Have you heard of tuxedo cats? Are you looking to adopt a tuxedo cat? If so, then you’ve come to the right place!
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In this article, we’re going to take a look at tuxedo cats—what they are, their personalities, and more. We’ll even share some photos of these beautiful cats with you! Let’s get started!
What is a Tuxedo Cat?
You’ve probably seen these cats and may not have realized they were a special type of cat. Tuxedo cats get their name from their mostly black color and the white on their chest and other parts of their body. They look as if they’re wearing a tuxedo! This kitty is all dressed up in formal wear—just for you! The black and white tuxedo cats are most often called tuxedo cats; however, they can come in other colors, too. Tuxedo cats can be white and gray or even ginger! Other physical characteristics of tuxedo cats include black around their eyes, a white chin or nose. They may look as if they’re wearing a mask. These adorable black and white cats may also have white patches on their tummies, throat, or paws. And some cats may even have a mustache, while even more rare is the tuxedo cat that looks as if he’s wearing a bow tie!
What’s really interesting about the coloring of these cats is that the black doesn’t make them a tuxedo cat. Instead, it’s their patches of white, caused by white spotting genes, which make these feline fur babies so special. The white genes can either be dominant or recessive. In tuxedo cats, the white genes are what gives the cat their “tuxedo” formal wear appearance—the white genes dominate over the black colored genes. Unlike orange tabbies or calico cats, both females and males inherit these black and white color genes. So, you’ll find almost an even number of female and male tuxedo cats. To top it off, tuxedo cats are not sterile, like male calico cats.
Are tuxedo cats rare? No, many breeds of cats can produce these captivating formal-wearing kitties.
Tuxedo cats are known as bicolor cats. What does this mean? A bicolor cat is one that has white patches on a different background color. In tuxedo cats, the white patches are on a black background. How cool is that?
Tuxedo Cat is Not a Breed
The tuxedo cat is not a breed, but their coloring refers to the pattern of color on their fur. Tuxedo cats can be of almost any breed, and can be long- or short-haired, silky, shaggy, etc. In addition, tuxedo pattern doesn’t require both parents to pass on their genes to create a tuxedo kitten. The kitten can inherit the pattern from just one parent.
And it’s possible for two parents to have a tuxedo kitten if they don’t have the tuxedo pattern. If the kitten inherits white and black genes, with Nature’s help, it can develop into a tuxedo kitten!
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Ask a Vet Live NowWhat Breed is My Tuxedo Cat?
As noted earlier, the tuxedo cat is not a breed, but is the term for the cat’s bi-color fur pattern of black and white. If you adopted your fur baby from the pet shop, a shelter, or from a friend’s litter of kittens, then you probably have a domestic longhair or shorthair cat. In this case, you can watch for your cat’s physical traits and use these to determine what breed she may be. On the other hand, if you got your feline companion from a breeder, then your fur baby will have papers that list her pedigree and her breed.
Bi-colored cats can come from several different cat breeds including:
- American Curl
- Maine Coon
- American Shorthair
- Norwegian Forest Cat
- British Shorthair
- Persian
- Scottish Fold
- Exotic Shorthair
- Devon Rex
- Cornish Rex
- Le Perm Cat
Is There a Natural Reason for the Black & White Tuxedo Look?
Cats come in various colors and patterns that help them to blend into the background. This makes it more challenging for prey animals (mice, birds, etc.) to spot them. When it comes to the black & white of the tuxedo cat, the colors act as a type of camouflage. If you notice, the black is usually on top of his body, while the white patches are found on his chest, tummy, paws, etc. When seen from above, he’s much harder to spot due to his exceptional coloring.
While our domesticated tuxedo cats no longer have to fend for themselves in the wild, their coloring is a holdover from the days when they had to hunt for the dinner.
Tuxedo Cat Personality
When it comes to a cat’s personality, you can count on the fact that the color(s) of her coat don’t determine her personality. Having said that, many tuxedo cat pet parents will tell you that their cats are highly intelligent. In addition, tuxedo fur babies also have a big reputation for wanting to snuggle and stay with you all the time. Did we mention that these kitties are friendly?
Tuxedo cats are also known to be extremely active and more vocal (more so than Persian cats, if you can believe it!). And they enjoy spending time around people, for the most part. Now, you may occasionally find a tuxedo kitty who isn’t really a people person. Remember, each cat is unique in all ways, including their personality.
Tuxedo Cat Lifespan
Tuxedo cats are pretty much like other cats, in that they’re pretty healthy overall. On average, a tuxedo cat may live anywhere from 15 to 20 years, which is the average life of a domestic cat. And they have no particular health issues.
The main things are to make sure your tuxedo feline companion receives fresh food and water every day, regular checkups with the vet, exercise, grooming (if she happens to have long, thick fur), and plenty of love and attention. On top of this, your fur baby will need lots of love and attention every day, too.
