Different Breeds of Tabby Cats

Tabby cats are not a breed. The term "tabby cat" refers to the pattern on a cat's coat, which may be in the form of spots, swirls or stripes. The coloration and markings are found among several breeds of cat. The tabby pattern is common in domestic short-hair cats and mixed breeds. Four distinct types of tabby cats exist, based on the difference in markings and one type in which the tabby pattern is part of another color pattern, such as tortoiseshell.

  1. Classic Tabby

    • The classic tabby cat pattern consists of circular swirls on the body, particularly the sides, similar to a bull's-eye pattern. The pattern is distinct and original, created by a mixture of genes. Commonly found in domestic short-hair cats, some tabbies will have a high color contrast.

    Spotted Tabby

    • This tabby cat has spots on its sides of differing sizes and shapes, such as round, oval or rosette. Some people believe that this tabby pattern is derived from the mackerel tabby, because some resemblance exists between the two, but the spotted tabby has a broken pattern. Servals, bengals and American bobtails are examples of spotted tabbies.

    Mackerel Tabby

    • The mackerel tabby is also referred to as the striped tabby or "tiger cat." The mackerel pattern is the most common, with thin stripes running down the side of the body vertically. The tail typically has rings, while facial stripes are parallel on the cheeks. The darkest coloring is on the feet and toes. Mackerel tabbies are available in different colors: blue, cream, brown, red and silver. The mackerel is found among Persian and American short-hair breeds.

    Ticked Tabby

    • The ticked tabby is also known as the agouti tabby. This pattern is characterized by traditional tabby marks on the face and slight stripes on the lower belly, upper legs and head. The most noticeable feature of this tabby cat is the solid coat of agouti hair, or individual hairs that are striped with alternating light and dark bands. Abyssinian cats and mixed breed cats often have this pattern.

    Patched Tabby

    • The patched tabby is almost always a female. While these cats can display any of the four distinct tabby cat patterns, they also have red or cream patches on the body, head, tail and legs. They are commonly known as tortoiseshell tabbies or "torbies." The tabby markings may be more apparent on the legs and head than in other tabby cats.

    Considerations

    • The tabby pattern is a predominant pattern in some pedigree cat breeds. For instance, the Ocicat has a spotted tabby pattern, while Abyssinian and Singapura cats are of the ticked tabby variety. Some tabby cats have accompanying white patches that are usually as large as the tabby-patterned patches. In fact, some cats will have predominantly white fur with only a few small patches of tabby on the tail and head. Some tabby cats will also have "points," where tabby markings are on the face, feet, ears and tail, but with few markings on the body. These cats are known as "lynx-points."