Orange cats. Ginger cats. Marmalade Cats. Orange cats can be solid orange or orange with white patches. It is a coat pattern rather than a breed. The fur can be long or short. Some orange cats develop black freckles on the lips and nose. It is said they tend to be vocal, lazy and have a big appetite. The eyes of ginger cats may be green, gold or copper.
Fun Facts
- All orange cats are tabbies.
- 80% are male vs 20% female.
- The pigment responsible for an orange cat’s color is called pheomelanin, which also causes red hair in humans.
- Orange cats are thought to be the friendliest of all cats.
- Orange cats come in different coat types: classic (swirled), mackerel (striped), spotted, and ticked (agouti).
- Male kittens need only inherit the dominant “O” ginger gene from their mother to be fully orange while female kittens need to inherit it from both mother and father.
- Ginger Cat Appreciation Day is September 1st.
Famous Orange Cats
Morris, “the world’s most finicky cat”, of 9-Lives cat food commercial fame in the late 1970s
Garfield, the cartoon cat who loved lasagne
Puss in Boots, in the Shrek Sequel
Milo, from the 1980s movie, The Adventures of Milo & Otis