# What does a "tabby" cat mean to you? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 20, 2009, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-tabby-cat-mean-to-you/490099 "2009-03-20T00:20:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Tabby\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tabby\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tabby_Cat)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2009, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-tabby-cat-mean-to-you/490099/1 "2009-03-20T00:20:36Z")
This is a straight up poll. Story to come at 11. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2009, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-tabby-cat-mean-to-you/490099/2 "2009-03-20T00:24:48Z")
This kind of kitty. [Tabby Cat](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:CAT2007_05_16.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2009, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-tabby-cat-mean-to-you/490099/3 "2009-03-20T00:25:19Z")
I have one on my desk. He’s orange. Tabby is a general type of pattern, rather than a specific coloration; the pattern features stripes or spots and is nearly always characterized by an “M” shaped pattern on the forehead. Interesting trivia: Orange tabbies are nearly always males. ---
**Author:** ![lavenderviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/cdc98d/32.png) [@lavenderviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lavenderviolet)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2009, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-tabby-cat-mean-to-you/490099/4 "2009-03-20T00:27:21Z")
Stripey cats. I somehow wound up with two of 'em. ---
**Author:** ![Hanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b3f665/32.png) [@Hanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hanna)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2009, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-tabby-cat-mean-to-you/490099/5 "2009-03-20T00:29:08Z")
Stripes. ---
**Author:** ![Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Springtime_for_Spacers)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2009, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-tabby-cat-mean-to-you/490099/6 "2009-03-20T00:34:46Z")
Stripes, spots or blotches (the latter in the so called butterfly pattern). The hairs are either brindled or black, making the patterns. Abyssinian cats having evenly ticked hairs are another variant. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2009, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-tabby-cat-mean-to-you/490099/7 "2009-03-20T00:35:52Z")
Stripes, forehead M, eyeliner, etc. It’s not a word that can just mean whatever you want it to mean or something. [These](http://www.flickr.com/photos/62555962@N00/2536803540/) are my cats - two of them are tabbies, and one is not. ---
**Author:** ![Eureka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/74df32/32.png) [@Eureka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eureka)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2009, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-tabby-cat-mean-to-you/490099/8 "2009-03-20T00:37:02Z")
stripes ---
**Author:** ![AngelSoft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/angelsoft/32/440_2.png) [@AngelSoft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AngelSoft)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2009, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-tabby-cat-mean-to-you/490099/9 "2009-03-20T00:47:18Z")
Striped kitties. Orange tabbies, nearly always male as stated, are also nearly always cuddlebugs. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2009, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-tabby-cat-mean-to-you/490099/10 "2009-03-20T00:49:29Z")
Stripes. (When Gypsy was fixed, and had to have her belly shaved, even her SKIN was striped. Sorry, I don’t have any pictures of Gypsy. She’s a silver tabby-as opposed to grey-very light) Oh, and I have an [orange female](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v220/Guinastasia/Kitties/buffychair.jpg). (1 in 400, I was told.) Buffy is Gypsy’s sister. ---
**Author:** ![Apricot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bcef8e/32.png) [@Apricot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apricot)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2009, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-tabby-cat-mean-to-you/490099/11 "2009-03-20T01:29:50Z")
In general, a striped cat, either of the mackeral tabby or the classic tabby pattern. Specifically, I’d be most likely to call a cat a tabby is he was brindle (brown) with grey flecks and black strips, usually a mackeral tabby. Sometimes, tabby cats have white chins or mittens. Orange cats of the type referenced here are called “Striped cats” pronounced with two syllables for striped. ---
**Author:** ![Apricot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bcef8e/32.png) [@Apricot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apricot)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2009, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-tabby-cat-mean-to-you/490099/12 "2009-03-20T01:31:04Z")
[Here’s a picture of a tabby cat.](http://www.moggies.co.uk/html/images/tabby_cat_sitting.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2009, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-tabby-cat-mean-to-you/490099/13 "2009-03-20T01:38:14Z")
Striped, swirled or ( rarely ) spotted. > [@Q.E.D](#): > > Interesting trivia: Orange tabbies are nearly always males. And all orange cats are tabbies :). The orange gene overrides the non-tabby gene. Orange males also seem to be statistically larger than non-orange males and purportedly ( though it seems a hard thing to measure ) feral orange males are statistically more aggressive than non-orange males. Meanwhile orange females are statistically smaller than non-orange females. Orange cats are neat, if ridiculously [goofy](http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/ff114/Timur_photo/IMG_3592.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2009, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-tabby-cat-mean-to-you/490099/14 "2009-03-20T01:43:51Z")
A stripey orange cat. ---
**Author:** ![Chum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3ab097/32.png) [@Chum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chum)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2009, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-tabby-cat-mean-to-you/490099/15 "2009-03-20T01:48:23Z")
I am in no way a cat expert. To me, “tabby” is a catch-all adjective for cats with stripes. ---
**Author:** ![Chum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3ab097/32.png) [@Chum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chum)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2009, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-tabby-cat-mean-to-you/490099/16 "2009-03-20T01:54:55Z")
How could I not have mentioned my [two tabby boys](http://www.flickr.com/photos/25066062@N05/2368002048/)? ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2009, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-tabby-cat-mean-to-you/490099/17 "2009-03-20T03:16:34Z")
Housecat with stripes. ---
**Author:** ![tygre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c4cdca/32.png) [@tygre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tygre)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2009, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-tabby-cat-mean-to-you/490099/18 "2009-03-20T03:28:40Z")
Brownish-gray with black stripes – like this one. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2009, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-tabby-cat-mean-to-you/490099/19 "2009-03-20T03:39:44Z")
> [@Q.E.D](#): > > Interesting trivia: Orange tabbies are nearly always males. Whereas calico(e)s are always female, yes? Are the genes for coat color coded onto the sex chromosomes in some weird way? ---
**Author:** ![Terraplane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@Terraplane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terraplane)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2009, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-tabby-cat-mean-to-you/490099/20 "2009-03-20T03:41:09Z")
Stripey cats, at least on their legs, forehead, and tail. Coincidentally, I just happen to have [two examples](http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l197/omgzebras/IMG_1363.jpg). Kitty is the orange mackerel tabby and Zissou is the spotted grey. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-tabby-cat-mean-to-you/490099.md?page=2)