Red Tabby Cats

by Michael
(London, UK)

red tabby cat FREDU

Do red tabby cats have a certain personality? And why are they nearly always male? The answer to the first question cannot be that scientific as it is based on observation while the second is a question of cat genetics, an almost impenetrable science! Incidentally red or cream (diluted red) coloured cats are always tabby cats even though the tabby pattern might be very faint. This is because a red cat is red (orange) because it has an orange pigment in its hair strands called phaeomelanin. The gene that produces a solid colour, the non-agouti gene, does not work on the pigment phaeomelanin. By default the agouti gene that produces the banding in hair strands of the tabby cat works on phaeomelanin, resulting in the tabby pattern1. Red tabby cats are often called orange cats or ginger cats. Marmalade (after the tabby orange pattern), yellow, butter, caramel, or butterscotch are also used to describe this cat.

Red Tabby Cat Personality

Franny Syufy says that red tabbies are mellow and warm in nature in tune with the colour of their coats. She also says that they tend to be dominant, alpha males. Another expert2 says that they can have fiery temperaments reflecting the idea that red headed humans have hot tempers. I have never had the pleasure of living with an orange cat so I asked a cat expert who has kindly provided her own observations on a fine red tabby cat, Fredu (Maltese for Freddie). Martha Kane rescues cats as your probably know. Fredu lives with her amongst the other cats she cares for. Martha says this about Fredu:

About Fredu …well, he is the sweetest thing alive when it comes to me and he is always first for my affection but then real red cats are rarely aggressive with people. He is intelligent and shows this by rarely getting flustered even when total strangers are around. When it comes to his dealings with other cats he feels superior and so he is King. I wouldn’t say that he fights for his territory but he doesn’t wander far away from it, lest someone decided’s to take his place. Food is important to him but affection comes first and he will gladly walk away from his dinner if it means an extra cuddle from me. All in all I would say that like most ginger cats he’s a gentle giant and he lets most of the other cats share his space just as long as they know who’s boss. Health wise, going by my experience alone I would say that red cats are quite a sturdy lot and live for quite a good many years with very few serious ailments.

Ummm…well, this fits very accurately the thoughts of Franny Syufy. This is not conclusive, of course, but it provides a nice little bit of confirmatory information based on first had experience that I would rate highly. It is also said the calico cats have a certain personality.

Red Tabby Cats Are Male

This is about cat genetics again, unfortunately. I’ll briefly quote Robinson’s Genetics if I may, “All of the..red tabby cats display the sex-linked orange gene O. The O is carried by the X chromosome. The male has only one X chromosome. The female has two X chromosomes3. For a male cat to be red his X chromosome must carry the O gene. For a female to be red both X chromosomes must carry the O gene (homozygous). The latter is rarer than the former so there are more male red tabby cats than female red tabbies4. Phew..I think I got that right…! Oh, calico cats (tortoiseshell and white cats) are almost always female. Do you want to know why? Please see: Calico Cats.

Notes:

1. Legacy of the Cat by Gloria Stephens and Tetsu

2. Sarah Hartwell

3. Robinsons Genetics 4th edition page 51

4. http://wiki.answers.com

The picture of Fedu was taken be me in Malta. The red cast on one side of the body is from a red tarpaulin. The typical Maltese stone is in the background.

Michael Avatar

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Red Tabby Cats

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Mar 30, 2012
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Milo NEW
by: Anonymous

I have a male red also named Milo. His sister is a faded cream color named Abby. I also have another red & white named Fennel. Milo & Abby are 12 yrs old. But Milo is the king of the castle. He is probably 18-20 lbs. He is very loving & puts the others in their place. But he Loves to eat.I’ve always had cats & I think the reds do have unique personalities.


Mar 12, 2012
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Reggie NEW
by: Trese

I enjoyed the above comments but my male red, Reggie isn’t part of the norm. If he is outside and sees people he either runs under the truck or inside. Noises make him crouch. Squirrels terrify him. Today it was seagulls that sent him flying inside, I’ve never seen a cat move so fast. He is affectionate with me but only when he want to be. I can’t pet him or pick him up unless he wants to be touched.
He is almost 7 months old and weighs in at 10 pounds. A true long-hair, his tail is as wide as his body(including the oil from under cars) and his whiskers run about 8″. Lots of fur between the long toes. Oh, and his sleeping spot is on top of the kitchen cabinets.
..all in all he is a beauty, aloof, independant and the original scardy cat. I love and admire him.


