Caring for strays at BCDH
Our action plan for stray cats and dogs
Cats, Dogs, Rescue, Rehabilitate
Let a monochrome cat bring colour to your life
60% of our current cats are black, white or black and white. And in applications, people sometimes request ginger or tabby cats only, but we know they are missing out.
We spend time getting to know all of our cats so we can tell you about their personality, because coat colour doesn’t tell you if they like a cuddle in the morning... We laugh off human hair colour stereotypes - do blondes really have more fun? Are redheads fiery-tempered? – so let’s shake off some cat ones too!
Pudding's black coat shows off her bright yellow eyes
Why are they different colours?
Cat coats are in the genes, and whilst the original cats were tabbies for good hunting camouflage, the mutations were bred to keep the quirks.
Some coat colours do link to gender (nearly all tortoiseshell cats are female, most ginger cats are male) and some link to health issues (deafness is predominantly in white cats with blue eyes). But otherwise coat colour is just a happy accident.
Did you know? Mum cats can have lots of different coloured kittens in one litter. Male kittens will inherit their colour from their mother, and female kittens will be a combination of the colours of each parent.
Paw pads are our favourite thing – those beans! The pigment in a cat’s skin affects the coat colour so they have different colours even within each paw.
Paw pads can come in different colours too
Beauty in black and white
Black and white cats have such individual markings, even the classic ‘tuxedo’ of white bib and paws are so different from one to another, with milk moustaches popping up as well. Their paw pads can be a mix of black, grey, pink and white.
Pixie's milk moustache is on point
Take a closer look at black cats, are they really black? Some are a gorgeous burnt umber and some will have tabby markings that can only be seen in bright sunshine. Their paw pads tend to be grey or black, but a white mark might hint at a hidden white spot! And those who are truly black are adored for being ‘a void’. Good luck finding their new snoozing spot!
Finding your purrfect match
When you look to adopt with us, we start with personality. Do you want a lap cat? A playful entertainer? Do you want to build a special bond with a shy one? We’ll narrow down our cats to the best matches for what you are looking for in a pet. Then we’ll invite you in to meet them and see if there’s that spark.
» Find out more about our adoption process
