Q: What’s the difference between a tabby and a tiger cat? Is a tabby a purebred cat?
A: Tabby is not a breed, but a coat pattern common among purebreds as well as mixed-breed cats, usually referred to as domestic short- or long-haired cats.
The classic tabby has a blotched or swirled pattern of dark markings over a lighter coat color. This coat pattern often has a bull’s eye on each side or a butterfly shape on top.
A marbled tabby is a classic tabby whose coat has a cloudy appearance.
The mackerel tabby, often called a striped tabby or a tiger cat, has narrow stripes of dark fur instead of the blotches or swirls of the classic tabby. In the “broken mackerel” coat pattern, the stripes appear as dashes or broken lines.
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