Facts About Tuxedo Cats
Tuesday May 13, 2008
Did you know that tuxedo cats are 200% smarter than other cats? That the first cat in the new world was a Tuxedo cat named Asgerd aboard a Viking ship, or that the largest inheritance given a cat was to a tuxedo? Learn more amazing bits of fact and/or fiction about tuxedo cats, as researched and verified by Dr. Magrathea Wallace.I was amazed and mystified to read some of these facts, although friends owned by tuxedos may agree with many of them. Thanks to Dr. Wallace and her personal assistant, Randy Wallace, for taking the time to assemble and submit these facts.
The truth will become clear, as you read further. One fact, which is indisputable, is that tuxedo cats are stunning, with their white bibs and spats against their sleek black coats and tails. The combination, of course, is how the term "tuxedo" was first coined.
You may submit photos of your own tuxedo cat or any black and white cat by observing the Photo Submittal Guidelines. Pictured here is Maggie, one of the tuxies in the new 2008 Tuxedo Cats Picture Gallery.
Photo Credit: © Randy Wallace
Comments
BWAAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Are plastic water and food bowls safe if they contain BPA? Human water bottles made by Nalgen have been taken off shelves because they pose serious health problems in lab animals.
Drive cars? I thought Toonces was a tabby …
So if Chuck Norris and a Tuxedo Cat got in a fight, who would win?
I nominate Dr. Magrathea Wallace for a Nobel Prize. This is excellent research, and I agree with every word!
Maggie asked me to thank you all for the kind comments. And in reply,
Toonces was a TC in tabby makeup.
Chuck Norris wouldn’t stand a chance.
RW
I think Chuck Norris would do OK. I think Mr. T and a Tuxedo would be a killer fight.
I had a male tuxedo cat and he was so good. I called his name and he would come like a dog they are awsome cats!
This is very droll and I see that your tongue is in your cheek on this one, but there are folks that will take these seriously and start spreading stupid rumors about tuxes. I guess I would rather you write about the Wallaces’ humor than relay the joke once more. Facetiousness only works once – after that it turns into urban legend. Next thing you know I’ll be telling my sister for the umpteenth time to check out Snopes.com to see if TCs really are 200% smarter than other cats – but not until she has e-mailed dozens of her friends that it’s true.
I’m sorry, but the term “tuxedo” is only a color pattern — it isn’t a breed and therefore you cannot ascribe intelligence or other marvelous qualities to it. Even though I own a tuxedo-patterned cat and wish I could declare his superiority too, LOL! Now, Siamese… THERE is an intelligent breed — but you have to accept the craziness too! Had one for 15 years, and after he crossed the bridge, we decide to go with a “normal” cat, hence the Tux! They all pretty much are what you raise them to be…
Harlequin loves what you had to say about her. She believes that you are the smartest person on the planet. She is rubbing the computer in delight.
I have had three tuxedo cats and several calico and tabby cats. I have owned persian and Siamese and to be honest my very last Tuxedo cat has to be the smartest cat I have EVER had thepleasure of loving and caring for.
Why aren’t thre any pictures?
Heyyyyyy I
I also have a tuxedo. I started playing with her from day one. I used a sponge ball that I would toss across the room. She would chase the ball down and pick it up in her mouth and run the ball back to me, dropping the ball a few feet away from me while still in full flight, the ball would roll right to me. She would do this several times with me until she got tired. Occasionally when I come home from work, or when I get up in the morning, she will leave a ball on my bed. To this day, when I mention the word ball she will stop doing whatever she is doing and look in my direction.
My cat Simon was a beautiful tuxedo…I had the pleasure of raising him since kittenhood at 8 weeks to almost 14 years.
He was a very smart cat and I loved him very much. He crossed over the Rainbow Bridge after a brief illness…I miss him so much.
cool facts I wanted to learn more about Tuxedo cats. I have one and your facts were very helpful
I have had many cats over the years. I’ve had my Tuxedo cat now for 8 years and she is smart as a whip. She understands everything..I say ‘let’s get brushed’ and she goes right in the bathroom; I say ‘let’s eat’ and she walks in the kitchen; I say, ‘time for bed’ she walks right in the bedroom. She understands as much as my dog I use to have….Her name is Booboo, and she is beautiful.
We rescued two tuxedo cats from abandonment. One, Nigel, was frightenigly intelligent. I think he was capable of sly untruths to get his way. He would also clearly laugh at the embarrassment or misadventures of the household’s other cats, suggestive of shcadenfreude. He would train the other cats. He would train the neighbors’ dogs. He would train the humans in his life. He taught himself to stand astride the toilet. He had friendly relations with cats and people all over the neighborhood. He had better name and face recognition in town, and I am the Mayor (He was much better looking.) Alas, he got into some Chinese Communist origin cat food tainted with melamine at the next door neighbor’s house. Nigel and the neighbor cat both had to be put down after a long bout with IVs and hospitalization. He would be insulted to think I once thought he would come back as a Siamese cat or a human. We miss him so.
