Question Regarding Orange Tabby's

Granted, Buffy is only my second cat. She's my first orange tabby.
She's about 7 years old (best guess).

Question: do orange tabby's get darker as they get older?

I ask this because her fur seems to be much darker than it was last year
when I adopted her. Looking at old pictures it seems she was ligher.
Now her fur looks like copper. Absolutely gorgeous but also darker.

Is this something you've ever encountered? Do orange cats get darker
with age?

Buffy's fur is very shiny. It's also tipped with white which makes her
appear to sparkle in the sunlight.

Jill