Do you have an orange kitty? If so, you may want to give your feline pal a special treat: it’s Ginger Kitty Appreciation Day! Cats come in all sorts of colors and patterns, and we think they’re all adorable. However, ginger felines definitely have some raving fans! A vet discusses these miniature lions below.
Boys Club
Another fun fact about ginger cats? Most of them are boys. The gene that produces that ginger color is on the X chromosome. Since girls are always XX, that means female kitties need two copies of the gene to become redheads. So, what does that mean? If your ginger is a girl, then both of her parents were gingers. If your furball is a boy, at least one of his parents was a ginger. His kids could be either gingers or tortoiseshell.
Purrsonality
Our feline friends are all unique individuals, and they all have their own ‘purrsonalities.’ That said, these furry redheads do seem to have some 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, are usually much more gentle and laid-back. They’re also not *quite* as talkative.
Fluffy’s Fashion Sense
Ginger kitties can have either long or short fur. Some of them even have curls! There are also several different variations in the patterns Fluffy chooses to wear. These include mackerel, or striped; classic, or swirled, as they’re sometimes called; spotted; patched; and ticked. It’s also worth pointing out that gingers are all tabbies! However, not all tabbies are gingers.
Famous Gingers
We can’t forget about the most famous ginger cat of all: Garfield! The beloved ‘Flabby Tabby’ was born back in 1978, in an Italian restaurant known as Mama Leoni’s Italian Kitchen. It didn’t take the tiny orange ball of fur very long to realize that lasagna is the best thing ever. (We can’t really argue.) The kitten’s rapidly growing appetite for it almost put the restaurant out of business! Fortunately, a cartoonist and former DJ named Jon Arbuckle adopted the sarcastic feline. The rest is history. Another ginger celebrekitty? Morris, the shelter-cat-turned-pet-food-mascot (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!
