What does the M on a cat mean?

Cats with 'M' on forehead: the mark of a true tabby cat

One story has it that the 'M' is related to the word 'mau' which in Ancient Egypt meant 'cat'. In Christian folklore, a tabby cat dutifully showed up to comfort baby Jesus. In gratitude, his mother Mary stroked the cat's head and left an 'M' mark on its forehead.

What breed of cats have an M on their forehead?

The classic tabby (also known as blotched or marbled tabby) has the 'M' pattern on the forehead but the body markings, rather than primarily thin stripes or spots, are thick curving bands in a whirled or swirled pattern with a distinctive mark on each side of the body resembling a bullseye.

What are the M cats?

Colours include brown, grey (also called blue), ginger, plus white or cream. The most distinctive and defining feature of a tabby cat is the “M” on their forehead. This is centred just above their eyes and is the prominent marking that sets tabbies apart from other cats.

Do only Maine Coon cats have an M on their forehead?

The 'M' on a Maine Coons forehead is a dominant patterned marking found on all tabby patterned Maine Coon cats. This prominent marking is not specific to the Maine Coon breed, but is visible on every color of Maine Coon cat that you can think of, provided the cat has tabby patterned markings.

Do all tabbies have an M?

Most all tabbies have a distinctive “M” on their foreheads, and there are a couple of legends that describe the origin of the mark. The first legend comes from the ancient Egyptians. Cats were called Mau, most likely because of the sound they make. The word “Mau” also translated to seeing, or light.

Cat Vocalizations and What They Mean

What is the rarest tabby cat?

Ticked tabbies are the rarest among the common tabby cats, and it can be challenging to find one.

What does M mean on cat forehead?

The translation of the word Mau is seeing or light. Cat eyes reflect light and at night their eyes appeared so luminous the Egyptians associated cat eyes with the moon. According to legend, the “M” on the tabby's forehead is a mark of that relationship.

Why do tabby cats have an M?

The distinct 'M' marking on a Tabby's forehead is thought by some to stand for either 'Mau,' which is the Egyptian word for 'cat,' the Virgin Mary, or also Mohammed, who is said to have loved Tabbies. Other Tabby patterns came about from selective breeding and mutations of mackerel Tabby cats.

How do you tell if a cat is a Maine Coon?

How can I tell if my cat is mixed with a Maine Coon?

Analyze the cat's size, eyes, tail, fur, paws, personality, body frame, and ear tufts, for clues, the cat is a Maine Coon mix. Genetic testing is the only full-proof method of identifying if you own a mixed Maine Coon, or not.

How much are tabby cats worth?

Here are a few pointers when it comes to tabby cats' price: “Randomly” bred tabby cats can cost as little as $100 or less. Purebred tabbies can set you back with $700-$1500. Designer tabbies like the Bengal cost around $2k and more.

What makes a tabby a tabby?

"A tabby cat generally refers to a randomly bred cat that has a pattern of stripes, swirls, spots, or blotches of coloration in the fur coat," Lyons says. The pattern may present itself on a variety of colored coats, with gray, brown, and orange being the most common.

Is the tabby gene dominant?

Solid white is a masking gene and is dominant to all other colours; black (or seal) are dominant to chocolate or cinnamon; tabby (agouti) is dominant to self or solid (non-agouti); shorthair is dominant to longhair, to mention just a few.

Why tabby cats are the best?

Tabby cat personality traits

When it comes to personality traits, tabbies are considered friendly, happy-go-lucky cats, intelligent, sassy, very affectionate and wonderful companions. Red tabbies, often called orange, ginger and marmalade tabbies, can be feisty and bossy.

Are tabby cats smart?

Tabbies Are Affectionate and Intelligent

These unique creatures are incredibly affectionate and intelligent. They love cuddles and a whole lot of attention. However, tabbies can get pretty cranky if they don't get their way; since as a rule they are very bright, they usually end up getting what they want.

Are tabby cats friendly?

The term tabby doesn't refer to a breed but to a coat pattern commonly seen in cats, so it's difficult to make generalizations about the tabby's personality. Many tabby owners say, however, that their cats are friendly and affectionate.

Do Maine Coons meow?

Whilst the Maine Coon cat breed is well known for being talkative, they do not characteristically 'meow' incessantly. In fact, they do not actually meow at all, instead preferring to chirp and trill as they communicate with their owners.

Are Maine Coons tabby cats?

Despite the fact that Maine Coons are different from tabby cats, it also holds that Maine Coons are a pedigree cat breed. Whereas tabby is simply a coat pattern that can be applied to any cat breed, including the Maine Coons.

What are the most dog like cats?

Is tabby a breed or color?

People sometimes call the average domestic cat a tabby, but tabby is not a cat breed — it is actually the pattern of kitty's coat. And it happens to be the most common of all the feline coat patterns. Technically speaking, no matter what colors or markings you see on your cat, all felines possess the tabby cat gene.

Can a black cat be a tabby?

Black cats often have a tabby pattern, but it's not always suppressed. It's common for black cats to have faint markings in certain lights. For example, many black cats experience a "rust" in the sunlight, where their coat turns a lighter brownish shade. Even the blackest of black cats can look different in the sun.

Are all tabby cats males?

Did you know orange tabby cats are typically male? In fact, up to 80 percent of orange tabbies are male, making orange female cats a bit of a rarity. According to the BBC's Focus Magazine, the ginger gene in cats works a little differently compared to humans; it is on the X chromosome.

Are male kittens more affectionate than females?

Male cats tend to be more social and affectionate with both humans and other cats. They commonly form strong bonds with other cats in the home, even when they are not from the same litter. Females, on the other hand, are often more standoffish. If you are looking for a cuddle bug, adopting a male may be your best bet.

How do you tell a tabby cat apart?

The stripes on a classic tabby cat tend to be wider and thicker than on other varieties of tabbies. Those thicker lines can contribute to the blotchy pattern that is characteristic of classic tabbies. Observe swirling lines. The distinct tabby lines appear circular or swirling on classic tabbies.

What is a tabby and white cat called?

A bicolor cat or piebald cat is a cat with white fur combined with fur of some other color, for example black or tabby. There are various patterns of bicolor cat.