Well, it has to do with the gene responsible for the orange coat color. The vast majority of orange tabby cats are male. Oh no, cat genetics again! Just bear with me, once again, I will simplify it as much as I can! The M marking is easy to spot if you are looking for it absolutely every tabby cat has it, including orange tabby cats! Even if it’s not noticeable at first glance, trust me, the mark is there – just take a closer look! 5. It must have the characteristic M-shaped mark on its forehead.It must have the characteristic tabby stripes over the majority of its body.As you can guess, following the color rule is easy – the cat simply needs to be orange! However, the rules for “tabbiness” are a little bit more strict.įor a cat to be a tabby cat, it must have the following two characteristics: Of course, for a cat to be considered an orange tabby cat, it needs to follow some “rules” about its color and coat pattern. All (Orange) Tabby Cats Have The Characteristic “M” Mark So there you go – this is the gene responsible for the tabby coat pattern! 4. Multiple-colored hairs along the hair shaft make up the banded background. The term “tabby” describes a cat coat pattern with dark swirls, stripes, and spots, overlaid on a lighter background of ticking fur (banded fur). It is known to be responsible for the tabby pattern of all domestic tabby cats. Taqpep stands for transmembrane aminopeptidase, which is a gene that encodes an enzyme found in the membranes in all of a cat’s cells. I know cat genetics can be a complicated subject, and I won’t go into too much depth on this subject, but there is one very interesting fact I will briefly mention – the gene responsible for the tabby pattern has been discovered and it has an interesting name – Taqpep! A Gene Called Taqpep Is Responsible For The Tabby Pattern If you think you have a solid orange cat, I suggest you take a closer look into their fur and you will see that they are indeed tabby – it just may not be that obvious at first! 3. The dominant, wild-type agouti gene permits bands of black and red to appear on the hairs, creating the tabby pattern. The tabby pattern can be concealed or covered up by the non-agouti genotype (meaning the coat is completely black).

The orange coat color and the tabby marking are forever linked by the complex world of cat genetics.

All Orange Cats Are Tabby CatsĪt first glance, this does not make any sense! Why would orange cats exclusively be tabby? Why can’t a cat have a solid orange coat color?! Well, let me explain… It’s a common misconception that the orange tabby is a distinct cat breed, probably because they are so famous, they’re like the celebrities of the cat world! 2. For example, a Maine Coon can be an orange tabby cat, and a Persian cat can be an orange tabby cat.Įssentially, any cat can have an orange coat color and tabby coat pattern and be considered an orange tabby cat. In fact, many different cat breeds have orange tabbies among their members. The orange tabby cat is not a specific cat breed, as we have discussed. 3.1 Related Articles: 23 Fun Facts About The Orange Tabby Cat

Orange tabby cat tattoo