In the 'classic tabby' (blotched tabby) there are broad bands, whorls and spirals of dark colour on a paler background usually with a 'bulls eye' (or 'oyster') pattern on the flank. In the mackerel tabby, the vertical stripes are thin like fishbones and may break up into bars or vertically aligned spots. These two patterns are common in random-breeding pet and feral populations. The two most common tabby patterns are 'mackerel tabby' and 'classic tabby' (blotched tabby, oyster tabby). So as well as the cat fancy definitions, I've covered as many variations as I can and there are no doubt many more out there! Nature isn't so restricted in its patterns and there are numerous variations found in random-bred cats and emerging breeds (particuarly those with hybrid ancestry) that aren't recognised by the cat fancy. For example the 'marbled tabby' seen in Bengals is a variation on the 'classic tabby'. The cat fancy recognises four basic types of tabby (ticked, mackerel, classic, spotted) with breed-specific variations on each of these types. When sold in England, this silk was called atabi or - by those who misheard - taffety. Their name was said to have been derived from a street in Baghdad celebrated for the manufacture of its watered or moire silks. In the early days of cat exhibitions, tabbies were divided into banded and spotted. These are two examples of tabby, or striped, cat. For most people, two of the most familiar 'types' of cat are the 'blotched tabby' and the 'ginger tom' (or 'marmalade cat').

Tabby cat white feet