# 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:** 4
**Author:** ![horsetech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dec6dc/32.png) [@horsetech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/horsetech)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2009, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-tabby-cat-mean-to-you/490099/61 "2009-03-21T06:26:07Z")
That’s odd, you’d think that a male cat would have more, um, tabs. 😉 I feel a little left out – I have a calico and a tortie, but no tabbies. I have been enjoying the cat pics, though. Squeee! ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2009, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-tabby-cat-mean-to-you/490099/62 "2009-03-21T14:44:17Z")
> [@Audrey\_Levins](#): > > I will ask (brief hijack!) if anyone else besides me has a certain affinity/fondness for certain coat varieties in cats… > > I have a weakness for tuxedo cats…mainly black with white paws/chest/mustache…and by the same token I’m just not “attracted” to solid-colored cats regardless of what color it is. (Gray, white, black, orange, etc.) > > Should a true cat-lover not care? I also love tuxedos. I’ve had three, all females, and all three of them were absolute terrors. Little demon-possessed monsters. But lovable! As with most others in the thread, I think of a striped or marbled cat when I hear “tabby.” I have a mackerel tabby, [Dickens](http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v101/jsgoddess/?action=view¤t=dickensheadtilt.jpg), who’s brown with tuxedo markings. And I have a rather [spectacular tortie-tabby](http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v101/jsgoddess/?action=view¤t=yawn.jpg), [Halley](http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v101/jsgoddess/?action=view¤t=halley0006-E.jpg), who only has the M and stripes on the legs. ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2009, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-tabby-cat-mean-to-you/490099/63 "2009-03-21T15:45:12Z")
I always thought Tabbie == Mutt… I stand corrected. Is there a term for a “mutt” cat? ---
**Author:** ![bink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/439d5e/32.png) [@bink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bink)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2009, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-tabby-cat-mean-to-you/490099/64 "2009-03-21T15:52:26Z")
My vet calls them DSH: Domestic Short Hair. I think that’s pretty generic. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2009, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-tabby-cat-mean-to-you/490099/65 "2009-03-21T15:58:21Z")
Yep. DSH, or DLH. I call mine mutts, though. ---
**Author:** ![D.Fenestrator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aca169/32.png) [@D.Fenestrator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D.Fenestrator)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2009, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-tabby-cat-mean-to-you/490099/66 "2009-03-21T16:44:41Z")
We always called ordinary random-bred cats “alley cats” even though we lived in a semi-rural area. I wasn’t personally acquainted with very many cats that were any particular breed, although we did know a few people with Siamese cats… Cats with stripes were striped cats, with “striped” pronounced as two syllables. I didn’t start calling them tabby cats until I was older and had learned something about cat breeds and markings. Why did I read up on this? No particular reason, just generally interested. I absorbed lots of irrelevant stuff when I was younger. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![D.Fenestrator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aca169/32.png) [@D.Fenestrator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D.Fenestrator)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2009, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-tabby-cat-mean-to-you/490099/67 "2009-03-21T16:46:37Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > And these aren’t dolls, they’re ACTION FIGURES! 🙂 Too true! 🙂 The cat doesn’t care what you call him (for the most part), as long as you feed him and keep his litter box clean!! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2009, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-tabby-cat-mean-to-you/490099/68 "2009-03-21T19:38:28Z")
Here are some new pix of Freckles. [http://www.flickr.com/photos/oliver\_faltz/sets/](http://www.flickr.com/photos/oliver_faltz/sets/) He’s a 10-year-old male (neutered) with muted stripes, some of which are broken into spots. He’s a handsome lad. Click one the one little pic to see them all. ---
**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 22, 2009, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-tabby-cat-mean-to-you/490099/69 "2009-03-22T03:06:33Z")
> [@simster](#): > > I always thought Tabbie == Mutt… I stand corrected. > > Is there a term for a “mutt” cat? Mutts. Most cats ARE mutts. Tabby just refers to patterns. ---
**Author:** ![Rubystreak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Rubystreak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rubystreak)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2009, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-tabby-cat-mean-to-you/490099/70 "2009-03-22T03:09:34Z")
> [@Apricot](#): > > You mean to say, “My cat’s name is Maceo”? Really? That’s awesome. I didn’t even know that song existed when I named him Maceo, but it is kinda cool that such a song exists. Maceo has literally no stripes on his body at all. He is varying shades of apricot and beige, tending towards almost white in the belly, chin, and under the tail. On his face he has the M and some lines around his eyes, and there are faint rings on the end of his tail. No one would call him a striped cat or a tabby. This is why I was surprised to hear that all orange cats are tabby, since Maceo really isn’t, visually speaking, a tabby. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2009, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-tabby-cat-mean-to-you/490099/71 "2009-03-22T05:07:54Z")
