Cats come in so many different colours, shapes, and breeds - and while we love all of them, there is something special about tuxedo cats! These monochromatic moggies are some of the most popular pets in the world, and our fun facts will break down why people love them so much! We've got more cat facts if you're still scratching the curtains afterwards - learn about black cats, ragdolls, or go large and learn about black panthers!

1. They aren't their own breed

Tuxedo cats are not a separate breed of cat - it's just the name of the pattern of their coats! It just means a cat with two colours in its fur, and there are a lot of pattern variations in that kind of cat. These include "cap and saddle", "mask and mantle", and "harlequin." They don't even technically have to be black and white, but "tuxedo" usually refers to a specific pattern in black-and-white cats. A tuxedo is a formal suit worn by men at black-tie events which includes a black coat and trousers and a white shirt. Tuxedo cats look like they're wearing little formal suits, as the pattern includes a white chest and tummy, and often a white blaze on the cat's face. This makes them look like they're wearing black masquerade masks on their faces - super mysterious! They often also have white paws.

2. There are rules for show tuxedos!

There are pet shows all over the world, where owners will show off their pets and hope to win prizes for how perfect they are. Of course, all of us think our pets are totally perfect - but there are actually strict rules about which pets can be entered! A lot of these are based on aesthetics, which means how much the pet's looks match up with the ideal for that animal. The rules vary across organisations, but the perfect tux will have no more than 3/4 white in their fur, and their pattern will be as symmetrical as possible.

3. They are totally unique!

Every tuxedo cat has a unique pattern - no two tuxes are the same! It was thought for a time that their coat patterns were genetic, but now it is understood that the colour distribution of their fur is random with no genetic preset - so you can never get two identical tuxes, even if you cloned them!

4. The Egyptians probably didn't worship them

This fact is heavily disputed but worth a mention! The ancient Egyptians loved cats, and several deities were pictured with cat-heads. This has led to a rumour that tuxedo cats were the most high-prized cats in Ancient Egypt, depicted in art and even buried with their masters. This probably isn't true - for one thing, the tuxedo cat isn't a separate breed, so it's very hard to know when the tuxes we know and love first appeared. The two main breeds of cat in Ancient Egypt weren't the same as our modern domestic cat - they were the African Wildcat, and the Jungle Cat, and neither of them were black-and-white.

5. They're not allowed into the opera

Here's another myth: because tuxedo cats are already dressed up in their Sunday best, they're allowed to attend the Metropolitan Opera in New York City! This is a fact that we wish was true, but unfortunately it's not quite there. When one reporter contacted the Met about this myth, they responded that while they loved the idea, there is technically no dress code to attend operas at the venue. Furthermore, while they absolutely allow service animals as per disability guidelines, unless your tuxedo cat is a registered service animal they won't be allowed in - unless they're part of the show!

6. They're smart!

Most cats are pretty intelligent, though cat owners notice it varies from breed to breed - a lot of orange cat owners say their cats are especially silly! Each tuxedo has a unique personality, but as a kind of cat they are said to be especially intelligent. They're also known to be affectionate, they love to explore, and they're also very talkative!

7. They can be boys or girls

Some kinds of cat lean more heavily towards one gender. You might have heard that orange cats are mostly male, and calico and tortoiseshell cats are mostly female. This is true, and it's all to do with genetics! But as tuxedo cats' patterns are not determined by genetics, there is a more even gender distribution. A tux is about equally likely to be a boy as it is a girl!

8. A tuxedo once represented the White House!

In the 1990s, a tuxedo cat named Socks became the highest-placed cat in the world! Socks belonged to the Clinton family, the First Family of the United States between 1993 and 2001. That made Socks the official First Cat! Socks was a stray cat who was adopted by the family after he jumped into the arms of Chelsea Clinton as she left a piano lesson. He was named after his white paws, and his image became very famous - the children's section of the official White House website featured a cartoon Socks! He also did school and hospital visits, children wrote him letters, and Hillary Clinton took a bag shaped like Socks to the 1997 Inaugural Ball. Sadly Socks did not get on with the Clintons' dog Buddy, and he was later adopted by President Clinton's secretary. He passed away in 2009, meaning he lived about 20 years!

