 Bengal, 2) Persian, 3) Manx, 4) American Bobtail, 5) Maine Coon, and more.)
Striped cats have long captured the hearts of cat enthusiasts, and their popularity is not without reason. The intriguing patterns on their coats, a result of genetic factors, boost their widespread appeal.
Beyond mere aesthetics, these feline companions stand out for their unique charm and individuality.
The stripes enhance their allure, making them visually striking compared to conventional cats. In this article, we explore 15 common striped cat breeds that are visually pleasing:
1. Bengal Cats
Bengal cats exhibit a beautiful striped pattern caused by their distinctive coat markings. The coat patterns in the breed include spotted, marbled, and rosette variations, contributing to their unique appearance.
The striped patterns, resembling those of wild cats, result from the combination of different coat patterns, such as mackerel and spotted.
Bengals often have symmetrical markings along their bodies, including legs and tails. The spots may resemble those of a cheetah or jaguar, enhancing the feline's exotic look.
2. Persian Cats
Persian cat, also called the tabby striped cat, has a striped coat pattern due to the Agouti gene. Individual tabby coat hairs display stripes, resulting in a distinct and characteristic appearance.
However, it's important to note that the tabby pattern, including stripes, is not the predominant coat type in Persians. Instead, this breed is more commonly known for its luxurious solid colors, bicolor variations with distinct color combinations, tricolor (calico) patterns, and the Himalayan pattern.
3. Manx Cats
Manx cats are easily identifiable by their distinctive physical features, especially their taillessness or short tails. Further exploring the breed's appearance, their hind legs are often longer than the front ones, giving them a distinctive hopping gait.
Manx cats come in a variety of coat colors and patterns. These patterns include bicolor, solid, tortoiseshell, tabby, among others.
Likewise, the coat colors span a wide range. While all-White cats are rare, their original stock had a more limited coat range.
4. American Bobtail
American Bobtail is one of the most common striped cat breeds that is admired by cat lovers all over the world. The breed standard embraces diversity, allowing for a broad spectrum of possibilities when it comes to its fur.
Common coat patterns include spotted, marbled, and classic tabby, with variations in stripe thickness and arrangement. Moreover, the coat colors span a wide range, encompassing black, brown, chocolate, cinnamon, blue, lilac, and more.
5. Maine Coon
Renowned for its imposing presence, the Maine Coon is one of the largest breeds of striped cats. These felines boast a sturdy, muscular build, with males weighing between 13-18 pounds and females between 8-12 pounds.
Maine Coon cats showcase a diverse range of coat colors, including solid white, black, blue, and various patterns like tabby, tortoiseshell, and more.
The luxurious, semi-longhaired coat adds to its regal appearance, featuring a thick, water-resistant undercoat and longer guard hairs.
6. American Shorthair
The American Shorthair cat possesses a short, dense fur that lies close to the body. Its coat is resilient and easy to care for, requiring minimal grooming.
Moreover, the breed also comes in various coat colors like tabby, solid, bicolor, and calico. Their coat patterns can range from classic tabby stripes to distinctive spotted or marbled designs. Additionally, the American Shorthair's coat reflects a remarkable shine, enhancing its overall aesthetic appeal.
7. Abyssinian Cats
The striped coat in Abyssinian cats is primarily attributed to their agouti coat pattern. The agouti gene controls the distribution of pigments along each hair shaft, creating bands of alternating colors.
In the striped domestic cat from this breed, this gene produces a ticking effect, where individual hairs have multiple bands of color. It leads to an overall appearance of a warm, glowing coat with a subtle striped or ticked pattern.
8. Toyger Cats
Resembling a miniature tiger, Toyger cats are adored for their unique striped coat. These felines possess dark, bold stripes against a bright, vivid background that creates the tiger-stripe effect.
Additionally, the base coat color of Toygers is typically orange or tan, mimicking the hues found in wild tigers. This warm background enhances the contrast with the darker stripes. Moreover, this breed also has evenly-spaced vertical stripes that often extend onto the legs and face.
9. Lynx Point Siamese
Lynx Points are a variation of the Siamese breed, distinguished by their unique color points and tabby patterns. Their coat color points—ears, face, paws, and tail—contrast with the lighter body color.
This breed specifically displays tabby markings on their face, creating an 'M' shape on the forehead and dark lines extending from the eyes, resembling mascara lines. These cats also come in multiple color variations, including seal, chocolate, blue, and lilac.
10. Grey Tabby Shorthair
Grey Tabby Shorthairs, often referred to as Domestic Shorthairs, showcase a combination of grey tones in their fur. The term "tabby" denotes a distinctive coat pattern characterized by bold, swirling markings, often resembling an "M" shape on their foreheads.
As the name suggests, Grey Tabby Shorthairs have short and sleek fur. The texture is soft to the touch, making them enjoyable to pet. The short fur contributes to their low-maintenance coat, requiring minimal grooming.
11. European Shorthair Cats
The European Shorthair cat breed exhibits a wide range of coat colors like black, blue, red, cream, and various shades of tabby patterns. The cat stripes coat is particularly prevalent in this breed, making it one of the common patterns observed.
These cats with stripes can also display other patterns like spotted or mottled. While solid colors are appreciated, the breed's history as a street cat has resulted in a genetic variety that encompasses a spectrum of coat colors and patterns.
12. Scottish Folds
The Scottish Fold has a unique appearance, notably characterized by its unique folded ears. These ears, folded forward and downward, give the cat an owl-like or teddy bear appearance.
Moreover, the breed has a medium-to-large size, a rounded head, and large, expressive eyes that contribute to its sweet and endearing expression.
Likewise, the Scottish Fold can have a short or long-haired coat, both of which are soft and dense. The coat comes in various colors and patterns, ranging from solid to tabby, and may include shades like white, blue, cream, and more.
13. Norwegian Forest Cats
Common coat colors for Norwegian Forest Cats include brown tabby, blue tabby, red tabby, and cream tabby. They can also be present in solid colors like white, black, blue, red, and cream.
Additionally, the breed is renowned for its tabby pattern, characterized by distinctive stripes on the coat, and this pattern is quite common among these cats. The tabby coat often features a classic pattern, where the stripes form a swirling motif on the sides, accompanied by a necklace of darker fur across the chest.
14. Munchkin Cats
Munchkins are one of the most common cat breeds with stripe. The striped coat in these felines, like other patterns, is a result of their genetic makeup. Similarly, the breed can showcase classic tabby stripes, where bold, dark stripes run along a lighter background.
Beyond stripes, Munchkin cats can display various other coat patterns, including spots, mottling, and ticking. Additionally, there are bicolor and tricolor variations, adding to the breed's diversity.
15. Oriental Cats
The Oriental cat boasts an elegant appearance that consists of a slender body and graceful lines. The breed has a wedge-shaped head with large, almond-shaped eyes that can be blue, green, or even odd-eyed.
Moreover, the breed's coat comes in a variety of colors and patterns, adding to its allure. Orientals can display solid colors, bi-color, or even tri-color patterns. The sleek, short coat lies close to the body.
