15 Types Of Tabby Cats

1. Mackerel Tabby

Mackerel Tabby which is named after Mackerel Fish and is often known as Striped Tabby is the most common type of cat. They are also called "Tiger-Cats" and have M shaped pattern on their forehead like other cats of this type.

These cats have narrow stripes that run vertically on the sides of the cat's body where the stripes are often branches of a single line which can be called a "Spine Line". The stripes can be of different widths and can be broken or continuous stripes which often look like a fish skeleton.

2. Classic (Bloteched) Tabby

Classic Tabby known as Blotched Tabby is one of the four basic types of the types. Like other cats, they have an M pattern on the forehead but their pattern is swirls and whorls.

These cats have bold swirling patterns on their body which makes them distinctive from the rest. These swells are normally bullseye or target shaped accompanied by a line running down the spine from where the swirls begin. Some of them even have butterfly-like patterns on their shoulders which are more vivid.

These tabbies can be brown, blue, gray, red, or cream with darker shades of swell. They have lines on the face and different bandings on the legs and tail. These types can be found in different cat breeds like American Shorthairs, British Shorthairs, Maine Coons, and many other mixed-breed cats.

3. Spotted Tabby

Tabby cats are mostly known for their lines but Spotted Tabby are such types of cats that are famous for their spots rather than stripes or swirls. From the name also we can say that they have spots in their body as a pattern.

The shapes, sizes, and arrangements of these spots vary from each other and can be small to large, rounded to irregularly shaped. These spots are normally found on the side and back of the cats and sometimes even on the legs of the cats. The lines of this tabby may or may not be sharply defined depending on the spots.

Like other cats, this spotted tabby can also be found in many colors like brown, gray, silver, etc. Some discussions may be the Spotted Tabby is the modified form of the mackerel or classic patterns, where the stripes or swirls break up into spots.

4. Ticked (Agouti) Tabby

[Ticked Tabby or Agouti is one of the tabby pattern cats that don't have stripes, swirls, or spots but rather agouti hairs where each hair has bands of different colors usually dark and light bands.

These cats don't have the patterns like the rest of them but they still have the M-shape on their forehead. This character gives them a more homogeneous appearance. Some of them may have faint tabby stripes on the face, legs, and tails but very less compared to other tabbies.

They usually have a mixture of two colors mostly with their own darker shades like brown with black or dark brown, gray with darker shaded gray, silver with black or dark gray, and many more.

5. Brown Tabby

Brown tabbies are the most common type of tabby cat where the cat combines a brown base color with other tabby patterns. These cats have a warm brown or tan background color of the cats' bodies and the shades run from light to dark rich brown with black or dark brown markings. 

The markings of these cats can be stripes, swirls, spotted or light patterns. Like other tabby cats, they have an M shaped with a darker brown or black shade, and the rest pattern can be lines spots, or swirls. The color and pattern can be because of interactions between various genes.

They re not specific to any breed and almost can be found in any domestic cat along with Maine Coon, American Shorthair, British Shorthair, and so on. One of the reasons why these cats are popular is because of their warm earthy tones and patterns they have.

6. Gray (Blue) Tabby

Gray Tabby or Blue Tabby are common as well as the most attractive type of cat because of the combination of colors and patterns. These cats have a gray or bluish-gray basic color which can start from light silvery to deep gray.

The markings of the patterns in these cats have darker shades of gray or black followed by lines, spots, or swirls. They often have a sharp defined line around their face that creates a sharp appearance in their facial expressions. They also have a banding on their legs and tails.

The gray color in these tabbies is because of the mixing of the genes that lighten the black to grey. These colors and patterns are mostly common on mixed breeds like Russian Blue, Maine Coon, etc. The soft and muted colors of these cats make them more appealing.

7. Orange (Red) Tabby

Orange or Red Tabby is one of the most different coat colors found in domestic cats which are bright orange or reddish-orange color-based coat colors. The shade of these cats varies from deep rich orange for the darker side whereas light, yellowish orange to the lighter shade.

These cats are much deeper and brighter in color and are mostly found in classic patterns. Most of them have a deep M shape which enhances the expression and look on the cats' faces. They also have banding on their legs and tails which gives them more rich look.

There is the presence of the "O" Gene in these cats which makes their coat color orange and reddish. Because this gene is sex-linked, we can find most orange tabby cats are male, whereas the pattern is similar to other tabbies.

8. Golden Tabby

Golden Tabby are striking rich colored cats which is a combination of golden and warm-toned coats with the traditional tabby markings. This coloring pattern is not as common as other tabbies, but they are famous for their rich tone and impressive appearance.

The background color of these cats is from the lightest shade of golden to the darkest one or the richest amber color which gives them a glowing appearance. The patterns and shades are however of black, brown, or chocolate color which is a great contrast with a golden background.

They are found in different breeds like Bengal, British Shorthair, Persian, and many more where sometimes, these cats are also known as brown tabby with a golden hue.

