What About a White Cat with Orange Patches?ĭoes it matter if your cat looks orange with white markings, or white with orange patches? Where does the white come from anyway? White and orange cats owe their white bits to the White Spotting gene, which overlays pigmentless areas on top of the tabby orange base. Of course, they could get two copies of the O gene, and be completely orange, but because they have more options, they end up comprising a smaller proportion of orange cats. When this happens, they become a beautiful calico cat! Females have two X chromosomes, which means they can have the O gene on one, and the B gene for black pigment on the other. Male cats only have one copy of the X chromosome, and if it carries the O gene, they’ll be orange. The O gene for orange pigment is contained on the X chromosome, which links it to sex as well. How could this be? Again, it’s a matter of genetics. Approximately 75-80% of orange cats are indeed male. This is not true – but we can see why people think this. So there are a lot of variations that can contribute to the coloring of a cat, and the permutations are quite complex – but fascinating! Are Orange and White Cats All Male?Īnother misconception is that all cats with white and orange spots, or any mix of orange and white coloring, must be male. But they also have a dilution gene which limits how much red pigment is produced. If a kitten inherits the O gene from just one parent, he will certainly have some orange coloring somewhere – although it might not be a fully orange coat.Įven light cream-colored cats have the orange gene. That’s because the orange pigment gene – called O – is dominant. Orange coloring can also “mask” other colors, including black. White, of course, is a lack of either pigment. All cat colors, including the creams, grays, and browns, are a combination of these colors in different ratios. The other, eumelanin, is a black pigment. Pheomelanin, which we’ve already encountered, is a reddish pigment. For instance, did you know that among all cats, there are only two types of coat pigment? The Genetics of ColorĬat genetics are somewhat complex, but we can learn some interesting things from the genetics of their coat color. It is a tabby and it has the genes for the pigment pheomelanin. So, when you look at a white orange kitten the only things that you can immediately know for sure are that This is the same pigment that makes some humans “redheads”. Their orange color comes from a predominance of a pigment called pheomelanin. That orange and white cat next door could be an American Bobtail, a Persian, a Munchkin or even a Maine Coon! This is untrue! In fact, many breeds of cat can display orange and white coloring. There’s a common assumption that a white cat with orange patches represents a specific breed. The Myth of the Orange and White Cat Breed Interested to learn more about the science behind tabby coat patterns? This scientific study explores the concept in detail. In fact, even if you have what looks like a pure-orange cat, genetically it’s still a tabby! ALL orange cats are tabbies, even if the signature tabby patterns aren’t visible because the ticking pattern is so fine, or the color contrast is very low. You’ll rarely if ever see an orange and white cat that doesn’t have any sort of tabby markings in its orange fur. This is why orange and white cats are almost always tabby-patterned. For instance, the same gene that makes cats orange or cream colored is the same gene that makes the tabby pattern visible. There are however some interesting parallels to color. Tabby markings can come in a whole array of colors, and thus, the “tabby” distinction is about coat pattern and not coat color.

There are different types of tabby cats, including:Īnd each tabby’s marks have a unique pattern, like a fingerprint. These patterns are usually accompanied by unique identifiers like the forehead mark that resembles an “M”. A tabby is any cat that has a pattern of dots, stripes, swirling or lines on their coat. Tabby is not a breed, but a term to describe a certain coat pattern in domestic cats. But did their matching coats mean they’re all the same breed? In fact, no. You may have met several orange and white tabby cats.

Orange and white tabby cats