Tabby is a pattern on the fur of animals, typically can be expressed as stripes, swirls, or combinations thereof. This pattern is also found in other breeds of cats and in some other animals, such as skunks, rabbits, and leopards.
Tabby pattern is a common pattern seen in the coats of many cats. It’s very striking but it can have multiple variations depending on colors and spotting patterns. The Tabby pattern on Maine Coon Cats is beautiful and unique, which is why it’s often desired for our favorite furry companions.
Tabby patterns can be considered as a form of camouflage, providing protection from the natural predators of the various felids living in forests, deserts, and jungles. The tabby’s stripes would break up the animal’s outline as it moved through vegetation.
What makes a maine coon cat a tabby?
It is not clear why the tabby pattern appears in Maine Coon Cats. Here are some of the most popular theories on why these cats have stripes. Some people believe that the stripes are a result of genes that cause pigment blotches, while others think that they are created by genes that cause dark pigment to be introduced into lighter fur zones.
One possible explanation is that the tabby pattern is caused by changes in melanocytes, cells in hair follicles which produce black or brown pigment called melanin. One more theory is based on what’s known as “reticular pseudogenes”. This theory states that these pseudogenes regulate gene expression and can alter how patterns are arranged along cat’s hair shafts.
How rare are tabby maine coon cats
A tabby pattern on a Maine Coon cat is not rare. It can be seen in about 1/3 of all the cats with this breed. The pattern is also seen in many other breeds such as the Ocicat, Bengal, and Birman. This tabby pattern can be seen as the coat goes from head to tail, it changes from black and brown stripes to orange and brown swirls.
Did the tabby pattern on Maine Coon cause a different personality?
The tabby pattern isn’t responsible for a different personality. There is no scientific evidence that the tabby pattern on a Maine Coon (or any other cat) can cause a different personality. The idea that cats with stripes or spots show more aggression is based on superstition and not scientific data.
This old wives’ tale is also debunked by the fact that many purebreds have tabby patterns, including some of the most popular breeds, such as Persians, Himalayans, Cornish Rexes, British shorthairs, American shorthairs, Oriental shorthairs and Exotic Shorthairs.
Maine coon tabby mix
Tabby patterns on cats can vary in a range of ways, from a stripe to a chevron pattern. The tabby pattern can also vary depending on their other colours and markings. For example, if you have brown and white fur with orange markings, your stripes would be darker than if you had black and white fur with orange markings.
The tabby pattern is always black or brown with dark stripes. The stripes can be thick or thin, and they usually run down the cat’s spine, legs, and tail. The pattern can be mixed with any color on the cat’s body such as silver, blue, calico, and so on.
- Orange tabby maine coon
- Brown tabby maine coon
- Black tabby maine coon
- White tabby maine coon
- Silver tabby maine coon
- Blue tabby maine coon
- Grey tabby maine coon
- Red tabby maine coon
- Calico tabby maine coon
Types of tabby maine coon cat patterns
There are different types of tabby patterns that can be seen on these particular cats. If you are interested in knowing about other types of patterns, here is some more information on some types of tabby patterns on maine coon cat.
Classic tabby maine coon
The classic is the most common type of tabby cat. It’s named for its prominent stripes. Tabby cats have a striped pattern on their fur due to the different colors of the fur. The stripes are usually dark brown, light gray, and white. When they are born, they have a coat with two colors – one from their father and one from their mother.
Mackerel tabby maine coon
Mackerel tabby pattern is one of the most common types of tabby patterns and it is characterized by narrow stripes that come together to form a rosette pattern. This type of Tabby cat is often mistaken for a tiger or leopard due to the rosette patterning which is also seen in those animals. Mackerel tabbies were given their name for their thin stripes that resemble a fish. The mackerel tabby has thin stripes that are often lighter in color than its body fur.
Torbie maine coon
This pattern is found in many breeds of cats. This marking is characterized by the stripes being vertically aligned, red to black, with additional brown patches near the spine, called “torbie” (tortoiseshell and tabby) markings. The tabby pattern is found in shorthairs as well as longhairs.
Agouti tabby maine coon
Agouti tabby pattern is a coat color pattern that is popular in cats. The pattern consists of an overlay of two colors, with the base color being agouti and the overlay being tabby. The agouti fur has stripes that are bands of alternating light and dark hairs.
Agouti tabbies are often confused with calico cats because they have similar patterns. But unlike an agouti tabby’s colors, calico colors are always three colors- orange, white, and brown.
Blotched tabby maine coon
Blotched or tiger cats are named after their much thicker stripes that look like the markings of a tiger. The blotched tabby pattern is characterized by dark stripes (much thicker and darker than its body fur) on a lighter background on the back, sides and head, which are typically irregular. Tabby cats with this pattern are often called “blotched tabbies.”
Ticked tabby maine coon
Ticked tabby cats have an appearance that resembles the ticking of a fabric pattern or quilt. Ticked tabbies have rings on their bodies that look like those on a tree trunk.
Spotted tabby maine coon
The spotted tabby pattern is created when the dark stripes occur on the body due to the alternating light and dark bands of color on each hair. The background color can be any of the other four tabby patterns (blotched, classic, mackerel, ticked), but it is most commonly seen in blotched or classic. This pattern can sometimes be seen in longhaired cats due to their long fur such as maine coon.