Since the spotted tabby pattern can appear on several kinds of cat, there’s a remarkable amount of physical variation between one spotted tabby and the next.įor example, a spotty American Bobtail cat is short and stocky with a thick medium long coat, and a short tail. Well their spots are created by one or more additional genes, located elsewhere in the genetic code, which turn mackerel stripes into spots by breaking them up.Īt the time of publication though, geneticists haven’t yet been able to locate exactly where those additional genes are. So where does the spotted tabby cat fit in?
#Red tabby cat breeds series
These three genes form a series – each occupies the same spot in a cat’s genetic code, so that cats end up with one, or another.
mackerel stripes, caused by the T m gene.ticking, as seen on Abyssinian cats, caused by the T a gene.In fact, patterns caused by tabby genes include: “Tabby” might call stripes to mind for most cat lovers, but in fact there are several tabby patterns, only a few of which are stripey. The Egyptian Mau is widely regarded as the oldest naturally occurring spotted tabby breed.īut since the Bengal burst onto the scene in the 1970s they have stormed to the top of The International Cat Associations breed registry, in terms of numbers. Tabby spots are special because they are arranged in regularly spaced horizontal or vertical rows – unlike the randomly arranged patches of a calico cat, or the spots on a Dalmatian dog for example. The spotted tabby cat was likely one of the first “fancy” patterns to appear in cats following domestication. The original pattern of the pet cat’s closest wild ancestor was black and brown mackerel tabby. and domestic shorthair cats (cats of unknown ancestry).In fact, it a pattern which can appear in a wide variety of cat breeds, including: However, the spotted tabby cat isn’t a breed in it’s own right. and light orange spots on a cream background.gray or taupe spots on a soft fawn background.black or dark gray spots on a light gray background.dark brown spots and against a lighter brown background.The most common combination is black spots set against a brown base.īut all of these combinations are possible too: What Is A Spotted Tabby?Ī spotted tabby cat has dark spots on a lighter colored background.
The other characteristics of spotted tabbies, like their temperament or how long they live, depends upon which breed they belong to. Perhaps because it evokes the looks of so many wild cat species, it is a popular choice for pet parents. A spotted tabby cat has one of the five basic tabby patterns found in domestic cats.
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