The Truth about the Orange Cat Personality

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Do the online tropes stand up to what science says about orange cats?
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What is it about orange tabby cats that makes them so charming? If you’ve been on social media recently, you may have noticed people have strong opinions about the personality and intelligence of orange cats. While many think these ginger cats are a little weird or silly, they love them anyway. In this article, we cover characteristics commonly attributed to orange cats and whether there’s anything to the idea that they have a personality that’s different from other cats.

Orange Tabby Cat Personality Traits

Orange cats have a reputation for being extra friendly, affectionate, independent, and playful. They’re also seen as funnier and sillier than other cats. Many owners believe their orange cats act differently than others, but there’s little evidence that’s true. Their personality is more linked to breed than color.

Section 1 of 7:

What is the “orange cat personality”?

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  1. The stereotypical orange cat is more affectionate, funnier, and weirder than other cats. Orange cats are also considered chattier, so much so that the owner is able to understand their meows . Many feel orange cats are strong-willed, and there’s some evidence that they are more likely to engage in risky behaviors that get them in some precarious (and sometimes hilarious) situations. [1]
    • Owners feel the orange cat’s affectionate nature and strong love of treats make them more trainable.
    • In spite of their trainability, some believe orange cats, also known as ginger or marmalade cats, are not as smart as other cats and jokingly claim that all orange cats share one brain cell. [2]
    • However, others believe orange cats are very intelligent and can learn to open doors. Expert Animal Communicator Mari Cartagenova says, “They say that all orange cats share one brain cell. So they said they're kind of like the dumb blondes of the cat world, but that's not true. I have one, and he's very smart.”
  2. The Orange Cat Behavior” meme, also known as Orange Cats Share One Brain Cell, references the idea that orange cats are less intelligent, more affectionate, and more chaotic than other cats. Social media posts about orange cats have been posted since at least 2019 when Twitter user @ulat_bulu_bulu shared a post captioned “Orange cat is the crackhead of cat.”
    • In December of 2021, Redditor throwawayorangecat posted on the /r/AmIthe*sshole subreddit about the adventures of an orange cat named Jorts that went viral.
    • In 2022, the meme spread to TikTok. Users began to share videos about orange cats sharing one brain cell between them.
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Section 2 of 7:

Is “orange cat behavior” real?

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  1. No studies show a strong connection between color and personality. Most of the studies showing any connection are based on the owner’s perception of their cat’s behavior, possibly due to confirmation bias. [3]
    • Confirmation bias is when someone sees new information as a confirmation of their existing beliefs. [4]
    • It’s more likely that personality is related to breed. This is probably due to people breeding cats for appearance and a pleasant temperament. [5] Many breeds can have orange tabby markings, including:
      • American Curl
      • American Shorthair
      • British Shorthair
      • Cornish Rex
      • Devon Rex
      • Exotic Shorthair
      • LaPerm
      • Maine Coon
      • Manx
      • Munchkin
      • Norwegian Forest Cat
      • Ocicat
      • Oriental Shorthair
      • Persian
      • Scottish Fold
      • Selkirk Rex
Section 3 of 7:

What are orange cats really like?

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  1. There’s some evidence they may engage in more risky behavior than other cat colors. Owners might interpret this risky behavior as their orange cat behaving in a way that’s less intelligent or more chaotic than cats who have other coat colors. [6]
  2. Because the majority of orange cats are male, this may lead owners to believe orange cats are friendlier than tortoiseshells or calicos, which are mostly female. However, studies have shown little difference in aggression by cats with different coat colors or genders. [7]
  3. Genetics, breed, training, stress levels, and socialization are all more influential to cat behavior than coat color. [8] Owners who say their orange cats are more active, playful, chaotic, chatty, or a little derpy are probably right…but that doesn’t mean all orange cats act that way. Some are laid-back, aloof, quiet, shy, or intelligent.
    • One study showed that breed behavior differences accounted for most of the perceived differences between cats of different coat colors. [9]
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Section 4 of 7:

Do orange cats need any special care?

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  1. Some believe they are more prone to weight gain, so consider limiting treats and feeding them high-quality cat food at set feeding times (instead of free feeding). To properly take care of your cat , make sure they get plenty of exercise and mental stimulation (a lot of these orange cuties have plenty of energy to play with!). Don’t skip regular check-ups at the vet to keep them healthy and up to date on vaccinations
    • Orange cats tend to develop freckles as they become adults, so watch for any changes to their markings to identify potential skin cancer. You can do this during regular grooming sessions .
Section 5 of 7:

What do orange tabbies look like?

