Discover the Purr-fect World of Tabby Cats: Top 11 Fun Facts to Delight and Amaze!

1. Fashionable Tabby Gene Patterns

Cats must have been thinking stripes are the new black when they decided on their fashionable tabby patterns: The agouti gene, with its dominant alleles TaM and TiA, is responsible for creating the mackerel and ticked tabby patterns, while the recessive allele Tab creates the blotched or classic tabby. Meanwhile, the Orange locus determines the mix of orange and non-orange fur, setting these feline fashionistas apart from their non-tabby runway counterparts.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

2. Ancient Egyptian Feline Royalty

Before cat memes ruled the internet, our feline friends had a former life reigning over ancient Egypt: Cats were worshipped as deities, with 80,000 feline burials discovered in Middle Egypt, including the mummified pet of Crown Prince Thutmose, Ta-Miu, who was laid to rest in a decorated sarcophagus with provisions like milk and mice.
Source => litter-robot.com

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=> Fun Facts about Cats

3. Sleepy Tabby Olympians

If cats ever entered a sleep Olympics, tabby cats would surely take home the gold: These adorable feline snooze-masters can snooze away for a remarkable 16 hours a day, with older cats potentially setting the record between 12 and 18 hours, spread across multiple mini-naps throughout both day and night!
Source => thesleepdoctor.com

4. Mysterious "M" Markings

Tabby cats have long been the purr-suit of mysterious secret societies, their forehead markings resembling none other than Da Vinci's coveted lost hieroglyph: Little did we know, the true origin of the "M" on their foreheads is believed to be tied to ancient myths and legends, from Egyptian language translating the "M" as "Mau" for cat to Mother Mary bestowing a blessed kiss or the Prophet Mohammed naming a tabby cat Muezza, meaning "cherished" in Arabic.
Source => cattitudedaily.com

5. Orange Tabby Trendsetters

In a world where orange is the new black, even cats are joining the trend: All orange felines are, in fact, tabby cats with the most common coat pattern, but they can also strut in black, gray, and white hues, and sport one of five fabulous patterns – classic, mackerel, spotted, ticked, or patched, darling!
Source => catster.com

6. Fetal Tabby Fashion Design

The cat's pajamas: it turns out tabby cats are wearing their stripes for a reason! Thanks to a gene called DKK4, they're busy designing their fur-tastic outfits from the fetal stage: mapping out where thick and thin skin will lie, using Taqpep to accessorize with the perfect stripe size, and creating those one-of-a-kind coat patterns we all adore.
Source => smorescience.com

7. Senior Citizen Furball Therapy

Forget knitting and bingo – these senior citizens are opting for furball therapy instead: A program by Cornell University's Feline Health Center pairs elderly residents at a nearby retirement home with homeless tabby cats, resulting in increased physical activity, reduced risk of diseases, and a whole lot of purring companionship.
Source => petful.com

8. Pharaohs' Lap-Sitting Companions

Talk about feline royalty: these ancient whiskered beauties weren't just tabby-tastic; they had some serious, lap-sitting privileges with pharaohs! The serious reveal: Tabby cats often appeared as subjects in ancient Egyptian art, sitting pretty in pharaohs' laps, donning snazzy collars, and gracing statues and wall paintings, but interestingly enough, the cat goddess Bastet was portrayed differently - with a lion head or as a cat-headed goddess rocking a plain-colored dress, rather than tabby stripes.
Source => metmuseum.org

9. Tabby Cat Coat Patterns & Personality

If a cat strutted down the catwalk like a fashionista, it would definitely be a tabby cat, flaunting its four fabulous coat patterns: classic, mackerel, spotted, and ticked! Purring fashion-forward and melodic like a feline karaoke star: Tabby cats actually boast distinctive fur designs, amiable personalities, and impressive hunting skills – although they're just as happy cuddling up with a bowl of kibble and a warm bed.
Source => washingtonpost.com

10. Tabby Patterns Across Cat Breeds

Tabby cats: the feline fashionistas flaunting their fabulous patterns all over the catwalks – literally – with a flair for stripes, spots, and swirls that would have fashion designers purring with envy: These posh patterns are not exclusive to a specific breed, but a coat style found in several breeds like Domestic Shorthair, American Shorthair, Bengal, Maine Coon, Savannah, and Scottish Fold, thanks to the agouti gene they all share.
Source => litter-robot.com

11. Tabby Patterns and African Wildcats

Step aside, zebra crossing: the catwalk has multiple models too! Tabby cats come in a fabulous four-pack of patterns that'll leave you feline fantastic: classic, mackerel, spotted, and ticked. From bold swirls to dainty spots and stylish stripes - all trace their roots back to the original striped tabby coat of the African wildcat, the grand ancestor of all domestic cats.
Source => felidaefund.org