Tabby cat

"Tabby" redirects here. For other uses, see Tabby (disambiguation).

Mackerel tabby, with the distinctive striped pattern and forehead 'M'.
A European wildcat (Felis silvestris) bearing a similar coat pattern to that of a tabby cat. It is thought that the tabby pattern originates from the numerous related species of wildcat.

A tabby cat, or simply tabby, is any domestic cat (Felis catus) with a distinctive M-shaped marking on its forehead, stripes by its eyes and across its cheeks, along its back, around its legs and tail, and characteristic striped, dotted, lined, flecked, banded, or swirled patterns on the body: neck, shoulders, sides, flanks, chest, and abdomen. The four known distinct patterns, each having a sound genetic explanation, are the mackerel, classic or blotched, ticked, and spotted tabby patterns.

"Tabby" is not a breed of cat but a coat pattern found in many cat breeds. It is very common amongst non-pedigree cats around the world.[1] The tabby pattern occurs naturally and is connected both to the coat of the domestic cat's direct ancestor and to those of its close relatives: the African wildcat (Felis lybica lybica), the European wildcat (Felis silvestris), and the Asiatic wildcat (Felis lybica ornata), all of which have similar coats, both by pattern and coloration. One genetic study of domestic cats found at least five founders.[2][3]

  1. ^ Syufy, Franny (12 July 2021). "All About Tabby Cats and Their Color Patterns". The Spruce Pets. Archived from the original on 1 December 2016. Retrieved 7 September 2021 – via About.com.
  2. ^ Driscoll, Carlos A.; Menotti-Raymond, Marilyn; Roca, Alfred L.; Hupe, Karsten; Johnson, Warren E.; Geffen, Eli; Harley, Eric H.; Delibes, Miguel; Pontier, Dominique; Kitchener, Andrew C.; Yamaguchi, Nobuyuki; O'Brien, Stephen J.; Macdonald, David W. (27 July 2007). "The Near Eastern Origin of Cat Domestication". Science. 317 (5837): 519–523. Bibcode:2007Sci...317..519D. doi:10.1126/science.1139518. PMC 5612713. PMID 17600185. Archived from the original on 5 June 2023. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  3. ^ Driscoll, Carlos A.; Clutton-Brock, Juliet; Kitchener, Andrew C.; O'Brien, Stephen J. (June 2009). "The Taming of the Cat". Scientific American. 300 (6): 68–75. Bibcode:2009SciAm.300f..68D. doi:10.1038/SCIENTIFICAMERICAN0609-68 (inactive 1 November 2024).{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of November 2024 (link)