Tabby Cat Breeds

Tabby cats are the cats that can be distinguished by their beautiful coat pattern, which can feature stripes, dots, as well as swirling patterns. Tabby is however, not a specific cat breed, as assumed by many. Tabby refers to a coat pattern, which can be found in a number of domestic cat breeds. In cats, the coat color and the coat pattern are not genetically related, which is why tabby pattern can be found in cats of many different colors. Out of these, silver and brown tabby cats are more common. Apart from the attractive coat pattern, tabby cats can also be distinguished by the presence of an 'M' mark on their forehead, just between the ears.

Types of Tabby Coat Pattern

Tabby coat pattern can exhibit wide variations among different cat breeds. Nevertheless, the tabby pattern is broadly classified into four major types, classic, mackerel or striped, ticked and spotted. Another type of pattern is known as 'patched', which is usually a calico or tortoiseshell cat with tabby patches. These major types of tabby patterns are explained below.

Classic
The classic tabby cats are characterized by the presence of large swirls or whorls on their coat, that usually end in a circular pattern on the sides of the body. Three broad lines can be found to run from the neck to the tail of the tabby cats with this classic coat pattern. In the shoulder region, the bands or stripes are much wider and they form a pattern that is termed as 'butterfly pattern'. The coat pattern on the flank region on the other hand, resembles a bull's eye or oyster. The tail, as well as the legs of classic tabby cats usually have broad bands, and their belly or stomach usually contains a row of vest button like blotches. The characteristic 'M' mark can also be found on the forehead of the classic tabby cats. The American short hair cat and sokoke (Khadzonzos) are the common breeds with this classic pattern.

Mackerel
Mackerel tabby pattern can be termed as the most common tabby coat pattern, which can be distinguished by the vertical and slightly curving stripes. The stripes found on the coat of mackerel tabby cats are usually narrow. The stripes can be solid on the stomach and the flank region, or they can be broken into bars or spots. Towards the tail and the legs, one can observe striped rings, while on the shoulder and the sides, the stripes are usually parallel. The fine parallel stripes on the sides and the shoulder resemble the bones of fish, which is why this pattern is called mackerel. In the chest area, one or more wide bands can be observed, which are termed as 'necklaces'. Mackerel tabbies are also characterized by the presence of two rows of vest button like blotches on the belly. Like classic tabby, the M marking on the forehead can also be found in this tabby pattern. Toyger is a new tabby cat breed that closely resembles a tiger.

Spotted
Spotted tabby pattern can be distinguished by the appearance of large or small spots in place of the stripes or whorls. Many consider that the spotted tabby pattern is not a true pattern, but a pattern that can be considered as a modification of the stripes and whorls of mackerel and classic tabby patterns. The usual stripes of mackerel pattern may be broken and appear as small spots. Similarly, the swirls of classic pattern can be replaced by large spots in the spotted tabby pattern. A line of spots from the neck to the tail, and a faint necklace in the chest can also be observed in some spotted tabby cats. However, it is not known if spotted tabby pattern is developed from the mackerel pattern or it is a result of a different genetic mutation. Some common spotted breeds are, American bobtail, Australian Mist, Egyptian Mau and Ocicat.

Ticked
They can look quite different from the other tabby cats, as the characteristics stripes, swirls or the spots of tabby pattern cannot be observed in these cats, especially at the first glance. Only a closer look can reveal that the hair are indeed striped with bands of light and dark colors. This gives the cats a shimmering appearance in the sunlight. The 'M' marking on the forehead and a faint necklace can however, be observed in these cats. Abyssinian cats are the most common cats exhibiting this tabby pattern.

So, these are the major types of tabby pattern. As the tabby pattern can be found in so many cat breeds, it is really difficult to describe their personality. Some breeds are known to be intelligent and gentle, while a few tabby cats can be a bit aggressive. On the other hand, some tabby cats are shy and love to be in a quiet place. So, the personality, as well as behavior can be quite different among different cat breeds. But, they are surely one of the cutest and wonderful pets to have around.