Two teams of scientists at Kyushu University in Japan and Stanford University in the US have now revealed the mystery in simultaneous papers published on Thursday.

Researchers discovered that ginger cats are actually missing a section of their genetic code, which means the cells responsible for their skin, fur tone, and eyes produce a lighter colour.

This is thanks to the gene, ARHGAP36.

For decades, scientists have observed that ginger cats are far more likely to be maes, and this is due to the fact that the ginger gene is carried on the X chromosome.

In comparison, female cats have two X chromosomes so the DNA needs to be missing in both chromosomes to increase lighter pigment production to the same extent.

The ARHGAP36 gene is found in humans and has been linked to skin cancer and hair loss.

While this study confirms ginger cats are genetic anomalies, the jury’s still out on whether this genetic mutation is responsible for their reputation as little bundles of chaos.

Dr Christopher Kaelin, a senior scientist in genetics at Stanford Medicine and the study’s lead author, published his study in Current Biology, where he touches on the possibility of the gene affecting their personalities.

Kaelin said: “I don’t think we can exclude the possibility that there is altered expression of the gene in some tissue we haven’t tested that might affect behaviour.”

He concluded by suggesting the tendency for ginger cats to wreak havoc on their owners might have more to do with the fact that they are male.

Professor Sasaki of Kyushu University said: "Many cat owners swear by the idea that different coat colours and patterns are linked with different personalities,"

"There's no scientific evidence for this yet, but it's an intriguing idea and one I'd love to explore further."