The Tabby Cat

The tabby marking is shown here, on an individual hair.  The hair has  alternating colors (called agouti).  There are 4 types of tabby markings,  and 5 colors.  See pictures below, starting with the types of tabby markings, and then each color that they can come in. The mackerel Tabby is the most common and looks like stripes.    The classic Taby has more of a swirl pattern, or marbled look. The spotted tabby has spots. The ticked tabby does not have any stripes or markings on the body, but has the agouti hairs, and tabby points (head, tail, legs will have tabby markings). More examples with larger pictures below.  These are all BROWN tabbies.  That is the most common color in tabbies, and as you can see, the brown varies from a golden color to a more grey-brown.  (See other tabby colors below the browns.)

classic

mackerel

spotted

ticked

Blue

Red

Colors

Cream

<-------------------Brown-------------------->

Blue Silver

Silver

The silver cat has a white background instead of a brown or cream.

The Patched Tabby has splashes of red or cream on the tabby coat.  It can be a brown tabby with splashes of red, which is called a brown patched tabby.  It can also be a blue tabby with patches of cream, which is called a blue patched tabby.  The tabby can also have white.  This pictures a "brown patched tabby & white".

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