Do you have an orange cat? If so, you may want to give your feline friend a special treat: it’s Ginger Kitty Appreciation Day! Our feline pals come in all sorts of patterns and colors. We think they’re all adorable. However, ginger cats definitely have some raving fans! A veterinarian discusses these miniature lions below.
Purrsonality
Kitties are all unique individuals, and they each have their own distinct ‘purrsonas.’ That said, many ginger furballs have some traits in common. Male gingers tend to be chatty, bold, mischevious, and active. Your little red buddy may yell at you for being late with his supper, or to tell you to pick him up and cuddle him right meow. Female gingers, on the other paw, are usually more gentle and laid-back. They’re also not *quite* as outspoken.
Boys Club
Whenever you see or meet a new ginger cat, the odds are your new feline pal is a boy. The gene that produces that ginger color is only on the X chromosome. Since girls are all XX, that means female kitties need two copies of the gene to have red fur. So, just what does Fluffy’s family tree look like? If your ginger kitty is a girl, then that means both of her parents were also gingers. And, if your furball is a boy, his kids could be either gingers or tortoiseshell.
Fluffy’s Fashion Sense
Ginger cats can have either short or long coats. Some are even curly! There are also several variations in the patterns Fluffy chooses to wear. These include mackerel, or striped; classic, or swirled, as they are sometimes called; spotted; patched; and ticked. It’s worth noting that all ginger cats are tabbies. However, not all tabbies are gingers.
Famous Gingers
We can’t really discuss orange cats without talking about the most famous one: Garfield! The beloved ‘Flabby Tabby’ was born in a back room at Mama Leoni’s Italian Kitchen restaurant back in 1978. It did not take the tiny ball of fur very long to realize that lasagna is the best thing ever. The kitten’s rapidly growing appetite for this classic pasta dish almost put the restaurant out of business! Fortunately, Jon Arbuckle adopted the sarcastic furball. The rest is history. Of course, we can’t forget to mention Morris, the cat food celebrekitty that captured millions of hearts back in the 80’s.
Do you have questions about your ginger cat? Contact us, your animal clinic in McHenry, IL, today!