> [@simster](#): > > I always thought Tabbie == Mutt… I stand corrected. > > Is there a term for a “mutt” cat? The Brits call them “moggies.” I’ve always liked that. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![SomeUserName](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e480ec/32.png) [@SomeUserName](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SomeUserName)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2009, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-tabby-cat-mean-to-you/490099/72 "2009-03-22T11:50:59Z")
> [@Audrey\_Levins](#): > > I will ask (brief hijack!) if anyone else besides me has a certain affinity/fondness for certain coat varieties in cats… > > I have a weakness for tuxedo cats…mainly black with white paws/chest/mustache…and by the same token I’m just not “attracted” to solid-colored cats regardless of what color it is. (Gray, white, black, orange, etc.) > > Should a true cat-lover not care? I don’t think having a preference is strange but then variety is the spice of life. I have… 2 - Calicos, one is dilute, both girls, both bitches 3 - Tuxedos, all girls, all terrors 1 - Solid White, girl, sweety pie 1 - Patched Tabby, girl, sweety pie 1 - Grey Tabby, girl, sweety pie 3 - Grey Tabby w/white. 1 girl, 2 boys, all shitheads 1 - White with tabby patches, boy, Joe Cool ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2009, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-tabby-cat-mean-to-you/490099/73 "2009-03-22T12:49:41Z")
The famous [Morris](http://www.felinefanatic.com/JPEG/Morris%20The%20Cat.jpg) was a male orange tabby. The [official bio](http://www.biography.com/animalographies/commercial-animals.jsp) says “Large red tabby tomcat…Nicknames: ‘The Clarke Gable of Cats’ or ‘The Feline Burt Reynolds’” ---
**Author:** ![freckafree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freckafree/32/3050_2.png) [@freckafree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freckafree)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2009, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-tabby-cat-mean-to-you/490099/74 "2009-03-22T13:03:02Z")
> [@AskNott](#): > > Here are some new pix of Freckles. > [http://www.flickr.com/photos/oliver\_faltz/sets/](http://www.flickr.com/photos/oliver_faltz/sets/) > He’s a 10-year-old male (neutered) with muted stripes, some of which are broken into spots. He’s a handsome lad. > > Click one the one little pic to see them all. My cat [Julian](http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m81/fwhited/SDMB/IMG_3740.jpg) looks like the DLH version of Freckles! ---
**Author:** ![Hanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b3f665/32.png) [@Hanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hanna)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2009, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-tabby-cat-mean-to-you/490099/75 "2009-03-22T13:28:14Z")
> [@horsetech](#): > > I feel a little left out – I have a calico and a tortie, but no tabbies. I have been enjoying the cat pics, though. Squeee! My tortie [Isabel](http://home.comcast.net/~yay.cat.pictures//izzy_tabby.jpg) has definite tabby tendencies. If this picture was straight on you could see that even though her face is half brown/half orange, she has the stripes and the M on her forehead. I’ve heard that the torties (usually always female) and the orangies (usually male) have the same (_genetic color thing that I don’t know the correct term for and am too lazy to look up_) but males get the orange color and females get the tortie color. ETA: Izzy’s ears aren’t dirty, she has the spotted pigments inside her ears, too. It makes me always want to clean them, but they’re already clean! > [@simster](#): > > I always thought Tabbie == Mutt… I stand corrected. > > Is there a term for a “mutt” cat? My mother calls them “alley cats” ---
**Author:** ![freckafree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freckafree/32/3050_2.png) [@freckafree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freckafree)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2009, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-tabby-cat-mean-to-you/490099/76 "2009-03-22T13:32:28Z")
Wow, **Boscibo**! Izzy is a beautiful girl! ---
**Author:** ![Hanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b3f665/32.png) [@Hanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hanna)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2009, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-tabby-cat-mean-to-you/490099/77 "2009-03-22T18:19:25Z")
> [@freckafree](#): > > Wow, **Boscibo**! Izzy is a beautiful girl! She is, isn’t she? She knows it too. She’s 100% princess. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![PapSett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecc23a/32.png) [@PapSett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PapSett)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2009, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-tabby-cat-mean-to-you/490099/78 "2009-03-22T23:36:49Z")
I have 2 of 'em: [![](https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v20/PapSett/My%20Babies/TheKids2060.jpg) ](https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v20/PapSett/My%20Babies/TheKids2060.jpg) Charlie is the orange tabby, and Ruby the classic brown tabby. The brown tabby has always been my favorite cat color, especially with the white trim. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2009, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-tabby-cat-mean-to-you/490099/79 "2009-03-23T14:09:07Z")
> [@freckafree](#): > > My cat [Julian](http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m81/fwhited/SDMB/IMG_3740.jpg) looks like the DLH version of Freckles! Oooo, he sure does! It’s an unusual pattern. There a cat down the street who could be Freckles’s twin, if he weren’t 5 years younger. A couple times I almost let him in by mistake. Luckily, the “cousin” wears a collar. ---
**Author:** ![discodancer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9c0ed/32.png) [@discodancer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/discodancer)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2009, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-tabby-cat-mean-to-you/490099/80 "2009-03-23T19:18:19Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > 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. Ditto for the “forehead M”. I think the “M” stands for “must be a tabby.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-tabby-cat-mean-to-you/490099.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-tabby-cat-mean-to-you/490099.md?page=5)