So, Where Does the Red-Orange-Yellow Come From?Īll cats are either black or red and melanins decide the final color. In rare instances an almost turquoise with gold flecks has been seen. Eye color in orange cats can vary from yellow to copper to green. Various cultures have different legends which shows how much the pattern is revered throughout the world. Thence forward all tabbies have had Mary’s mark.

A common legend is that a tabby cat jumped into the manger to keep baby Jesus warm and Mary stroked its forehead. Most tabbies have defined “eyeliner” around their eyes and an “M” on their foreheads. There are four tabby cat patterns: Mackerel, Classic, Striped and Ticked. Tabby cats all possess the agouti gene, which patterns the fur as tabby. Tabby is a term taken from a striped silk fabric made near Baghdad. There are many orange tabbies in books and paintings that illustrate the unique attractiveness of these cats What is a Tabby? Winston Churchill had an orange cat named Jock who attended cabinet meetings with the Prime Minister. Some famous orange cats in both story and history are Garfield, Morris, Orangey (from Breakfast at Tiffany’s), Milo (and Otis), and Spot (from Star Trek Next Generation). They can have short, medium or long hair. Every orange tabby I have ever had fits all of those descriptions.

Orange Cats of NoteĪdmirers of orange tabbies describe them as mild-tempered, playful, gluttonous, opinionated and affectionate. All orange cats are tabbies, but not all tabbies are orange. Orange tabbies are also described as marmalade or ginger cats. They range in hue from red to pale yellow and they are prevalent in history and art.

Cat orange tabby