So far this week we have looked at two famous birds and scooby snack loving dog. Today we are going to look at the plain old Tabby Cat. So what is the most famous cartoon Tabby Cat, you ask? Well he is lazy, loves lasagna and lives with a lovable dog named Odie. That’s right, cartoon fans, I am talking about the one and only, Garfield. I still remember reading the Garfield comic strips in the newspaper or watching him on TV. It certainly does bring back some very fond childhood memories.
A Tabby Cat has a very identifiable coat consisting of stripes, dots or swirl-like patterns. A common misconception of the Tabby Cat is that people believe they are an actual breed of cat. Well my friends, I am here to tell you that the Tabby is not a breed of cat as this “tabby” pattern can be found in a variety of cat species. This tabby pattern is a naturally occurring feature that is believed to be related to the domestic cat’s wild ancestor, the African Wildcat. Just because it isn’t a specific species doesn’t mean we can’t finish this Wild Fact about them, right?
In order to be a Tabby Cat you have to have the special patterns so what are the types of patterns that distinguish Tabby Cats from other cats. There are actually four distinct patterns which include mackerel, spotted, classic and ticked. The mackerel Tabbies will have curving stripes on the side of their body. Believe it or not the spotted Tabby Cat has spots. The classic version of the Tabby has a swirled pattern of wider stripes. Finally, the ticked Tabby Cat have hairs with distinct bands of colours on them which gives them the salt and pepper look. So what type of Tabby Cat do you have?
I am not exactly sure which pattern Garfield has but I would be more than willing to hear your ideas in the comments below. There are a couple of other famous cartoon Tabby Cats including Heathcliff and Puss in Boots from the Shrek series. I had forgot all about Heathcliff!
Well that does it for Thursday’s Cartoon Wild Fact. Make sure you check out the last Cartoon Fact of the week, tomorrow. Have a great day everyone! Of course I couldn’t leave without posting a classic Garfield clip, so enjoy!
I have always had striped tabbies – very distinctive stripes on their body and tails. Many tabbies have a lot of Siamese in them – so both of the tabbies I have had had perfect white feet, long tails and slim bodies….kinda like a tabby Siamese!
I didn’t realize that many tabbies had Siamese in them. Thanks for sharing that little tidbit of information.
“Tabby Siamese” …. hahaha! I like it!
My dad is a tabby cat nut. I’ve had a grey chinchilla, a tuxedo and a half Devon Rex. Tabbies are wilder looking and have a superiority complex. Tabbies are tame wildcats.
Hi Anna!
Thanks for sharing this little bit of information. I didn’t realize the Tabbies were that wild. It does make sense since they are relatives of the wildcats.