It is National Tabby Day once again, so let’s hear it for the mog with the spots and stripes.   

Tabby is not a breed but a coat pattern - and a state of mind. They can be long hairs or short hairs; they can be almost any breed; and they can be any colour from orange to black and all the variations in between  It’s not the colour, it’s the razzle-dazzle DPM that matters. Almost all feral cats are tabbies; it’s the factory setting for obligate carnivores, as it offers great camouflage for hunting. Technically, tigers are tabbies, but I wouldn’t want to be the one to tell them.

Tabby Stats

Instant info gathered together for your convenience.

• Tabby cats make up 60 to 70% of all domestic cats worldwide.

• Orange tabbies are usually male; only about 20-25% of orange tabby cats are female.

• Tabby patterns are

•   mackerel (like the patterns on the fish skin)
•   spots (or splurges)
•   stripes (bars)
•   ticks (flecks and specks)

Patterns can be classic single, or mix and match. No tabby is exactly the same as any other, not even littermates.

National Tabby Day has been celebrated on 30 April every year, since it was set up in Manhattan in  2016.  As tabbies have been around since ancient Egyptian times, this seems slightly  disrespectful.

For more stats and data on all cats, go to The Infographic Cat.