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The marmalade monsters. We like to think of them as the original domesticated cat whether that’s true or not. Ginger cats have an air about them like no other. It’s commonly thought that all the orange guys are male and maybe that’s why. But is it true or false that all ginger cats are male when it comes down to it?
Just like calico cats, it all comes down to genetics. In fact, to get even more specific, there’s an exact ginger gene which will cause the colour in your cat. If ‘gene O’ is present in your kitty’s makeup, they’ll almost certainly be a fiery redhead. So when it comes to the boys and the girls is there a pattern? The ginger gene is specifically carried by the X chromosome, which is present in both male and female makeups. But as females are double XX, they have a lot more pattern possibility when it comes to their fur. This makes it more likely that a male will develop a pure ginger coat and the stats show a big 80% of our orange friends are male.
Fun fact – all ginger cats are in fact tabbies! Whether the pattern is super obvious or not, if you look close enough you’ll see the different shades and stripes in their coats.
So certainly not all gingers are Tom’s, but it turns out it’s a pretty big majority that are. Share your cuddly marmalade-coloured pals with us over on our Cats Cats Cats page here, whatever the gender!
