Climate and Science Correspondent
Garfield, the pussy in the boots, the Toulouse of Aristocats - perhaps cultural idol, Ginger is most certain.
Now, scientists on two continents have uncovered the mysteries of DNA, which makes our furry friends, especially men, famous for their color.
They found that ginger cats lacked part of their genetic code, which means that cells responsible for the skin, eyes and fur will produce lighter colors.
This breakthrough brought joy to scientists, but thousands of cat lovers who initially crowdfunded them.
Scientists hope that solving puzzles can also help you clarify whether orange cats are at increased risk for certain health conditions.
Genetics has given the coloring of orange tabby cats a unique color for decades, but the location in the genetic code has escaped scientists.
Two teams of scientists from Kyushu University in Japan and Stanford University in the United States have now revealed the mystery of the paper being published Thursday.
What the team found was that in the cells responsible for giving cats, their skin, hair follicles and eyes color - melanocytes - a gene Arhgap36, is more active.
Genes are made up of DNA, which like other organisms provide guidance on how cats’ cells can work.
By comparing the DNA of dozens of cats with and without orange fur, they found that those with ginger coloring lacked a portion of the DNA code in the Arhgap36 gene.
Without this DNA, the activity of ARHGAP36 will not be inhibited, i.e. it is more active. Scientists believe that genes instruct these melanocytes to produce lighter pigments.
For decades, scientists have observed that cats with completely ginger color are more likely to be male. This is the fact that the gene is carried on the X chromosome.
Chromosomes are the larger part of DNA, while male cats (such as other mammals) have X and AY chromosomes, which have different amounts of genes.
In controlling pigment production, it is only a gene on the X chromosome, so a piece of missing DNA is enough to make the cat completely ginger become.
In contrast, female cats have two X chromosomes, so DNA is required in both chromosomes to increase the degree of lighter pigment production – meaning there is a greater likelihood of mixing coloring.
"These ginger and black plaques formed because in the early stages of development, one of the X chromosomes in each cell was randomly closed," explains Professor Hiroyuki Sasaki, a geneticist at Kyushu University.
"As the cells divide, this creates regions with different active coat color genes, resulting in different plaques."
Although this study was quite abhorrent in science, it was originally a passionate project as Professor Sasaki.
He has retired from a college position, but as a cat lover says he wants to continue working to uncover the orange cat gene in hopes it can “help overcome cat disease.”
He and his team raised 10.6 million yen (£55,109) through crowdfunding to conduct research from thousands of cat lovers around Japan and around the world.
"We are siblings in first and third grades of elementary school. We donate with pocket money. Use it for research on calico cats," wrote one contributor.
The ARHGAP36 gene is also active in many other areas of the body, including the brain and hormone glands, and is considered important for development.
Researchers believe that DNA mutations in genes may lead to other changes in the body related to health or temperament.
The ARHGAP36 gene is found in humans and is associated with skin cancer and hair loss.
Professor Sasaki said: “Many cat owners swear that different coat colors and patterns are related to different personalities.”
“There is no scientific evidence yet, but it’s an interesting idea and I’d love to explore further.”