Tabby color: examples of interesting combinations and cat breeds

Genetic properties and anti-properties

It is this gene that has such a valuable property of brightening up any hair of a cat’s fur in a special way, alternately alternating transverse stripes of different colors (dark, light). If in dark areas there is a significant concentration of a pigment called eumelanin, then in light stripes there is much less of it. The spherical granules of this version of melanin, which reflects light waves in the yellow-orange range, have the peculiarity of elongating and taking on the shape of an ellipse, located along the entire length of the hair. Which causes the desired effect, as a result of which a tabby cat appears.

Tabby cat breed (Siberian)

If the cat’s genotype contains the so-called “homozygous” allele (“non-agouti”), then the tabby coloring does not appear. The allele suppresses and masks tabby genes. As a result, the color of the cat's fur turns out to be completely the same (epistasis).

About character

In the photo , cats of the British breed always delight with their calm gaze.

This look conveys the true English character: delicate and unobtrusive. Cats love their owner, but try to remain as independent as possible. They prefer to spend time quietly, enjoying warmth and comfort.

Most British marbled cats are playful. But they are reluctant to be held, especially by strangers. Although cats do not show aggression, even if something happens against their will. True aristocrats always show amazing restraint, which is why their owners love them so much!

The Case of the Redheads

Spotted cat - examples of breeds and their names

However, there is an exception to this series. The fact is that the influence of the “non-agouti” allele on the “O” (“Orange”) gene is excluded. It is because of this that naturally occurring ginger cats (cream-colored) should have such an intriguing tabby coloring. Meanwhile, the “solid” cream color (very wide, differently colored stripes, as if identical to the human eye) is the result of long-term work by breeding specialists.

Important! All "furry enigmas" potentially have tabby coloring in their genetic "menu". Evidence of this is the residual effect in many kittens (“ghost”, baby tabby). However, after molting, it becomes uniformly colored throughout its entire body. Consequently, not all cats exhibit genotype “A” (agouti), which is what leads to the desired effect.

Cat colors: what are they and how are they bred?

The color of a cat implies not only the color of its fur, but also the pattern on it (spots, rings, stripes, stains, etc.). There are only a few main genes responsible for cat colors (solid color, diluents, etc.), but they can be made in a variety of combinations, like a children's construction set. This allows you to create countless options for breeding the desired trait, wisely using a set of parental genes (dominant and recessive).

The pattern on a cat's skin may vary

It is fundamentally

Tabby cat: examples of breeds and colors

It is necessary that among the key elements and characteristic features of this cat color the following must be present:

• the presence on the cat’s forehead of an improvised pattern resembling the human letter “M”. Experts also refer to this sign as the “sign of the scarab.” All tabby animals must have this feature;
• The cat's fur seems to be divided into two levels. The initial – bottom – layer creates the general background. The top layer just forms the famous pattern, which, thanks to the synergistic effect, has a peculiar depth;
• Fluffy's chest has a pattern with fancy necklaces;
• the cat's tail has certain "rings";
• the cat’s eyes and nose are emphasized with a certain color;
• Each ear of such an animal should have a light spot.

It is interesting that the distant ancestors who passed on such sophisticated colors to the living tabby cats lived in the wild in India, Africa and Kazakhstan.

Peculiarities

All cats with this coloration have finely drawn lines on the face, expressively circling the eyes and forming the letter “M” on the forehead (scarab sign). The ornament is usually clear, bright and contrasting. Eye color is golden, copper or orange.

Stripes, spots and curls make each animal unique. You can examine your pet an infinite number of times and find new features of the location of the pattern on the body.

These colors often resemble those of a tiger, leopard, cheetah or other large cats, especially the British. Specimens of exotic wild colors of cats, mini copies of them, make pets living at home incredibly attractive and aesthetically fascinating.

Special ticked colors make the animals' fur look like velvet. The fur looks silky and iridescent.

Color classification options

Tortoiseshell cat - pet character and examples of main breeds

There are several types of tabby color.

Marbled Tabby

If there are certain stains on the sides of a cat that look like marble, then this animal is a marbled species. Moreover, sometimes experts call such a pattern classic.

As a rule, the body of a “marbled” cat is decorated with large spots, various kinds of curls, intriguing patterns, drawings a la “butterfly”, “human eye” or “oyster shell”. There is slight spotting on the belly and cheeks. In turn, spiral or linear patterns are located on the neck and paws. And the tail of such tabby specimens is colored with interesting ring stripes. The color background of these images should clearly contrast with the main background of a different color.

