# Ginger Cats....



## Heulyn (Feb 20, 2010)

Now, this might seem like a really dumb question, but....
I've just gotten a ginger cat via my grandmother, and I wanted to know whether it's any particular breed, or whether being a ginger cat is special enough and is it's own breed?
0.o
x


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## Acacia86 (Dec 30, 2008)

He or she will be a ''Moggie'' or a Domestic Shorthair (DSH) or for a long coated it will be a Domestic Long haired (DLH)

There are breeds that do have Ginger as colours but i would imagine yours is male and a Moggie. 

Have you got a photo?


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## Heulyn (Feb 20, 2010)

He is just a regular male cat, I think.
Here are the photos (They're not all great, sorry!):

Hiding Duke:









Hiding Duke 2









Duke in a harness









Thanks =]
x


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## Acacia86 (Dec 30, 2008)

Heulyn said:


> He is just a regular male cat, I think.
> Here are the photos (They're not all great, sorry!):
> 
> Hiding Duke:
> ...


No problem! He is gorgeous!! :001_tt1:

He will be classed as a DSH. xxx


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## Heulyn (Feb 20, 2010)

Acacia86 said:


> No problem! He is gorgeous!! :001_tt1:
> 
> He will be classed as a DSH. xxx


Thanks =D
I think he's a stunning cat, just a shame I got him in such bad circumstances =[

But at least now I know what my new fuzzball is =]
x


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## Anjelica (Jun 9, 2009)

Absolutely love ginger cats! :001_tt1::001_tt1:
Ginger cats are primarily males. On the odd rare occasion, a red female comes into the world, but will more than likely then be "barren", iow incapable of procreating.
Your boy resembles my darling a lot. He was a rescue..... back in December of 2006l, he and his sister had been dumped as kittens in the park of a small castle on the continent..... both were ill. The ultra feminine darling little girl is now in fine form, but my darling ginger boy has permanent eye damage due to the infection he had. Both are so incredibly lovable. :001_tt1:
Good luck with your darling ginger lad. Give him a cuddle from me.


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## spid (Nov 4, 2008)

Anjelica said:


> Absolutely love ginger cats! :001_tt1::001_tt1:
> Ginger cats are primarily males. On the odd rare occasion, a red female comes into the world, but will more than likely then be "barren", iow incapable of procreating.
> Y


Actually this is untrue - sorry - 25% of gingers are female and 99% of them will be fertile - the red gene is not a sex linked gene in that way (other than girls need two red gene to be red, and boys only need one). However, there are plenty to red girls about and plenty that have given birth - that red girls are rare is false and often used as a marketing ploy by bybs to make a lot of money out of non-rare kittens.


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## Burrowzig (Feb 18, 2009)

spid said:


> Actually this is untrue - sorry - 25% of gingers are female and 99% of them will be fertile - the red gene is not a sex linked gene in that way (other than girls need two red gene to be red, and boys only need one). However, there are plenty to red girls about and plenty that have given birth - that red girls are rare is false and often used as a marketing ploy by bybs to make a lot of money out of non-rare kittens.


Right, ginger females aren't that rare. The only way you get a ginger female is for a ginger tom (who can have either one or two 'ginger' genes, to mate with a tortoiseshell (1 ginger gene) or full ginger (two ginger genes) female. I don't think it's correct to say 25% of gingers are female though, as a male only needs one ginger gene which can come from either parent. For a ginger female, both parents have to carry ginger. For unplanned matings, it's more likely the female would mate with one of the majority of non-ginger toms, or even if the tom was ginger, if he was a one-ginger-gene cat, only half his kittens would be inherit the ginger gene.

I used to have a ginger female cat - well she lived outside on the farm here and I fed her from a kitten - her litter brother became my most docile pet. She would never let me touch her, but she was happy for me to handle her kittens. She had 3 ginger boys, 3 tortoiseshell girls, and when they were 6 weeks old she was shot dead. I kept one of the boys but he disappeared, as her brother did a few years later.

Picture of the two lads when Joe Fuff was a kitten. The older one was called Nussy.


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## magisragis (Feb 10, 2010)

Hi All

I love gingers and torties. Some people pull a face when I call my red raggie ginger but he is and I am a red head too. I don't think he gets offended by being called ginger.

The really rare mix in the red gene is the tortie male. They do happen. More often than not they are infertile and some are a mix of both sexes. I have heard of some that did produce offspring though. 

Margaret


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## sequeena (Apr 30, 2009)

Aww what a lovely kitty  I've only ever had one ginger and he was an absolute sweetheart


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## Heulyn (Feb 20, 2010)

Burrowzig said:


> Right, ginger females aren't that rare. The only way you get a ginger female is for a ginger tom (who can have either one or two 'ginger' genes, to mate with a tortoiseshell (1 ginger gene) or full ginger (two ginger genes) female.


What about Calicos, do they have the ginger gene?
x


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## spid (Nov 4, 2008)

Heulyn said:


> What about Calicos, do they have the ginger gene?
> x


calicos are what the americans call tortishell and white - so yes, they have the red gene.


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## Clare7435 (Dec 17, 2009)

I have a ginger tom...I thought he was a girl hence his name (Tilly) he's gorgous whatevr his name :001_tt1: HIs Mum is a ginger cat...rare so I hear, and she has had 3 ginger girls so far....she's not mine but I wish she was she's lovely, then out of the blue she gave birth to a really blue fluffy cat in about 4 gingers...
Clare xx


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