Tabby 'M' marking

[HayleyRosie]

Do all tabby's have a clearly defined 'M' marking on their forehead?

[AmberLee]

I'm told that's something that's looked for in breed conformation, which would imply that some don't, right?

[Karen]

A "classic" tabby has an M, but I've seen tabbies with V's, W's, and some no "letter" at all. They're still tabbies, but probably not "show" material.

[Barbara]

Plus there are other cats with an M: Abyssinians have it too !

[catland]

From what I've read - all kittys began from tabbys. Even my solid grey boy Joxer has the distinct outside parts of the M and faint stripes in his tail.

[wolflady]

This is an interesting question. I have also read that, catland. From what I remember, most cats are descended from a type of tabby. Abyssinians are actually tabbies, just with a 'ticked' coat. Even solid black cats are tabbies. If you look at them in bright sunlight, you can see a tabby pattern and an 'M' on their forehead. Wierd, huh?

[JillLovesMinnie14yrs]

I have two brown tabbies and they both have V's and they both have a real case of eyeliner!!!!

[Vio&Juni]

My Juni has a an M and also a "paw print".

She's a real tabby. She has no other marks as I've seen with other tabbies. She has the white chin as most of the tabbies.

My Inka also has the "m" !! i have NO idea about her breed ...

[todd]

I love tabbys I have a orange tabby her name is angel

[wayne0214]

I believe that our domestic cats originally came from the Lybian desert cat, and wer e brought to Europe before the time of the Roman empire, except those breeds that are native to, Eastern and further south, African lands. If I remember correctly, the Lybian desert cat, which still lives in the North African desert areas, were brown tabbys, with the more distinct rings on their tail's end. Last week, Animal Planet had a program featuring a tiny larg-eared fox from that part of the world. Also, they showed its interaction with the Lybian Desert Cat. The only difference between the desert cat and the domestic cat, was coloration and the wild cat appeared to have a longer neck than our domestic counter-part. In fact, it appeard to be a miniature of the larger cats from central Africa and Asia.


...............wayne