Let’s Chat: Freaks of nature

By Linda Tooth on May 28, 2025.

As a devoted feline enthusiast (aka crazy cat lady) who has two orange cats, a recent online article titled ‘What’s so special about orange cats’ piqued my interest. If you have a cat who is orange, or as some people refer to them, ginger, you know they have special qualities that other cats may not have. They can be feisty, have unique personalities and a voice like no other cat I have met.

I am going to do my best to recap what scientists have discovered regarding orange cats. The scientists behind the study published in the journal Current Biology believe fully orange cats are male.

Though rare, female orange cats will have “patchy patterns – calico or tortoiseshell” on their fur. They have identified the DNA mutation responsible for the colouring of the orange cat and believe it is very unusual.

It boils down to the X and Y chromosomes. Male cats have an X and Y chromosome, while female cats have two X chromosomes. For a male to be completely orange it would have to carry the orange trait on its X chromosome.

For a female to be completely orange it would have to carry the orange trait on both X chromosomes, one from each parent, and that is rare. As I sit here looking at my orange cats, one is male and is totally orange. The female has patches of colouring on her fur, and I now understand why.

I started thinking about orange cats and their unique personalities and, other than my cats, I would have to say Garfield is probably the most famous orange cat with a personality that cannot be matched.

Jim Davis, the mastermind cartoonist, brought arguably one of the most iconic characters to life in 1976. With some changes made to the character of Garfield in 1978, we now have the lazy orange cat, who eats lasagna and hates Mondays, that we love.

For those of us who struggle with chunkiness, we should adopt Garfield’s motto of not being overweight but being under-tall. He is very clever. With movies, TV shows, books, magazines and merchandise, Davis’s net worth, thanks to his beloved character of Garfield, is estimated to be at $800 million, according to celebritynetworth.com

You may wonder why ‘Freaks of nature’ was the title for this article. Well, the full title of the article I saw online was, ‘What’s so special about orange cats? Turns out they are freaks of nature.’

By definition, according to the Collins Dictionary, freaks of nature are “a person or animal that is born or grows with abnormal physical features.”

I do not believe orange cats have abnormal physical features. I believe they are special and, like all other animals that grace us with their presence, deserve our love.

Have a Meowtastic Day and keep reading.

Linda Tooth is a part-time communications instructor at Medicine Hat College

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