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LiveScience
LiveScience
Patrick Pester

Scientists solve mystery of how orange cats got their coats — and why so many are male

A close-up portrait of orange cat looking at the camera. .

Orange cats have a unique genetic mutation that gives them their special coats — and this mutation also explains why so many of them are male, two new studies find.

Many animals have orange hair, including some humans, but only in domestic cats are males more likely to be orange than females. Researchers have long known there must be something special about ginger cat genetics, and with this newly identified mutation, they've finally solved the mystery.

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