The typical tabby cat breed guide

Tabby Cat: What does that phrase conjure for you? A sleeping stripped cat curled up by a fire, or a proud predator stalking through the suburbs? Tabby cats are the classic cat ‘who know where it’s at’ (to quote a certain Disney song), where it’s difficult to imagine a friendly family neighborhood without one. But, where do tabby cats come from? Are they a breed? And are there different types of these crazy cats around the world?

Well, let’s dust our paws and find out all we can about the typical tabby cat!

Tabby Cat facts

Origin: Ancient Egypt

Size: Up to 18lb or 8kg, but depends on the breed

Character: Friendly, affectionate, playful, and vocal

Coat colors: Brown, orange, silver, gray, or black

Coat patterns: Striped, spotted, bands of color, and whorls, often with an ‘M’ shape on their foreheads (aw!) 

Eye colors: Black, orange, gray, brown

Energy levels: Medium energy levels

Intelligence: Generally mid-range intelligence

Lifespan: Up to 15 to 18 years old, depending on the breed

Hypoallergenic: Nope, sorry sneezy people!

What is a Tabby Cat?

The tabby cat isn’t a breed of cat, instead, they are recognized by the different types of tabby cat coat patterns. These felines come in all sorts of shapes, sizes, and coat lengths, but are all distinguished with dark stripes or spots all over or on patches around their bodies again light fur. 

Types of Tabby Cats

The tabby cat coat pattern comes in five varieties: Classic, mackerel, spotted, ticked, and patched. These markings can appear in many different coat colors including gray, brown, black, silver, orange, and blonde. 

• Classic tabby cat coat: Lighter fur covered in thick and thick dark stripes all over their furry bodies, like a tiger. 
• Mackerel tabby coats:  Long thin stripes that start from the cat’s back and run down the body, just like a mackerel skeleton.
• Spotted tabby patterns: Dark rounded spots against a background of lighter fur.
• Ticked tabby markings: Quite literally ticks or brushes of stripes or spots on only parts of the fur, like the legs. The fur hairs themselves are stripped.
• Patched tabby coat pattern: Random patches of stripped or spotted fur against light fur, often white.

The most distinctive feature of a ‘true tabby’ is the ‘M’ shaped pattern on their foreheads - of course, not all tabby cats need this to be classified as having a tabby coat, but it’s a common trait.

Many different cat breeds can have the tabby cat coat and this can also appear as long-hair or short-hair tabby cat fur. The tabby pattern is often seen amongst mixed breeds, but can also be found in American Shorthair, British Shorthair, Maine Coon, Manx, Scottish Folds, Bengal, and Persian, to name a few!

Tabby Cat personality

The tabby cat's personality is just as characterful as its coat colors and it’s not unusual for tabby cat names to reflect their quirky and individual paw-sonalities. Cats with a tabby coat are thought of as the quintessential family cat - friendly, affectionate, playful, cheeky, and sociable.

These frisky felines love to be the center of attention and will make themselves known when they enter a room, want food, or are looking for a cuddle. Tabby cats can flit between zooming balls of fluff scrambling up their cat tree, to then being your evening sofa buddy or an alternative hot water bottle lap cat.

Like all cats, they can have their moments of sass and superiority, but they’re generally known to be great family pets, patient with children and dogs, and easy to care for.

Tabby Cat health

Specific breeds with a tabby cat coat will be more susceptible to common or long-term health conditions than others. For example, Persian and Burmese cats often experience eye and breathing issues and have shorter life expectancies than breeds like the Manx of American Shorthair. If your kitty is a mixed breed, however, they are less likely to contract genetic issues or chronic health conditions and can have a life expectancy of nearly 20 years!

As always, talk to your vet, they’ll be able to determine your cat’s breed which will help you both decide on a future health plan, if needed.

What’s the ideal home for a Tabby Cat? 

Tabby cats are adaptable, sociable kitties who would be just as happy in a busy family home as they would be with just one loving owner. The tabby coat seems to bring with it a chilled but quirky personality that’s happiest with plenty of attention, lots of playtime, a cozy place to sleep, and plenty of food in its bowl. These felines can live with young children and other pets, but must still be properly introduced (they are still cats at the end of the day).

What’s the ideal human for a Tabby Cat? 

While the tabby cat loves a back scratch and a free warm lap to sit on, they do need to spend part of their day being active. A human who can set aside time each day for play and entertainment would be ideal. Tabby cats can make great indoor cats, do make sure they have enough stimulation throughout the day as they can easily become bored and destructive.

For outside tabby cats, the ability to be outside during the day and to come and go as they please is the paw-fect situation for them. Pet parents who are often home to stick to their routine are the best types of people to care for these kitties.

Tabby Cat grooming 

Similar to a tabby cat’s health, a tabby coat’s grooming routine will totally depend on their breed. British and American Shorthair or Manx cats will require only weekly brushing alongside their own beauty routine. Maine Coon or long hair tabby cats will need daily brushing and the occasional trip to a professional groomer if they become matted or sit in something unsavory. 

The history of the Tabby Cats

The tabby coat can be found in all corners of the globe. While the origin of this fabulously famous fur pattern is difficult to trace, there’s evidence of cats having this coat back in Ancient Egyptian times. This, alongside their genetic variability, means this coat pattern could be the original fur trend of the first domesticated cat. In fact, that distinctive ‘M’ is believed to stand for Mau which is Ancient Egyptian for cat!

As for the word ‘tabby’, comes from the name of a beautiful silk pattern made in Attabiy District, Iraq during the 14th Century known as Atabi. This silk was exported to Europe, including France and England. The French renamed it Tabi while the English referred to it as Tabby. Once the similarities between the cat coat pattern and silk pattern were discovered, our fellow ‘tiger cats’ were Christened the tabby cat.

Getting a Tabby Cat

Luckily, tabby cats aren’t hard to come by, in fact, quite the opposite! If you’re keen to become a tabby cat carer, we recommend you try your local shelter or animal charity first. There’s a high chance they’ll have at least one kitty or kitten with a tabby coat looking for a forever home.

Otherwise, if you’re keen to find a purebred with a tabby pattern, research your local reputable breeders. Particularly with breeds like Persians or Burmese, the tabby coat isn’t as popular to have as the classic white coats, so you may find they’re a little bit cheaper than their furry siblings.