Is a female orange tabby rare?

Question

I just got a female orange tabby kitten, & when i brought her to the vet they told me she was very rare and worth alot of money.. Im not going to sell her, im just wondering.

Oh and just to let everyone know, i love her no matter what!

When i got her she had 3 orange & white brothers.

My neighbour has a male calico.... My kitty is the sweetest most sociable cat ive ever met.

Answer 1

I wouldn't say they are valuable in terms of money, but they are rare in comparison to MALE orange cats.

Cat's colors can be sex linked. When you see a calico (black, orange white) or tortoiseshell cat (black and orange), they are almost always female.

I'm not sure if you are familiar with genetics. A cat's fur colors are on the X chromosome. A female has two X chromosomes, so she can be black on one, orange on the other, and show up as calico. She would have to have to have orange on both chromosomes to be an orange cat.

Males have only one X chromosome. What ever colored genes are on it, that's the color of the cat. Proportionately, there would be more orange males than females, because males cannot be calicos (there are a few, but they are mutants)

There are a lot of of other factors that determine shades of color and pattern of a cat's coat. If you are still interested in cat genetics, there is a book called "Cats are not Peas" that goes into cat genetics in more detail.

Overall- love your cat for who she is!

Answer 2

Orange Tabby

Answer 3

To be completely orange a little "orange on" switch has to be flipped "on" on ALL X chromisomes. Since males only have one X chromisome, that's not hard to come by. But females have two X chromisomes, so an all orange female is rarer. The ratio is 75% orange tabbies are male and only 25% are female. I also had a female orange tabby growing up.

I wouldn't think worth alot of money. They are not THAT rare, just more rare than male orange tabbies!!

Answer 4

No, sorry they're not rare - I took in an pregnant orange tabby stray and she had 7 kitten (all orange or orange and white) 3 orange tabby females 4 orange and white males.

Answer 5

My understanding is that the gene that produces those markings normally shows up as a calico in females. As such female orange tabbys are rare. I don't think they are worth any more than any other cat though.

My sister has a female orange tabby. She's a bit cranky with most people but she is VERY devoted to my sister. I have heard that calicos tend to be "one person" cats so it may be that same characteristic at work here.

Answer 6

No female orange tabbies are not rare (I would recommend finding another vet yours is obviously not the most competent)

If you are familiar with genetics orange is sex linked on the X chromosome. What that means is for a male to be orange they only have to have one orange gene because they only have one X chromosome. For a female to be orange they have to have 2 orange genes because they have 2 X chromosomes. If a female only has one orange gene you end up with a tortoiseshell or calico. Because of this orange males are more common but orange females are far from rare. Calico males on the other hand are rare as it results from a genetic mutation causing them to have 2 x chromosomoes and a Y chromosome.

Answer 7

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Is a female orange tabby rare?
I just got a female orange tabby kitten, & when i brought her to the vet they told me she was very rare and worth alot of money.. Im not going to sell her, im just wondering.

Answer 8

I had a Orange female tabby named sherbet for ten years. I loved her to pieces. She oozed personality but i never heard from any vets that she was rare just an Orange tabby. with a big voice.

Answer 9

For the best answers, search on this site https://shorturl.im/awilu

Angela is correct; 75% of orange cats are male. It's a gender-linked color pattern, like calico. While orange females aren't exactly rare, they are somewhat unusual. I have a 15-year old orange female who is the sweetest cat ever; the orange color seems to be an indication of a good temperament in cats, male or female. What I would like Hon, is for you to get your female kitties fixed...too many pets and not enough homes. Please!

Answer 10

I too had heard orange girl cats didn't exist, or were rare. But everytime I check out the shelter's population, there seems to be orange girls.
I have a vagabond orange/white boy who is so great! Quite a talker.