A pigmented nose with a darker outline.The appearance of black “eyeliner” and white or light fur around the eyes.(Visible in ticking tabby cats, but difficult to tell apart in shaded silver/golden and tipped cats.) “M” shaped darker markings on the brow.Tabby Cat MarkingsĪlmost all tabby cats have the following markings that distinguish their coat pattern:

The tabby pattern is found in many breeds of domestic cats, as well as in mixed-breed cats. The stripped tabby pattern helps to hide the cat when it’s lying in wait for prey. The tabby pattern evolved for camouflage reasons. The tabby pattern likely originated from the African wildcat, which has a similar coat pattern. The Agouti gene is an important determinant in coat color selection. Agouti is a fur color in which each hair has two or more pigmented bands running through it. The tabby coat pattern in a cat can be found on the agouti gene. Tabbies can be found in many types of cat breeds from Maine Coons to Persians. Tabby cats come with all different kinds of personalities, and their striking coat patterns continue to be a favorite among pet people.Tabbies, or tabby cats, are domestic cats that carry a distinctive coat pattern. You also have a good chance of finding a mixed breed tabby cat at a local shelter. The Maine Coon, British Shorthair, Persian, Egyptian Mau, and American Bobtail are all examples of cat breeds that can be called tabby cats. The tabby pattern is the most common pattern seen in domestic cats. The Abyssinian cat breed is an example of a ticked tabby cat. This means that each individual strand is striped with alternating light and dark colors. Ticked tabby cats have what are called agouti hairs. You’ll still see the “M” on their forward, but the real identifying feature requires a close-up look at the individual strands of fur. These cats do not have the tell-tale stripes, swirls, or spots. The hardest type of tabby cat to identify is the ticked variety. Ticked tabby cats such as this Abyssinian have the tabby M on the forehead and banded hairs of alternating darker and lighter colors (called agouti). There are five different tabby distinguished by the way stripes, swirls, and spots appear. The best way to determine if a cat is a tabby is to study its coat pattern. Different Types of Tabby Cats Markings and Coat Patterns Sometimes coat markings are faint or similar in color to the rest of the hair, but they’re there if you look close enough. Sometimes with other colored cats, you can only see the tabby markings if the light hits the fur at the right angle. This is because the gene for those coat colors also makes tabby markings visible. For example, you’ll never find an orange or cream-colored cat that is not a tabby. Without pulling out the punnet squares we learned in high school biology, there are other ways to know if a cat is a tabby even without studying the different tabby the coat patterns. In addition to the classic “M” marking, tabbies also have thin stripes on their faces and markings around their eyes. Legend says this letter stands for Mau, the ancient Egyptian word for “cat.” Others claim the “M” stands for Mohammed or the Virgin Mary. All tabby cats have a distinctive “M” marking on their forehead. You can start identifying a tabby by looking at the cat’s face. Tabby it is the most common coat pattern among domestic cat breeds as well as mixed breeds.

Some cats have other genes that mask, or color over, the tabby characteristics. This doesn’t, however, make every cat a tabby cat. If you want to get technical, all cats possess the gene for tabby markings. The original and most common tabby coat pattern is mackerel, which is the natural coat pattern of the African wildcat, the ancestor to domestic cats.

Ticked tabby pattern