The Tabby cat, also called the barcino cat or tabby cat, it is an animal that has a very distinctive coat. and some even think that they have a very special character. His sweet and tender gaze, his cheerful and lively character, have made him a much loved feline.
But Did you know that there are different types of tabby cats? If you want to know more about this wonderful animal, do not hesitate to continue reading.
What is a tabby cat and what types are there?
The term Tabby comes from the French tabis, formerly atabis, and in Latin attabi. Its initial origin, "attabi", is believed to come from Attabiyah (Baghdad) where a type of striped silk was made. This design was later used to describe the tabby cats, that is, those that, like the tiger, have a fur characterized by stripes, which can be wider or thinner.
It must be made clear that they are not a race, but a pattern; however, many breeds of felines can have brindle fur.
Today we distinguish four varieties:
Classic or listed
It is a cat that has the typical "M" on its forehead. Its body is protected by a hair with dark lines and other thin ones that are lighter, which can be continuous or become streaks or spots on the abdomen or on the flanks. Its legs and its tail have many more lines than in the rest, which gives it a miniature tiger look.
Marbled
It is a cat that has stripes on its hind legs, abdomen, face, and sometimes also on its tail. The most representative breed of cat of this print is the Abyssinian.
mackerel
Image - Wikimedia / Hisashi from Japan
This cat has a pattern consisting of smooth vertical curves on the side of its body. The stripes are thin and may continue or end in spots on the flanks of your abdomen. An "M" can often be seen on his forehead.
Stained
It is a pattern consisting of broad spots, which makes it different from the Mackerel and the classic tabby. We can see this pattern in several breeds of cats, such as the Bengali, Egyptian, ocygate and fog.
Marbling
Image - Flickr / Cassie Jasewicz
It is a similar pattern to the Mackerel, but the lines are thicker, and they form eddies that come together and branch depending on the area. Both the legs and the tail have a higher density of stripes than on the rest of the body. The »M» on the forehead is present.
How many years does a tabby cat live?
As we have discussed, tabby cats do not belong to a single breed. But it must also be borne in mind that depending on the care they receive, on the diet, on whether they receive veterinary attention every time they need it, ... in short, on whether they are treated as one more member of the family or whether for the Otherwise they are ignored, they can live more or less.
If everything goes as it should and the animals are well cared for, your life expectancy could exceed 12 years and even reach 20 if they never leave home just to go to the vet and on a trip. In the case that they are semi-feral, that is, cats that live outside and inside the home, this life expectancy will be about 3 to 6 years, less if you live in a city or in a medium or large town.
What care do you need?
Tabby cats, like other cats, need various care to be happy, for example:
- Food: we can give you dry or wet feed, or natural food. In any case, it must be of quality. In addition, you should always have clean, fresh water at your disposal.
- Hygiene: You will have a sandbox in a quiet room. It has to be as far away as possible from his feeder, as he does not like to eat while feeling the bad smells coming from his private bathroom.
You have to remove stool and urine every day, and clean the tray thoroughly once a week. - "Salud": it is necessary to take him to the vet to have him checked from time to time (once a year is usually the most recommended). It will also be necessary to go to him if the cat is sick or if we suspect that it is.
- Affection and company: the cat can be independent, but you have to keep it company on a daily basis. You have to know that we care. Therefore, you have to play with him and pamper him, without overwhelming him, respecting him at all times.
You have more information here:
Selection of names for tabby or tabby cats
If you have just adopted or are planning to make a tabby cat and don't know what to name it, here are a few of our recommendations:
Names for tabby cats
- Tigre
- Elvis
- Grover
- Cinema
- Line
- Mike
Names for tabby cats
- Keisha
- Sasha (this name is also valid for cats)
- Kendra
- Mina
- Yami
- Wanda
What does the "M" mean on the forehead of cats?
For a long time humans thought that the "M" on the forehead of cats, as well as on the palms of our hands, means something like death. But to this day we know that it does not mean anything.
It's just like that. In addition, and this is only a personal opinion, it could be that, as is already known about the existence of pareidolia, that is, a psychological phenomenon characterized by seeing faces in figures, clouds, objects, etc., it could be that the fact of seeing letters in areas such as on the forehead of cats had a common origin to this phenomenon.
Which of these Tabby cats did you like the most? 🙂