The reason? The gene that codes for orange fur is on the X chromosome. Also, ginger males can come from red, calico and tortoiseshell mothers, whereas females need to have one fully red father and the mother will have to be red, calico or tortoiseshell. Females have two X chromosomes and so need two copies of this gene to become ginger, whereas males need only one.Ī huge 80% of all ginger cats are male, as there are far less variables involved. *This is because the “ginger gene” which produces the orange color is on the X chromosome. Their gender: Ginger cats are more likely to be male than female. They determined that no particular group of cats was particularly more aggressive than the others. Using surveys, the researchers collected information from cat owners and analyzed the results. Tabbies Are Aggressive Take this study conducted by the University of California as an example. There are certainly no sterility issues with orange females, as it’s only a color, but for males with extra chromosomes, there are sterility issues, as there usually are when one has an odd number of chromosomes… There is no monetary value, per se, associated with a female orange tabby cat. We have many female orange tabby cats in my practice.

Orange tabby cats are about 80/20 male to female. Most, but certainly not all, orange tabby cats are male. Are all orange and white tabby cats male? Approximately 75-80% of orange cats are indeed male. This is not true – but we can see why people think this. Interestingly, orange tabby cats are usually male (about 20-25% of orange tabby cats are female).Īre Orange and White Cats All Male? Another misconception is that all cats with white and orange spots, or any mix of orange and white coloring, must be male. Whether you have a male or female Tortoiseshell, however, you can still enjoy a lovable cat with a unique and special pattern.The most familiar tabby coats are black, but there are variations in the pigment, resulting in black, orange, and gray tabbies. Because it’s a specific genetic condition that occurs in XXY cats, Tortoiseshell cats are rare and sterile. There you have it-male cats can be Tortoiseshell cats. They’re also likely to develop reproductive problems.

Intact males can develop behavioral issues like urine spraying, territory marking, roaming, and fighting with males. Just because they can’t reproduce doesn’t mean they won’t try to do so. They can’t be bred to produce more male Tortoiseshell or Calico cats, which is in part why these cats are rare to find.īut make no mistake-there is utility in neutering sterile male Tortoiseshell cats. In exchange for the rare male tortoiseshell pattern, Klinefelter males are typically sterile from an imbalance of sex hormones. Some may be mosaics, which means the XXY condition happens after conception, and the cat is a mixture of cells with different numbers of X chromosomes. Some male Tortoiseshell cats may be chimeras, which result from fusion during early development with different color genotypes. These males are known as Klinefelter males, named for endocrinologist Harry Klinefelter who first identified this condition in the 1940s. If a male cat has XXY chromosomes, he can be male and still have the required X chromosomes to make a tortoiseshell pattern. Genetic anomalies do occur, however, leading to a cat having three chromosomes.

Image Credit: andy-holmes, Unsplash How Can Males Be Tortoiseshell?Ī cat must have XX chromosomes (female) to be a Tortoiseshell cat. Females have more opportunities to have variations that include the color orange. In fact, there was a longstanding belief that only male cats can be orange tabbies when it’s just more common. Females have XX chromosomes while males have XY chromosomes, which is why both males and females can be orange.įemales, however, are more commonly calico, tortoiseshell, or orange tabby colored, whereas most male cats are orange tabby. The primary gene for coat color, B, can be masked by the co-dominant gene for orange color, which comes from a gene in the X chromosomes. Leonard Doncaster was a geneticist who first proved the Tortoiseshell is a female heterozygote of orange and black with the corresponding male will be orange.

Are female orange tabby cats sterile