National Tabby Day

There’s a special kitty holiday around the corner. April 30 ^th is National Tabby Day! These pretty kitties certainly have many loyal fans. A local Oconomowoc, WI vet discusses tabby cats below.

Tabby cats aren’t a specific breed. The term actually refers to coat patterns, which can occur in any breed. Tabbies can wear one of four patterns. The mackerel is the most common. These look like tiger stripes or, as the name suggests, as though Fluffy were wearing a fish skeleton pattern. Classic tabbies have thick stripes, and often have a target-symbol shape on their sides. They also have striped legs and tails. Ticked tabbies usually have solid bodies, but sport the famous tabby logo, the ‘M’ on their foreheads. Last but not least, we have spotted tabbies, like Bengals.

Speaking of the M, there are some interesting stories about it. One legend says that the M stands for Mohammed, who had a tabby himself. Other tales say that a tabby cat lay beside the baby Jesus in a manger, and Mary stroked an M into its fur. Many fans of Maine Coon Cats, however, are convinced that the M stands for—you guessed it—Maine.

Ever wonder where tabbies get their names? Fluffy is actually named after a type of striped silk, called Atabi, which was made in Attabiah.

Anyone owned by a tabby cat is pretty likely to insist that their feline friend is the best kitty ever. (Then again, most cat owners will say that anyway.) Tabby cats do have a reputation for being cute, playful, affectionate, and smart. Many of these lovable furballs are also quite the little chatterboxes!

There are actually some quite famous tabbies. In the number one spot, we have the famous flabby tabby, Garfield. This lasagna-loving, cynical furball has been lounging around in comic strips, books, and movies since the seventies. Other famous tabbies include Garfield’s archenemy, the adorable kitten Nermal; Jonesy, the cat from Alien ; Heathcliff, another comic-strip star; Pusheen, the popular animated sticker; and the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland. A real tabby, Mayor Stubbs, served as mayor of an Alaskan town for 20 years. Tabbies have also been the beloved pets of celebrities like David Bowie and Betty White.

Please contact us, your Oconomowoc, WI vet clinic, anytime. We’re here to help!