Mostly boys
About four in every five ginger cats are male. The gene for orange is carried in a way that makes ginger females much rarer.
Short-haired cats · Time every day
Ginger tom
A colour, found in many breeds
An orange cat with darker orange tabby stripes and a pale chin.
- Size
- About 25cm at the shoulder; 4 to 5.5kg
- Lives for
- 12 to 16 years
- Suits
- Almost any home
Ambles after you, in no hurry. Move your pointer and see.
Good to know
Six things about the ginger cat
Always a tabby
No ginger cat is one plain colour. Look closely and there are always stripes or swirls.
Freckles
Many get black freckles on the nose, lips and gums as they grow older.
From cream to marmalade
The colour runs from pale cream through to deep red.
Famous on screen
Some of the best-known cats in books, films and cartoons are ginger.
Laid back?
Owners often say ginger cats are especially friendly and relaxed, though nobody has proved it.
The real thing
Photos of the ginger cat
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Photos are from Wikimedia Commons, used under the free licences shown. They have been resized, and cropped where they appear in link previews.
Looking after one
Feed measured meals: ginger toms have a name for being greedy. Otherwise the care is the same as for any cat.
Before you get one
Having a male cat neutered stops him roaming, fighting and spraying, and helps him live longer.
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