The Truth about Ginger Cats
There are many misconceptions about ginger cats, one of which I was discussing only last night with a fellow ginger cat owner. I’ve often heard people say that ginger cats are aggressive. Well, I can vouch that Tikka is a very gentle soul indeed. It’s true that he is persistent about putting my pet Shih Tzu in his place but I think any self respecting feline would. My friend also confirmed that her cat Oliver, a sphinx like looking ginger Tom, was equally a laid back kinda guy.
The other common misconception is that all ginger cats are male. This is completely untrue although female ginger cats are rarer. Apparently this is to do with genetics and the ginger gene being passed on in the X chromosome. Males cat have an XY gene make up meaning they only have to inherit one ginger gene to become a magnificent ginger Tom. However females have an XX genetic makeup meaning that they must have two ginger genes. If a female cat inherits just one ginger gene she’ll become a tortoiseshell with some ginger patches and some black/brown patches.
It’s also completely false that white spotting on a ginger cat means its more likely to female. Tikka has a lovely white chest and is 100% all ginger Tom!