ginger cats Archives

Curse of the Shared Brain Cell: Life With an Orange Cat

Orange cats have a reputation. If you’ve ever spent time in the cat-loving corners of the internet, you’ve probably heard the joke: all orange cats share one collective brain cell. No one really knows where this idea started, but after living with one myself, I can confidently say—it feels true.

Orange cats aren’t just regular cats. They’re extra. They’re goofy, unhinged, and somehow both lazy and chaotic at the same time. Just look into their eyes—completely empty. Nothing going on in there.

Banner- photo credit Deb Neumann

Take my orange cat, Banner, for example. He has recently developed a vendetta against bulletin boards. He cannot stand to see them on the wall. I live in constant fear that he’ll manage to pull out a push pin and try to eat it.

Playtime

Banner’s approach to playtime is equally on-brand. Most cats love to chase and climb, but not him. He prefers to play from a reclining position, lazily batting at toys that dare to come close enough. On the rare occasion he does chase something, it’s like watching a chonky orange tank rumble across the floor. The cat tree? Fun when it was new. Now? Too much effort. A crinkly paper bag with a hole in the bottom? That’s the real prize.

Cat in the Bag – photo credit Deb Neumann

Then there’s his way of “relaxing.” Banner loves to drape himself across tables and ledges with his head hanging completely upside down, as if letting gravity feed the lone brain cell he’s been allotted. My black cat, Balboa, would never be caught in such a position—he has too much dignity for that nonsense.

Just Resting – photo credit Deb Neumann

And it’s not just Banner. The internet is full of orange cat chaos. My personal favorite? The orange cat who only lets his owner carry him upside down. Classic.

So yes, orange cats may have to share that one collective brain cell. But they also share something else—pure entertainment. Today might officially be Orange Cat Appreciation Day, but in my house, every day is. Banner keeps life interesting, and brain cell or not, I wouldn’t trade him for anything.

Kitty Chaos photo credit Deb Neumann

Ginger Cat Appreciation Day

Ah the Ginger aka Orange Cat appreciation day. Ginger Cats are the redheads of the cat world. Actually their coats can range from pale yellow to reddish brown but all gingers have stripes or swirls in their coats and an M on on their forehead. All ginger cats are Tabbies but not all tabbies are Gingers. Some things that make orange cats unique are:

Tabby describes a coat pattern and is not a breed.
80% of all orange tabby cats are male. The gene for orange color is riding on the X chromosome. Females need to have the gene on both of their X’s while male cats have only 1 X so the odds are better for them than their female counterparts.
There’s more than 1 type of stripe. There are four different types of tabby patterns that can occur: mackerel (tiger-like stripes), ticked (hair that alternates with light and dark bands), spotted, and classic (which gives a swirled look).
The pigment that gives your Garfield his ginger color is the same one that gives humans red hair.
M marks the spot.

Photo credit Deb Neumann

6. Orange cats Have Freckles. They usually start to show up at about 2 years of age. Don’t panic if your cat starts getting these black spots on their lips or nose. It’s normal for these guys.

They’ve got Purrsonality

I was a late comer to the ginger cat fan club. I was always drawn to black and tuxedo cats. Boy was I missing out! My first orange tabby was Rocky. Rocky was my constant companion for 19 years. He was quirky and funny and always loyal.

Photo credit Deb Neumann

Photo Credit Deb Neumann

You can see Rocky’s freckles in this picture.

Banner

Photo Credit Deb Neumann

Banner is my current tabby. He got his name by the way he carries his tail on high.

Always straight up and confident. Banner is definitely all Garfield as far as his personality but not his eating habits. No lasagna for Banner. Banner is Mr. Fussy. The original finicky eater. But he has the prey drive in the family. When the toys come out get out of his way. He is 15 lbs of orange fur barreling across the floor to catch that feather toy! That’s not to say he doesn’t enjoy a snooze in the sun.