Classic (marble)

Mackerel

This color is similar to the fur of a tiger. The “coat” of such a cat has patterns consisting of narrow lines that are located parallel and vertical. This type of pattern received its additional “nickname” - tabby mackerel - due to its resemblance to the coloring of a real sea fish, known specifically as mackerel. The brindle tabby pattern usually starts from the cat's ridge line, gradually descending down to the belly in the form of numerous branches. The color of the stripes sharply contrasts with the main tone of the cat’s “fur coat”.

Cat with mackerel pattern

Other options

Among other types of patterns, first of all, it should be noted the ticked version, which is the most delicate and inconspicuous among the types of tabby patterns. It is more clearly expressed on the muzzle, paws and tail. At the same time, barely noticeable “freckles” are “splattered” all over the body, which differ from the basic background of the fur by only a few positions. Abyssinian cats, first of all, can boast of this type of color.

You can often see spotted tabby. In the colors of "spotted" cats, stripes on the coat seem to be absent, and if they exist, they are intermittent and very short. That’s why the cat’s “fur coat” is decorated with dots, spots and peculiar “blots”. The color of the patterns is quite bright, noticeably different from the main tone. These cats are somewhat reminiscent of leopards.

In addition, among other color options, rarer types can be noted: rosette, tortoiseshell, clicquot color (a white tone is added to the two main ones), patchel (patch color), links point (only some small fragments of the body are colored in tabby style).

Variations

Variations are recorded in the generally accepted color classification of cats. There are the following types:

Tabby mackerel

Mackerel is a “tiger color”, the pattern is designed in the form of parallel stripes and lines located around the cat’s body. The lines on the sides of the animal are similar to the skeleton of a fish, hence the name "mackerel".

Brightly defined stripes on the neck and paws look like rings and necklaces. A dark contrasting continuous stripe stretches along the spine.

Tabby mackerel

Classical

Classic or “marble”. It is a traditional color. Wide spiral stripes resemble marble marks on the body, tail and paws in the form of rings.

Large round spots form on the sides, framed by one or more clearly defined rings. The stripes in the area of ​​the shoulder blades often form a silhouette in the shape of open butterfly wings.

Spotted

Spotted - spots of different sizes are evenly distributed throughout the body, sometimes in the form of broken lines.

The spots can be either small or very large, frequent or quite rare. Representatives of the color are highly valued, evenly distributed throughout the body, with even rounded elements.

Spotted

Abyssinian or ticked

Abyssinian, ticked and agouti tabby - the agoutti pattern colors the entire body of the cat. There is no clear pattern; sometimes residual stripes are visible on the paws, muzzle and tail.

ticked

The color of cats is valued because each hair has a zonal coloring, which creates the effect of shimmering fur. Usually the base of the hair is unpigmented, and the tip, on the contrary, is brightly colored.

The color, in addition to the types of patterns, differs in tone:

1. Black or brown - distinguished by a pattern of rich black or copper-brown color. The nose and paw pads are also inky.
2. Chocolate – distinguished by a bronze color with bright chocolate markings on the body.
3. Blue is characterized by blue colored markings. Nose and pads pink or blue.
4. Lilac – beige or lilac. The nose and paw pads are pale pink.
5. Cream . The coat is pale cream in color. Paw pads and nose are pink.
6. Silver with a light silver shade of wool and a rich pattern.

Chocolate tabby

In the article I talked about the tabby cat color. Described its features and varieties. She gave examples of breeds with tabby color.

Color variety

The most popular among animals with similar colors are silver tabby and gray cats, which have markings of different tones. Smoky black and reddish, blue and chocolate, lilac color shades may be present here. Other tabby colors are also available. Among them are black silver tabby, amber, blue silver, cameo, caramel, chestnut and many others.

Important! It should be noted that this coloring largely depends on the existing pattern. Thus, the classic (marble) version of the pattern combines various dark stripes with a light base background of the “fur coat”. In the spotted version, the pattern plays with “warm” tones. The mackerel variant combines darkish stripes on a silver and gray base. In turn, with the ticked subtype, almost all colors possible in the cat world are found.

How to get marbled kittens

Considering that color can be obtained if gene A is present, two marbled cats are brought together. In this case, you can be guaranteed to get almost all the kittens of the desired shade. In addition, spotted babies are born from the mating of spotted and brindle parents. However, it is important to consider the fact that their mom and dad were supposed to be marble.

Breeders with extensive experience note that in a large number of cases the result is not what you want. And if so, then the color can no longer be considered standard.

Usually it makes itself known:

1. Shading. In this case, the marble is “washed away”, not as rich as it should be.
2. Extra ticking. The drawing is poorly visible.
3. Expressiveness. The difference between the background and the pattern is so noticeable that it looks rather ugly than bright.
4. Torn drawing. In this case, the stripes are not only interrupted, but also intertwined with other lines.

