Tabby color in British cats (photo)

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

The tabby color is quite popular today, which is not surprising. Cats of similar colors look very unusual and beautiful. But tabby is not just a certain pattern and color. Its types and shades are extraordinary. We will talk about the variety of tabby in this article.

What color is called tabby

The tabby color is very bizarre. The muzzles of such cats are decorated with exquisite marks, and the bodies are “dressed” in necklaces, bracelets, medallions, buttons, etc. A great variety of patterns is a distinctive feature of the tabby. Markings are located in different places, at different angles and can take a variety of shapes. In addition, the pattern on the cats will always be unique, there are no two identical tabby colors. Even animals of the same subspecies will differ in the location and brightness of the spots.

Tabby is a color characteristic of several cat breeds, including the British. And now let's find out where the tabby came from and what variants of this color exist.

Where did this color come from and why is it called that

The question of where cats of such a bizarre color came from, and even different breeds, will definitely arise if a British kitten appears in the house. The color of the tabby, most likely, was inherited by domestic cats from their wild ancestors - the Nubian buckskin. It is from this variety of cats that all our short-haired pets are descended.

As for the term "tabby", there are several versions about its origin. The prettiest sounds like this. Around the beginning of the 17th century, silk fabrics were first brought to England, worth their weight in gold. Their pattern was very similar to the cat's color and was called "tabby". And when they later began to breed cats with a similar color, they were called that - tabby. In addition, cats of this color, like silk, were very expensive, since it is unusually difficult to breed them - it is difficult to get the desired pattern, shade and matching eye color.

Required items

Tabby color, despite many variations, has a number of unchanged elements:

• Ticking - in fact, the presence of the drawing itself. In this case, the hairs of wool should be solid 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 spot in the shape of a fingerprint on the back of the ear.
• The nose and eyes should be outlined. In this case, the stroke color should be the same as the main color.
• The drawing, if any, 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 must be clear and saturated, and the coloring should be deep.
• There is also a characteristic eye color for tabby - it is golden, orange and copper. If the color is silver, then the cat's eyes should be green.

If the British has a blurry color, and the patterns are unclear and merge with the main color, then this is a marriage. Most likely, one of the parents was a tabby, and the other was a solid color.

Spotted tabby

Spotted Briton (tabby color) must have the letter "M" on his forehead; "necklace" around the neck; rings on the tail, and the tip is dark in color; stripes on the paws; spots on the tummy of various diameters; intermittent stripe on the back, turning into spots; nose and eyeliner. The drawing must be contrasting and clear.

Spotted British cats are also called spotted, which translates as "leopard". But, in principle, all these names denote the same species. The spotted tabby is the most common color variety. Such a kitten can be born from parents of any tabby color.

Tiger tabby (mackerel, striped)

The brindle tabby color (you can see a photo of it in this article) has approximately the same standards as the spotted one described above, except that the line on the back should be clear and uninterrupted, and clear non-crossing and continuous stripes. The striped Briton has stripesshould start at the ridge and go to the very paws. They should be narrow and frequent - the more often the better.

However, when choosing such a kitten, one important fact should be taken into account. Even if the selected Briton has clear and long stripes, this does not mean that by the year they will not stretch and turn into spots. That is, a tabby kitten can turn into a spotted cat. This is the only tabby species that can change so much. The remaining varieties remain virtually unchanged throughout the life of a cat.

British brindle is fairly common, but not as common as spotted.

Marble Tabby

Marble tabby color in cats is the most beautiful, bright and complex. In addition, it is also the rarest because of the difficulties in crossing - a striped or spotted kitten can be born from two marble individuals. Such British wear three parallel stripes on the back, and large closed circles on the sides, inside of which there are a bright shade of the spot. Such a pattern should not intersect or be interrupted. In addition, the British marble must have the following markings:

• Pattern on the back of the head and shoulders, reminiscent of a butterfly.
• The patterns on the cheeks that start from the very corners of the eyes.
• M pattern on the forehead.
• The neck and chest are decorated with necklaces - the more the better.
• Spots on the tummy.
• Legs and tail must be ringed.
• Circles on the hips are necessarily closed.

Color is rejected if the drawinglacks contrast or has residual faded streaks.

A British cat's marble color can be determined from birth. However, the final alignment and clear drawing occur by two months. Therefore, if you want to get a real marbled Brit, wait until this time, and do not take a kitten earlier.

Ticked tabby

The ticked or Abyssinian tabby color in British cats can be confused with a single color, as patterns are not typical for it, however, it is quite beautiful. The name comes from the breed of Abyssinian cats, which are characterized by a similar color. The color of the coat should be even, and the upper part of the hairs should look like a kind of “spraying”. If you push the fur of such a cat, you can see that each hair has two colors. In this case, the British undercoat will correspond to the main color. Of all the tabby markings, ticked kittens have only curlicue designs on their cheeks and a scarab mark on their foreheads.

If the color has spots, rings or the coat is not dyed evenly with two or three colors, then the individual is rejected.

The Abyssinian Briton spray has apricot, brown and sandy yellow hues. Despite this, the basis of this color is black.

Color tone

The tabby color has several tones in addition to varieties. Here are the main ones.

Black or brown tabby - characterized by deep black markings. Main color -copper brown, covering the entire body, including the chin and lip area. Nose brick red or black. Black paw pads.

Chocolate tabby has deep chocolate markings. The main color of the cat is bronze. Paw pads and nose can be pink or chocolate.

The blue color of the tabby cat is distinguished by deep blue markings. At the same time, the main color is slightly bluish, much lighter than the shade of the spots. Paw pads and nose pink or blue.

Purple tabby - characterized by fancy lilac markings. The main color is beige. Paw pads and nose are pink.

Cream tabby has deep cream markings. The main color of the coat is pale cream. Pink paw pads and nose.

Also, there are silver tabbies. Ideally, the main coat color of such Britons is light silver, and the pattern has a richer and brighter color. However, British silver tabby cats also come with markings of various colors: black, cream, chocolate, red, lilac.