I love ginger cats. My first cat, Bo, was a ginger cat and one of the big reasons I love them so much. I am not alone in this, there’s even Kiss A Ginger Day. Although intended to honor red-haired, blue-eyed humans nicknamed “gingers,” we focused on ginger cats instead.
We know ginger cats are special, and I found some interesting facts about these fabulous felines;
They Have Patterns In Their Fur
These cats come in five different patterns. The patterns are:
- Mackerel: Narrow stripes running in parallel down sides of the body
- Classic: Bold, swirling patterns along its sides — similar to a marble cake
- Ticked: This coat pattern has tabby markings on the face and agouti hairs. The individual hairs are striped with alternating light and dark bands, known as the agouti hairs.
- Spotted: Spots on sides of body
- Patched: Commonly referred to as tortoiseshell, with shades of brown and red in the coat
Orange Cats Have Freckles
As they get older, ginger cats often develop freckles. My cat Bo had them. Orange cats that don’t develop the black freckles that they are so famous for will keep a soft pink nose.
No Solid Coat
We mentioned the coat patterns above that are found in orange cats, and as it turns out, orange tabbies always have one of the five coat patterns. Although there are tabbies of other colors thet have solid coats, orange colored tabby coats are always patterned.
They are Usually Male
Not ALL ginger cats are male, but they outnumber female gingers 4 to 1!
Some Look Like Tigers
Although some orange tabbies have striped coats that make them look like tigers, they are not related to tigers
Several Famous Orange Cats
Many famous cats are or have been gingers: Garfield from the cartoon of the same time; Morris the Cat that has starred in numerous 9Lives cat food commercials; Marmalade from the YouTube star team of Cole and Marmalade; and after making his debut in the Shrek movies, Puss In Boots starred in his own animated feature film!
Need we say more, ginger cats rock! To see more of the Fully Feline ginger cats, check out our Facebook page at Facebook.com/FullyFeline or Instagram at instagram.com/FullyFelineMagazine
Written by Karen
The number one reason should be personality: orange cats are usually personality plus and like other animals. The orange cat next door comes to visit often whether my dog likes it or not.
They do look adorable. How are they for friendliness? Son-in-law has two similar cats; one a typical cat while the other almost a dog.
My orange and white cat Bo was so friendly, he greeted everyone, talked up a storm, and was great.
Ginger cats are definitely special. So full of personality. I was actually afraid of cats for years because when I was 5, an unvaccinated barn cat (a ginger!) bit me. All of the adults around me freaked out. Later on in college while living in an upperclassmen dorm, a friend had a secret cat (we weren’t technically allowed any pets) named Jake who was a ginger. He liked sneaking up on me but overall he was a sweetheart and helped me get past my cat fear.
I never owned a ginger cat however am a total fan. Since I was a little girl Garfield was a favorite. I’m also a fan of YT sensations Cole and Marmalade.
Ah yes! Garfield was great, as are Cole & Marm!
Ginger cats are popular in the media it seems like! I wonder if it’s because people deem their coloring striking.
The ginger cats I’ve known have been real sweeties. There’s a bit of fascination for many people now surrounding red haired people nicknamed “gingers”. Not sure the reasoning
I had no idea that they came in so many different patterns… ones with names too! That’s so cool. Ginger cats are beautiful.
I had no idea that ginger cats had so many distinguishing marks! How cool is that?
They are adorable and have something special about them 🙂
I’ve never had a ginger cat, but the ones I’ve met always seem so mellow. Isn’t it also true that most gingers tend to be males?
Prior to getting Truffle and Brulee, I almost brought a ginger Persian kitten home. I didn’t because Praline was much older and getting sick and I didn’t want to stress her out.
My great aunt had a wonderful orange cat named Mr. Buff. He was so soft and friendly. He loved people, including kids. I am not sure if he was representative of most ginger cats, but if he was, I can see why people love them.
Very interesting, I didn’t know there were 5 different patterns and I didn’t know they can develop freckles.
Gingers are beautiful … having said that the meanest cat I ever met was a female Ginger and Wooooooooa boy!
That’s why I try not to use the word “always” because there are exceptions to every rule, especially with cats 🙂
Ginger cats really are beautiful! One of the stray cats in our neighborhood we “adopted” was a ginger kitty. My mom adored her and named her Peaches. She was so sweet!
Love & Biscuits,
Dogs Luv Us and We Luv Them
Ginger cats are really special! It is neat that they have freckles just like many ginger humans do. I have a ton of freckles! Garfield was always a favorite of mine when I was growing up. His holiday specials are still some of my favorites to watch during those special times of year. 🙂
I have gingers whom I refer to as the Ginger Triplets – Jasper, Jinxy and Alice. They rock. Jasper is the most loving and accepting cat EVER, while Alice is SUCH a girl and Jinxy is the odd duck. Ginger cats ALWAYS make the best cats!!!!!!!
