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Literally, the word “tabby” comes from the French word for taffeta, a type of silk material. Most people don’t know to use the word “tabby” just for distinctively orange cats with characteristic coat markings rather than for a breed. Orange cats are also called tabbies, though not every tabby cat is orange. What are the other names for orange cats? Meet a sweet ginger cat that will melt your heart. Ticked: This kitty has a solid ginger color, but with a speckled pattern.Spotted: These cats look like they have spots, stripes, or swirls that are broken up.Striped or mackerel: These cats look like tigers and have an “M” on their forehead.Classic or swirled: These cats have a dark swirled pattern on their dark orange coat, usually around their midsection.Orange cats have four distinct coat patterns: Often white spots intermixed with the orange fur give their fur unique patterns. Orange cats may have shades of red, yellow, orange, and even cream colors mixed in their fur. The intense ginger colors reveal there’s more pigment present. Similar to humans, the pigment produces different shades of ginger color depending upon the amount of pheomelanin in a cat’s fur. This is the same pigment that causes humans to have red hair. Ginger cats have an orange fur color due to a dominant pigment called pheomelanin. Enter orange cats, aka ginger cats.Īccording to studies, these green-eyed, medium fur-length cats are very popular with cat owners, making them one of the favorite cats to own. Because of human preference in breeding, cats’ looks have changed over the years. The ancient cat looked very different in comparison to today’s cat. They were first valued as pets in the Middle East when villagers saw the need to control the rodent population eating their grain storages. Domesticated cats have been around for over 10,000 years.