There is a legend as to how orange tabbies got their distinctive “m” mark on their foreheads. Pheomelanin is also responsible for the rusty look of most freckles. It turns out that the pigment responsible for an orange cat’s color is called “pheomelanin.” This same pigment also causes red hair in humans. But that’s not all that orange tabbies have in common with red-heads. In fact, this is similar to why human-red heads are prone to freckles too. They Share a Pigment with Red-HeadsĪs we learned earlier, orange tabbies are genetically prone to freckles. Oftentimes, the freckles grow in size as the cat gets older. This condition is known as “Lentigo Simplex”, and is completely harmless. These freckles develop on the head, especially around the gums, lips, nose, or even inside of the ears. Many orange tabbies develop dark brown or black freckles. However, not all tabby cats are orange cats. This means that all orange cats are also tabby cats. All Orange Cats are Also Tabby CatsĪs mentioned during our last fact, all cats with orange fur carry the tabby gene. Some breeders have found ways to dilute the orange color so that it appears solid, however, tabby markings will still be there, even if they are faint. As we already learned, tabby cats have various markings, none of which are solid. This is because all cats with orange fur carry the tabby gene. Believe it or not, there is no such thing as a solid orange cat. Some of these breeds are the Persian, Exotic Shorthair, Munchkin, American Bobtail, British Shorthair, Bengal, Maine Coon, Egyptian Mau, and others. Certain Breeds are More Likely to Have Orange FurĪlthough orange cats are not a specific breed, certain breeds are more likely to have orange fur than others. Ticked: Has bands of light and dark coloring if you look at their individual hairs closely.ģ.They are also called Tortoiseshell Tabbies because the brown and orange spots look like the shell of a tortoise. Patched: Has patches of brown and orange with the tabby pattern.Spotted: Has bands of spots that vary in size.Mackerel: Has rings around their tails and legs and bands of solid around the rest of their body.Classic: Has marbled, swirled, or blotched patterns.In fact, there are 5 different tabby coat patterns: However, their coat patterns vary depending on the tabby type. As for their specific markings, all tabbies have a distinctive ‘M’ shaped marking on the forehead. The term “tabby” actually refers to specific coat markings, not a breed. They are Not a BreedĬontrary to popular belief, orange tabbies are not a breed. Since females have two X chromosomes, female orange tabbies need two copies of the gene to become ginger, while males need only one. As a throwback to Biology 101, females have two X chromosomes and males have an X chromosome and a Y chromosome. This is because the gene that produces orange fur is on the X chromosome. Up to 80 percent of orange tabbies are male, making only 20 percent of them female. But did you know there are a lot of other interesting things about these orange cats? After doing some digging, we found 10 fun facts about orange tabby cats. Many of them are known for having sweet dispositions and being affectionate. Orange tabby cats are often well-loved in the cat community. Related Photo by Artur Kornakov on Unsplash
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