Tabby Cat: Breed Profile, Characteristics & Care

Tabby cats aren’t a breed – they’re cats with special markings. The word “tabby” just tells us what their fur looks like, and many cat breeds can have these patterns. Their fur can be brown, gray, orange, or black, with different designs like stripes, spots, swirls, and bands. Most tabby cats have a mark on their forehead that looks like the letter “M.

Learn more about tabby cat breeds, marking, and the history of the coat pattern.

Tabby Cat Characteristics

The tabby pattern is common in all house cats. Even black cats may show tabby stripes when seen in sunlight.

Tabby cats come in many sizes and personalities because they include many different breeds. While they’re often known for being friendly and curious, each tabby’s personality depends on things like how they were raised and their experiences with people.

Tabbies can range from very big to very small. For example, Maine Coon tabbies are among the biggest cats, while Singapura tabbies are the smallest.

History of the Tabby Cat

The tabby pattern appears in many cat breeds, making it difficult to determine where tabby cats originated.

Some believe tabbies originated with the Mau, an old Egyptian cat breed derived from tamed African wildcats. Today’s Egyptian Mau cats still show the tabby pattern. One of the most noticeable features of Maus and other tabbies is the “M” shape on their foreheads.

Examples of famous tabby kitties include:

• Delilah, who was Freddie Mercury’s cat. He dedicated a song to this special tabby.
• Tabby, was the first pet cat to reside in the White House with President Abraham Lincoln.
• Orangey, who was the cat in the film Breakfast at Tiffany’s. He was an orange tabby.

Tabby Cat Care

Taking care of a tabby cat depends more on their breed than their stripes or spots.

For example, a Maine coon tabby needs more brushing and grooming than a Manx tabby and might need medicine for hairballs. Some tabby cats, like Ocicats, need lots of space to run and play, while others, like Persian tabbies, don’t need as much.

Common Health Problems

Mixed-breed tabby cats are usually healthy and strong, but purebred cats often have specific health issues that need special care. Ask your vet if you’re worried about your cat’s health.

Appearance

Tabby cats come in many sizes, from small to large. Their striped patterns also look different from cat to cat.

Five basic patterns are considered genetically distinct, as follows:

• Classic: The pattern has circular swirls that end in a target shape on the cat’s side. Many American shorthairs show this pattern.
• Mackerel (striped): The most popular pattern has stripes around the tail and legs, a stripe “necklace” on the chest, and straight or broken stripes down the sides. These cats also have dark spots in two rows on their belly, called “vest buttons.”
• Spotted: Spotted tabby patterns can be seen in ocicats and American bobtails, as well as some mixed-breed cats.
• Ticked: Most tabby cats have hairs with different color bands. When looking closely, you can see these color changes along each hair. Cats with all-over ticking seem to sparkle in sunlight because of these color bands.
• Patched: When tabby patterns mix with calico or tortoiseshell colors, they create new patterns called caliby and torbie.