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  1. The orange color comes from a natural melanin pigment called pheomelanin, which is the pigment that causes red hair in humans. They commonly have freckles on their nose and mouth. Their coats range from a deep auburn shade to pale cream in one of 5 different pattern types: [10]
    • Classic: The classic orange tabby pattern has orange and white stripes that create a swirl or bullseye near the cat’s midsection.
    • Mackerel: The Mackerel orange tabby is striped like a tiger with the classic “M” on their forehead.
    • Spotted: The spotted orange tabby’s stripes are broken up, so they look like a leopard .
    • Ticked: The ticked pattern appears to be a solid orange, but they have a speckled pattern with tabby markings on their heads.
    • Patched or Harlequin: These cats are mostly white with several large patches of orange tabby striped areas. [11]
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Section 6 of 7:

Are orange cats always male?

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  1. The gene for the orange color is carried on the X chromosome. Because male cats only have one X chromosome, they only need to inherit one copy of the gene associated with the orange color to have an orange tabby coat. Female orange tabbies are less common because they have to inherit two copies for the “orange gene” to be dominant. [12]
    • There’s some evidence that male cats are more affectionate than females. Because more orange cats are male, this may contribute to the idea that they are friendlier than other cats. [13]
    • When female cats inherit only one “orange gene,” they become tortoiseshells or patched.
    • All orange cats are tabbies, but not all tabbies are orange. This is because of the way the “orange gene” interacts with the tabby (or agouti) gene, causing a faint tabby pattern to show even when the cat has two recessive tabby genes. [14]
    • There’s evidence that male orange cats tend to be slightly taller and wider than cats with other coat colors, but more study is needed.
Section 7 of 7:

Orange Tabby FAQs

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  1. No one is quite sure where the orange cat originated. Some believe they are descended from the Egyptian Mau cats that have been depicted on papyri and frescoes dating back to 1550 BC. [15]
    • However, others feel the Egyptian Mau’s caramel coloring is not close enough to the orange tabby to be related.
  2. Famous orange tabbies like Morris the Cat, Milo, and Garfield may be responsible for some of the public perception about cats with orange coloring. Morris was the notoriously finicky mascot of the 9Lives cat food brand. He first appeared in commercials in 1969 and still appears in advertising for the brand. [16]
    • British Prime Minister Winston Churchill received an orange tabby named Jock for his 88th birthday. He was so charmed by Jock that he decided an orange cat would always live at Chartwell, his family home. As of October 2020, Jock VII took up residence in the Churchill home. [17]
  3. Orange cats don’t appear to have any health issues that are not shared by other cats. However, some believe that orange tabbies may be more susceptible to skin cancer due to their lighter fur or because their freckles may mask cancer lesions.
  4. This is a slang term that refers to the supposed “chaotically stupid behavior” of orange cats. It’s used to describe a person who acts in the stereotypically zany manner of an orange cat. [18]
    • There are also some who refer to an affectionate but chaotic partner as having “orange cat energy” or being an “orange cat boyfriend/girlfriend.”
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      References

      1. ↑ https://www.sporcle.com/blog/2023/08/are-orange-cats-actually-dumber/
      2. ↑ https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/orange-cat-behavior
      3. ↑ https://dhah.org/blogs/12804-is-your-cats-personality-influenced-by-coat-color
      4. ↑ https://www.britannica.com/science/confirmation-bias
      5. ↑ https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-44324-x
      6. ↑ https://weather.com/en-IN/india/biodiversity/news/2023-08-08-international-cat-day-is-orange-cat-behaviour-real
      7. ↑ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26467020/
      8. ↑ https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-modern-heart/202011/8-factors-contribute-cat-s-personality
      9. ↑ https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1558787816300284?via%3Dihub
      1. ↑ https://www.savingorphansouls.org/why-does-my-cat-bite-1
      2. ↑ https://sheltermedicine.vetmed.ufl.edu/files/2011/11/identification-and-coat-colors-patterns.pdf
      3. ↑ https://www.sciencefocus.com/nature/is-it-true-that-most-ginger-cats-are-male
      4. ↑ https://youtu.be/NYsKFMELtY0?t=360
      5. ↑ https://www.savingorphansouls.org/why-does-my-cat-bite-1
      6. ↑ https://cfa.org/breed/egyptian-mau/
      7. ↑ https://www.hinsdalehumanesociety.org/about/morris-the-cat
      8. ↑ https://winstonchurchill.org/publications/churchill-bulletin/bulletin-148-oct-2020/jock-vii-takes-the-helm/
      9. ↑ https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Orange%20Cat%20Energy

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