The ginger fluffy cat is a classic representative of the cat family. In the natural environment, its pure (without impurities) color behaves capriciously. Red shades of fur appear in offspring only if a number of hereditary conditions are met, but even felinologists do not undertake to predict its appearance in advance.
This color is unusual for the British, but among the Persians, on the contrary, it is not considered a rarity. However, all cat breeds have one thing in common - almost every litter produces babies with a luxurious red coat.
Are there ginger cats that are girls?
Boy and girl cats have different sets of chromosomes:
- the cat has a double X chromosome (XX);
- The chromosome set of a cat is XY.
As for the O gene, it is attached only to the X chromosome, and has two “coloring” alleles: O (red) and o (black). In practice this is expressed like this:
- OO with two XX in girls gives a red color;
- the same chromosomes with the oo alleles create a black tint;
- With a set of Oo, two-colored (tortoiseshell) kittens are born.
Male cats have fewer options because they have only one X chromosome, which can be accompanied by a single allele expression: O (red) or O (black). But nature did not program cats with two-color red and black colors.
In practice, this complex genetic kaleidoscope is expressed in the fact that in a litter there are fewer red cats than males.
Important! Under natural conditions, ginger cats are born approximately 3-4 times more often than female cats. This even causes the unfair judgment that only boys wear bright sunny coats.
Meaning for men and women
Decoding night vision largely depends on the gender of the dreamer. Forecasters explain why a woman dreams of a red kitten:
- For a girl dating her chosen one, the dream foreshadows a rival who wants to take her lover away. If a kitten scratches and shows aggression, it means that a cunning person will behave the same way.
- For a lonely woman, the dream promises meeting a pleasant, intelligent person. This romance will be stormy and will give positive emotions, but will not last long.
- If a married lady dreams of two kittens at once, this means that she will soon have a dangerous rival. You will have to fight with her to prevent her from taking her place.
For men, the details of sleep are interpreted differently.
They mean the following:
- A lot of red kittens portend difficulties and problems in real life.
- If a person dreams of one cat, it means that he has an envious person who is trying to set him up.
The condition of a dreamed baby is interpreted in the same way for men and women.
It means the following:
- If you dreamed of a thin and sick kitten, then a person should pay attention to the health status of their loved ones.
- The emaciated baby was dirty - this promises bad news from afar concerning the dreamer’s relatives.
- If his fur was matted and infested with fleas, then this means that the person is haunted by minor troubles and empty chores. They prevent him from focusing on what is important in life.
- A playful and fluffy animal predicts difficulties and obstacles that the dreamer will have to overcome in the near future.
Color options
Since a cat has more color options, it means that she also passes them on by inheritance:
- Only the red allele O is passed from mother to male cat;
- Characteristics of two parents are passed on to female kittens (genes O and O).
Other colors and color spots that were present in the animal’s relatives play a role in the formation of coat shades.
- White-red cat. The white gene (W) is dominant over all others, the spotting (S), partial spotting (Sp) allele and the white recessive ww allele also work. The tendency to white spotting is always dominant in relation to solid colors.
- Red tabby cat. The fiery color is never continuous. It definitely shows patterns in the form of stripes or marble spots. In genetics, this effect is called “tabby” and it is responsible for the characteristic pattern on the coat.
- Red marbled cat. We are talking about shading the tabby pattern. In ginger cats it is necessarily present, but in varying degrees of contrast. A heavily shaded tabby looks like a pure color, a slight blurriness leads to a distinct pattern, a moderate shade is associated with marble stains.
- Cat in light red tones. The D gene comes into play. It is responsible for color saturation and colors the hairs a deep and uniform red. But in the dd modification, lightening occurs, then the pigmentation granules in the hair structure are sparse.
- Cat in black, white and red tricolor. The combination occurs only in girls. Cats are deprived of this color due to a single X chromosome, to which only one allele responsible for pigmentation can be attached. The exception is male individuals carrying the chromosomal formula XXY. But they are, as a rule, sterile and do not take part in reproduction. Therefore, the white-red and black color is the privilege of cats.
- Black cat with red spots. A kitten gets tortoiseshell coloring from two parents who carry the genes for black and red hair pigmentation. Most often, girls become carriers of this combination.
Important! A total of nine colors form the main color palette of cats. An ordinary ginger cat must receive the red pigmentation gene from two parents. Otherwise, he will not have a sunny coat color.
