Do you know tabby is a type of pattern found on cats, and it’s not an actual breed of cat?
Tabbies are found in dark stripes, swirls, and oval rings all over their body some with more stripes and fewer rings others have oval-shaped rings on their legs and faces, and their bodies have fewer stripes.
There are many types of tabby cat colors and patterns. Before you decide which tabby cat to purchase, make sure you have a basic understanding of the types of tabby cat colors and patterns.
Also, you will find them in different colors like a white coat, blue, grey and patterns like spotted, mackerel!
7 Tabby Cat Patterns You Must Know
Classic tabby pattern, calico, ticked tabby, dark brown, cream, blue are some types of tabby cat colors and patterns. They generally have an “M” marking on their forehead.
1. World Popular Classic Tabby Pattern
If you find swirls and round rings in your cat’s legs then it means she is a classic tabby. This tabby pattern is common.
These patterns are generally matched to a bullseye on a target. “Blotched Tabby” is a term used to describe the classic Tabby pattern.
2. Calico Tabby
Calico is a combination of black patches mixed with red ones along with large white patches. It is the color of the patches which describes calico.
They have three kinds of colors red or orange, white, and black. Their body can have stripes also.
| Calico Tabby Cats |
|---|
| Norwegian Forest cat |
| Siberian cat |
| Persian cat |
| Manx cat |
| Japanese Bobtail |
| Turkish Angora |
| Exotic Shorthair |
| Maine Coon |
| Arabian Mau |
| British Shorthair |
| Turkish Van |
3. Tortoiseshell Pattern
Torties are another name for them. They have distinctive markings on their legs and faces. They are largely found in ginger red and black colors.
You may also find them with little creamy color with an orange and gold combo. The pattern is woven in a bridled manner or simply in patches.
| Tortoiseshell Pattern Cats |
|---|
| American shorthair |
| Cornish Rex |
| British shorthair |
| Persian |
4. Ticked Tabby
This pattern is also recognized as agouti tabbies. This is due to agouti genes. These genes are responsible for many colors in the single strand of cat hair.
You may also find stripes on their legs and tails plus their spine will also be embodied with dark color lines. So, basically, they are a mixture of lighter and darker lines.
Ticked tabby cats
- Abyssinian
- Somali
5. Spotted Tabby
They may look like a mackerel tabby with a twist. Lines and spots can be found on them. They have larger spots in their fur than traditional tabbies, despite their appearance.
Spotted tabbies spots are oval in shape or circular in shape.
| Spotted Tabby Cats |
|---|
| Savannah |
| American bobtail |
| Australian Mist |
| Egyptian Mau |
| Serengeti |
| Arabian Mau |
| Ocicats |
6. Mackerel Tabby
Striped is another name for this style of tabby pattern. Tiger cats are also known as mackerel tabbies. These patterns are quite wild types. You can see evenly distributed dark color stripes right from their shoulder to tail and round rings nearby their legs and the tail will be palish.
When you closely see you will find it looks like a fish skeleton therefore they got their name from mackerel fish!
- Maine Coon
- Norwegian Forest Cat.
7. Lynx Points Tabbies
Lynx points tabbies are flawed colored who have unique tabby markings on their tails and legs. They look like wild types of cats.
| Lynx Points Tabby Cats |
|---|
| Siamese |
| Birman |
| Ragdoll cats |
| Colorpoint shorthair |
| Himalayan |
6 Different Tabby Coloring
There are 6 shades of tabbies from a light shade of cream, silver to the dark color red, black stripes shade of tabby.
1. Silver Tabbies
They have a hint of grey shade but are glittery silver in color. You will find them either in dark color or in clear white color.
They have a greyish color with white color roots. You may also know them as silver agouti.
2. Cream Color Tabby
Cream tabbies look royal they have soft rich beige colors. Sometimes you also find them in the tan shade. Also, you may resemble them in sand or peach color also.
You may have found it difficult to recognize these kinds of tabbies. Generally, you will notice them clearly when you go close to them and check they have light color stripes.
3. Red Tabbies
Either you call it red tabby or orange both are the same. They come in various shades. You will find a faded yellow color, vibrant orange color, and rusty deep color.
Garfield cartoon is a widely famous orange tabby. These cats have tabby prints.
4. Grey Tabbies
From medium to dark grey stripes and fur you can see grey tabbies in all types of grey shades.
5. Blue Tabby
Blue tabbies are either in light grey or blue color fur they have lines all over the body made of dark grey color or blueish grey color.
6. Brown Tabby Cat
Brown tabbies have black or tan lines over a white or cream background. You will find them in mild brown color or in bronze lines and spots.
They tend to have a dark color of brown shade on their ears and paws.
Now, you know all types of tabby cat colors and patterns!
Well, That’s a Wrap!
In conclusion of types of tabby cat colors and patterns, you will learn that there are various shades of tabby colors and even patterns.
From light, medium to dark you will find all shades of cats in stripes and patches. There are brown, cream, blue, red, orange, and silver color tabbies. Spotted, classic tabby, mackerel, tortoiseshell, a ticked pattern of tabbies.
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References
- Tabby Cat Facts — ASPCA Pet Health Insurance
- Tabby Cat — Wikipedia