That Special Something: Orange Tabby Cats

When anyone says orange cat, the first thing most people remember is Garfield.

The sarcastic, condescending, cynical, and funny feline that keeps giving Jon a very hard time. He has made the orange tabby cat a very famous pet indeed. Orange tabbies are very unique cats; the very genetics that go behind the origins of their coat color are so complicated and specific that they automatically make these cats special.

Blessed Be Thee

There is a legend which says that an orange tabby cat was blessed by Mother Mary because it stayed with Jesus and helped him fall asleep. This is why all orange tabbies have an 'M' mark on their foreheads.

Famous Gingers

Ginger, marmalade, marmie -- all are descriptions for one of the classic tabby cat colors, the orange tabby. This popular cat has a reputation for being a loving, engaging cat, perhaps because he's been so well-represented in popular culture. Perhaps the most well-known orange tabby cat was "Morris," the cat food mascot, although "Garfield," the cartoon orange tabby may give Morris some serious competition. Other famous orange tabby cats include "Orangey" from the film "Breakfast at Tiffany's," and "Orion," the galaxy-wearing cat from "Men in Black."

The orange tabby cat is not a separate breed. It gets its name due to its appearance.

You will find many orange tabbies with black freckles on their noses.

The orange tabby coat comes in 4 types, classic (swirled), mackerel (striped), spotted, and ticked (agouti).

The classic tabby pattern gives the cat a tie-dyed look.

The mackerel pattern makes the cat look like a tiger.

They’re Fat Cats

Perhaps you know this from knowing Garfield, but the orange tabby is a cat that loves to eat. This cat will eat anything, anytime and it has a tendency to become overweight and very fat. It happens. If you have an orange tabby, you cannot have a continuous feeder that so many pet owners love, because these cats will eat it until it's empty, and it might be the same day you filled it up. Obese cats are prone to several different health problems, so it's imperative anyone who owns one is very careful not to allow their orange tabby to overeat.

More than 75% of orange tabbies are males. Similar statistics stand for female calico cats.

Males have the XY chromosome, wherein the X chromosome must have the orange gene.

Females have the XX chromosome, wherein they both must have the orange gene, otherwise the cat will inherit another coat color.

The orange color is produced due to the presence of the pigment pheomelanin, which produces fur colors in the range of red to cream.

Orange tabbies can have an orange-, red-, or yellow-colored fur.

There are Many Breeds

We've discussed the fact that these are cats that are not considered a breed. They are, however, cats that can be found in any breed. The orange tabby is very commonly found in Persian cats, Munchkin cats, American bobtail cats and even Abyssinian cats. There are more breeds that have their own set of orange tabbies, but there are so many it's not even worth mentioning them. It's easier to simple say that just about any breed of cat can have its own version of the orange tabby.

They Live a Long Time

They also live a short time. In all honesty, an orange tabby does not have a life span specific to their coloring. They live as long as their particular breed of cat lives. If an orange tabby from the Persian family lives this long, an orange tabby from another breed might live that long. There is no way to tell exactly how long they are going to live if you have one, unless you know the specific breed and you go by that information as well as the health of the cat.

Some Tabbies are Aloof

Most orange tabbies are very friendly cats, whether they are loving and calm or outgoing and busy. However, there are a few breeds that produce orange tabbies that are aloof an uninterested in human affection. They might want to be pet

every now and again, and they will let you know. However, they are not overly affectionate at times and they will not hesitate to let you know that they don't care for you in any way.

They’re Typical Cats

Most people consider all cats judgmental and kind of mean. They're condescending and kind of look at people and other animals as if they're all a bunch of idiots. It's the nature of the cat. While this is a big misconception for many breeds, the orange tabby seems to be the cat that makes this misconception seem to be true. Perhaps it is their inherent laziness or their fondness for napping, but the orange tabby is the first cat to give you a look like you are not even remotely worth their time and energy. This seems to be the cat that started this rumor about all cats.

They’re Brave

For the most part, orange tabbies are brave cats. They love to get into trouble because it seems to be part of their inner makings. They are cats that are designed to get into trouble, it seems. For the most part, tabbies in the orange family are not overly afraid of children or other animals. They don't have a problem sharing a house with other animals (probably because it means there is more food for them to get to when no one else is looking) and they're not even afraid of dogs

They are Lazy

The orange tabby is a very lazy cat. This is not a cat you will notice that goes out of its way to play, chase another animal or hunt down things it can use as toys around the house. It's just a lazy animal. It would rather sit down and have a snack and take a nap than do anything else. It's not something that's breed-specific, since orange tabbies aren't all the same breed. However, it does seem to have something to do with the orange color of the animals. They're just plain lazy.

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