Mar 07, 2012
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Red Tabby Cat, Domestic NEW
by: Pattie Hardie

I had a male Red Tabby Cat, Garfield, for twenty years this cat had the most gentle personality and loyal to the end. He was very chatty from the time he was a kitten. Very affectionate and tall for a domestic cat and lean and muscular. I would have to say by far the most genuine companion in the cat family. I would recommend a Red tabby Cat to anyone that is a cat lover or otherwise. Exceptional personality! Never strayed. I will miss him dearly, RIP my buddy. I love you!!!


Jan 26, 2012
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Watch cat NEW
by: Anonymous

My cat Marmalade is a male red tabby. He is a remarkable cat. I feel that he takes care of me nad acts like a watch cat. He sleeps in my room near the path I walk if I get up. He gets up on the computer table and wants cuddling. He will steal cheese off my plate when I have a snack.
I did agree with the article about food and affection. Marmalade eats his food up in about 2 minutes flat. But he loves affection most. I looks at me with his eyes full of love. He purrs if I pick him up. He likes to just lie on the carpet or in the sun near me. He is in the room but not intrusive at all.
But when I am upset, he will come and sit or lie down by me. He is a great companion and smart.
In fact, I tell my friends he know what I am going to do before I know it myself. Red tabbies are great pets for disabled persons.
They are psychic and caretaker cats. They seem sensitive to fleas.


Nov 26, 2011
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My Big Red
by: Del Rio

Thankyou for the comments on red cats!I highly recommend them.I had a wonderful big red cat for 16 years.He was so kind,intelligent,and loving.Oh he loved food and weighed a muscular 20 pounds.He never turned down affection,new words,and did many tricks.He was always ready to communicate with alot funny sounds.He liked to participate in human activities and preferred people play to toys.When I exercised or stretched out on the floor he did the same!!!Big Red is dead 10 years but I think of him often,He was my good friend.


Jan 02, 2011
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Post script
by: Michael

I have also just remembered a page I built a few years ago featuring a beautiful orange Persian cat – Faolán:

Orange Persian Cat

Here he is:

Michael Avatar


Jan 02, 2011
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Soft spot
by: Michael

Yes, I have a soft spot for red cats too. And they do seem to be nice cats. I have just remembered “Yellow Cat“. An orange feral cat that Dorothy in California looks after.

Michael Avatar


Jan 01, 2011
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Red Tabbies
by: Anonymous

I have always loved red cats, and have had one or more at a time forever. I have shown Household Pet classes at cat shows for over 30 years too and they`ve always been my favorite to show. All of the red cats that I have ever owned have been expert schmoozers, at home as well away. They love attention from anyone, anywhere, any time.
I also used to breed and show Siamese and Balinese cats. My specialty were the rare oddball colors. I bred for torti points, lynx points and torti-lynx points, which are nearly always girls. A friend produced an infertile male blue torti point once though. The boys in most of those litters were red and red Lynx points. As kittens, red points are basicly white kittens with blue eyes, and orange tinted tails, orange smudges on their noses, and the backs of their ears. They`re pretty, but color developes very slowly, and they don`t look ever look very Siamese colored if you don`t know about them.
Everyone always ooohd and aaahd over the neat looking tortis, and tended to overlook the reds at first. When the tortis ignored them, people would notice a red trying to sit on their shoulder, or standing in their laps making pawsies and staring deeply into their eyes. They weren`t so subtle, and alot of people were converted instantly. I always told everyone, that they try harder because their sisters were much more cool looking, sort of Mr. Congeniality.
I never noticed any of my red points being more aggressive. Temperament was always one of my biggest concerns. My kittens were always placed as pets first, show cats second, and breeding cats last. I was extremely careful about choosing gentle, docile breeding stock. As studs their, urine was stronger though. I would term them more as “Pushy Attention Hogs” and more creative with getting that attention.


36 thoughts on “Red Tabby Cats”

  1. The author of the best comment will receive an Amazon gift of their choice at Christmas! Please comment as they can add to the article and pass on your valuable experience.
  2. This is Som, a young Red Tabby Female, I love Tabby coloring because it only exists in the cat world, makes them special, red even more so.

