The first thing to say is that tabby is not a breed. It is a coat pattern, and it appears across dozens of breeds and in the majority of cats without a pedigree.

So a tabby cat tells you what the coat looks like and nothing at all about the cat’s temperament, size or health.

Every cat is genetically a tabby

Underneath, every domestic cat carries the tabby pattern. In solid coloured cats a separate gene masks it.

You can sometimes see this in strong sunlight on a black cat: faint ghost stripes show through. Black kittens frequently show visible tabby markings that fade as they mature.

The four patterns

Mackerel. Narrow vertical stripes running down the sides from a dark line along the spine, like a fish skeleton. This is the original wild type pattern.

Classic, or blotched. Broad swirls and a distinctive bullseye on each flank. It arose from a mutation and became common in Europe.

Spotted. The stripes broken into spots. Seen in the Egyptian Mau and the Bengal, and in many ordinary cats.

Ticked. No stripes on the body at all; each individual hair is banded with alternating colour, producing a speckled appearance. Characteristic of the Abyssinian, with faint markings often remaining on the legs and tail.

The M on the forehead

Nearly every tabby has an M shaped marking on its forehead. It is a consequence of how the pattern lays out on the face and it appears in all four types. Several cultures have legends attached to it; the explanation is genetic.

Colours

The pattern appears in brown, grey, ginger, cream and silver. Two combinations are worth knowing:

Torbie, a tortoiseshell with tabby markings. Because the genetics of tortoiseshell colouring are linked to the X chromosome, these cats are almost always female.

Ginger tabbies are more often male than female, for the same reason in reverse. All ginger cats show tabby markings; a truly solid ginger cat does not exist.

Temperament

There is no tabby temperament. Personality in cats comes from genetics inherited from the parents, socialisation between two and seven weeks of age, and later experience.

Claims that ginger cats are friendly or that tortoiseshells are difficult are folklore. Handling during those early weeks predicts adult sociability far better than colour does.

Care

The same as for any cat: a complete diet appropriate to age, current vaccination and parasite control, an annual health check and twice yearly once over ten, dental care, clean litter trays, and enough to do.

One thing specific to a boldly marked coat: thinning fur and small scabs are easy to overlook among the stripes. Check the skin with your hands rather than your eyes.