Is your feline friend a redhead? If so, you might want to give Fluffy a special treat, or perhaps some catnip today. It’s Ginger Kitty Appreciation Day! Kitties come in all sorts of colors and patterns, and we think they’re all adorable. However, ginger cats definitely have some raving fans! A local veterinarian discusses these miniature lions below.
Boys Club
Here’s a fun fact about ginger cats: the vast majority of them are boys. The gene that produces that ginger color is on the X chromosome. Since females are always XX, they need two copies of the gene to become redheads. So, if your ginger is a girl, then both of her parents were gingers. If your furball is a boy, then he had at least one ginger parent. His kids could be either gingers or tortoiseshell.
Purrsonality
Our feline friends all have their own ‘purrsonalities.’ That said, ginger cats do seem to have some common traits. 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, pet him, or play with him right meow. Girl gingers, on the other paw, tend to be a bit more gentle and laid-back. They’re also not *quite* as verbose.
Fluffy’s Fashion Sense
Orange cats can have either long or short fur. Some of these cute furballs even have curls! There are also several variations in the patterns Fluffy chooses to wear. These are classic, or swirled, as they are sometimes called; mackerel, or striped; spotted; patched; and ticked. It’s worth mentioning that ginger cats 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, at Mama Leoni’s Italian Kitchen. It didn’t take the tiny orange ball of sarcasm very long to realize that lasagna is the best thing ever. The kitten’s rapidly growing appetite for it almost put the little restaurant out of business! Fortunately, cartoonist Jon Arbuckle adopted the spider-hating feline. The rest is history. Of course, we can’t forget to mention 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 in West Greenwich, RI, today!
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