Eight out of 10 ginger cats are male - and scientists have finally found out why

Daily Mail​

15-05-2025

It is commonly believed that a ginger cat is more likely to cause trouble than other breeds but most feline fans might not realise that orange-coloured moggies are predominantly male.
Scientists have now uncovered why 80 per cent of domestic ginger cats are boys - and it is all to do with the Arhgap36 gene.
This piece of DNA, also found in humans, usually controls the nervous and hormonal systems, with no relation to pigmentation.
But American researchers found in a cat's X chromosome a variation that switches on the Arhgap36 gene inside pigment cells.
For male cats - who are made up of XY chromosomes - they only need one piece of this DNA to turn them orange.
Whereas female cats - whose make-up is XX chromosomes - would need both pieces of this gene to match up to make them completely ginger.
Having only one will lead to a partial tinge in a tortoiseshell or calico pattern.
Other ginger-tinged mammals, like orangutans, tigers - and even redheads - will have this disruption take place at an earlier stage in a different gene and so affect males and females equally.
'This is a very unusual mechanism where you get misexpression of a gene in a specific cell type,' Dr Christopher Kaelin from Stanford Medicine in California said.
'In a number of species that have yellow or orange pigment, those mutations almost exclusively occur in one of two genes, and neither of those genes are sex-linked.'
The lead researcher of the study published in Current Biology, which looked at 51 variations of cat genes, said that it arose 'probably early on in the domestication process'.
Paintings from the 12th century have depicted ginger cats, suggesting this mutation has been around for hundreds of years and could have become more common as humans bred them for their radiant colouring.
'We know that because there are paintings that date to the 12th century where you see clear images of calico cats, so the mutation is quite old,' Dr Kaelin explained.
So while ginger cats may be known as feisty, chaotic or fearless, this might just be down to them being male.
'There are not many scientific studies of the personality of orange cats,' the lead researcher added.
Last summer, the 'orange cat behaviour' tag went viral online and had 643.1 million views on TikTok which showed off an abundance of rambunctious pets.
Dr Anna Foreman, in-house Vet at Everypaw Pet Insurance, told MailOnline that though the science is vague, there is plenty of anecdotal evidence pointing to the conclusion that gingers are wilder than their counterparts.
'Studies on owner's perception of their cat's personality have shown that ginger cats are seen as more friendly, affectionate and playful,' she explained.
Ginger cats are not only known for their extroverted personalities, but have become notorious through their popularity in pop culture and media.
Winston Churchill famously kept an orange cat called Tango, and celebrities including Elizabeth Moss and Ian Somerhalder have shared snaps of their copper-haired felines on social media too.
Elsewhere the film Garfield, which features a friendly but exceptionally lazy, ginger cat, has also likely played a part in people's association with the spirited creatures.
In videos posted on social media, ginger cats can also be seen acting with bountiful energy and bravery, with one clip showing a pet jump from the top of an electricity pole all the way to the floor, much to their owner's horror.
Cat behaviour expert Roger Tabor explained that science points towards there being differences in breed temperament but little to point directly to colour changing cat's behaviour, despite the claims made of orange cats.