The Unique Patterns Of Tabby Cat Fur

Tabby cats are not a breed but are distinguished by their coat patterns. All tabbies have an M-shaped marking on their forehead, with stripes by their eyes and across their cheeks, and patterns on their body, neck, shoulders, flanks, chest, and abdomen. The five distinct patterns are the mackerel, classic or blotched, ticked, spotted, and patched tabby patterns. Tabby cats can come in any colour, such as black, blue, chocolate, lilac, cinnamon, and fawn.

Tabby cat genetics

The tabby cat's coat pattern is not indicative of breed but is instead a set of distinguishing characteristics that can appear in many breeds and colours. All tabby cats share the same forehead marking, an 'M' shape on their foreheads, and have what are called agouti hairs, which are hairs with alternating light and dark segments.

The four main types of tabby patterns are mackerel, blotched, ticked, and spotted. These types of patterns correspond to the way agouti hairs are distributed on the cat's body.

The mackerel pattern is composed of vertical stripes similar to those of a tiger and is the most common tabby pattern. The name comes from the mackerel fish, which also has vertical markings. This pattern is typical in wild cats. All the other patterns are natural mutations that occurred in domestic cats.

The blotched tabby, also called the classic tabby, is characterised by thick curved bands in a swirled pattern. The mark often looks like a bullseye and, when seen from above, can look like a butterfly pattern.

The spotted pattern is characterised by spots on the cat's body. The spots can be more or less elongated into broken lines.

The ticked tabby pattern is, in fact, an absence of any pattern. All the hairs are agouti on the body of ticked tabby cats, giving a salt-and-pepper effect to the coat. Nevertheless, residual banding on the legs, tails, and torsos might be present in some ticked tabbies. This pattern is often called the Abyssinian one, as it’s the pattern found in Abyssinian cats. However, the ticked tabby pattern is not limited to the Abyssinian breed.

The genetics behind tabby cats are complex and involve multiple genes and loci. All cats have a tabby pattern, even if it is masked by a solid colour. The agouti gene has two possible alleles: the dominant one ("A") means the cat is agouti, and the recessive one ("a") means a cat is non-agouti or solid.

The second gene determines if a cat has a mackerel or blotched pattern. The allele “Ta M” for mackerel tabby is dominant, and the allele “ta b” for blotched tabby is recessive.

The spotted gene is a separate locus that is directly connected to the Tm allele; it 'breaks' the lines and thin stripes of a mackerel tabby, creating spots. The spotted gene has a dominant and a recessive allele, which means a spotted cat will have an Sp Sp or Sp sp genotype along with at least one Tm allele and at least one A allele at those alleles’ respective loci.

The ticked pattern is determined by the dominant allele "Ti A", which corresponds to a ticked pattern, and the recessive allele Ti+ for non-ticked. If the cat is Ti A/Ti A or Ti A/Ti +, it will show a ticked pattern. If the cat is Ti +/Ti +, it is not ticked tabby.

Tabby cat markings

Tabby cats are not a breed, but rather a set of distinguishing characteristics that can appear in many breeds and colours. They are known for their distinctive patterns, which include an M-shaped marking on their forehead, stripes by their eyes, and stripes or swirls on their body.

There are four main types of tabby patterns: mackerel, classic or blotched, ticked, and spotted. However, there are other variations, such as patched tabbies, which are a combination of calico or tortoiseshell markings with tabby coat patterns.

The mackerel tabby pattern is the most common and is characterised by thin, vertical stripes that curve gently on the sides of the body. These stripes can be continuous or broken into bars and short segments, especially on the flanks and stomach. The name comes from the mackerel fish, which has similar vertical markings.

The classic tabby, also known as the blotched tabby, has thick, curved bands in a swirled pattern, resembling a bullseye on each side of the body. This pattern is sometimes compared to a marble cake, with dramatic swirling patterns of light and dark colours.

The ticked tabby pattern is the hardest to identify, as it lacks the distinctive stripes or spots of the other patterns. Instead, it has even fields of agouti hairs, which are hairs with alternating light and dark segments, giving the cat a salt-and-pepper appearance.

The spotted tabby, as the name suggests, displays spots rather than stripes or swirls. These spots can be different sizes and cover the cat's back, neck, and sides, usually in an organised line or pattern.

Tabby cat colours

Tabby cats are not a specific breed, but rather a set of characteristics that can appear in many breeds and colours. All tabbies share the same forehead markings, with an "M"-shaped pattern on their foreheads. This "M" is said to stand for "Mau", the ancient Egyptian word for "cat".

Tabbies also have what are called "agouti hairs", which are hairs with alternating light and dark segments. The different patterns and colours of a tabby cat's coat are caused by the interaction of these agouti hairs with other genes.

Classic Tabby

The classic tabby, also known as the blotched tabby, has the characteristic "M" pattern on the forehead. The body markings of a classic tabby consist of thick, curving bands in whorls or a swirled pattern, resembling a marble cake. These markings often create smudged bullseye patterns on each side of the body. The legs, tail, and cheeks of a classic tabby have thick stripes, bands, and/or bars.

