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.
Our orange tabby, Cheddar Bob, is a purring, loving furball. He also fetches and is crazy for hair ties. He has even been known to catch them in the air. He hardly never tires of it. If he does, he just goes to his hammock bed and sleeps it off until the next round! We love our Cheddar Bob!
I have 6 orange cats. 4 Female 2 Males. They are all special, loving, friendly.
I have one of those rare female ginger cats! Her name is Rogue (@Rogue.the.ginger.cat) and she is playful, vocal, loving but also very mischievous. She was a litter of 4 with 3 being ginger female and only 1 ginger male. I took her in from my best friend as she was anxious and stressed in her home, brought her into our home, hoping we can help her and she has blossomed into the most wonderful cat. She loves her humans, and follows her mummy (me) around the whole house. As I write this she is on her ‘pc’ chair which is a chair I had to set up so she can be next to me when on the computer. Ginger cats can be a handful sometimes but they give you so much love its so worth it!
I’ve got a 7 month old orange long haired tabby, had him since he was born. Is it normal for him to be at 7 months old and like twice the size as his siblings. Ps. I also named him simba.
My orange tabby is such a little lover…….he absolutely loves snuggles, and cuddling. Unlike his “grey” brother, my orange feline is quite quiet and has an excellent sort of “timing”. If he wants treats, he will go to the cupboard, wait for me to come, then hit the cupboard door as if saying “treats, now!” He also is very in tune with my feelings. If I get a simple cold, he’s there trying to take care of me. He’s such a little sweetie.
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