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.
i adopted a 4 month old ginger cat last year (2016), from an animal shelter. he was in a cage, & kept putting his arm out as if to say, take me, take me. i did & brought him home to my 17 yr old female torte. He certainly lit up her life, she washes him, he washes her. when she cries at nite, he dashes off the bed and runs to see what’s wrong. He loves to play fetch & goes wild for a rolled up piece of paper. That was the best thing i ever did taking him that day. I love him dearly. He lights up my life.
For 17 years I had a wonderful orange tabby who found me one morning in my front yard. Someone had thrown him out of a car and he was scraped up so I took him to my vet. He was 6 mo. old, & unneutered. The techs went nuts over how gorgeous he was. After shots and neutering he came home to live with me and my 2 senior female black cats. Named him Topaz for his luminous golden eyes. He was very smart so I taught him a couple of tricks. He was a wonderful, smart, loving companion all those years. He happily bonded with my young female black cat who moved in with us after my seniors passed on. I lost him last year at 171/2 and still miss him.
In March 2017, I rescued 5 orange tabby kittens at 3 weeks old. Their momma was tortie and dad was an orange tabby. When I brought them to the Vet for their first check up, 4 of the 5 were females!!!! I was shocked!!! I kept 2 of the female kittens and they are hilarious. So much fun and they play most of the day and night. The 3 others have been adopted as well. Fostering was rewarding, fun and a lot of hard work. Orange tabbies hold a special place in my heart!
My grandson named our orange tabby Kitten. He has become attached to me and follows me around the house like a puppy. To lay down next to me in bed he stands next to me then flops sideways against me then slides down to a lying position. Loves his belly rubbed and when you yell at him to stop doing something he talks back to you as he walks away. Love him to death. He is my snuggle buddy.
I have fallen in love with our neighbors orange cat from across the street. He takes naps on our front porch and walks me to the mailbox every day. He is a very sweet cat, and purrs while I give him massages on his shoulders and head. I have a Maine Coon cat that I adore, but the orange one has my heart too.
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