Here at Yummypets we love all animals, meaning we love all cats! So it's crazy to think that ginger cats suffer the same sort of unfair treatment as humans. Yet they have an extraordinary genetic characteristic that make them unique, besides already being beautiful! Let's show you seven of those cool things!

We dislike any form of preferential treatment, hence why we've decided to stand behind the underdog and drill it in to society just how fabulous all ginger cats are. Just as we believe that all cats are!

So here we go...

7 cool things about ginger cats

1. Specific pigments

The colour of ginger fur is due to the presence of a pigment called pheomelanine. The intensity of the orange colour depends on each individual cat. Some are dark ginger while others are much softer with strawberry-blonde locks.

2. Ginger cats are generally male

It might be surprising to learn that fur colour can be linked to a cat's sex. But as they say, numbers don't lie! Let us explain: The colour gene is carried in the X chromosome. Female cats carry two X chromosomes so require two copies of this gene to become ginger. Meanwhile, male cats only have one X chromosome and therefore only require one 'ginger gene' to become, well, ginger, thus making it more likely they will be male. In fact, about 80% of ginger cats are male.

3. Ginger cats often have the most adorable names

Often called 'Marmalade' or even simply 'Ginger', these beautifully-coloured cats often attract sweet-loving, food-related names that reflect the colour of their fur. It can also help to easily differentiate them from more common, darker-coloured tabbies.

4. The ginger colour appears in certain breeds

If you enter your ginger cat into shows, you may find you have less category options for which to enter them into. This is because the colour is predominantly linked to certain breeds only. These include the Maine Coon, Persian, American Bobtail and British Shorthair, among a few others.

5. There are four types of ginger fur

We bet you didn't know this one! Though the colour of ginger fur is largely the same across the different breeds, the patterns within the coat change. There is the 'mackerel' pattern that resembles the scales of a mackerel fish; the 'tiger' pattern with small lines across the back and over the paws; the striped coat where stripes mark the entire coat; and finally, the well-known tabby coat.

6. Winston Churchill's cats

Winston Churchill loved cats! Two of his cats were ginger, including Tango with a tiger-coat. Jock, a kitten, was given to Churchill in his final years. Just before his death, the former British Prime Minister even requested that there always be a marmalade cat called Jock living a 'comfortable' life at his former home. Family meals would also not start until Jock was at the dinner table!

chaton roux

7. Lively, active and playful

Like any animal, cats all have their unique personalities and entertain in a variety of ways. There exists, however, a stereotype that ginger cats are more active and lively than cats of other colours. So for the playful and adventurous out there... However, bear in mind this can often be linked to breed characteristics, but we'll happily support whatever these beautiful four-legged beauties need!

What do you love most about ginger cats?

Source: IHeartCats

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