Tabby

A tabby cat, or simply tabby, describes any domestic cat with a coat pattern distinguished by an M-shaped marking on its forehead, stripes by its eyes, cheeks, along its back, and around its legs and tail. A tabby also has characteristic striped, dotted, lined, flecked, banded, or swirled patterns on the body: neck, shoulders, sides, flanks, chest. The four known distinct tabby patterns are mackerel, classic, ticked, and spotted. Each is linked to specific genetics.