To get the desired result, you need to choose your parents wisely.

Cats with beautiful colors

Since this “picture” on cat fur is so common, there are many breeds on Earth that have patterned colors. Little “fluffy mysteries” with a similar color actively participate in numerous exhibitions and competitions held in our country. However, in order to achieve this right and worthily represent one or another organization of felinologists, a tabby cat must fully comply with the requirements and criteria for coloring, coat characteristics (for example, British Shorthair) and other criteria that are unique to each breed.

British

Representatives of the British breed are very popular. And the reason for this is precisely the unusual color. Since the British cat was created through successful experiments in crossing and selection, their result was an extremely beautiful patterned coloring of the cat's fur.

British cat

British silver tabby kittens look especially touching. However, it is difficult to find two completely identical members of the breed - the coloring of each cat is unique.

Attention! Typically, the British have symmetrical spots characterized by fairly clear lines with contrasting patterns. In general, this coloring of British tabbies is characterized by exceptional brightness and contrast.

Felinologists distinguish a number of types of the British breed. Here there are mackerel colors, spotted (leopard), classic (marbled) and even ticked. For example, the more common brindle color of cats (mackerel) is distinguished by its unusually correct pattern. As expected, there is a “scarab mark” on the British woman’s face. The eyes of such specimens are a rare copper color.

Another popular patterned coat color, marbled, is characterized by its uniqueness. At the same time, such beauty does not intersect anywhere and has no tendency to be interrupted (although in kittens it can still merge, but over time this goes away). On the back of the head there is a funny pattern in the style of a “butterfly”, and on the muzzle there is a famous sign - the letter “M”. A special feature of cats with marbled patterns on their fur is a kind of “necklace” on the chest part of the body.

In addition to the shape of the pattern, the color options of this breed are also interesting. Thus, one of the most intriguing are the British brown tabbies, with black fur, but with a spotted tail and a contoured nose. In silver cats, the lower background is characterized by a subtle blue color, and the patterns on the body are painted with silver paints. The pads on the paws are pink or true blue tabby.

In the process of “mixing” colored tones with white, relatively equal volumes of wool are obtained: both variegated and white.

Attention! If there are patterns on the head of the cat's body and on the tail, despite the fact that in other places it is natural white, this type of tabby is called "van". This breed also has stylish lilac, grayish, so popular in Britain, and many other funny and beautiful options.

Maine raccoon

One of the most famous representatives of the cat “family”, which belong to the species capable of reproducing the tabby color, are cats under the rather cheerful name Maine Coons. This unique breed originated on the northeast coast of the United States, from cats that lived in Maine. By and large, this animal is considered an indigenous cat breed representing the American continent. From English its name can be translated as “Manx raccoon”. That is why this wild breed has a second (informal) name - the Manx raccoon cat.

Maine Coon cat

Maine Coons are real record holders. They are rightfully considered the largest breed of cat. The weight of males reaches up to 8.2-12 kilograms, and in females - up to 5.4-8.5 kilograms.

The appearance of this furry family was formed under the harsh influence of a difficult climate. After all, without rich woolen “clothes” you cannot survive in the cold North American winter. As a result, this type of cat is long-haired. The Maine Coon's coat is quite soft and truly silky. The length of the hair on the shoulders and head is noticeably shorter than on the sides and belly of the cat. Some representatives of the breed have a developed mane on the neck.

Important! The most common coat pattern of a native cat is tabby (truly brown, smoky). In our country, a similar feature in the patterned coloring of Maine Coons is known as “wild”.

This tabby cat breed has most variations of this style, with the exception of the ticked pattern. At the same time, the long hair of this breed is colored partially (exclusively at the ends) or completely.

Scottish version

The key features of the tabby coloring of a Scottish cat are the presence of a clearly defined letter “M” on the face, eyeliner around the eyes, nose, rings on the paws and tail, as well as the famous encircling “necklace” on the chest and neck. The type of pattern in a tartan can be either marbled or brindle, spotted.

Scottish cat

Among the main color combinations it would be logical to note the following:

• silver-blue pattern against a background of light undercoat;
• black patterns on a silver tone;
• cameo tabby, when there are reddish stripes on the white;
• “brick” color pattern on a light red background;
• beige stripes on a soft cream base.

Other breeds

Among other purebred representatives of the cat tribe that have such a happy coloring, perhaps the Asian breed of cats should be noted. This animal is also called (in accordance with its geography of origin) Asian tabby. The breed of these animals was bred in distant England (where it was recognized in 1990). At the same time, she was included in the group of Asian cats (short-haired). Marvelous representatives of this family came from crossing the Burmese direction, the Persian chinchilla and, of course, the famous Abyssinian breed.

