Before we dig deeper into cat psychology, first we got in touch with the r/OneOrangeBraincell subreddit moderator to tell us more about their idea behind it. “I know there is already a r/animalsbeingderps and r/whatswrongwithyourcat subreddit, but I felt there needed to be a specific sub just for orange cats. I noticed when orange cats were posted on Reddit, doing some silly or chaotic thing, everyone had similar titles saying, “all orange cats share one brain cell”. I kept seeing this over and over, so I decided it was time to create a subreddit centered around this concept,” wrote the subreddit creator.

A person who makes a subreddit dedicated to cats must love cats, otherwise, what’s the point? And if you are a cat person, you probably have a favorite breed too. The subreddit creator wrote: “I would have to say tortoiseshell American shorthair cats are definitely my favorite breed of cat. I had one growing up who was the most affectionate and gentle cat I ever owned. Orange tabbies are a close second, though!”

Seeing so many orange cat pictures being uploaded to the subreddit, we got curious whether there is a favorite among all the images. “This is a tough question, there are so many amazing posts on the subreddit! I would have to say the post with Booker, staring at an ice cube, is probably my favorite post of all time. It is the embodiment of the sub, showing the strange but funny behavior that orange cats all share.”

“There is something hilarious about seeing cats doing funny, unusual, and chaotic things, if you had a bad day or simply want a quick laugh this subreddit is a great place to go. There is something special, adorable, and hilarious about orange cats specifically, though,” the subreddit creator shared.

Managing a very active subreddit takes time and dedication because not all posts can be shared with the public and always must be checked by moderators. Though even if there are no harsh posts that need to be removed, some rules have to be followed. “There haven’t been too many issues with posts having to be removed, so no specific posts come to mind. The sub is obviously specifically for cats with orange-colored fur, occasionally people will post other animals with orange-looking fur or close to that color, unfortunately, we have to remove those as it doesn’t fit the theme,” the subreddit creator wrote.

They also added: “I wanted to mention the subreddit is almost a year old, but it has grown so quickly, we are sitting at a little over 250,000 users and seeing over 100+ posts daily. I still can’t believe it! I did also want to mention two notable posts and moments from the sub. My favorite moment is when the community came together to donate and raise over $2,000 for a cat who had been hit by a car, that was rescued by user u/SkeletonFlower46. It was amazing to see the community come together and raise money for the cat and to see the updates as he healed and got better. See post here.”

“Another notable moment was when a user posted that an orange cat, Fred, was up for adoption. A little while later, a user from the subreddit reached out and adopted him. Adoption here, and adoption update is here.”

So back to the psychological question, does the color of the fur have any effect on cat behavior? “As much as I would love to say yes, this is not true. Unlike dogs, every cat has their own huge personality and I think it depends entirely on their own personalities, personal experiences, etc. which affects their behavior rather than fur color,” Saba, the cat psychologist, answered.

Well, if the color has no effect on behavior, what about the breed? There are articles on cat breeds that claim to help you find the perfect companion by the traits listed. Saba shared: “If you google this question, you will get 1000s of articles claiming different breeds of cats as quiet or talkative. However, I strongly suggest that this is wrong. Some breeds of cats are definitely quieter or goofier, like Persian, ragdoll, etc.”

“But most cats who stay quieter or hidden can also be due to them being scared, underconfident, stressed, etc. This is why I think my job is very important because we have so much wrong and conflicting information out there on the internet about cats. You can make a shy or scared cat extremely playful and confident with proper routine and training. Like other animals cats need exercise, they are natural hunters, and if they don’t get these necessities at home they can start exhibiting negative behavior.”

“Also, if you want a quiet or goofier cat, then work on providing them their basic necessities at home like lots of hunting/playing opportunities, higher spaces, etc. and once they get their daily dose of hunting experience you will find them extremely friendly, loving and happy cats.”

We all have been wondering why cats are such goofballs, running around in the middle of the night for no reason, and getting trapped in the most random of places. Luckily, Saba has an answer for everything. She wrote: “As I was suggesting before, cats are natural hunters and they have predatory instincts. Domesticating cats and bringing them home doesn’t change their genes. A normal outdoor cat walks 5-6 km a day and they constantly hunt small bugs, insects, birds, etc.”

“Our indoor cats usually miss this sort of walking or hunting opportunity and when they wake up after a full day of naps at home, they have a lot of energy stored inside of them which ideally they should use for hunting. Cats do not understand how to use this energy, so they start hunting anything which moves around them, they also get zoomies for the same reason. Running really fast helps them to exhaust all the energy they have stored inside of them and hence they end up breaking things, which we humans find funny. Most unwanted behavior is caused because most indoor cats do not get proper physical or mental stimulation.”

If you have a cat that indulges in unwanted behavior, that can be solved. Saba commented: “almost all of the unwanted behavior can be changed by proper training. Most negative cat behavior in indoor cats is also caused by their owners’ wrong reactions toward their cats. Therefore, proper cat parenting and cat behavior knowledge are extremely essential for all cat owners. I am actually taking a free cat parenting seminar on 23rd December 2022 where I will be teaching the cat owners all the cat parenting essentials and information. Register here.”

“Most common issues that people come for help with are – cat aggression, peeping/pooping outside the litter box, and attention-seeking behavior. And we have successfully managed to resolve these issues.”

And lastly, the cat psychologist added: “Just one piece of information I would love for all cat owners to know is that cats are extremely simple, defensive, and resilient animals. The tag of being funny, crazy, assholes, etc. used for cats in mainstream media is very wrong.”

“Cats are simple because they do not need any fancy or expensive furniture or toys, their basic necessity as an animal is to hunt and have access to higher space to feel safe. They are defensive because cats will only harm someone if they are scared for their own lives or do not know what to do with all the energy inside of them. And lastly, they are resilient because being a predator, they do not show their illness, stress, fear, or anxiety outside and go years struggling with these issues without showing any symptoms. Therefore, cat owners need to be very observant and should know how to read their cat’s behavior/body language closely.”