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, but instead refers to their coat color. Orange tabbies can be many different breeds, from Persian and Maine Coon to the standard domestic shorthair!
2. Many orange tabby cats will develop small black freckles in the nose and mouth area.
Ginger cats not only come with perfectly kissable pink noses, but they can also develop adorable little freckles! These freckles will typically develop around the gums, lips, or nose area and may continue to appear throughout your 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 resulting in those little black freckles. they are 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 (swirl), mackerel (striped), spotted, and marked (agouti).
- Mackerel: Mackerel tabbies are striped and can have a tiger-like appearance, with a classic “m” shape on their foreheads!
- Classic: The classic tabby pattern usually consists of a dark swirl or bullseye around your cat’s midsection
- Marked: More common in breeds such as the Abyssinian, marked tabbies might lead you to believe that solid ginger cats do exist, but they don’t! marked tabbies have an almost mottled pattern with tabby markings on the head.
- Spotted: Spotted tabbies appear, well, spotted! their stripes or swirls break up and appear as ovals. this marking is most commonly seen on bengal cat breeds!
4. most orange tabby cats are male: 80% male and 20% female, no wonder they are mischievous!
oddly enough, most orange tabby cats are male! It’s all thanks to your genetic makeup. According to Spruce Pets, the O gene codes for orange fur (known as red in genetics) and is carried on the X chromosome. Since females have two x chromosomes, this means that an orange female cat must inherit two orange genes (one from each parent). but a male tabby only needs one gene, which he gets from his mother.
5. all orange cats are tabby cats, they don’t have a solid coat!
Without going too deep into genetics (it’s tricky folks!), thanks again to their genetic makeup, all orange cats will have some form of tabby markings. this is due to 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. therefore, you can’t have a non-agouti gene with an orange cat, which means you’ll have some sort of tabby marking, whether it’s classic, mackerel, or checked.
6. orange tabby cats spend a lot of screen time!
Beyond the famous lasagna-loving garfield, the orange tabby cat has graced the big screen, more than you might imagine! 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 at breakfast at tiffany’s. And you can’t forget about Puss in Boots, who melted everyone’s hearts with his iconic big kitty eyes!
Does your orange cat have particular characteristics? tell us about them! we love to learn more.
