Mistakenly considered to be a breed, the term “tabby” refers instead to the coat’s distinct pattern, of which there are four: mackerel, classic, ticked and striped. While the origin of the name remains a mystery, tabby historically refers to a type of striped silk fabric produced in the Middle East. This is because the gene that codes for orange fur is on the X chromosome, and like humans, females have two X’s while males have an X and Y. To be orange, a male needs only one orange gene, which he gets from his mother (orange, calico or tortoiseshell). In fact, there are 80 males to every 20 females, making them the most common of cats. Whether obliging or obstinate, outspoken or observant, most are as outsized as they are openhearted, and their orange-obsessed owners most often concur.įor others, however, we offer these observations:
Outstanding in any cat crowd, orange-colored cats are anything but ordinary.
