Is your kitty an orange furball? If so, you might want to give her a special treat: it’s Ginger Kitty Appreciation Day! Our feline friends come in all sorts of colors and patterns, and we think they’re all adorable. However, ginger ones definitely have some raving fans! A vet discusses these pint-sized lions below.
Boys Club
Whenever you meet or see a new orange cat, the odds are your new feline buddy is a boy. The gene that produces that ginger color is always on the X chromosome. Since girls are XX, that means female kitties need two copies of the gene to become redheads. So, what does Fluffy’s family tree look like? If your ginger is a girl, then that means both of her parents were gingers. If your furball is a boy, he may have had one or two redheaded parents, and his kids could be either gingers or tortoiseshell.
Purrsonality
Our feline friends are all unique, and they all have their own individual ‘purrsonalities.’ That said, ginger cats do seem to have a few traits in common. Boy gingers tend to be chatty, bold, and active. Your little red buddy may yell at you for being late with his dinner, or to tell you to pick him up right meow. Girl gingers, on the other paw, tend to be much more gentle and laid-back. They’re also not *quite* as verbose.
Fluffy’s Fashion Sense
Ginger cats can have either long or short fur. Some of them even have curls! There are also several variations in the patterns Fluffy chooses to wear. These include classic, or swirled, as they are sometimes called; mackerel, or striped; spotted; patched; and ticked. Another interesting fact about orange cats? They are all tabbies! However, not all tabbies are gingers.
Famous Gingers
We can’t really talk about ginger kitties without talking about the most famous one: Garfield! The beloved ‘Flabby Tabby’ was born back in 1978, in the back room of Mama Leoni’s Italian Kitchen. It didn’t take the (then) tiny orange ball of fur very long to realize that lasagna is the best thing ever. Garfield’s rapidly growing appetite for it almost put the restaurant out of business! Fortunately, cartoon artist Jon Arbuckle adopted the sarcastic feline. The rest is history. Of course, we can’t forget Morris, the cat food spokeskitty (or technically, spokeskitties) that captured millions of hearts back in the 80’s.
Do you have questions about your ginger cat? Contact us, your animal clinic, today!
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