Tabby Question

What are the physical characteristics and personality traits that are particular to Tabby's?

I've had two- now I'm not sure if they were part something else or full tabby or what- but they are completely opposite. Tigger was a crier & a scaredy cat but she loved to cuddle one on one, on her terms. Maui is extremely playful & loves everyone, and will cuddle any time. He also whines a little bit or is talkative (I haven't quite figured out which yet!)

As for physical characteristics- I'm just curious how to tell if a cat is full tabby or is bred with another breed.... if that makes any sense at all!

Tabby is not a breed, it is a color pattern.

Then how do you get tabby's!? I wonder what Maui & Tigger are then... they look exactly alike but act so different. Their physical structure & face shape is even close considering the age difference.

Oy- I have so much to learn! I always thought I knew about cats since I've always had them but I can't believe how much information there is- they're so complex & magnifique!

The genetics experts can tell you more on how the pattern comes about

Your cats are moggies (mixed breeds), and cats, like people, are very individual.
I have two littermates here, full brothers, that are nothing like each other.

Think of tabby like human hair color.

If you meet two blondes, that doesn't mean they must both be from sweden. one could be from England, another from Spain. Their hair color doesn't clue you in to their ethnicity.

So your two cats have the tabby pattern, but are most likely a mix of other mixed cats.

~Julia

Cats for the most part don't exist in breeds (like dogs). Your cats are in a nautral state, not mixes, just pure cat. They are called domestic shorthairs. This is what cats originated as. Purebreeds arose much later through selective breeding of these domestic shorthairs.

There personalities can be very diverse. I do like the analogy that the cat color/pattern is like a human hair color, it varies and says nothing about personality.

Dumb question but thanks everyone for answering!!!

No matter what Maui is I still love him & couldn't ask for anything better

Tabbys are just a color characteristic - not a breed. You can have brown, blue, red, cream, chocolate, lilac, cinnamin colors. Tabbys come in 4 "styles"

1. Classic or Blotched - a bullseye pattern of circles on the sides.
2. Mackeral - vertical stripes like the mackeral fish
3. Spotted - usually found in purebred like ocicats or egyptian maus or bengals.
4. Abysinnian/Ticked - a ticked "bunny" look with banding of alternating colors.

So there is no real personality associated with a tabby cat because its a color/pattern and not a breed.