Where do orange tabby cats come from?

The orange tabby cat is not its own breed of cat. Rather, the orange tabby coat pattern and color are caused by a dominant gene that can appear in virtually any cat breed. The technical term for this coat pattern is "mackerel tabby." Mackerel tabby cats have a distinctive marbled or swirled pattern and stripes, and they often have a "M" marking on their foreheads.