10 Fascinating facts about Tabby cats

Animal shelters are filled with adult cats as well as kittens who are tabbies and are waiting for their forever homes. I am thinking of adopting one or 2 to be my companions now that my husband has passed away. Tabby cats have distinctions that make them unusual so let's take a look at some fascinating facts about tabbies.

1. Tabby cats have their own day

National Tabby Day is April 30 and this is a day set aside to celebrate these magnificent felines. Tabby cats make wonderful pets, and I know this for a fact. I owned at least six tabbies during my teens and I loved each one. I also found out that they give lots of love in return. My tabbies would routinely show up meowing for me at the back door with an offering of a field mouse they had caught.

2. Tabby cats are not a specific breed

Tabby cats are not actually a specific breed of feline but the name denotes the special markings on their fur. Whenever I heard the word Tabby I assumed that this meant the orange kitties but I was wrong.

3. Tabbies have coats of many colors

I owned an orange tabby named Thomasina and later there was Thomasina 2 who looked just like her namesake. I also had gray tabbies named Mittens, Boots, Tinkerbelle, and Buster. Mittens and the two Tinkerbelles looked exactly like the kitties in the above photo. Initially, I thought that only the two orange cats were tabbies but now I know they come in a variety of colors. The most familiar tabby is black, but there are variations in the pigment, resulting in gray and orange tabbies as well. Overwhelmingly orange Tabby cats are male with only about 20 percent being female.

4. Tabbies are branded

Tabby cats have a distinctive M that is branded into the fur on their foreheads just above the eyes. I had observed this in a few of my cats but did not give it much thought. There are legends about this mark but science says it is no mystery and is simply in the DNA. This marking is what denotes that a cat is a tabby.

5. The name hails from Bagdad

Tabby cats received their name because they were compared to silk from the Attabiy district in Bagdhad. The Middle French 14th century term was "atabis" which became "tabis" and evolved into the English word "tabby."

6. Unique patterns

Tabbies have 5 patterns that make them distinct. Classic tabby cats have bold, swirling patterns. Ticked tabby cats don't have spots or stripes, but instead, have tabby markings on the face and agouti hairs on their body. These are hairs with more than one band of color. Spotted tabbies can have large or small spots, and mackerel tabbies have narrow stripes. Patched tabbies can show any one of the previously mentioned patterns, with the markings usually being more apparent on the head and legs.

7. Mouse exterminators

I mentioned earlier that my kitties would sometimes bring mice to the back door. The reason may not only have been because they were showing me love. Tabby cats are excellent hunters and the best cats if you need to exterminate mice.

8. The call of the wild

Tabby cat patterns assist the felines in camouflage when they are hiding in tall grass or brush and hunting for prey. If you have ever seen a cat pounce on a rodent or insect this will make sense to you. Tigers and leopards both have tabby patterns which indicate their relation to these cats.

9. They make wonderful pets

Tabbies are fantastic pets, especially for children, because of how friendly and social they are. Taby cats enjoy participating in family activities and they thrive on spending time with their human families. They also live interacting with other cats and or dogs in your home.I had a golden retriever named Peanut who got along fantastically with all my cats when I had 14 at one time. They coexisted together outside and Peanut got along with the few cats who came indoors.

10. Tabby cats are intelligent and affectionate

One of the best things about these unique creatures is that they are incredibly intelligent as well as affectionate. They love a whole lot of attention and enjoy being petted and cuddled. The downside , however is that tabby cats can become cranky if they don't get their way. Because they are very bright, they usually end up getting exactly what they desire. My tabbies each knew their own name and responded when called. They knew the sound of the can opener meant food so whenever they heard it they ran to the back and jump up on the screen door and mewed. My brothers would open food just to see the reaction of the cats.

9. TABBIES HAVE "BIG" PERSONALITIES

Tabbies are very good at expressing their feelings and will let you know if they are sad, angry, happy, or playful. They are known for being friendly, affectionate, and playful, so their human families are in for quite the treat.