Exploring the world of Tabby cat-Some facts about tabbies!

A tabby cat is one of the most favorite pet cats in the US and is growing in popularity worldwide too. However, did you know that the tabby is just a pattern and is believed to be one of the earliest existing patterns found on the cats? Read on to know more about the tabby cats with some fun facts too.

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The basic profile of a tabby cat

Since the tabby is not a particular breed, the physical and behavioral characteristics of tabby cats would differ according to the particular cat breed carrying the pattern. Cat breeds like Maine Coon and the Abyssinian exhibit the tabby pattern; however, many other breeds including American Bobtail, Birman, Egyptian Mau, Exotic, LaPerm, Forest, Manx, Siberian, etc also carry it.

If you ask us how big do tabby cats get, then the answer would differ according to the tabby color too. The marking and overall appearance of these cats differ too according to the color and breed.

On the general note, tabby cats are considered a very friendly pet who loves exploring outdoors and different gaming activities. Higher intelligence is also associated with them usually along with a little mischievous behavior. These cats love to cuddle with their humans, laze around too in their soft beds, and demand attention too.

Types of tabby pattern cats

There are primarily five recognized tabby patterns that have their distinctive features. Let us list them for you.

Classic: Swirling and bold patterns, blotched markings in some body parts, circular smudges
Mackerel: Narrow stripes running to the sides in evenly spaced parallel sections, aka tiger pattern
Spotted: Small and big spots on all the sides of any shape
Ticked: Agouti hairs that have strips of dark and light bands in every strand
Patched: Aka tortoiseshell tabby cat, any of the above four patterns visible on the body, mostly on head and legs

Various types of color markings are also seen in them like orange, grey, black, brown, blue, tan, ginger, silver, red, etc.

The uniqueness of the tabby cats

The special thing about tabby cats is their unique pattern with a distinctive historical and genetic origin. The tabby pattern was a result of the modified genes known as the agouti that was the dominant gene in the cat.

Another remarkable and trademark characteristic of the tabby cats is the M mark on their foreheads. Now, this marking carries many historical connections like with the Egyptian civilization where Mau was the name for cats, with the Islamic culture where a cat was held dear by the Prophet Mohammad, and the Catholic culture where a cat was supposed to have been blessed by Virgin Mary. The initials of these historical figures’ names have been connected with the M marking of tabby cats.

Fun facts about the tabby cats

The name ‘tabby’ is believed to have been derived from the Atabian silk that has stripes on it. Upon the reaching of this Middle-Eastern silk in Britain, its pattern was observed as being similar to the stripes cats and hence the name was borrowed for the cats too.
The first cat that was domesticated or tamed was a tabby cat that probably belonged to the Mediterranean people. They were used for controlling the rodent population to keep grain safe.
In general, 18 pounds can be the maximum tabby cat weight.
Another mysterious fact attached to the tabbies is that they were believed to be held very close by the witches.
The average life span of a healthy and big tabby cat is somewhere between ten to fifteen years.
10-16 inches is the range for a tabby cat size and the biggest one of them would possibly be the Maine Coon tabby.
A beige tabby cat can be the hardest one to decipher due to the light tone of both their coat color and the markings. The soft beige color of the coat has peachy tone stripes.
The heaviest or fattest cat of the world was Himmy who was 46 pounds and 15.2 ounces in weight. However, this Guinness record category was discontinued later to avoid the situation of pet owners making their pets obese on purpose.
If you see a large tabby cat with orange color, 80% chances are that it is a male cat. It is a fact that 80% of the orange tabbies are males and no reason could be ascertained for it.
Tabby cats have always been in the spotlight, stealing hearts all around the world. The cartoon cats like Garfield had been the most famous tabby on the screen along with some others appearing in the pictures and songs of Betty White, David Bowie, and Freddie Mercury.
Garfield was an orange tabby and belonged to the breed of American shorthair.
An Alaskan town also had a tabby as the mayor named Stubbs. He served for twenty years and died recently in 2017.
A small tabby cat or probably the kittens are the most widely bred variety of cats today due to their unique characteristics and temperament that are considered suitable for the household.
Some studies also say that the tabbies have existed for as long as the time of origin of the earth.
The most beautiful development in the orange tabbies can be freckles around their mouth and nose area and they get visible after the first two years of their birth.

Final thoughts

A tabby cat can make up to be your best pet as they will give so much love and affection to you without demanding too much in return. All they require is some attention and basic care. The tabby cats love being groomed and you must give them regular brushing to keep them free of dirt and dead fur.

Regular visits to the vet will make their survival healthier as most of them are prone to kidney and liver issues that occur with old age. Most of all, your constant love and attention are going to do wonders in making them a good pet for you with trust and affection building over the years.

Luna Tran

My name is Luna and I am a great cat lover and a cat owner of three lovely cats. I have owned many cats till now and have dedicated many years to nurturing and caring cats. Through this blog, I am here to share my knowledge and experience about cats.