Kitten playing photo
Pink ball and mischievous gray kitten
Kitten hiding in Panama
A small kitten with blue eyes sits in a metal pot
Gray kitten plays with a blue ball
A small kitten plays on its hind legs with a toy in its paws.
A ginger kitten jumped into a transparent vase on green pebbles.
Two kittens play sweetly in a wicker basket
Two mischievous kittens play in a warm bed
Black and white photo of a kitten grabbing a rope with its teeth and pulling it
Gray shaggy kitten and small toy mouse
White and red kitten preparing to jump
Gray tabby kitten trying to tickle
Breeds of red cats
A cat with a red color can be found among both purebred and mongrel pets. "Ryzhik" can also be fluffy or short-haired.
British cat
A short-haired cat with a strong, muscular body and thick, silky fur. The most popular color is smoky blue, solid or tabby. Red shorthair cats of the British breed are rare and there are much fewer girls among them than boys.
In detail - about red British cats.
But among the British, sometimes there are long-haired cats; they look especially interesting in their white and red color. Breeders sought to obtain new shades, and as a result of crossing a British cat with Somali and Persian breeds, luxurious, lush fur was fixed in the genotype.
Siberian cat
Representatives of this breed have long, lush hair (with hypoallergenic properties) and a double undercoat. Siberian fluffy ginger cats with eyes of a rich orange-amber hue are a rarity; many catteries are separately engaged only in their selection.
Even more unique are Siberian ginger cats with a tabby striped pattern and white accents on the shirtfront and paws. There are no such animals in the group of smooth-haired pets.
Maine Coon (Manx coon cat)
A very large cat, its height is 1 meter in length and its weight exceeds 8 kg. Unlike other breeds, which reach their maximum size by the age of 2, Maine Coons grow until they are 3-5 years old.
Churchill's saffron milk caps
Winston Churchill, the British Prime Minister, especially famous for his role during World War 2, had several ginger cats. Tango was his constant companion during the war. One of his favorites was a cat named Jock. When Churchill died, Jock was by his side. In addition, Churchill made sure that his beloved Jock remained in Chartwell after his death, and also that after the death of the animal, a cat with the same name always lived there. It is known that Jock VI is now a resident of Chartwell.
Signs associated with ginger cats
Red cats, just like black ones, are haunted by all sorts of legends.
- It is believed that red pets are always obstinate and overly independent. In fact, there is often a very strong emotional bond between an animal and its owner.
- Picking up a ginger kitten on the street and bringing it into the house means attracting prosperity and good luck. Since the fiery color is no more common among street vagabonds than among their purebred relatives, not everyone will experience such happiness.
- Some people believe that a sunny-colored cat absorbs negative energy and protects a person from negative influences.
They also say that they purr louder than others, cure alcoholism, and predict illness and death. The only true observation is expressed in the popular saying “a cat in the house means happiness in it.”
Interpretation of Miller and Freud
The red color has long been considered a sign of deceit and deceit. Therefore, dream interpreters believe that the appearance of a kitten of this color predicts the machinations of enemies or rivals directed against the dreamer . Dream Interpretations interpret the details of the vision as follows:
- Psychologist Gustav Miller believes that someone sleeping in a dream and sheltering a cat at home is a good sign. It portends good luck and prosperity. If the dreamer saw an animal on the street, this promises a meeting with an old friend, which will give him pleasure and awaken pleasant memories. The dream book warns: if a young girl picks up a red kitten in a dream, she is in danger of big trouble. The dreamer will fall into bad company and then be deceived. She shouldn't trust people she doesn't know well.
- According to Freud, a dream about a cat promises a romantic relationship awaiting the dreamer in the near future. But they will not bring happiness, as the person will be seduced and drawn into trouble. He will have to pay for his weaknesses.
- Freud's dream book explains why a married couple dreams of a small red kitten. This is a good sign, foreshadowing the renewal of stable relationships, the revival of the former craving for each other. If a kitten in a dream was decorated with an elegant bow, this promises the dreamer intimate joys. But if the animal was dirty, this means that the person will soon regret his actions.
- According to Loff's dream book, a red kitten is a negative symbol. It foreshadows problems and failures for the dreamer. For businessmen, the dream promises financial difficulties. If the baby was seen by a person when he was returning home in a dream, then in reality the dreamer will have pleasant acquaintances. If the dreamer bathed a kitten in a dream, this means that his relationship with his loved one will move to a new level.
