Tabby cats…
Tabby cats – we have lots and lots as customers. But what actually is a tabby cat??
A tabby cat is not a specific breed; it’s a domestic cat with a distinctive coat pattern that includes stripes, spots, or swirls and an “M” shaped marking on the forehead. ‘Tabbies’ come in a range of colours, including brown, grey, orange, or black, and may be short or long haired, depending on the breed.
The four main coat patterns are:
· mackerel – long, narrow stripes that run up and down their sides
· classic – wider stripes that curve to form circular patterns
· ticked – bands of colour which break up the tabby patterning into a salt-and-pepper look
· spotted – coat has spots rather than stripes or swirls
A few facts about tabby cats:
The word “tabby” comes from the French word ‘tabis’, which translates to “tabby” in English and comes from the resemblance of the tabby cat’s coat to a silk taffeta material made in the 14th century in Baghdad
the average life expectancy of a tabby cat is between 12 and 15 years, though some live until they are 18 or older.
April 30 is National Tabby Day, a worldwide celebration of these lovely cats
some of the most common purebred cats with tabby markings include Maine Coons, Abyssinians, Bengals, British and American Shorthairs
Garfield is probably the most famous orange tabby – he’s an American shorthair
So why do they have that distinctive ‘M’ on their foreheads? A story from the islamic religion tells of Muhammad and his tabby cat, Muezza, who saved his life by killing a snake that had climbed into the sleeve of his robe. The prophet showed his gratitude by stroking her back to give cats the ability to always land on their feet; and placing his hand on her head, leaving the ‘M’ mark. From then on, every tabby cat born had the ‘M’ mark on its forehead. In ancient Egypt, cats were called Mau – probably because of the sound of their call; the Egyptian Mau cat is the original spotted tabby. Mau means light, and because cats’ eyes reflect light, Egyptians associated cats’ eyes with the moon – hence the ‘M’. And, especially appropriate for this time of year, one legend says that a tabby cat helped keep the baby Jesus warm. When the baby was cold, Mary asked the animals in the stable to move in close to warm him. A tabby cat snuggled right next to the baby and Mary gave the cat her own initial, M, on its forehead as a ‘thank you’.
All lovely stories about how these beautiful cats got their markings. We’ve got more than 40 on our books – we can’t show you them all but have a look at this gorgeous selection.
And whatever colour, breed or markings your furry friend is, we look forward to welcoming you to the Cat’s Whiskers soon.
Cheryl & Pete xx
We are always ready to take on your furry friends at The Cat’s Whiskers cattery.
Call us, email us, whenever.