The woolen “coat” of an Asian tabby cat is very thick, very thin, and fits tightly and evenly to the body. It is soft and silky. At the same time, there must be something on it, in such an intriguing style. Among the basic colors, experts call light blue and apricot, cream and lilac, light blue with a gray coating, dark red, partly in the “turtle” style and others. But they should all have an amazing tabby pattern on their coat. Moreover, this breed has all types of patterns of spots on its fur: spotted, marbled, brindle and ticked.

Among other representatives of the furry “brethren”, with one or another variant of tabby, it makes sense to note the following purebred cats and female cats:

• Abyssinian breed;
• Thai cat;
• Egyptian Mau cat;
• Siberian cat;
• Thai cat;
• Bengal cat;
• California speckled;
• Ocicat cat;
• Australian smoke cat;

Attention! Domestic cats without pedigree may also have a tabby pattern. Therefore, outbred “mustachioed-striped” ones also have a chance to boast that they belong to such a skillful color. Outbred cats can have an unusually wide range of colors in their fur, which sometimes simply cannot be obtained through scientific selection.

Caring for the British Marbled's fur coat

The breed is one of the cleanest and neatest cats, so the animal often takes care of its appearance on its own. At the same time, it is recommended to wash the cat every six months and comb its elegant fur at least once a week.

British marble cats do not require special care

Since the coat of British cats is quite elastic and flexible, there are no special rules for caring for it. It is recommended to regularly clean the animal’s ears (with cotton swabs dipped in warm water) and the animal’s eyes (with warm and damp cotton pads) - every 7-10 days.

Video: British marbled cat

Without tabby

However, there are also cat breeds for which tabby striped patterns are simply not possible. Among the cat breeds for which this color is unacceptable, one can note such popular species as the Siamese, Burmese, Russian Blue, Havana Brown, Bombay, Chartreuse and Korat.

In short, many modern representatives of the cat “family” are largely tabby in color. Therefore, when purchasing a furry animal for yourself, you need to have an idea of ​​which variant of tabby a person is interested in.

Mr. Cat Recommends: False Marble

With a tabby pattern, each hair is ticked and painted in several colors. If it is excessive, the marble pattern turns out to be shaded, as if supported by a film or fog.

This blurriness is called moiré or false marbling in the British breed.

For Bengals, this phenomenon is called phasing, and it has a different character. The ticked undercoat covers the main color, but it definitely goes through. Moreover, it is marbled kittens that flourish earlier than others - spotted, rosette.

But British moire patterns can remain “shaded” for life. No one can predict whether a baby will get ticking or not. Therefore, it is better to purchase marbled British kittens, straights or Scottish, later - by 4-6 months.

Torties, patched tabbies, and calicos

If your cat has random color combinations, it may be one of the following colors:

For colors without white: Tortoiseshell, tortie

- random spots all over the body of red, black and cream colors.
spots may have varying degrees of clarity. Blue-cream
- random spots throughout the body of blue and cream colors in soft, pastel colors.
This color is sometimes called blue or dilute tortie. Brown patched tabby
- Reminiscent of fall foliage, with patches of brown and red tabby.
This color is also known as torbie
.
Blue patched tabby
is a soft color with patches of blue and cream tabby.

For colors with white marks, depending on the amount of white:Tortoiseshell and white or Blue-cream and white

- minor white areas.
The main color is the same as that of simple tortoiseshell or blue cream, respectively. Calico, Chintz (calico)
- more white. As a rule, the more white, the larger and more clearly the red and black spots should be drawn.
Note that the large black spots are usually solid, while the red spots are tabby. Dilute calico
- the same as the previous one, but with blue and cream spots.
The blue spots are uniform, creamy with tabby. Patched tabby and white
- varying amounts of white. Tabby areas with a lot of white, like Calico, have large, clear patches of color.

Required elements

• Ticking is actually the presence of the pattern itself. In this case, the hairs of the coat should be uniform in color down to the base.
• On the forehead of such cats there is always a pattern resembling the letter “M”, the so-called scarab sign.
• There should be a fingerprint-shaped spot on the back of the ear.
• The nose and eyes should be outlined. In this case, the color of the outline should be the same as the main color.
• The pattern, if there is one, must include the following elements: “necklace” - three closed stripes on the chest; “curls” on the cheeks; There are two rows of double spots on the tummy. All drawings should be clear and rich, and the coloring should be deep.
• There are also typical eye colors for tabbies - golden, orange and copper. If the color is silver, then the cat's eyes should be green.

If a Briton's color is blurred, and the patterns are cloudy and merge with the main color, then this is a defect. Most likely, one parent was a tabby and the other was a solid.