All About Tabby Cats: Breed or Color Pattern?

Tabby cats are not the breed of cats, but relative to the cats coated of various patterns and colors on their furs. There are several common type patterns of tabby cats, included spotted, classic, Patched tabby, ticked, and mackerel. And the color types of tabby cats mostly present in some colors, are silver tabby, brown tabby, and orange tabby.

Melanin is a pigmentation substance which produced by Melanocytes and plays a rule for the coated color of the cat’s fur. Melanin of cats consists of two types are orange-based pheomelanin and black based eumelanin.

Pheomelanin is a pigment substance that produces red color, while eumelanin is a color substance that makes black pigment on the fur of cats. Therefore, both of those colors are known as the basic colors of tabby cats.

Most types of tabby cats have specific marking on their forehead which resembling “M” lines. The yellow or cinnamon coated cats are described as a tabby cat, however not all car has yellow or cinnamon color.

The varying weight of tabby cats, the largest tabby are 46 pounds and 15.25 ounces, while average weight is about 16 to 10 pounds and 12 to 15 inches in height.

Also Read; Most Beautiful Birds with Long Tails (With Photos)

Most colors of tabby cats

Primary colors of tabby are black based and red-based, however, both of those colors can be changed due to their dilute and dilute modifier which reshapes the melanin granules and changes the based color.

The black-based series are brown, chocolate, and cinnamon, while their dilute are blue or grey, lilac, and fawn. The dilute modifier black is blue-based caramel, lilac based caramel, and fawn based caramel. The red-based series is red, and the dilute is cream, while the dilute modifier is apricot.

Most patterns of tabby cats

Mackerel tabby cat

Mackerel tabby cat

Mackerel tabby are also known as the ancient tabby. The pattern coated of there tabby is black striped with a row of small white hairs, and pale background color, the marks occur in the shoulders to tail.

Spotted tabby cat

Spotted tabby cat

Spotted tabby is actually the type of mackerel, but the modifier gene changes the trait of stripes pattern become spots pattern. There are varying dark spot marks on the body, while stripes line present on their face.

Ticked tabby cat

Ticked tabby cat with residual markings

Ticked tabby has no markings coated on its body, however several stripes on the head and the limb. As the most appearance of tabby cats, Ticked tabby has also unique marking resembling “M” occurs on the forehead.

Blotched tabby cat

Blotched tabby cat

Blotched tabby is also called as classic or marbled tabby, coated light color background with whorls dark pattern on its fur. Blotched tabby is described as a recessive of mackerel tabby which also known as butterfly tabby which comes from its pattern on top of the shoulder appears likely a butterfly.

Patched tabby cat

Patched tabby cat

Patched tabby is defined as the two-tone tabby cat, which is referred to as tortoiseshell because of their marking resembling tortoiseshell. Their types have semi-transparent of mottled yellow to brown on their body, which has a lighter background.

Types of cat breeds are described as tabby cats

The tabby cat is not cat breeds, however, there are many types of cat breeds are described as tabby cats. The following are some of them:

Abyssinian

abyssinian
Image by skeeze from Pixabay

Abyssinian or commonly called aby is a cat breed which included as one type tabby cat. The body of Abyssinian appears resembling the ancient Egyptian cats. The characters are generally friendly, affectionate, playful, energetic, and loving.

Aby has short fur with coated of various colors, are Ruddy, fawn, blue, and cinnamon, while the color of its eyes is gold, copper, green, and hazel. The males are about 4.5 to 5.5 kg in weight and the weight of females is 4 to 4.5 kg.

American bobtail

American bobtail

This tabby has a short tail about 1 to 4 inches, long body and short to medium hairs. American bobtail coated of all colors and patterns on its body and has varying colors of its eyes are hazel, green, and yellow.

The temperaments of American bobtail are commonly outgoing, playful, loving, curious, and sometimes shy. However American bobtail makes close bonding with the human.

