alt Hacker NewsAlthough not mentioned in the article, I've heard that Egyptians developed a thing for orange cats (supposedly they look like the sun) and embarked on an intensive breeding program to make them for temple uses. Subsequently Vikings became intrigued by these orange cats on the basis they are easy to see on the deck of a ship (iron age hi-viz vests), and thereby spread them around everywhere (because Vikings).
Replies
ChrisMarshallNY • yesterday at 6:56 PM
From my understanding, orange cats are almost exclusively male.
They also have one shared brain cell.
Source: My family is owned by a marmalade tom.
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mapt • yesterday at 7:03 PM
You've got probably thousands of years between these two events, which undoubtedly contains a lot of feline history.
The orange cat coloration (technically "red" or "ginger") is actually due to a sex-linked gene on the X chromosome, not deliberate Egyptian breeding programs. Archaeological evidence doesn't support ancient Egyptian preference for orange cats - their art depicts cats of various colors. Viking-era cat remains show diverse coat colors emerged naturally through genetic drift rather than intentional selection. The spread of orange cats likely occurred through natural genetic distribution alongside human migration patterns.