Scientists solve mystery of how orange cats got their coats — and why so many are male
By Patrick Pester published May 16, 2025
Researchers have discovered how orange cats got their coats — and why so many of them are male. The coat color comes from a genetic mutation on the X chromosome of orange, calico and tortoiseshell cats.

Orange cats have a unique genetic mutation that gives them their special coats — and this mutation also explains why so many of them are male, two new studies find.

Many animals have orange hair, including some humans, but only in domestic cats are males more likely to be orange than females. Researchers have long known there must be something special about ginger cat genetics, and with this newly identified mutation, they've finally solved the mystery.

The mutation deletes a section of the cat's DNA, and increases the activity of a gene in X chromosomes — thread-like structures of DNA that carry hereditary information passed on from parent to offspring.
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