6 Fun Facts About Orange Tabby Cats
1. The orange tabby cat is not actually its own separate breed of cat.
Whether you call them orange, red, ginger or marmalade tabbies, orange tabby cats are not a specific breed of cat, rather it is referring to their fur color. Orange tabbies can be many different breeds, from Persian and Maine Coon to your standard Domestic Short Hair!
2. Many orange tabbies will develop little black freckles on their nose and mouth area.
Not only do ginger cats come with perfectly kissable pink noses, they may also develop adorable little freckles! These freckles will normally develop around the gums, lips, or nose area and can continue to appear throughout their life. These freckles are caused by a benign genetic called lentigo which increases the number of pigment-producing cells (epidermal melanocytes) around the lips, nose, and eyes and results in those little black freckles. They're like little sprinkles of joy! These freckles are normally harmless, but any change in size or pigmentation should be checked by a veterinarian.
3. They come in 4 beautiful coat types: Classic (swirled), Mackerel (striped), spotted and ticked (agouti).
- Mackerel: Mackerel tabbies are striped and may be tiger-like in appearance, with a classic ‘M’ shape on their forehead!
- Classic: the classic tabby pattern usually consists of a dark swirl or bullseye around your cat's midsection
- Ticked: Most common in breeds like Abyssinian, ticked tabbies can fool you into thinking that solid ginger cats exist - but they don't! Ticked tabbies have an almost speckled pattern with tabby markings on their heads.
- Spotted: Spotted tabbies appear, well, spotted! Their stripes or swirls are broken up and appear as ovals. This marking is most commonly seen in Bengal cat breeds!
4. Most orange tabby cats are males: 80% male, and 20% female - No wonder they are usually mischievous!
Interestingly enough, most orange tabby cats are indeed male! It's all thanks to their genetic makeup. According to Spruce Pets, the gene O codes for orange (referred to as Red in genetics) fur and is carried on the X chromosome. Because females have two X chromosomes, this means that a female orange cat must inherit two orange genes (one from each parent). But a male tabby only needs one O gene, which he gets from his mother.
5. All orange cats are tabby cats, they do not have a solid coat!
Without getting too deep into genetics (it's complicated, folks!), thanks again to their genetic makeup, all orange cats will have tabby markings of some kind. This is because of the agouti gene. The agouti gene determines whether a cat has a tabby pattern or not. However, when the red pigment gene is expressed, the non-agouti gene does not work. So you can't have a non-agouti gene with an orange cat - meaning they will have some type of tabby marking, whether it is classic, mackerel, or ticked.
6. Orange tabby cats get a lot of screen time!
Beyond the famed lasagna-loving Garfield, orange tabby have graced the silver screen - more than you may have realized! There are live-action kitties like Goose (Captain Marvel) Orion (Men in Black) and Jones (Alien), ... wow, there are a lot of orange tabbies in space, aren't there? And don't forget Orangey in Breakfast at Tiffany's. And you can't forget about Puss in Boots, who melted everyone's hearts with iconic big kitty eyes!
Does your orange cat have particular characteristics? Tell us about them! We love to learn more.
Hello all!
I’m brand new to the joy of having orange tabby cats. I have had tuxedo cats for years and then a solid black kitty named Bijou, who passed earlier this year. Out of all these kitties, I never had a cat that was cuddly and affectionate. My boys were wild and crazy, always on the hunt and preferred to be seen rather than held.
A few weeks ago I rescued a orange tabby female who we named Goldie. This is the first time I’ve ever had a cuddly cat who is also a strong hunter. I have two large dogs that quickly learned she was Queen and needed her space from them. I truly believe Goldie chose me as she snagged my sleeve as I walked past her cage at the shelter and gave me a look like “Hey! I’m the cat you need”.
She’s a beautiful cat- striped pattern with the tip of her tail that changes to orange and white stripes, which reminds me a lemur rail a bit.
I’m hooked on this orange tabby girl. She is the gold standard of all cats :)
I have a female ginger (orange) tuxedo tabby who is the friendliest, most cuddly cat i have ever seen but she is starting to get a bit old (9 years) and i know some breeds die around that age, so can anyone help me figure out what breed she is, so i cat see how long she will live? she seems to resemble an American Short Hair in her physical attributes, though she does not have a dense, short coat. Also, she does not seem to have the personality of a typical American Short Hair.
My dear sweet special boy Ruthers is a literal chimney sweep. He just looooooves to curl up in our (dormant!!) fireplace and he’ll just stand right up in there and sniff around until the cows come home. When he comes out of there to gobble up his yummy treats his nose is so covered in soot he looks like a orphan in the workhouse.
His stripey coat is soooooo soft I once had a woman offer me a thousand dollars to make a coat of him (I’m not even kidding!!) I told her he’ll no. We have got to put an end to this cat fur coat industry!! Did y’all know that 1 in 20 fur coats that are made in America are at least 32% cat fur?? I don’t care what people say that’s just downright appalling.
I’m just so happy for safe spaces where we cat luvrs can share our stories and support each other. Take care of those beautiful babies they deserve nothin but the best and more.
I love you ruthers!! Xo mommie
I had a 3 month old orange male tabby for less than a week. My 4 yr. Tuxedo did not fight with him the few times she saw him. Instead she attacked me for a week straight and would not eat. Had to give in and give the tabby back to former owner and I am still crying over it. He touched me the few days I had him and want him back so bad. He was kind and gentle and would give me kisses on my lips. The tuxedo is back to her loving self and won’t leave my side. I am just said that things did not work out and I missed out on such a great cat
My orange boy “DJ 8 Lives” is the best. He earned his name when our neighbor almost accidentally cooked him when he was found up in the engine of their car! So he went from 9 lives… to 8 . HA! We rescued him after that and made sure he stayed an inside cat… But he finally has gotten his way when we purchased a home that we MADE sure included a nice little screened in porch for his spoiled butt. Now he thinks he’s king. He’s got this gorgeous tail that I call his “swiffer tail.” Gosh, its so fluffy you can dust the whole house with it! DJ is a talker, he will talk and talk all day. You look in his direction he gives you this “what???” face and lets out a timid little meow. Even better.. when you are talking about him while he is in listening distance, he will run right up to you and confront you!! “WHAT DID MEW SAY??”
Other than that he is my sweet little prince. Very territorial but i take it as a compliment. Not sure if there’s a breed of orange maine coon’s but i swear that’s what he is. With his lion-mane chest, and his gigantic paws. He’s just so smart too.. he can sense when I am stressed or sad from a mile away and ensures that I get plenty of DJ head nudges. (He’s not a cuddler on the norm…. just feed me and let me stare at you from across the room hooman!!) Gosh, I love him SO much, I got emotional writing this about him. I’ve had many cats in my life but I’ve never had such a strong bond with them like I do with DJ. I’m so glad I found you kiddo.. thanks for making sure that when you DID get stuck in a car engine, it was the car across the street from me <3 My crazy swiffer boy!!!!
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