cat the fair shot at life that it deserves.

Having 22 breeds of domestic cat that can have a solid black coat we cannot simply judge a cat’s characteristics and establish how well a black cat will get on with other cats based on fur color.

In life, there are many occasions where we just have to make a decision and see what happens and I think this topic is one of them.

Do Black Cats get along with other Cats? – Summary

Do black cats get along with other cats? That’s a complicated question to answer but in short, yes and no just like any other color of cat.

There are 22 breeds of domestic cat that can have a solid black coat so it’s extremely hard to judge how well a black cat will get along with another. Black cats aren’t a breed, it’s a fur color.

Apparently there is very little evidence to suggest that the color of a cat’s fur influences a cat’s temperament.

There is reason to believe that black cats are adopted less than other cats based on negative stereotypes and superstitions surrounding black cats.

I think each cat has to be judged as an individual and one cat does not represent an entire fur color…

Have you joined the My Mini Panther black cat community on Facebook?