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Tabby cats information

These cats often have stripes, dots or swirling patterns on their fur. Many people believe tabbies to be a breed of cat while this is not true. The tabby patterns are believed to be the original coloration of the domestic cat's distant relatives (ancestors). This webpage is dedicated to providing the latest information on tabbies.

There are two tabbies sitting around doing nothing as usual.

3 confirmed tabby cats patterns

There are three tabby patterns, mackerel, classic and ticked. A fourth variation, spotted, is still undergoing debate as to its cause.

Mackerel

Mackerel is the most common type of tabby pattern. The mackerel pattern consists of stripes on the side of the body. The stripes are usually very thin stripes that may contain partial stripes or full long length stripes. These cats almost always have the 'M' pattern on their forehead. These cats usually have tiny black spots on their noses and these tabbies sometimes go by the name "fishbone tabbies".

Classic

The classic pattern usually consists of a swirling pattern with thick stripes and sometimes people call them "butterfly pattern. People often compare the pattern to being similar to a bulls-eye on a dart board.

Ticked

This pattern is very distinct in that it contains the hairs of the cat having small bands of color on them. This pattern gives the cat the nickname 'salt and pepper' fur. Striping or barring on the legs, face or the belly may also occur.

Spotted

People are not exactly sure if this is a new pattern or simply a variation of the mackerel pattern. Many people see spots while others claim that it isn't spots at all but rather it's the mackerel pattern stripes but they are very short stripes so they appear as dots.

Some breeds that are often found with the spotted pattern include Australian Mist, Egyptian Mau, Ocicat and the Bengal breed. However, all four of those patterns have been observed in random bred populations.

The letter 'M' on forehead

A funny thing about these cats is that they usually have an 'M' on their foreheads made out of various colors. This is a known phenomenon, check your cat and see for yourself. One some cats the M is a little broken up, but if you fill in the tiny missing spots, you'll make out the 'M' rather nicely. Does this 'M' stand for 'Mouse Hunter'? Who knows.

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