Opinion The mystery of orange cats decoded — with some help from cat parents

Anyone who has been called a “crazy cat lady” or asked why they like animals that “don’t even show affection” now stands vindicated. Thanks to ailurophiles, a few weeks ago, science catwalked three steps ahead. Recent research by teams at Stanford University in the US and Japan’s Kyushu University has found what gives orange cats their distinct colour — with the help of cat owners.

Despite knowing for over a century that the inheritance of the ginger colour in Felis catus is different from other mammals, cracking the code has not been easy because cats have been characteristically uncooperative, refusing to let researchers stick a cotton swab in their mouths to retrieve samples. As anyone with a cat will attest, it is nearly impossible to make the rebels of the animal kingdom do anything they don’t want to. So researchers enlisted the help of the pets’ human guardians. Their cooperation has helped uncover what makes Garfield and his fellow gingers possible: A small piece of missing DNA near the gene ARHGAP36. This unique mutation could hold the key to how mutations work in general, potentially deepening the understanding of genetic disorders in humans. These studies have also made apparent the value of engaging with the public in the pursuit of scientific progress .

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Studies on cats have taken science far — a previous study found them to have “perfect” genetic form, staying true to the ancestral animal despite centuries of breeding. That an active collaboration between science and society was made possible because of the affection cats share with their humans ought to shut down any debate on the subject. To all those who ask, “Why cats?”, the answer is now clear: For science.