    Reply
  3. Oh, how I love and miss my red tabby! Her name is Peanut. She has a sweet, and yet no-nonsense air about her. Loyalty describes her well also, and she was a great mama to her one litter of kittens. Living on a beautiful ranch with her brother, and Great Pyrenees dogs, and goats, and me, she was the queen! Even the dogs listened to her!

    Reply
      • Thank you! She is really special, but I didn’t know how rare she was until today! Thank you for sharing the percentage.
        I do hope she’s okay. She got away from my son when he had her in town, almost 8 months ago 🙁 Makes me sad, but I hope she has a loving home

        Reply
      • Please don’t post this! I’m sorry. Maybe I shouldn’t have shared that about what happened to her. I don’t want to get anyone upset. Please feel free to delete the last part, or all of it, if you wish. Part of the problem was that there was a health crisis going on, I ended up in another state, it was a busy walmart parking lot where she got out at, and I lost hope…there was too much going on, and I feel such grief over losing her, and not being able to do anything…

        Reply
  4. We have two red tabby cats. One is named Ibanez, yes, after the guitar, and B.H. Nubbins (Bush Hog, because we found him hiding under the deck of our bush hog). Ibanez will be 13 years old this April. Nubbins is a bob-tail cat, and VERY huge, he must weigh 15 pounds, and very sweet. Ibanez is an ‘old man’, and is now eating soft cat food. They are not our only cats, but, since this site is about reds, I thought I’d share this with you!! They are very smart cats, and are very much loved!!!

    Reply
    • Hello Tracie, nice to hear from you. It seems that you have some beautiful cats. Nubbins seems to be a very interesting cat. If you have a photograph that is not too large in size you might wish to upload it into a comment. Thanks for visiting and sharing.

      Reply
  5. I just lost my almost 15 yr old red tabby, Finnegan, three weeks ago. He was the sweetest, smartest, and best pet you could ever imagine. Finn was a very social cat who loved to be sitting on your lap or laying beside you. He was vocal and let you know when it was time to be fed. I rescued him and his twin brother, Magee, when they were 8 wks old. I lost Magee three years ago due to complications associated with diabetes. He lived with it for over four years and faired well. Without question having Finn and Magee in my life was a gift from Heaven. I love them and miss them everyday. But they’re together again…

    Reply
    • A beautiful comment, Leslie. Thanks for sharing. I love red tabbies. There is something about them that makes them stand out a bit and I’m referring to personality.

      Reply
  6. My red tabby, Zeke, is about 2 years old. He is affectionate with me when he’s in the mood to be, but only barely tolerates other people. I rescued him when he was about 4 weeks old. He has hissed and growled at my grown son since I got him. He is warming up to my new husband, I suspect, because he will get up in the middle of the night and feed Zeke cashews. This cat is crazy about nuts, peanut butter, yogurt and popcorn. He’s about 15 pounds, and very demanding. He will cry outside my door if 5 a.m. comes and I’m not up, then start slamming the hall cabinet if I still don’t get up. He chatters a lot, and if I scold him, it sounds like he’s back-sassing me. I can’t imagine life without adorable brat.

    Reply
    • He sounds like a red tabby cat to me. Your story supports my thought that ginger cats (which are nearly always red tabby cats) have independent minds and strong characters. If you adopt a moggie, adopting a ginger cat seems to be a decent idea if you want a cat with character and opinion.

      Reply
  7. I have a Red Tabby male cat and he is the first one I have ever had as I have always gone for the black kitties. After having him though I think the rest of my life will be spent with both colors. He is the sweetest most loving cat. His favorite people are little children and he will walk up to them and beg to be petted. He is a large cat around 20 lbs but no fat on him. He allows his little brother to think that he is in charge but we know the truth. I always recommend the Red Tabbies to people looking for a loving, laid back cat.

    Reply
    • Nice comment. I think you are right. Red tabbies often seem to be (a) large (b) laid back and (c) the boss. Benevolent dictatorship!

      Reply
      • I had a silver tabby for 14 years before she died. I loved her very much and she treated me like her mother. We then adopted a red tabby, a female, and she took a little time to warm up to me. She loved my husband right away. Now, she is also my cat and I love her, too. But she is independent and the acts like a princess. Her color gets deeper every day so we call her Redsy.

        Reply

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