title: The Relationship Between Coat Color and Aggressive Behaviors in the Domestic Cat.
abstract: The authors explored a possible relationship between coat color and aggressive behaviors in the domestic cat. This study used an Internet-based survey to collect information on coat color, affiliative behaviors toward cats/humans, agonistic behaviors toward cats/humans, other "problem" behaviors, and cat and guardian demographic data. A total of 1,432 cat guardians completed the online survey; after exclusions based on study protocol, data analysis included 1,274 completed surveys. Guardians reported sex-linked orange female (tortoiseshells, calicos, and "torbies"), black-and-white, and gray-and-white cats to be more frequently aggressive toward humans in 3 settings: during everyday interactions, during handling, and during veterinary visits. Kruskal-Wallis 1-way analysis of variance was used to compare possible differences between the 2 sexes and among different coat colors. Analyses of aggression due to handling, as well as aggression displayed during veterinarian visits, showed little difference among coat colors in these settings.
authors.affiliation: a W R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, University of California, Davis.
authors.forename: Elizabeth A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Stelow
authors.affiliation: b Department of Medicine and Epidemiology , University of California, Davis.
authors.forename: Melissa J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Bain
authors.affiliation: c Department of Population Health and Reproduction , University of California, Davis.
authors.forename: Philip H
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Kass
mesh_terms: D000374:Aggression / Q000523:psychology; D000818:Animals; D002415:Cats / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006200:Hair Color; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Feline aggression; coat color