CENTERY OF ELITE BRITISH CATS, KITTENS ELITE BRITISH

The British tabby is the owner of a bright appearance, formed due to a clearly defined pattern on his plush fur coat. All cats have a pattern in their genetic code, but in some it is blocked by something called agouti factor.

If this factor does not allow the pattern (tabby or tabby) to open, then the animal has a uniform color coat. Some kittens may have shadow patterns, spots or stripes that disappear with age. The standard does not recognize the British cat breed with a blurred pattern; it either has it or it doesn’t.

BRITISH TABBY: COLOR STANDARD

British tabbies, regardless of the pattern on the coat, must have the following elements in their color (the exception is the ticked color - it has no pattern):

• the letter "M" on the forehead;
• “necklaces” on the chest;
• stripes on the paws;
• tail rings;
• one or two rows of spots on the belly;
• A contrasting tabby pattern is required;
• a light spot on each ear on the outside;
• eyeliner and nose to match the main color.

Photo: British spotted tabby cat, spotted chocolate color BRI b 24
British tabby color is based on a good contrast pattern; if it is blurred, it is rejected by experts. Most likely there was an incorrect mating, where one of the parents was a solid color and the other was a tabby.

The eye color of a British cat must correspond to the standard of the main color (most often golden, less often green or blue).

What does tabby color mean?

The unusual name “tabby” (translated from English tabby) means “motley, spotted, striped.” This intricate coloring is also called patterned or patterned because of the brightness and contrast of the colors.

This is the most ancient and diverse type of animal fur coloring. Moreover, only members of the cat family have tabbed color. No other representative of the animal world can boast of such an unusual pattern on its skin.

Tabby coloring is a natural color in cats. Stripes and spots of various shapes and sizes were observed on the fur of the distant ancestors of these animals. This kind of camouflage helped them become invisible among bushes and dense thickets. Thanks to camouflage coloring, large predators could easily get close to their prey, while smaller forest cats could escape from their enemies.

Tabby coloring is often called wild. After all, almost all representatives of the cat family living in their natural environment have stripes or spots.

Thanks to domestication and the hard work of breeders, many other interesting colors of purring pets have been developed today. But still, motley, wild color remains the most common among cats of different breeds.

BRITISH SHORTHAIR TABBY CAT: VARIETIES OF COLOR PATTERNS

Shorthair British tabby cat, may be one of the following color subspecies:

• ticked;
• spotted (leopard);
• striped (brindle);
• marble.

Let's look at all types of colors schematically.

TICKED BRITISH COLOR

The ticked color of the British cats is similar in appearance to the solid color, although it belongs to the Tibby color of British cats. The color should be even and only the upper part should look like “spraying”.

By spreading the fur, you can see that each hair has stripes. The undercoat corresponds to the color of the coat (chocolate, blue, lilac, etc.).

Of all the tabby markings in the ticked color of a British cat, only the letter “M” is present on the forehead and drawn curls on the cheeks. All other stripes, spots, rings on the tail and “necklaces” on the chest are rejected.

This color is very similar to the shaded and veiled one, only it has a higher intensity of the main color. Eyes are orange, golden or green.

Photo: golden ticked British tabby kitten BRI ny 25 64

Asian Tabby breed description

The Asian tabby belongs to the group of cats of the Asian line, being their most variegated representative. In addition to their regal appearance, they are distinguished by their wisdom and sedateness. They are not characterized by whims, so they are not picky about food and do not worry during hygiene procedures. The cat's smart face seems to emphasize that it is impossible to find a more perfect pet.

For all its kindness and sociability, the Asian tabby is not at all a meek or weak animal. She is not characterized by aggression or rancor, but she can definitely defend herself. At the same time, it is very friendly with both people and other animals.

The Asian tabby is medium-sized and weighs 4-7 kg. As expected, cats are larger than female cats; they have rougher features and a massive body. Cats are more graceful and sophisticated. The body of Asian cats is strong and long, the bones are strong, and the body is round and quite powerful. The muscles are clearly visible when the animal is active - walking or playing. The back is straight, and the paws are graceful and slender with medium-sized oval-shaped pads.

Thanks to the proportionality of all parts of the body, the Asian tabby cat is graceful, like a true Englishman. His front legs are slightly higher than his hind legs. A straight and fairly thin tail of medium length, slightly tapering to a rounded tassel.

The short neck is crowned with a wedge-shaped head, proportional in shape and medium in size, the contours of the head are soft. The muzzle is slightly flat, quite wide with slightly protruding cheeks. The cheekbones are clearly defined and meet in a powerful jaw. Slightly snub nose. The small ears are set quite wide apart and are rounded at the end, they are slightly tilted forward, and there is a feathering inside.