I also have a male tuxedo, adopted from the Orange Cty, Fl Animal Shelter. I wish this allowed me to give you a picture of him – he is the prototypical tuxedo – white paws, white underside and white chin – rest all black w/a 14″ tail.
Napoleon left me no choice but to adopt him – from the moment I walked in the shelter’s cat room he started yelling (if u have a tuxedo u will understand that there is no other way to describe it) and grabbing out of his cage. The woman running the cat room came over startled and said he never did that b4 – not sure if true, but knew that he’d picked me to be his momma.
I’ve had many cats in my life – his current companion is a calico – but he is, BY FAR, the one most like a dog. As his vet says: “He has SO much personality, but does everything that u tell him.” He trained easily and yet, at 13 pounds now – all muscle, still loves to snuggle when time for bed.
He is VERY vocal – each has a different meaning – and expects his person to understand exactly what he’s saying. And there is no question that when I come home, he lets all my neighbors know with his “MWWWWARHHH MWWWWARHH”….
He is my first tuxedo, but there is no question in my mind that they are truly a different sort of cat…..very, very intelligent, but incredibly sociable.
i have a tuxedo cat she is a natural hunter
I had a Tuxedo cat and he recently went to the rainbow bridge. He was 30 years old when he passed. He was old but left when he choose and would not sleep in his bed until I moved it into my bedroom for the last three months. When he was younger he slept with me but as he matured, he prefered his heated bed to my thrashing about. As far as inteligence, he was one smart cookie. He had a miriad of vocalazations and carried on extensive conversations with me but not my partner, who was jealous of this but still loved him very much. I adopted him from the SPCA on Oahu, HI but he came up to me. I did not choose him, rather he chose me which makes the whole thing that much more interesting. It broke my heart when he left and I miss him dearly. I just wanted to some people who would understand. In Remembrance of Leonard Alexander De’peau. We miss you Lenny.
I adopted a Tuxedo from a friend… His name is Willy
and he was 10 when i got him around 3 years ago…he still acts like a kitten in many ways..He is VERY smart. He is very vocal as well. When it is hot outside, he loves me to pour cool water on him and rub it in to his fur! Most cats would hate this!
I adopted “Polly” (for polydactyl), from Second Chance Pet Companions. She is my sixth “tuxedo.” I have found that tuxedos and all black cats seem to have a higher intelligence than others I have had.
When Shari, from SCPC brought her to the house for “Introductions,” I took them on a “tour” of the house, pointing out where the litter boxes were located (2–1 upstairs and 1 down), where the feeding station, bed, and other critical places were located. Katie–her original given name, followed with much interest. After the tour, we were sitting in the living room discussing her history, behavior, etc. I had never tried to pick her up during all of this. Shari told me that she was not a “lap cat,” but would get up on the sofa a lay beside you, but don’t expect her to get too close. As if by cue, Poly came running over to me, jumped up in my lap–purring as loud as she could–and put her feet up on my shoulders and started kissing me all over the face. She had decided that this was her home and I was her human, so forget what Shari was saying!
Needless to say, Shari was quite taken aback. All she could say was, “I guess there’ll be no trouble with this adoption!”
Polly has slept on my bed every night since I got her, using the other pillow as her pillow. When I open my eyes in the morning, she is there waiting for me to wake up, and comes over and kisses me a “good morning.” Any time I go out, she is sitting my the door waitiing for my return.
My tuxedo cat is not only handsome, he’s also very smart. He comes when he’s called and does tricks for food. He fetches and chases balls and mouse toys. He is extremely loyal and is a great companion.
I’ve had Miss Kitty for two years now. She is 9 years old and a beautiful and very feminine tuxedo cat. She is so smart that it’s like talking to another human. She understands everything I say and has a way of communicating to me that leaves no doubt what she wants. From the first day I brought her home she let me know my bed was her bed, and she wanted a pillow all her own. She’s very sociable with people who come to the house. It’s hard to believe she is 9 years old because she shows no sign of old age. Miss Kitty is my little princess, and I hope to enjoy her for many more years.
my brothers friends found our tuxedo cat two years ago outside a tesco in a box on the corner of the road in front of it. she was the size of a tiny robin and was starving and cold as the arctic! my brothers friends brought her here and we called her figget because she loved to move about…the next day she went to the toilet in our blanket covers
My tuxedo cat, Baby, was a rescue cat. I found her on the highway after she had been hit by a car. When I picked her up, I realized that she had a string tied to her tail which had been set on fire. She was missing whiskers and a big patch of skin and fur on the inside of a rear leg. Her right ear had been burned too. I took her to the vet and he said even tiny kittens (she was about 9 weeks old at the time) have amazing healing powers. She is now 2 years old, has a stubby tail because the of the string injury, and weighs 6 lbs. But she is amazing. She loves people, greets us at the door, comes when called and loves bathes. She is a true lap cat and she will gently touch my face with her paw when she thinks she needs petted. She carries her toys to us when she wants to play. When I found her I would say “poor little baby girl” when I talked to her, but now she is our darling little Baby girl.