What Is a Tabby Cat, Anyway?

A tabby cat isn’t a specific breed. Rather, a “tabby” cat refers to a kitty’s coat pattern. The tabby coat can be found on a cat of any breed (or mixed breed) and gender.

“It’s the most common pattern of fur that we see, and we see it across different breeds of cats,” says Joey Lusvardi, CCBC, owner of Class Act Cats in Minneapolis.

The tabby gene is dominant, according to Samantha Bell, official cat expert at the Best Friends Animal Society. So, it only takes one parent with the tabby gene to pass the pattern on to a kitten. 

“It is much more difficult to find a cat that’s not tabby,” Bell says.

How big do tabby cats get? What colors are they? How long is a tabby cat’s hair? The answer to all of these questions is: It depends.

This pattern exists across all different cat breeds, so their size, coat length, and even color can vary.

“Tabby is one of the most naturally dominant coat patterns, so it shows up across the board, especially in rescue cats and strays,” says Saba Sayyed, a certified cat behaviorist, educator, and advisor.

What is consistent among tabby cats is certain markings in their fur. Tabbies typically have an M-shaped mark on their forehead, as well as stripes or swirls on their body, legs, tail, or face.

There are five different types of tabby cat patterns: 

• Mackerel: The most common tabby pattern, the mackerel features “narrow, tiger-like stripes,” Sayyed says. “[It’s] the classic tabby look.”
• Classic: Cats with a classic tabby pattern have a marble-like swirl on their sides, “like a cinnamon roll,” Bell says. 
• Spotted: As the name suggests, the spotted tabby pattern has spots rather than the common narrow stripes. 
• Ticked: The ticked tabby cat pattern is the least common and is often more subtle than the other varieties. In this pattern, each individual hair has bands of different colors, creating an almost shimmering or iridescent appearance. These are called agouti hairs and are a characteristic feature of the Abyssinian cat breed.
• Patched: Patched tabbies are calico or tortoiseshell cats with the tabby pattern. These are known as caliby or torby cats, respectively.

The tabby pattern can be found on coats of any color, including orange, brown, gray, and even calico or tortoiseshell. “The variety is amazing,” Sayyed says. “It’s like nature’s own designer print.”

Any cat can inherit the tabby gene, and several cat breeds recognize a tabby pattern in their breed standard. This includes:

• Abyssinian
• American Bobtail
• Bengal
• British Shorthair
• Cornish Rex
• Devon Rex
• Exotic Shorthair
• LaPerm
• Maine Coon
• Manx
• Norwegian Forest Cat
• Ocicat
• Oriental Shorthair
• Persian
• Scottish Fold
• Siberian
• Turkish Angora
• Turkish Van

A cat’s lifespan varies by breed, so you can expect a tabby cat to live 10–15 years. But some cats can live “well into their 20s with good care,” Sayyed says.

In fact, the oldest cat ever recorded was a tabby who lived to be 38. But in this case, the tabby pattern was just a coincidence—coat patterns and colors do not generally affect lifespan.

A cat DNA test will tell you which breeds are in your kitty’s DNA so you can take a better guess at their lifespan.

Like many of the answers before, it depends! Every cat is an individual with their own unique personality, and coat patterns don’t influence a cat’s temperament.

“The tabby pattern is not going to tell you much about behavior,” Lusvardi says, noting that your cat’s breed may be a better (though not perfect!) indicator.

Get to know the individual cat and judge their temperament based on experience, rather than coat or breed.

“It’s important to remember that personality is more than fur deep,” Sayyed adds. “Breed, environment, trauma history, and early socialization all matter.”

We’ll let you in on a secret: There is no such thing as a completely hypoallergenic cat (or dog, for that matter!). All cats carry an allergen protein (Fel d 1) in their saliva, skin, and urine that can trigger a reaction in some people.

But some breeds (including those with tabby patterns!) shed less of this protein than others and may be a better fit for certain people who tend to sniffle and sneeze around cats.

If you’re worried about your allergies but still want to bring a tabby cat home, you can try taking steps to reduce your symptoms.