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.
Of all the cats I have had in my life, at least 7 were orange, and the most affectionate. I think that is a trait that exists among orange cats. If the cat also has orange eyes, it is the most affectionate of all.
Over the decades I have had six orange tabbies – three female & three male. One of the females was a swirled tabby name of Bright Eyes. She was a very sweet and loving cat. She also kept the peace between our cats when sometimes two would have a spat. She would go over and cuddle next to them and groom both of them and pretty soon all three would be curled up and sleeping.
Bright Eyes did not have any white markings. She just had the orange tabby markings. I didn’t think anything of it until we went to a new Vet one time who commented that female orange tabbies almost always have some white on them somewhere, but after she had examined Bright Eyes she agreed that Bright Eyes had no white markings on her.
My swirled orange tabby (named Lucy due color similarity with Lucille Ball) had a foot and shoe fetish. Any shoes that are recently removed are an instant target, and she will put her head all the way into every shoe. She will also smell and rub feet. Oh yes, she will also roll on and rub on clothes that have recently been removed, like on the bathroom floor one gets into the shower.
I got my first orange tabby from a co-worker who was going to take her to the Humane Society because she didn’t like the other cats and could make herself pee when they came into the room. Her name is Kit, and she runs the household.
In the morning, she will jump off the bed and head into the kitchen, tail held straight up, knowing that once I use the bathroom, I will be out in the kitchen to give her some canned food. She gets the canned food when I get up and when I get home. She’s also VERY vocal. We meow back and forth. I have no clue what’s being said, but she sure likes it. I can hear her meowing from the sidewalk that runs alongside my apartment building.
She loves everyone, and will let anyone pet her. I want to get a harness and a leash so she can go for walks outside. I live in the city and would never let her out without her being on a leash. Sometimes, I swear she’s part dog…she loves to get tummy rubs, and she’ll sleep on her back all spread out like a week’s laundry. She follows me everywhere in my apartment.
She’s become very adept at opening cupboard doors, and I keep the one under my kitchen sink rubber banded shut so she can’t get into my cleaning stuff.
I moved a coffee table under the living room window and put several blankets on it, folded for cushion, so she can lie there and soak up the sun while sleeping, or she’ll lie up there and watch the traffic and people going by. I also have a hammock for her in my bedroom window, and I have to leave the blinds and the window open about 10 inches so she can watch things at night. The sirens from the police cars, ambulances and fire trucks don’t scare her. She’s not a fan of fireworks, though, and spent the 4th of July hiding under the covers on my bed. I closed all the windows even though it was scorching inside the apartment.
She licks my hands, my face, my eyelids, and my lips. One time, she reached over my head and pulled my eye open with her paw. I wear a CPAP because I stop breathing when I’m sleeping, and if she thinks I’ve slept long enough, she’ll pull it off my nose. I feel these fuzzy little squishy beans under the nose piece, and she’ll flip it off my face. I have never had a cat this friendly (or demanding) ever. She just turned 7, and as an inside cat, I’m hoping she’ll live a long, long time.
My orange tabby is Maurice. I got him out of my front tree about 4 years ago when he was about 4 months old. Got him fixed and he’s in and out of the house. He HATES my other cats and always picks fights with them then pees all over the house! Not a nice boy, but I love him anyway.
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