Cats

Tuxedo Cat

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A tuxedo cat is a bicolor cat with a white and black coat. Most tuxedo cats are also black mask cats, a common name for felines who, due to their facial coloration, look as if they are wearing a black mask over their eyes, and often over their entire head. To be considered a true tuxedo cat, the feline's coloring should consist of a solid black coat, with white fur limited to the paws, belly, chest, throat, and often the chin, although many tuxedo cats appear to sport goatees, due to the black coloration of their mandible -- that is, the lower jaw and chin.

The derivation of the term tuxedo cat is self-explanatory, as the animal appears to be wearing the type of black tie formal wear commonly known in the United States and Canada as a tuxedo. In the United Kingdom, the tuxedo cat is sometimes known as the Jellicle cat, after the (fictional) tribe of black and white cats described by T.S. Elliot in Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats, which was first published in 1939.

Some owners attribute shy personalities to tuxedo cats, particularly once they reach adulthood. Others describe tuxedo cats as playful, loyal, and affectionate; albeit with definite boundaries and a propensity for spending at least part of the day secreting themselves in a hiding place, even when they do not share living space with other cats.

See also

• Bicolor cat
• Cat
• Domestic longhair cat
• Domestic shorthair cat
• Fictional cats
• Cat types
• Cat breeds

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