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.
Leo was found in my big back yard by my sisters other cat as a kitten last summer, he’s got a mow hawk and huge paws! Sweetest thing in the world when my sister went to the navy and I moved back home I took him into my room and even though it took a long time for him to warm up to me he is the sweetest cat I’ve ever met!! He gets excited when he sees me and only me he’ll lay on my chest purr and give me head rubs and kisses!! He loves to drink out of my plastic water bottles and meows differently from other cats, I think he’s got an issue with separation anxiety but that’s ok we’re working on that and even though he can be extremely annoying at times I can’t imagine a day without my big boy!! Especially with his stretches when I pick him up!
My orange tabby came to me as the only surviving kitty of a litter born under a house. He was a tiny fluff ball with huge paws that sat on my shoulder purring in my ear and rubbing my cheek.
As he got older he would greet me every day after work, and sleep on me as I was prone on the sofa, purring, I swear, for an hour! Then he would sputter to a stop like an old biplane. He would dream his cat dreams—growling and flailing his paws about as I held him in my arms—so entertaining.
And he had 6 toes, I called him Snaggy as he would sound like velcro walking across the carpet. I would wake up in the morning with him sleeping beside me with his paw on my face or chest. And when I would be sobbing over something devastating, he would rub his silky cheek on mine saying in essence, " It’s okay, I’m here to comfort you." I still miss him; more than any cat in my 70 years on earth. I came to call him Baby, because he always wanted to be held against my cheek, purring loudly and mightily.
He was 16 when I had to let him go; while I have 2 rescue cats with me now, they don’t have the soul of my Baby. When I sob, they just get up and jump away. I want another Orange cat. When I am sad I miss him sooo much. I live alone and he was my soul buddy for 16 happy years.
Just wanted to say, I’ve read some several comments about outside cats with holes in their necks. Y’all. Those are not battle wounds. They have a “wolve” It’s a bot fly larvae, they burrow into the cats as they grow and then they lay their offspring and then those crawl out of the cats. Totally creepy af but the vet can get rid of the wolve. Woodland creatures of all kinds get them too. These can (very rarely) crawl out of an animal and burrow into an actual human being.
I have 4 cats. and they ruined my life. Stress and no money. Fun times.
I have a one year old orange tabby and his name is Charlie. I been having him for nine months now..originally he was given to my daughter and granddaughter, after my daughter passing due to an car accident. I absolutely love this cat..he’s not exactly like my own feline cat mommy.he is so loving ,love to play,he loves to kiss me and hug me as we sleeps. I honestly believe that he was heaven sent..this orange cat is beautiful. He’s more like a human kid.he very aggressive when he plays but he mean no harm..my other cat mommy can’t stand Charlie with a passion 😂😂😂I’m so blessed to have my grandcat Charlie he’s a special kind.
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