![]() As a sign of her gratitude, Mary stroked the cat’s head, and her gentle touch left behind the initial M on the cat’s forehead. In Christian folklore, a tabby cat curled up alongside baby Jesus in the manger keeping him warm with the heat of his body. Could it be that the M stands for Mau? Mary In Ancient Egypt cats were called by the name Mau, probably because of the sound they made (meow). There are a number of legends which explain the reason for the M which one do you prefer? Mau Tabbies also look like they’re wearing eyeliner with pencil thin lines outlining their beautiful eyes. One thing that all tabbies have in common is a marking on their foreheads that looks like the letter M. Why Tabby Cats Have an “M” on Their Forehead Brenda Griffin at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine. If you’re not sure how to identify the coat markings or colours of your cat, check out this easy Cat Identification Guide compiled by Dr. RELATED: Siamese Cat: Breed Information and Personality Need Help Identifying Your Tabby Cat? Abyssinian cats are a good example of this type of tabby coat pattern. But look closely, and you’ll probably be able to see the tell-tale stripes or swirls. That’s because ticked tabbies usually have agouti hairs, which have variable colours along the length of the hair. Ticked or agouti tabbies will have the tabby markings on their faces, but at first glance you might not spot any tabby markings on their bodies. ![]() Instead of having strong lines on their coat they have spots or patches of colour, usually against a background of lighter coloured fur. ![]() Spotted tabbies have similar markings to either the mackerel or classic tabby. This classic pattern is often compared with a marble cake. Classic TabbyĪlso known as ‘blotched’ or ‘marbled’ tabbies, a classic coat has circular swirls, usually with a ‘bullseye’ design on the cat’s sides. This is also the most common tabby coat pattern. Mackerel TabbyĪ mackerel tabby has vertical, usually non-broken, stripes that come out from the stripe that runs down the middle of the cat’s back like a fishbone, hence the name mackerel. There are four distinct coat patterns found in the tabby cat which are: mackerel, classic, spotted or ticked. This is centred just above their eyes and is the prominent marking that sets tabbies apart from other cats. The most distinctive and defining feature of a tabby cat is the “M” on their forehead. Colours include brown, grey (also called blue), ginger, plus white or cream. The tabby coat pattern is common to many cat breeds, and there are different colours too. What is a tabby cat? And why do these cats have an “M” on their forehead? Although some people refer to the tabby as a breed of cat, it actually just refers to the pattern of their coat – those lovely striped, spotted and swirled sections of colour that you see in types of tabby cats.
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