Cats are very interesting little creatures and many of them have an interesting history as well. Tabby cats are popular with cat lovers everywhere, and there are rich facts and interesting distinctions surrounding this unique little animal.

What Is A Tabby Cat?

A tabby cat is not a breed of cat, which many would assume. It is, in fact, a color pattern. There are so many different versions of a tabby cat, in all different breeds. Grey tabby cats, silver tabbies, even spotted ones. It is still debated as to whether of not some form of this tabby pattern is genetic or even inheritable at all. Scientists say that the pattern of a tabby cat is not related to the color at all, therefore the tabby pattern is a wide variety. The only color cat that doesn’t come in a tabby pattern is a white cat. Even a black cat can show a faint tabby pattern.

A spotted tabby may not be a true tabby cat, but they are still classified as such. Apparently, there is a modifier that breaks up the stripes of a Tabby making it appear spotted. Interestingly enough, all of these different variations can be found in a wide variety of breeds, making the tabby cat a more interesting choice when compared to other types of cat.

Some breeds of tabby have a distinguishable “M” on their foreheads. There are several legends behind this “birthmark,” and most are religious based. Some say that Mary bestowed an “M” on the tabby cat’s forehead after it kept baby Jesus warm all night, others claim that Mohammed marked the cat after it warned him of impending danger. But sadly, the reality is that Mary spoke Aramaic and Mohammed spoke Arabic, so neither of them would have used the letter “M” to distinguish their names. But the legend lives on, and is a fun story to share, giving your special pet a mystical purpose.

This article is filed under Types & Breeds of Cats. You can follow any responses to this article through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can trackback this article from your own site.