9. And the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office!

Britain had its very own tux high up in politics - Palmerston! Palmerston was the Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office between 2016 and 2020. He was adopted from Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, and got his name from former Prime Minister Lord Palmerston. Palmerston hit the news because of his longstanding rivalry with Larry, the tabby cat who has served as Chief Mousesr at 10 Downing Street since 2011. In 2016 a journalist caught the two cats in a serious scrap, which saw Larry lose his collar and Palmerston suffering an ear injury. Palmerston is now living a cosy retirement, while Larry is still employed at Downing Street.

10. There are a lot of famous fictional tuxes!

Tuxedo cats are popular in fiction, mostly for their striking good looks! Some famous tuxedos include Sylvester, Felix the Cat, Kitty Softpaws from Puss in Boots, the eponymous Cat from Dr. Seuss's The Cat in the Hat, and Jess from Postman Pat. Tom from Tom and Jerry is also a tuxedo cat, but he's grey and white rather than black and white. In T.S. Eliot's book of poems Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats, he describes Jellicle cats as "black and white", and the illustrations show a lot of tuxedo cats. The musical Cats, which is based on the poems, changed this and made the cats a variety of colours, but it still features two tuxedos: Bustopher Jones, with his black-and-white spats, and the magical Mr. Mistoffelees!

11. Several famous people had tuxes

Even if they weren't worshipped by the Ancient Egyptians, several famous people throughout history definitely owned a tuxedo cat! Shakespeare, Beethoven and Isaac Newton are among the tuxedo lovers of history. Maybe they helped to inspire their work?

12. One was a war veteran!

One very brave British tux named Simon went to war! He served on the HMS Amethyst as a mouser. This is esepcially important on a ship, where mice and rats eating supplies poses a risk to the crew. Simon was very good at his job, and he also had a reputation for being cheeky - he was known to leave dead rats in sailors' beds, and sleep in the captain's cap. In 1948 Simon was badly wounded when the Amethyst was attacked on the Yangtze River in China. He recovered from his wounds and went right back to mousing and raising the crew's morale. He ended up becoming a celebrity, and was presented with the Dickin Medal, which is the highest military honour an animal can receive. To date, Simon is the only cat who has ever received it!

13. One ran for mayor!

In 2012 one Canadian cat named Tuxedo Stan actually ran for mayor of Halifax! Stan, who was three years old when he ran, was the leader of the Tuxedo Party, which was created (by humans) to raise awareness of the feral cat population in Canada. He technically wasn't allowed to run because candidates needed to have a birth certificate, but he did find international fame and celebrity fans! The Halifax Regional Council voted to donate money to a new clinic that would spay and neuter feral cats, so hey - Stan kind of won!

14. And one climbed Mount Everest (apparently)!

Okay, the cat wasn't actually doing the legwork on this one - but reportedly, the only feline that has ever reached the summit of the tallest mountain on Earth is a tux named Roderick. There isn't actually a lot of evidence to back up this story, and it's not a good idea to take a cat on a mountain hike. But hey, cats love to climb, and tuxedo owners have reported that their cats love to explore - maybe a tuxedo mountaineer isn't impossible! There is evidenced that wild cats live on Everest - specifically, the Pallas's cat, a delightfully chunky kitty native to Central Asia.

15. They might just be magical!

There are a lot of myths and legends about tuxedo cats, and they're not just about the opera! It's said that during the equinox (when the sun crosses the Earth's equator, which happens twice every year), tuxedo cats turn invisible. Of course, no animal can turn totally disappear, even if it seems like cats can do it when it's time to go to the vet!