- Recognize a tabby by its trademark tiger stripes and the distinctive "M" marking on its forehead.
- Mackerel tabbies have a thick line all down their spines. Ticked tabbies have stripes on each individual strand of hair.
- Spotted tabbies have broken stripes that look like dots. Tortoiseshell tabbies have stripes that smoothly blend into the rest of their fur.
Identifying Classic Tabby Cats
Look for blotchy patterns. Classic tabby cats tend to have blotchy patterns across the body, leading some people to colloquially refer to classic tabbies as "blotched tabbies".
Look for wide stripes. The stripes on a classic tabby cat tend to be wider and thicker than on other varieties of tabbies. Those thicker lines can contribute to the blotchy pattern that is characteristic of classic tabbies.
Observe swirling lines. The distinct tabby lines appear circular or swirling on classic tabbies. On some cats they may even resemble a bullseye pattern.
Check the color. Typical tabby cats have black stripes over an otherwise brown coat. Other color variations do occur, but these typically have the qualifying color added before the word tabby, such as a ginger or red tabby (shades of orange and white) or a blue tabby (gray and white).
Identifying Mackerel Tabby Cats
Look at the spine pattern. The most distinct characteristic of mackerel tabbies is the spinal pattern. The stripes that run down the length of the body all extend from a single stripe that covers the cat's spine. Because of the way the cat's body stripes branch off from the spinal stripe, some mackerel tabbies bear a slight resemblance to a fish skeleton, hence the name mackerel.
Look for thin stripes. The stripes on a mackerel tabby tend to be very narrow, unlike the wide, swirling stripes of the classic tabby.
Notice the unbroken pattern. Mackerel tabbies typically have unbroken lines that are evenly spaced. These stripes tend to run down both sides of the body in a top-to-bottom formation.
Identifying Ticked Tabby Cats
Look closely at the hair. Unlike other tabbies, ticked tabby cats do not typically have body stripes. Instead, each individual hair on a ticked tabby has stripes or bands of color variation. This is the tell-tale sign of a ticked tabby.
Look for unmistakable facial patterns. Though ticked tabbies may not look like a typical tabby cat, they still exhibit the same distinct facial patterns. Look for the "M" on the forehead and light pencil marks on either side of the face.
Observe the semi-transparent quality of hair. Not all ticked tabbies have translucent coats, but some, like those in the Abyssinian breed, do have semi-translucent hair.
Identifying Spotted Tabby Cats
Notice the broken lines. Spotted cats earned their name because of the broken lines in their coat patterns. This "broken" coat pattern may cause the lines to appear as spots, though this cat is still very much a tabby.
Observe the variance in spots. The "spots" on the spotted tabby's coat can come in a variety of shapes and sizes. They may be large or small, and may appear to be round, ovular, or rose-shaped.
Don't confuse the spotted tabby and mackerel tabby. Though every spotted tabby's coat will be slightly different, some may be easily confused with a mackerel tabby. Certain spotted tabbies may have "spots" that extend from a spinal stripe, like the mackerel tabby. The difference is that a spotted tabby will still have a more blotchy or spotted appearance.
Identifying Tortoiseshell (Patched) Tabby Cats
Notice blended characteristics. Tortoiseshell/patched tabbies typically have tabby markings combined with another type of coat pattern. Tortoiseshell tabbies may exhibit any of the primary four tabby markings as the tabby component of his coat.
Look for hints of brown and red tabby combined. Your cat is a tortoiseshell tabby if its coat has hair that is definitely ginger in addition to brown tabby spots or stripes.
Observe the legs and head. The telltale tabby markings are typically most prominent on the legs and head of a tortoiseshell tabby cat.
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