Mackerel Tabby

The mackerel tabby, also known as the tiger tabby, has the "M" pattern on the forehead and thin vertical stripes on the sides of the body. These stripes can be continuous or broken into bars and short segments, especially on the flanks and stomach. There is also usually a thicker stripe that runs along the spine.

Spotted Tabby

The spotted tabby has the striped face of the classic tabby, but with oval or round spots along the body. These spots typically run in an organised line or pattern.

Ticked Tabby

The ticked tabby, also known as the Abyssinian or Agouti Tabby, is the hardest type of tabby to identify. While they have the standard forehead markings and may have stripes on their faces, their coats look solid at a distance. It is only when you look closely at the individual strands of fur that you can see the standard light and dark banding of tabby cats.

Patched Tabby

The patched tabby, also known as the "torbie", has a mix of patches of brown tabby and orange tabby fur. These cats are a combination of a tabby and tortoiseshell cat. The patches of colour can be any size, but the underlying coat colour does not affect the darker pattern of swirls, stripes, or spots.

Silver Tabby

Silver tabbies, sometimes called white tabby cats, are generally a mix of shades of grey. Dark grey spots and stripes prevail over a lighter grey or white coat. Silver tabbies can range in colour from nearly white to very dark.

Red or Orange Tabby

All red or orange cats are a type of tabby cat because the gene that carries this colour pattern is the same gene that carries the tabby markings.

Tabby cat patterns

The tabby pattern is the most common pattern seen in domestic cats. The term "tabby" refers to a cat's coat pattern and is not indicative of a specific breed. All tabby cats have a distinctive "'M' marking on their forehead, with thin stripes on their faces and markings around their eyes. Tabbies can come in any colour, including black, blue, chocolate, lilac, cinnamon, and fawn.

There are four main types of tabby patterns: mackerel, classic or blotched, ticked, and spotted. These types of patterns correspond to the way agouti hairs—hairs with alternating light and dark segments—are distributed on the cat's body.

The mackerel pattern is composed of vertical stripes similar to those of a tiger and is the most common tabby pattern. The name comes from the mackerel fish, which also has vertical markings. This pattern is typical in wild cats, while all the other patterns are natural mutations that occurred in domestic cats.

The classic or blotched tabby pattern is characterised by thick, curved bands in a swirled pattern. The mark often looks like a bullseye, and when seen from above, it can look like a butterfly pattern. This pattern is also sometimes compared to a marble cake.

The spotted tabby pattern is characterised by spots on the cat's body, which can be more or less elongated into broken lines.

The ticked tabby pattern is, in fact, an absence of any pattern. All the hairs on the body of ticked tabbies are agouti, meaning there are no distinct dark-coloured markings on the cat's body. This can give a salt-and-pepper effect to the coat. Nevertheless, residual banding on the legs, tails, and torso might be present in some ticked tabbies. This pattern is often called the Abyssinian one, as it is the pattern found in Abyssinian cats.

In addition to the four main patterns, there are some other, less common patterns. For example, the Bengal breed has two specific tabby patterns: the rosetted, which is a subcategory of the spotted tabby, and the marble tabby, a subcategory of the blotched tabby.

Tabby cat breeds

Tabby cats are not a specific breed but are instead characterised by their coat pattern, which can be found in many different breeds. Tabbies can be brown, grey, orange, or even black, and their markings include stripes, spots, whorls, and bands. They typically have an "M"-shaped mark on their foreheads, which is said to stand for 'Mau', the ancient Egyptian word for 'cat'.

There are five basic tabby patterns that are considered genetically distinct:

Classic Tabby

This pattern usually has whorls ending in a "target" on the side of the cat. The colours of the coat create dramatic swirling patterns that are easy to identify and are often compared to a marble cake. Many American Shorthair cats demonstrate this pattern.

Mackerel Tabby

Mackerel tabbies are the most common pattern, with stripes running vertically down the cat's side and a thicker stripe along the spine. This pattern is named after the way the stripes resemble a fish skeleton. It is believed to be the original tabby pattern, as it is similar to the natural coat of the African wildcat, the ancestor to domestic cats.

Spotted Tabby

Spotted tabbies display spots instead of stripes, which can be different sizes and cover the cat's back, neck, and sides. The ocicat and the American bobtail are good examples of this pattern.

Patched Tabby

Patched tabbies have a mix of patches of brown tabby and patches of orange tabby. They are also called "torbies" as they are a combination of a tabby and tortoiseshell cat.

Ticked Tabby

Ticked tabbies are the hardest to identify, as they do not have tell-tale stripes, swirls, or spots. They have the tabby "M" on their forehead and banded hairs of alternating darker and lighter colours, called agouti hairs. The Abyssinian cat breed is an example of a ticked tabby cat.

The Maine Coon, British Shorthair, Persian, Egyptian Mau, and American Bobtail are all examples of cat breeds that can be tabby cats.

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