Dumb Dumb question!!!

Hi everyone,
This will probably be the dumbest question you hear for quite awhile. I am wondering what a TABBY cat is? Now, I know that cats that have that little "M" mark on their forehead are supposed to be tabbies right? And...if they are striped? I wondered because when I was doing a search on Petfinder for cats...it looked like they listed several different colors of tabby cats. Can there be a white tabby? yellow tabby, etc? See? Told you this was a dumb question! lol! For one who loves cats and reads all about them, I feel silly asking what a tabby cat is...but...what the heck...I'm asking anyways! Thanks in advance for your patient answers! Cindy W.

There is no such thing as a dumb question. Here's the proof: I have no idea either!!!! :LOL:

I will sit back with you and await the answers....

I *think* I know....

Tabby cats are the ones with the little "M" on thier foreheads, and there are both striped and spotted tabbies. It isn't a breed, but a coat description. They come in all colors, although I'm not sure what a white tabby would be because they are usually marked with either stripes or spots of a darker shade of their main coat color. There are yellow/red/orange/ginger (all the same color, just different names), grey, brown, etc. Sometimes calicos have the tabby stripes within the patches of colors.

Hope that helps.

There is also a classic tabby that has the M and a sort of swirl pattern in the coat. And don't forget the silver tabbies.

It isn't a stupid question at all!!! I think Heidi's answer was good. I have a cat...Merlin who has a M on his forehead and is sriped, so I guess he is a Tabby too! (never actually thought about that, he was just Merlin the cat...now he is Merlin the Tabby! )

Genetically, ALL cats are tabbies. Domestic cats are descended from the African wild cat, which has tabby markings.

What exactly is a tabby? Where does that word come from?

I guess I'm joining everyone who doesn't really know about tabbys. My two cats are tabbys, but they have an M on their forehead. I always thought that the M meant that they were part Maine Coon?

I really don't know for sure about the Maine Coon, but I don't think Merlin has any in him, if he does it has gone down the line a long ways....maybe I can see if Hissy will help us out here...she knows so much about these things! (unlike me! )

The "M" has nothing to do with a Maine Coon I dug up some info on Tabby's though:
Definition: the most common color pattern in cats, consisting of strips, and sometimes whorls. All cat colors have an inherent tabby pattern, although with selective breeding, you may not be able to see it.



The name "tabby cat" brings to mind many things to different people. The old phrase "alley cat" may come to mind with some people: the rough-coated, scar-nosed, tattered-eared lurker of alleys and dumpsters. Others, myself included, will think of their favorite cats. Indeed, I can't remember a time when our home has not been graced by one or more tabby cats. Tabbies are so ubiquitous that many people think of them as a breed. Not so; the tabby is a color pattern - most often stripes, but sometimes stripes and whorls, or even spots and stripes. The tabby pattern is so popular that it can be found in many pedigreed cats today, and is accepted in a number of breeds by the most popular registries.
Although there are many variations of each, the tabby pattern falls into four basic classes. A fifth includes tabby as part of another basic color pattern, e.g. the "patched" tabby, which may be a calico or tortoiseshell cat with tabby patches (the latter is called a "torbie." Some pointed breeds also allow "tabby points" within their color standards. Is it any wonder the tabby cat is so ubiquitous? In fact, the gene for tabby pattern can be found in all domestic cats. Look at a "coal black" cat in the sun some day, and see if you can find the hidden tabby markings.

WOW!!!! Thank you Sandie!!!!! You cleared that right up for us!!!! That is very interesting, too!

Here is a pretty awesome website that really goes into a detailed explanation about tabbies


Tabby cats

Thank you Hissy!!!!!!!!!

I LOVE your name by the way!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's not only my name, it's my life.......

Thanks for the great replies on what a tabby cat is... Glad I asked! Cindy W.

I guess that means Willie's a spotted tabby, then. But he also has some brown mixed in and 2-3 large brown spots. Does that make him a "Torbie", or do they have to have a large amount of a second color?

I'm really not sure...maybe someone else will know. It's a good question, though!