Fun Tuxedo Cat Facts
While researching this article, we came across some fun and interesting facts about tuxedo cats:
1). Tuxedo cats usually have green eyes: the gene that brings out their beautiful tuxedo coloring may be connected with the color of their eyes. Most tuxedo cats have green, golden green or even blue green eyes. These colors are an amazing contrast with the kitty’s black and white coloring.
2). Many tuxedo cats have white whiskers: if you look at pictures of tuxedo cats, you’ll notice that most of them have white whiskers! It’s great look with their normally black faces!
3). Tuxedo cats are a global phenomenon: you can find these beautiful cats in countries all over the globe!
4). Ancient Egyptians worshipped tuxedo cats: if you notice the pictures in ancient Egyptian tombs, you’ll see that most of the cats depicted are tuxedo cats. It could be that the Egyptians connected the tuxedo cat with the sky goddess Nut and the Earth god, Geb.
5). Famous people have owned tuxedo cats: people such as Isaac Newton, William Shakespeare, Beethoven, and Roger Daltrey all had tuxedo cats.
6). Fictional tuxedo cats: these kitties have also had their place in popular fiction including:
- Sylvester: the famous Looney Tunes black & white cat who chases after Tweetie, the naughty canary.
- Penelope: who is relentlessly chased by the skunk, Pepe Le Pew (he believes she’s a skunk due to the stripe running down her back, and she has a fluffy tail like a skunk).
- The musical Cats: features a tuxedo cat by the name of Mr. Mistofelees.
- Seuss’ The Cat in the Hat: also features a tuxedo cat who really enjoys rhyming!
- Felix the Cat: a cartoon character first featured in the 1920. In fact, tuxedo cats are sometimes referred to as “Felix” cats.
- Figaro: is the name of the tuxedo cat in Disney’s movie
7). Famous real-life tuxedo cats: here is a short list of some real tuxedo cats who have become famous:
- Socks: the First Cat of Bill Clinton lived in the White House. He was brought into the White House by the Clinton’s daughter, Chelsea.
- Sparky: a tuxedo cat who inherited more than $6 million back in 1998 after his owner passed away.
- Simon: this is a great name for a sea-faring cat. Back in 1949, Simon sailed with the British Royal Navy during the Chinese civil war. He was eventually awarded the PDSA Dicken medal for protecting soldier’s rations.
- Trixie: back in 1801 broke into the Tower of London to be with her owner. How much more loyal could a tuxedo cat be?
- Professor Meowingtons PhD: this cat with the fancy name belongs to electronic artist deadmau5. This guy has featured his highly educated kitty on several album covers.
Here are some pictures of beautiful, amazing tuxedo cats sure to steal your heart!
Care of Your Tuxedo Cat
Tuxedo cats don’t require any special care and are usually very healthy fur babies. Having said that, there are some things they do need every day in order to stay happy and healthy:
- Fresh water: your fur baby will need access to clean, fresh water every day. Water that’s been sitting around longer than that can become a home to bacteria and other nasties that can make your feline companion sick.
- Nutritionally complete food: all cats need food that meets their daily essential nutritional needs. If you’re not sure what food is best for your tuxedo companion, then be sure to ask the vet for their guidance and advice.
- Grooming: if you have a shorthair or a longhair kitty, you’ll need to be sure she’s groomed at least once a week. She may even need grooming more often if she has thick fur that easily mats. Regular grooming will keep kitty’s fur clean and free of debris, and it will remove shedding hair that she could swallow. This will prevent furballs. In some instances, cats may need to have their nails clipped and may even require bathing.
- Keep the litter box clean: the litter box is the last thing we want to think about; however, this is an important part of keeping your fur baby healthy. Be sure to scoop out her litter box once a day, and completely empty and wash the litter box about once a week (more often if it begins to smell bad).
- Play & exercise: this is a great way to bond with your tuxedo cat! Spend time playing with her every day and make sure she gets plenty of exercise. This will keep her healthy and happy!
- Love and attention: your bi-color fur baby will also need lots of love and attention to keep her happy and healthy in every way.
Tuxedo cats are beautiful and not rare, so if you’re looking for a new fur baby be sure to consider one of these adorable kitties. These little guys are always ready for a formal occasion and are available in every breed or mixed breed combination. And the best thing? One of these amazing tuxedo cats will make a smart, loving companion for years to come!
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Kyoko
Kyoko is from a family of 3 and moved to New York with her parents and siblings when she was 13. Kyoko is fond of spending a great amount of time with pets, specifically her beagle Luna and cat Missy. Her boyfriend often complains that she spends too much time giving attention to their animals. Kyoko has written dozens of articles concerning pets and is aiming at owning a pet shop one day!
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