Ginger Cat Appreciation Day

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Every year, the Ginger Cat Appreciation Day honors the orange cats who hold a place in our hearts. (Actually that holiday is celebrated on a daily basis at my home, thanks to my family’s marmalade-shaded tabby, Wally!)

When is Ginger Cat Appreciation Day?

Ginger Cat Appreciation Day (sometimes referred to as Ginger Cat Day) is celebrated every year on September 1. The cat holiday was launched by software developer Chris Roy to honor his ginger cat!

Famous Ginger Cats

To recognize this special day, here’s a look at some of the famous orange cats who have made our world a little brighter with their flame-tinted fur and their colorful personalities!

Orangey

A star who shared the silver screen with the likes of Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s and Ray Milland in Rhubarb, Orangey’s work was recognized with a was recognized with a PATSY (Picture Animal Top Star of the Year) Award.

Jock

A high-profile pal to those who purr, Winston Churchill enjoyed the company of cats throughout his life. A meowing menagerie made themselves at home at Chartwell (the Churchill family residence) over the years, and thanks to a cat who was given to the late British Prime Minister as a present for his 88th birthday in 1962, a series of rescue kittens have been given the gift of a bright future.

A ginger cat dubbed Jock was Churchill’s constant companion during the final two years of his life, and remained at Chartwell after his beloved pet parent’s passing. While the original Jock crossed Rainbow Bridge in 1975, in honor of the larger-than-life public figure’s fondness for his feline friend the Churchill family requested that there always be a ‘Jock’- an orange cat with a white chest and paws- residing at the home.

In 2015 Jock VI, a rescue kitten from Crydon Animal Samaritans (a registered charity which has helped dogs and cats in need since 1974), was welcomed at Chartwell.

Morris

Perhaps the first celebrity feline, “the world’s most finicky cat” who would only nom on his favorite brand of cat food has been portrayed over the years by three rescue cats, each of whom have helped to shine a spotlight on pet adoption.

Morris the cat from “America’s Most Haunted Hotel”

A purrmanent resident of The 1886 Crescent Hotel and Spa in Arkansas, Morris was an orange tabby who passed away at the venue at the age of 21. Obviously fond of his earthly surroundings, some say that Morris has decided to stay on the hotel’s grounds.

Even if guests aren’t fortunate enough to catch a sighting of the feline phantom, his memory lives on through a portrait and poem displayed in the hotel’s lobby.

Garfield

Tickling funny bones ever since the Garfield comic strip made its debut in newspapers back in 1978, the curmudgeonly kitty is so beloved in Grant County, Indiana (which includes the Fairmount hometown of creator Jim Davis) that a Garfield Trail. There every day is Ginger Cat Appreciation Day thanks to 11 statues of the lasagna-loving orange tabby.

Heathcliff

Creator George Gately’s comic strip cat has made fans of felines smile since 1973.

Thomas O’Malley

A feral feline with a heart of gold, Abraham de Lacey Giuseppe Casey Thomas O’Malley is the hero of the 1970 Disney animated classic The Aristocats.

The AristoCats Trailer

Buttercup

Fans of author Suzanne Collins YA novels were perplexed when a tuxedo cat was chosen to portray Primrose’s purring pal in The Hunger Games, but by the second film in the franchise the character was restored to his rightful ginger color.

Oliver

Oliver & Company, Disney’s 1988 twist on the classic Oliver Twist, featured the animated antics of an orphaned orange kitten in the title role.

Tonto

Two orange tabbies took on the role of Art Carney’s traveling companion in the 1974 road trip flick Harry & Tonto.

Crookshanks

In the Harry Potter movie franchise, Hermione’s half-Kneazle named Crookshanks was portrayed by two red Persians — a male named Crackerjack, a male, and a female called Pumpkin, who lived at a rescue before her adoption by her trainer/Mother Donna McCormick-Smith.

Milo

A curious orange tabby kitten find a friend in a precocious pug in the 1986 movie The Adventures of Milo and Otis.

Goose

A rescue cat named Reggie stepped into the role of a Flerken in the 2019 hit Captain Marvel.

Puss in Boots

The suave, swashbuckling feline from the 17th century fairy tale by Giovanni Francesco Straparola and Charles Perrault was brought to life on the big screen in the DreamWorks Animation adventures Shrek 2 and the film that bears the cat’s name.

Danny

Actor Scott Bakula gave voice to an orange tabby with stars in his eyes in the 1997 animated musical Cats Don’t Dance.

Tiger

Dom DeLuise provided the voice of the kind-hearted street cat in the 1986 animated feature An American Tail.

Ulysses

Three talented rescue tabbies named Tigger, Daryl and Jerry portrayed hep cat Ulysses in the Coen brothers film Inside Llewyn Davis.

More Cat Holidays You Might Like

Sylvester the Cat’s Birthday

Hairball Awareness Day

Adopt-a-Cat Month® and Adopt-a-Shelter-Cat Month

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