I adore the ginger cats! 🙂 I grew up with one, and she was THE best and sweetest cat that ever existed.
I didn’t know they came in so many pattern. It’s interesting how they don’t come in solid colors. I wonder why.
Ginger cats are beautiful, though I think that of most cats as their fur is usually so soft and luxurious looking. Garfield was definitely a favorite of mine so it probably draws me to them too. I didn’t realize that cats can have freckles, that is a really cool thing too.
I had no idea about the different types of patterned fur! I’ll admit I’m also partial to the ginger cats and also tuxedo cats! Ginger cats also seem to be a little bit more fiesty and playful which is always fun.
I have two cat brothers I sit for, one is a ginger and the other a tuxedo. He always looks dressed to go out!
Awww…I didn’t know that ginger cats get freckles! That’s really sweet! While we don’t have any cats in our home right now, the next time I’m lucky enough to meet a ginger cat, I’ll be sure to notice their freckles! Thanks for sharing this adorable post.
I think gingers are beautiful, but I’ve never had one. My neighbour had a gorgeous one named Barney but let’s just say he had quite a strong personality, and lived by his own rules!!
There is another famous Ginger named Bob, the British cat, who rescued his human from drug addiction! You can read the book a street cat named bob! Plus there is a movie on him too!
Yes, I have the book but haven’t read it yet. Ginger cats are the best!
What beautiful cats! I had never heard the name Ginger Cat before so this was incredibly informative. I will have to go back and look at Morris the Cat and Garfield. Your cat is beautiful and I love the eye color. Very striking!
My sister has a ginger cat who is one of the sweetest kitties I’ve ever met. And the most talkative! She’s extremely chatty.
My ginger kitty Bo was very chatty too! We’d have conversations, I would ask him questions and he answered. People thought I was the “crazy cat lady” until they heard it for themselves!
In purebred circles, they are called “red”. There is something about red cats that gets into you soul. I have had a red cat through the last 40 years.
It’s funny, but if I’m being honest, I’ve never been a fan of the ginger cat markings and colorations. I think it’s because I’m not a fan of the color orange. I’ve always liked orange cats that I’ve met personality-wise, but I’ve never gravitated towards choosing a ginger cat for myself. That is, until Radagast. And now I’m in love the ginger coats! I had never had a ginger cat before, but Raddy is such a sweetheart, and when I look at him, his personality reflects in his appearance and I see him as very handsome and adorable.
Gingers are great! I’m a big fan of the color orange, too. I even like people tagged as gingers, especially Ed Sheeran!
We LOVE gingers! We ADORE gingers!!
They are special and fun and the nost beaufiul cats ever (just don’t tell the rest of our fur family).
I had no idea that ginger cats had five different distinct patterns, or that they could develop freckles. Really interesting post about a special kind of cat.
Oh my gosh, our neighbor’s cat is a orange ginger kitty and he is so silly, we love him so! He’s spunky and funky with a cool coloration style that has the tips of his fur a dark orange and the rest of him is a fluffy combination of yellow and different shades of orange. We love ginger kitties!
I had forgotten about all those marvelous famous ginger cats! I love Morris and Garfield. One of my first kitties was a Ginger too, I just love them, they are so strikingly beautiful!
Love & Biscuits,
Dogs Luv Us and We Luv Them
My first cat was a ginger cat named Tigger. Very original name, I know, LOL I was ten though and he was my first real pet. Because of him, I have a soft spot for orange cats too!
I read somewhere that the appearance in cats goes hand-in-hand with personality traits. Did you observe this?
Mainly with gingers, never met one that wasn’t a total sweetie!
The nicest cat I’ve ever known was a ginger cat named Mr. Buff. My great aunt who was the kindest woman ever owned him, and I’m sure they influenced each other. He was handsome, fluffy, and very sweet! I would love to have a cat like him!
I had a wonderful ginger rescue cat growing up called Samantha. She helped me through my teens and was such a character. Very affectionate to me and loved to grab my pen when I was doing homework.
Cats can have freckles? I had no idea! That’s pretty cool and I definitely want to learn more!
My cat growing up was a Ginger cat named Mongo. He was the most relaxed, and funny cat. I swear he was a reincarnated human that totally understood our sense of humor and played into it. I’ve found that all other tabbies I’ve encountered since then are also very “chill” cats! Thanks for sharing this fun post!