# Easiest/hard colors/patterns to find home for in shelters/rescues? I'm curious



## Tsukiyomi (Nov 18, 2014)

Which cats/kittens are hardest to place/easiest to place? If what I mean isn't clear like I know black cats have a hard time getting adopted so I guess color pattern is what I mean. I'm certainly curious about peoples experiences/what they've seen.


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## NebraskaCat (Jan 15, 2013)

We seem to go slowest with gray or brown tabbies. I don't think it's because they're adopted any less, but because we just have so darn many. Black cats would be second slowest here. I've heard people say tuxedos/bicolors go slow, but they seem to go pretty quickly at our shelter. I think the fastest movers tend to be the color pointed cats.

Age is as you would expect: kittens go fastest, seniors go slowest.

Long hair moves faster than short hair, in general.

Of the "special needs" cats, tripods, blind, or deaf cats seem to move the fastest. Cats with renal disease and cats with urinary health issues seem to be slowest. FIV/FeLV is somewhere in the middle of those.


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## Arianwen (Jun 3, 2012)

As far as colours are concerned, here pure blacks are the slowest followed by black and white. Greys are hugely popular and fly out. Tabbies, gingers and calicos / tortoiseshells are pretty popular. Creams through to champagne tabbies are almost as popular as greys. Kittens move quicker than older cats.


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## bluemilk (Oct 3, 2005)

I've found that 'Easter egg' cats can be hard to find a home for. I mean orange cats with dark faces, grey kittens with white marbling, or KUH-razy-colored calicos., anyone OUT of the ordinary...


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## DebS (Jun 14, 2015)

I recently adopted my tabby/tortoiseshell mix kitten. She was available along with two other tabbies, while the solid color or spotted kitties were all spoken for. It was only one experience, but it seemed to me that the brown tabbies were the least popular. I still think I got a beauty in Amelia.


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## TranquilityBlue (Nov 13, 2014)

We have a lot more brown tabbies than anything, followed by orange tabbies, oddly. Only 3 black cats out of a total of 35~40.


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## Nuliajuk (Oct 25, 2014)

I just got on the local SPCA site and did a count.
Black cats - 21 total. Mind you, they've lumped a few tuxedo cats and one black smoke (shaded) in there with them.
Brown tabbies - 3 total, including one with white tuxedo markings.
One calico
Two flamepoints
One dilute tortoiseshell mis-identified as "gray". 
Four other cats described as "gray", although one looks a lot like a brown tabby to me.
Six described as "gray tabby"
Orange or orange tabbies - 7
One seal point with no picture, which means it could actually be any colour. (Our lilac point was described as a seal point by the SPCA before we adopted her.)
Tortoiseshells - 3 (so 4 total)
White cats - 4. One has small patches of orange tabby and probably should be described as such.

I suppose the numbers could change from time to time, but it does seem there are a lot of black cats here.


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## Nuliajuk (Oct 25, 2014)

Brown tabbies rock, I've had three in my lifetime. That wild appearance coupled with a sweet nature is the best kept secret in cat-dom.


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## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

At the moment we have more black and black and white cats than anything. There are almost 20 black foster kittens in foster care all about the same age so we are worried that we will have a hard time getting them adopted. I have 4 myself. We are going to communicate between ourselves and see if we can just trickle them in to the shelter so they get adopted then bring more in rather than inundate the shelter with black kittens.


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## catloverami (Jul 5, 2010)

*Temperament and personality--color isn't the "be-all and end-all"*

Black cats and brown tabbies seem to be the most common colors. I found when I was breeding Manx that my silver tabbies, dilute tortoiseshells, and especially cream and red (orange) tabbies were the most popular, followed by tabbies or torbies _with white_. Blacks were the least popular. Color isn't considered very much by Manx breeders as there are few "points" for color in the breed standard, but conformation, temperament and health were my main considerations, followed by coat quality. Even tho black kittens were the least popular, most of mine had exceptional temperaments as did my black studs of which I had a succession of three (carrying dilute recessive--blue) and many an owner changed their mind when they saw my super friendly black kittens. Some prospective buyers were very fixed on a particular color, although I would try to persuade them that it's better when the kitten chose the owner and as they would have a closer bond with it. So IMO color isn't the "be-all and end-all".


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## catloverami (Jul 5, 2010)

*Temperament and personality--color isn't the "be-all and end-all"*

Black cats and brown tabbies seem to be the most common colors. I found when I was breeding Manx that my silver tabbies, dilute tortoiseshells, and especially cream and red (orange) tabbies were the most popular, followed by tabbies or torbies _with white_. Blacks were the least popular. Color isn't considered very much by Manx breeders as there are few "points" for color in the breed standard, but conformation, temperament and health were my main considerations, followed by coat quality. Even tho black kittens were the least popular, most of mine had exceptional temperaments as did my black studs of which I had a succession of three (carrying dilute recessive--blue) and many an owner changed their mind when they saw my super friendly black kittens. Some prospective buyers were very fixed on a particular color, although I would try to persuade them that it's better when the kitten chooses the owner and as they would have a closer bond with it. So IMO color _isn't_ the "be-all and end-all".


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## MyBabiesDaddy (Jan 1, 2013)

I think it depends on temperament. Right now our shelter is absolutely inundated with tuxedo cats behaving badly. There was a point in time that we had a slew of black cats, but most weren't "good". A few months back we had around 5 torties who were very aggressive and non social. So I think temperament dictates who's left behind. Tabby kittens seem to go fastest and then black kittens are popular too with their big googly eyes


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## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

After mulling this question over for a few weeks I've determined it is what we have most of at the time. Right now we have more dilute calicos than anything and we almost can't give them away! We have such sweethearts too, but way too many of them. Like about 7 or 8 right now. TOO many!!


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## dseag2 (Nov 28, 2013)

Our black cat, Toby, had been in two shelters when we adopted him at 6 months old and he is the funniest, most loving little boy ever. It's a shame there is such an issue with black cats being adopted. Breaks my heart.


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## Arianwen (Jun 3, 2012)

This really has picked up on some regional anomalies - here, dilute calicos would zoom out (as long as they had the right temperament) - in fact ANY calico. Here it is easier to find an adopter for a physically impaired cat than for black or black and white ones.


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## dseag2 (Nov 28, 2013)

DebS said:


> I recently adopted my tabby/tortoiseshell mix kitten. She was available along with two other tabbies, while the solid color or spotted kitties were all spoken for. It was only one experience, but it seemed to me that the brown tabbies were the least popular. I still think I got a beauty in Amelia.


She is absolutely adorable.


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