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Are all Ginger cats boys?

It’s not true that all gingers are male, but it is true that MOST of them are. The reason is that in cats, the gene that expresses colour carried on the X chromosome. Female cats carry XX chromosomes, making them female. Males have XY, the Y makes them male. The gene that makes a cat ginger is in the X. Therefore, a male cat can only have one X chromosome, and they will either have the ginger gene, which will produce phenomelanin, in every skin cell, making them ginger all over or the X chromosome they inherited will not have the gene. Once the ginger gene exists, you’ve got ginger!

For a female cat to be ginger, they need BOTH X chromosomes to have the ginger gene. Males only need one. This is why the ginger boys outnumber the ginger girls.

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Information on Quietly Feral is for suggestion and advice only and is not a substitute for advice, diagnoses or treatment from a licensed veterinarian.
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