The golden color of these cats is controlled by a few genes which regulate how much pigment should be distributed to the fur, and how bright the color will appear. 

9. Cream Tabby

These Cream Tabby are more pale or light versions of these types of cats as they have lighter color combinations compared to other tabby cats. They have a cream or light beige colored base which is a diluted form of red pigment, making the whole appearance lighter.

The marked patterns of these cats are a little darker cream shaded to light tan where the patterns can be stripes, swirls, spots, or even faint ticking. These cream cats have fine lines on their face which makes their expression appear soft and gentle.

In some of these cats, there will be a faint banding on its legs and tail as well. The cream color is basically because of the dilution gene that makes the mixture of red and orange pigment in the coat appear to be lighter in shade.

Cream Tabby are known for their subtle and soft beauty and are prized for being elegant-looking. The pattern can be from very light, hardly distinguishable to more visible patterns. 

10. Silver Tabby

Silver Tabby is one of the classiest looking and most dramatic patterns of cats where the color is silver gray with dark markings in such a way that the bearer has a smart look on the face. Mostly the base of these cats is silvery or pale gray, sometimes accompanied by a metallic one. 

They often have black or dark gray markings, which go perfectly with a silver-gray background and often give them an expensive look. The silver gene (I) suppresses the formation of red and yellow pigment giving the color to appear cold and silvery, leaving the markings to be darker.

Since these tabbies have a great visual and a mixture of uniqueness and elegance, they are preferred for their fanciness. They are loved by many and especially when the British Shorthair are silver tabby, they are highly prized.

11. Chocolate Tabby

Chocolate Tabby is one of the few really beautiful types of patterned cats that are rich in warm brown, chocolate tones, which reminds someone of the chocolate. The color and the patterns are well blended which gives a warm tone to the cats.

These tabbies have medium to dark brown base colors that are warmer in tone and seem like chocolate or cocoa in color. The appearance may differ based on the color shades and the size and style of the patterns. 

Like all the tabby cats, they also have an "M" shaped pattern on their head and the fine lines and patterns go well with their expressive and beautiful appearance. They are also usually banded on their legs and tails to complete their pattern.

The color is mainly because of a gene that converts the black pigment to a brown shade where as the tabby pattern are due to the tabby gene complex. They are also quite impressive because of the specific character of their patterns.

12. Patched Tabby (Torbie)

The Patched Tabby often called Torbie are one-of-a-kind tabbies in the domestic household. These cats contain the features of both tortoiseshell and tabby cats resulting in multicolored coats with definite markings. 

In these types of cats, the patches have a mixture of red or cream with black or blue patches. Across the tortoiseshell patterns, some tabby markings and patterns can exist within the patches or across the coat.

They also have banding on their legs and tail which gives them more distinct features along with the M pattern on the forehead. These cats are a mixture of genes that control tortoiseshells and genes that control tabby patterns.

These patterns are mostly found in female cats because of the presence of the tortoiseshell gene. The cats are unique among the tabby versions as it has a gene from another type of cat as well.

13. Blue-Silver Tabby

One of the most classy-looking cats is the Blue-Silver Tabby as they are a great combination of silvery, blue-gray colors with classic tabby markings. They have medium soft, cool blue-gray with a silvery glow.

These colors are the result of a diluted gene that lightens the black pigment to a blue-gray color, and the silvery gene appears a metallic or silvery appearance. The markings on these silver-blue are darker grays or black giving them a sharp pattern look.

The presence of the silver gene in them changes the basic color into something cold and metallic where whereas the dilution gene changes the black color into blue-gray pigment. They are famous for their cool and metallic look that blends perfectly with the tabby patterns.

Some breeds like British Shorthair Persian highly desire this color and patterns.

14. Red-Silver Tabby

Red-Silver Tabby is one of the most eye-cathing cats of this design, famous for their warm toned background along with cool, silver blends. In these cats, the blend is a mixture of both soft and warm tones where the red pigments in the cat's body interact with the silver gene.

The markings of these cats are of red silver tabby with usually darker shades of red or deep orange. Like all other tabbies, this one can also be found in either stripes, spots, or swirls with the M on their forehead.

Some of them can also have a red silver banding on their legs and tails, completing their look. They are a mixture of silver gene, red pigment, and tabby patterns which are famous for their elegance in the coloring pattern.

15. Brown-Silver Tabby

Another very stunning and elegant version of these cat types is the Brown-Silver Tabby. These cats are made up of warm shades of brown with a cold and silvery glow which gives them a warm and rich look.

These cats have darker brown or black markings with narrow parallels or round spots depending on the pattern they carry. These fine lines give the cat a strong facial feature and the banding on the legs and tails adds beauty to their looks.

Their genetic basis is a mixture of silver genes, brown pigment, and tabby patterns. Like other domestic cats, they are also social and friendly as the patterns don't affect the characteristics of the cats much.