What Makes A Tabby?

Perhaps one of the most ubiquitous of domesticated cats, the origin of what makes a tabby might not be what you think!

Often though to be a breed on their own, Tabby cats are in fact not a breed of cat; rather, Tabby cats are categorised as such for a genetic trait that affects the colour pattern of their coats!

Tabby cats can come in all sorts of colours, but the most common would be black, grey, brown and orange. What distinguishes them from their fellow cats, however, is their unique coat patterns. Generally, their patterns can be categorised into five types: Blotched, mackerel, ticked, spotted and patched.

Blotched or “classic” Tabby cats (also known as marble Tabby cats) have bold, swirling patterns along their bodies and are likely the most common Tabby around. Mackerel Tabby cats have narrow stripes running down the sides of their bodies, much like a tiger’s coat. As the name suggests, spotted Tabbies have spots all over their bodies (both big and small), while ticked Tabbies have agouti hairs (individual hairs that are striped with alternating light and dark colours). Lastly, patched Tabbies are those with tortoiseshell markings on their coats that combine any of the above markings in patches.