3 ms·

I understand your use of artificial in this context, However, it’s not like humans are en mass terminating the non-orange siblings, to the best of my knowledge.

Brybry 2y ago
But we do en masse sterilize cats, including feral cats.
hansonkd 2y ago
> it’s not like humans are en mass terminating the non-orange siblings, Black cats for instance are disproportionately more likely to be euthanized: > According to the National Library of Medicine, of all cats in shelters, black cats have the highest rate of euthanasia at a rate of 74.6%, and the lowest rate of adoption at 10% of any cat. [1] Not to many breeders out there breeding black cats. Many people who feed feral cats want to feed the cute ones, so there is at least some bias towards propagating certain colors of cats. (This is one of the reasons I picked the black cat at the shelter and one of the best decisions I ever made. Such a kind and loving cat) [1] https://www.msj.edu/news/2024/02/the-power-of-black-cats.html#:~:text=According%20to%20the%20National%20Library,at%2010%25%20of%20any%20cat https://www.msj.edu/news/2024/02/the-power-of-black-cats.htm....
- tumsfestival 2y ago
  What the hell, my favorite cats are the black ones. Even my cat is black and I chose her from her litter specifically because of her color. Is this all because of stupid superstition?
  - fiedzia 2y ago
    Most reasonable explanation I've heard is that black cats typically don't look good on pictures. Or maybe they are just overlooked by people visiting animal shelters?
Sharlin 2y ago
There's nothing about selection, natural or artificial, that implies killing. Orange cats spread around the world because the coat color was considered pretty and a novelty. I've read that ancient Egyptians already prized orange cats and likely intentionally bred more of them (which may or may not have involved culling).

Brybry 2y ago

But we do en masse sterilize cats, including feral cats.

hansonkd 2y ago

> it’s not like humans are en mass terminating the non-orange siblings, Black cats for instance are disproportionately more likely to be euthanized: > According to the National Library of Medicine, of all cats in shelters, black cats have the highest rate of euthanasia at a rate of 74.6%, and the lowest rate of adoption at 10% of any cat. [1] Not to many breeders out there breeding black cats. Many people who feed feral cats want to feed the cute ones, so there is at least some bias towards propagating certain colors of cats. (This is one of the reasons I picked the black cat at the shelter and one of the best decisions I ever made. Such a kind and loving cat) [1] https://www.msj.edu/news/2024/02/the-power-of-black-cats.html#:~:text=According%20to%20the%20National%20Library,at%2010%25%20of%20any%20cat https://www.msj.edu/news/2024/02/the-power-of-black-cats.htm....

tumsfestival 2y ago
What the hell, my favorite cats are the black ones. Even my cat is black and I chose her from her litter specifically because of her color. Is this all because of stupid superstition?
- fiedzia 2y ago
  Most reasonable explanation I've heard is that black cats typically don't look good on pictures. Or maybe they are just overlooked by people visiting animal shelters?

Sharlin 2y ago

There's nothing about selection, natural or artificial, that implies killing. Orange cats spread around the world because the coat color was considered pretty and a novelty. I've read that ancient Egyptians already prized orange cats and likely intentionally bred more of them (which may or may not have involved culling).