![]() ![]() My daughter’s cat/kitten (he just turned one) is orange and white, but the orange parts have Tabby stripes. Moko has to be the friendliest and most affectionate cat we’ve ever had. It’s wider and less pronounced on her back, but very obvious on her tail. Moko is a “Mackerel Tabby” with the distinctive line down her back. His body stripes aren’t as obvious, but his facial markings are definitely Tabby. I’d have to say that Koneko is a “Ticked Tabby”, especially with his longer fur. They both have the “M” on their foreheads. We have two gray tabbies – our senior Maine Coon boy, Koneko, and my adult DSH girl, Moko. Many believe that that M on a tabby’s head stands for Mohammed, protector of cats. A variation of this story, tells of how Muezza saved Mohammed’s life from a poisonous snake that had crawled inside his sleeve. In the Islamic legend, Mohammed’s cat Muezza was said to be sleeping on the sleeve of his robe and rather than disturb his cat when he had to go to prayer, Mohammed simply cut off the sleeve. Keeping with the religious theme, there are a number of well-known stories about the Prophet Mohammed’s love of cats. As a sign of her gratitude, Mary stroked the cat’s head, and her gentle touch left behind the initial M on the cat’s forehead. In Christian folklore, a tabby cat curled up alongside baby Jesus in the manger keeping him warm with the heat of his body. Could it be that the M stands for Mau? Mary In Ancient Egypt cats were called by the name Mau, probably because of the sound they made (meow). There are a number of legends which explain the reason for the M which one do you prefer? Mau Tabbies also look like they’re wearing eyeliner with pencil thin lines outlining their beautiful eyes. One thing that all tabbies have in common is a marking on their foreheads that looks like the letter M. Why Tabby Cats Have an “M” on Their Forehead Brenda Griffin at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine. If you’re not sure how to identify the coat markings or colours of your cat, check out this easy Cat Identification Guide compiled by Dr. Instead of having strong lines on their coat they have spots or patches of colour, usually against a background of lighter coloured fur. ![]() Spotted tabbies have similar markings to either the mackerel or classic tabby. This classic pattern is often compared with a marble cake. Classic TabbyĪlso known as ‘blotched’ or ‘marbled’ tabbies, a classic coat has circular swirls, usually with a ‘bullseye’ design on the cat’s sides. This is also the most common tabby coat pattern. Mackerel TabbyĪ mackerel tabby has vertical, usually non-broken, stripes that come out from the stripe that runs down the middle of the cat’s back like a fishbone, hence the name mackerel. There are four distinct coat patterns found in the tabby cat which are: mackerel, classic, spotted or ticked. This is centred just above their eyes and is the prominent marking that sets tabbies apart from other cats. The most distinctive and defining feature of a tabby cat is the “M” on their forehead. Colours include brown, grey (also called blue), ginger, plus white or cream. The tabby coat pattern is common to many cat breeds, and there are different colours too. What is a tabby cat? And why do these cats have an “M” on their forehead? Although some people refer to the tabby as a breed of cat, it actually just refers to the pattern of their coat – those lovely striped, spotted and swirled sections of colour that you see in types of tabby cats. If you make a purchase, we may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. However, chances are almost certain that there’s a tabby for any type of family, including those with children and other pets.This article may include affiliate links. Tabbies can easily be identified by their sweet nature and the legendary capital 'M' on their furry forehead.īecause many different breeds of cats sport the tabby coat, it's hard to generalize about their personalities. Brown mackerel markings are most frequently seen. Their coats have one dominant color and stripes in the brown and black color families. Tabbies are known for their stripes, swirls and spots, making up one of seemingly infinite color and pattern combinations. To make things even more interesting, there are five types of Tabby markings: classic, mackerel, spotted, ticked and patched. ![]() In fact, every feline has the tabby gene, but it does not present in the coat of every cat. When asked what breed their striped cat is, many people reply with "Tabby." However, like many common cat monikers (Tuxedo, Tortoiseshell, Calico, etc.) "Tabby" refers to the coat pattern, not a specific breed of cat. ![]()
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