Like other tabbies, ticked cats have the “M”, leg, and tail markings – so if you see a tabby with these marks but barely any distinct body marks you are probably looking at a ticked tabby cat. Often ticked tabbies will have a body coat that looks fairly even in color and fairly unmarked but when inspected at close quarters you will see an even distribution of dark markings over the body – almost like a speckling of markings. Ticked tabby cats are slightly easier to identify than the other tabby patterns in so much as there is barely any body pattern! The most recognizable mackerel stripe pattern in the cat world is actually the tiger – so if you see a tabby with tiger stripes you know you are looking at a mackerel tabby cat. They are called mackerel cats because when viewed from above their pattern looks like that of a fish skeleton. The mackerel tabby is identified by dark markings that consist of a dark strip of hair along the backbone with dark stripes that emanate from the backbone stripe down the flanks of the cat. Mackerel Tabby or Striped Tabby Mackerel Tabby The Egyptian Mau cat is a famous variety of spotted tabby. The spotted tabby has the usual “M”, tail and leg stripes but then has a coat that is characterized by dark spots over a lighter background along the flank of the cat. ![]() The dark markings are usually patches, swirls, whorls, and marbling patterns – they look like they are wearing a dark camo pattern. Classic tabby cats have dark markings over a lighter body color. The classic tabby is the most common pattern type, hence the “classic” moniker. Classic Tabby British Shorthair Classic Tabby There are five main patterns to look out for. ![]() Let’s check them out here : Tabby Patternsīeyond the identification marks on the head, legs, and tail, you can spot a tabby by the markings on their body, but these markings can vary in shape and pattern. They are broadly recognized as having five main patterns, but then there are also several different types of tabby. They can vary in color, pattern, and type – as well as by breed. You might be surprised to know that these cats are actually quite varied. The ring marks may not be along the full length of the leg, but so long as some rings of dark fur are on their legs they are highly likely to be a tabby cat. Tabby cats tend to have rings or stripes of dark fur around their legs. If you need even more confirmation then look for markings on the cat’s legs. The tip of the tail will have darker fur and then there will be rings of lighter and darker fur along the length of the tail – a sure sign of a tabby cat! The next potential giveaway to look for is a ringed tail. In the Islamic tradition, the “M” is thought to mark the cat as the Prophet Muhammad’s (PBH) favorite animal after a tabby cat defeated a snake that was causing danger to the prophet. In the Christian tradition, some say the mark was put on the cat as a blessing by Mary after a cat kept the baby Jesus warm in a crib. The most obvious identifying feature is an “M” fur marking on their forehead with dark lines of hair that run over the top of their head.Įvery tabby has this mark and it has given rise to some interesting stories. There are several different types of these cats with different colors and versions of tabby coat patterns, but if you have to quickly identify a tabby cat there are some good rules of thumb that tend to apply to all tabbies. Long Hair Tabby Cat with “M” on Forehead What Does A Tabby Cat Look Like Tortoiseshell cats and calico cats are female 99% of the time. Torties and calico cats are also cats that are described according to their coat pattern rather than being a breed of cat. You can get long-haired tabby cats and short-haired versions – so long as they have the pattern they are a tabby. This means that a mixed breed cat can be a tabby cat and a purebred cat like a Persian or a Maine Coon can also be a tabby cat. “Tabby” describes the pattern on a cat’s coat. Tabby cats are not a distinct breed of cat. ![]() It is believed that as many as 70% of the 700 million domestic cats on earth are actually tabby cats! This means there are lots of tabby cats all over the world. ![]() Tabby cats are one of the most common types of cats on the planet. Read on to learn about tabby cats and you will never look at one of these cats in the same way again! What Is A Tabby Cat
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