American curl

American curl

This cat is native to California USA, which has a lifespan of about 12 to 14 years. Varying colors of its eyes are hazel, green, yellow, and blue. American curl has short to semi-long hairs with all color and marking.

As its name suggests, American curl has curled on the back ears. The characteristic of this type is intelligent, inquisitive and love.

American shorthair

American shorthair

America shorthair is described as classic tabby, which has shorthair (ASH) with all colors accepted. The body is medium to large, about 5 to 6 kg in weight of males, while the females are 4 to 5 kg weight.

Likely most American cats, the eyes colors of this cat are hazel, green, gold, and blue. The characters of America shorthair are mostly independent, playful, easygoing, and friendly.

Australian mists

Australian mists

Australian mists are a result of crossing breed between three types of cats, included half Burmese, quarter Abyssinian and quarter domestic. The first name is spotted mists, then was changed to be Australian mists since the marbled pattern was presented in 1998.

The personalities of this type are friendly, intelligent, playful, and outgoing. Coated of short hair with spots or marbles on its body, and occurs in seven colors, brown; chocolate; blue, peach; lilac; gold; and caramel

Bengal

Bengal

Bengal is origin from the united state of America. It is across breeding of domestic cat and the Asian leopard cat or small wild cat. The appearance is a pure domestic cat with leopard marking.

The size is medium about 5 to 7 kg, in which the females are smaller than males. And the coated color of Bengal present in four colors is tabby, sepia, pink, and silver.

The temperaments of Bengal are commonly intelligent, active, playful, and curious cats. It has lifespan about 12 to 14 years

Cheetoh

Cheetoh

Cheetoh is crossing the breed between Bengal and Ocicat. Appearance is large, over to 8 kg weight of males, and its body is athletic and muscled.

The coat of cheetah occurs in several colors and patterns are silver-spotted, cinnamon spotted, brown spotted, snow marbled, blue marbled, snow spotted, and brown marbled.

Cheetoh is described as the intelligent cat breed which is outgoing, social, friendly, affectionate, curious, mild-mannered and gentle.

Egyptian Mau

Egyptian Mau

Egyptian Mau is known as one of the fastest domestic cat breeds which are intelligent, playful, outgoing, active, and lively. It shapes deep bonding with the human who cares.

The appearance is small to medium with a spotted pattern on the body and present in several colors, including pewter, bronze, silver, and smoke

Persian

persian cat
Image by Barnabé Kaucic from Pixabay

As the name suggests, Persian is native to Persia, Iran. Persian is also called an Iranian cat or Shirazi cat or shiraz cat due to its origin area. The Persian is medium-large with heavy bones, which the males about 5 to 6 kg weight and females are 4 to 5 kg in weight.

The coat of Persian is long and thick hairs, with several patterns and colors, are solid, silver and golden, bi-color, shaded and smoke, parti-color and Himalayan. Commonly, Persian is sweet, gentle, docile, easygoing, and quite.

Oriental cat

Oriental cat

The oriental is a type of Siamese cat with different coat color. Most Siamese is coated of light color with point pattern, while oriental has several colors and pattern. This type is loyal, intelligent, devoted, and shape bonding with a human.

Oriental is native to the united kingdom which has a long body, large ears and medium-size about 4.5 to 5.5 kg in weight (males) and the females are 4 to 5 kg in weight.

Ocicat

Ocicat

Ocicat is origin from Michigan USA. It looks like a wild cat, however, it is actually a domestic breed cat which found by crossing breeds between Abyssinian and Siamese. This type is large, the weight of males about 6 to 8 kg and female is 5 to 6 kg.

The coat of its body is short and glossy hairs which occurs in several colors, are fawn silver, cinnamon silver, lavender silver, chocolate silver, blue silver, black silver, fawn, cinnamon, lavender, blue, chocolate, and tawny. The Ocicat is commonly confident, outgoing, and dog-like.

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