Understanding The Tabby Cat Personality- Perfect Mix Of Charm And Cattitude

Tabby cats are not only one of the oldest surviving domestic cats on the earth but in the present time, they are one of the most favorite choices of the pet owners across the world due to their trademark tabby cat personality. These cats don’t makeup to be any specific breed but belong to multiple breeds and thus, you get to choose between any combination of looks and temperament in these cats that comes from their parent breeds. In the following article, we are going to shed light on the personality of some of the popular tabbies.

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Unique genetics of the tabby cats

Don’t confuse the tabby cats to be belonging to any particular breed. Tabby is the name of the pattern and markings that can appear on cats of a wide variety of breeds. This tabby pattern is a result of the mutant gene called Agouti which becomes either fully or partially dominant in any cat breed.

Here are some of the trademark physical characteristics of tabby cat personality:

An ‘M’ mark is present on the foreheads of these cats that have been given several historical and mystical explanations.
The different coat patterns on the bodies of these cats include combinations of lines, swirls, spots, or blotches that can occur in different colors too like ginger, orange, marmalade, and many others.
Another distinguishing marking is that of very thin lines around their eyes that make them very expressive.

These tabby marks can occur across a huge variety of cat breeds like the Maine Coon, Abyssinian, American Bobtail, Egyptian Mau, Forest, Siberian, and many others. Both the short hair as well as long hair varieties of different cat breeds can have the tabby pattern only that it gets more profoundly visible in the short hair cats.

The personality of the tabby cats

Most people prefer calling the cats with the tabby patterns as Tabbies that gives the sense of the existence of a unique tabby breed itself. Even when that is scientifically untrue, it still holds some essence as it gets support from the tabby cat personality that is considered exclusive to these cats.

You may find some differences in the personality of each tabby cat since they borrow individual traits from their parent cats. However, you will still find them connected with some common characteristics. We are talking about some of the general traits that have been observed in all the tabby cats even though they belong to different cat breeds.

The very reason that tabby cats have been known as the first of the domestic cats in the world is that they would chase away vermin at the first sight and associate with humans closely.
Friendliness is the most common element of the personality of all tabbies. They love to be in the company of humans and other pets and love to play with them.
Tabbies can learn anything super fast and can even adapt to a new lifestyle quicker which is usually a problem for many cat breeds.
They are highly affectionate and can become much attached to the people with whom they spend a lot of time. This also means that they pay close attention to the most frequent people in their routine and can even get clingy to them.
Intelligence is another common trait of the tabby kittens personality that makes them training friendly due to the high and fast responses that they give.
Tabbies are very gentle pets that can easily hang out and adjust with their fellow pets, cats, and dogs too. They don’t show possessive or aggressive behavior.
They are also known to be one of the most active and playful kitties where they enjoy playing with toys, climbing trees, or just explore outdoors. They find it even better to have a company to be active with.
Moody phases also occur with the tabby cats which generally get better when left on their own. They are particular about their space and solitude too.
Cuddles and a soft bed are also loved by tabby cats where they like the company of their favorite human too. You may occasionally see them giving cheek rubs, curling in the laps of their owners, and other affection signs too.

The personality of the tabby kittens

All these elements that we discussed above can get visible in the tabby kittens personality through inheritance but they may start showing different traits as per the exposure and care they get. It is important to give the right training, love, attention, grooming, and care to the tabby kittens as that will play a greater role in the personality of these cats as they grow up.

The tabby cats mostly love to be fed and cuddled but you must take care not to overfeed them into making them obese. Also, they must be exposed to a lot of playtime and activities so that they develop their intelligence factor rightly. Treat them upon doing the right deeds but also make sure to not make them greedy.

Male tabby cat personality

It may surprise you but the orange tabby cats are mostly male that makes up to be around 80% of their total population. The tabby males in other cat breeds are mostly sterile and also lesser in number. This makes it a somewhat understandable fact that they possess a personality different than the female tabbies.

Difference resonates between some cat experts and studies on the fact that male tabbies have a higher affectionate personality than the females. This is supported by the thesis that they show signs of tolerance more often than any other female and settle with the household more easily. Although these statements may not stand true in the case of every cat but male tabby cat personality, you will see the signs of attachment and affection more often and sooner than their female counterparts.

The relation between coat colors and personality of the tabby cats

There is a huge difference between the opinions held by people on the statement that there exists a relation between the temperament of tabby cats and the color of their coat. It is to be understood that the coat color of any tabby cat depends upon its parent breed and thus it will also receive the personality of the same parent breed from which it got the coat color. This points towards the significant distinguishable elements that can occur in tabby cat personality which come from their individual genetic history.

For example, the cream tabby cat personality will depend upon their parent breed which can be a Maine Coon cat. These cats have a coat with a base color of dark cream and markings of a lighter cream shade on it. Gentleness, sweet temper, vocal, activeness, etc are generally associated with Maine Coons and their tabby counterparts can have some of these traits too.

Similarly, blue tabbies don’t show any character trait related to its coat color but the cat breed that carries that color. These cats are mostly from the Russian Blue breed where they display markings on a dark grey coat base. In that case, the blue tabby cat personality of these breeds has the elements of loyalty, affection, social adaptableness, and little shyness.

Tabby cats show many more colors on their coats and that doesn’t put any direct impact on their personality. The direct relation is with the genes of their parent breed that gives both the coat color and temperament to the tabby cats.

Conclusion

This was all about the tabby cat personality that would help you understand now how to choose the right tabby cat for yourself. The most crucial thing to understand is the personality traits differ according to the particular hybrid breed of the cat. You must then focus on learning about the parent breed of the tabby that you are getting and know if you will be able to take care of it or not.

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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.