So far I think I’m the only one who will rule out colors based on my past. I had a yellow lab mix (Lab & Tasmanian Devil, I think!) so I would consider another lab, but not another yellow lab. He was a one & only!
Coat color is not something I consider, no.
That said, living in the country makes a large breed brown dog a bit more work. Because our dog Ella is brown/tan we have to put her fluorescent orange vest on her when she is outside during deer season.
Also not common yet, but there is the bengal (mentioned above.)
(BTW, as I attempt to write this on the phone right now, I have an orange and white cat weighing down each arm.)
oh of course, they are absolutely beautiful cats.
I had no choice when Leet the Wonder Dog[sup]TM[/sup] arrived as our home security consultant ("A SQUIRREL!!! WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF! THE UPS GUY!!! WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF! LEAVES BLOWING ON THE LAWN!!! WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF!), personal trainer (“Time for your walk, Grampa!”) and four-legged pre-rinse cycle for the dishwasher. He was all black, snout to tail.
Now he is getting all gray and grizzled on his nose, toes, and bosom. He needs Grecian Formula for dogs, says my daughter. He and I have that in common, but my wife says it’s distinguished.
Although we have the same problem as Bayaker - I better turn the light on in the hallway when I get home, or I am likely to get 75 pounds of enthusiasm charging at me out of the darkness in search of immediate butt scritches, petting, and Nice Walks.
Regards,
Shodan
I got to thinking about past pets. We had a mostly black great dane, a black short hair cat, a black terrier mix, a dalmatian (white with black spots, of course) a mostly black border collie mix, a black poodle/something mix, a gray and white tuxedo cat, and our most colorful - an Abyssinian cat.
I guess there’s a pattern here. And most of them were adoptees or foundlings.
Absolutely. But who gets picked decides on the nice that needs to be filled.
IME, black/tuxedo cats are the smartest. They make fantastic pals and are extremely confident and loyal. Never knew a flaky black cat.
Calicos/tortoise (always female, so that matters) are hit/miss with temperament. Some are overly skittish or just want nothing to do with the big monkeys. Otherwise they’re pretty mellow and spend a lot of time in laps. Not too bright, but loving.
Tabbys…I just don’t like 'em. Too unpredictable. And I’ve never known a smart white kitty.
I just adopt the loony ones from the shelter. I don’t care what they look like.
Psssst. You’re not supposed to open them up.:eek:
“We have two black cats and they’re hard to tell apart. Kitty #3 is not going to be black, too, that would be even more confusing.”
…okay, that does make me sound kinda racist, doesn’t it?
It’s really been mostly luck that for the last 30 years my cats have been black and tortoiseshell, through birth and adoption. They are my favorite colors. But I rescued a tan and white female about four years ago. I love her dearly but damn, do light colored cats shed! She is not even long-haired but she leaves fur everywhere.
Our previous cat was a Siamese-Persian mix. White/silver/grey fur and blu-ish eyes; it was as if the universe decided to create the most beautiful cat imaginable. And then the universe gave it the soul of a jackal.
Our current cat is a rescue with the pedigree of an alley cat. Orange and white, pleasing to the eye, but not a feline Aprodite. And the soul of a clumsy squirrel.
So, no color is no longer a deciding factor.
My family has raised Champion German Shepherds, Siberian Huskies, and English Bulldogs. The Huskies were white with fox-red markings and mostly blue eyes. The Bulldogs were my Dad’s, male studs, chosen partly for a fine brindle pattern.
Celtdog is my first mutt, and the first male in my own household. Color is unimportant to me, but I won’t get a male again, and I’ll never buy a dog that drools. Bulldogs have the sweetest personality going, but the drool is just too much for me.
Ursala Kitteh is all black. She chose me and I’m glad cuz I love black cats. I also have a red headed mare. Not my favorite color, but once again, she chose me.
I like big mutts, I cannot lie. But the color? I don’t care.
It all comes down to what color fur I want to see all over my couch/coat/pants. As it turns out this is never something I think about when i go to the pound “just to look” andit’s always visible hair no matter what, i.e., my black cat managed to shed visible hair on m black clothes.
I am currently looking for an orange kitty, but I don’t know if I’ll get one because some other kitty may catch my eye. And really the cat has to pick me.
I don’t care what colour a dog or cat is, other than the type of health concerns already mentioned here, where certain colour combinations indicate genetic diseases or disorders. Even then, I’m not 100% sure if that would matter to me either - I’ve never had that choice.
Sorta, in the sense that, given the choice between pets with different fur patterns and nothing else between them, I’d likely pick the one with the one I found more aesthetically pleasing. But it’s not really based on color, and tons of other factor can override that. I mean, it’s most important that we get along.
In theory colour matters, I have favourite cat colours. In practice it does not. However my latest kitty came to me via “I know you like tortoiseshells so I’m asking you first.” 
So currently I have the aforementioned tortie and white, a tabby and a black smoke. The smoke is a former feral which is a nice way to acquire a very beautiful cat but I picked him for the humourous look in his eye.
It is very common that pet adoption agencies have lower adoption rates for black dogs and cats. As such many agencies offer regular specials for reduced or waived fees for adoption of black coated cats and dogs.
All my life the only pets we’ve had were strays or those otherwise down on their luck. We take whatever sticks around, despite their color. Our current fuzz butt, Noir Kitty is 99.99% black with about a dozen white hairs, mostly on his chest.
Sometimes we think about getting him a kitten, since he’s much more playful than he used to be. I think would like a playmate. As I type, he’s rolling around, trying to catch his tail, which he likes to do to get my attention. If we did, we’d go to a shelter. Instead of looking at colors and patterns or just selecting the friendliest one, I’d like to find one that is depressed and afraid, maybe stressed out from being at the shelter. Noir used to be like that and, with lots of patience and kindness on our part, has become a happy, silly, attention-seeking kitty. I’d like to do that again for another one and provide Noir a snuggle buddy, too.
This afternoon, I saw a kitten about 2 months old in the parking lot of my apartment building. Yeah, I think someone dumped it. :mad: I tried to catch it, but it could dart under cars faster than I could grab it.
I later left for a meetup, and didn’t see it when I came home this evening. I did buy some kitten food in case it shows up. My biggest fear is that a hawk will get it before I catch it; I’ll look again tomorrow.
p.s. It has beautiful gray stripes. I couldn’t get close enough to see if it was male or female.