Asian tabbies have huge eyes, the deep set of which does not in any way reduce their size. The shape of the eyes is round and almond-shaped, slightly slanting. And their color varies from yellow with a slightly greenish tint, all the way to golden. Cats with amber-colored eyes are especially charming.

SPOTTED TABBY, LEOPARD COLOR BRITISH

According to the standard, the spotted color of the British must contain the letter “M” on the forehead, “necklaces”, stripes on the paws, rings on the tail, spots on the belly, a contrasting pattern, eyeliner and nose.

The British spotted cat can also be called Spotted tabby or leopard, which, in principle, is the same thing. The color must invariably include: the letter “M” on the forehead, “necklaces”, stripes on the paws, rings on the tail, spots on the belly, a contrasting pattern, eyeliner and nose, all according to the standard. The spotted color is the most common of all tabby colors. The British spotted cat looks elegant and looks like a leopard, which is why it received this second name for the color. British spotted kittens can be born from parents of any tabby color. Eyes can be copper or green (green eye color is characteristic of golden and sometimes silver colors).

Photo of a British tabby kitten, black silver spotted color BRI ns 24

Cat colors: what are they and how are they bred?

The color of a cat implies not only the color of its fur, but also the pattern on it (spots, rings, stripes, stains, etc.). There are only a few main genes responsible for cat colors (solid color, diluents, etc.), but they can be made in a variety of combinations, like a children's construction set. This allows you to create countless options for breeding the desired trait, wisely using a set of parental genes (dominant and recessive).

The pattern on a cat's skin may vary

BRITISH STRIPED COLOR (BRINCH, MACKERL)

The striped color of the British (British brindle tabby) must comply with all the same standards as the spotted one, only the pattern on the back and sides must have clear and uninterrupted stripes. In the color of a British Tabby Shorthair cat, the stripes should start at the spine and extend all the way to the paws. The stripes of a British brindle cat are narrow and frequent (and it is believed that the more often the better). Mackerel stripes (mackerel) should not intersect each other, be strictly vertical and always contrasting.

A brindle (striped) British kitten, even with very clear stripes, can “stretch” its color by adulthood and, if the stripes begin to be interrupted anywhere, the color is reviewed by experts and assigned - spotted. The full color of a British brindle kitten will be formed only by the age of one year (other tabby colors are not subject to such changes and most often do not change the appearance of the tabby pattern in adulthood).

British tabby cats are not as common as spotted cats, but more common than marbled cats.

The eye color of British tabby cats can be copper (golden, orange) or green (gold, occasionally silver).

Chocolate tabby British kitten: photo of California

Types of drawings

Felinologists (specialists in the breeding and selection of cats) distinguish 4 basic types of patterns inherent in the tabby color:

• ticked (Abyssinian);
• striped (mackerel);
• classic (marble);
• spotted (leopard).

Ticked

The most inconspicuous, barely distinguishable tabby color is ticked.

The color of the coat of such a pet is almost monochromatic. But, if you look closely, you may notice slightly visible stripes, small marks or small “freckles” that differ from the dominant background of the cat’s fur by a couple of tones. A pronounced, clear pattern is observed on the muzzle, chest, paws and tail of the animal.

The ticked color option is typical for Abyssinian cats. Hence the second name for this tabby color – Abyssinian.

Striped

If there are expressive narrow lines on the cat’s fur, then the color is considered striped, brindle (due to its resemblance to a tiger).

Vertical stripes are distributed parallel to each other, starting from the spine and going down to the stomach in many branches. The stripes stand out against the main background in a contrasting color.

Another name - mackerel - the pattern received due to its similarity with the coloring of mackerel - a striped fish.

Classical

The classic tabby color is considered the most beautiful.

The graphic patterns on the paws and neck of the animal are not very clearly expressed. The back and sides of the cat are decorated with interesting large spots, various curls and wide stripes.

Thanks to the contrasting color, intricate figures stand out well against the dominant tone ─ any tone other than white. This color is also known as “marble”.

Spotted

The spotted color type is defined by felinologists as leopard print. It is characterized by patterns that consist of specks and specks. A drawing of a relatively dominant color may be bright or not very different in tone from the base. An animal with this pattern looks like a small leopard.

Rarer variants

There are cats with rare tabby colors. Such colorings are an exception and do not fit into the main classification of tabby types:

• rosette: reminiscent of leopard print. Large spots with a dark outline look like irregular circles with a light center. The colors of the pattern contrast with the main background of the wool;
• tortoiseshell: characterized by the presence of two colors in the color of the animal (mainly yellow and black shades). The spots are not very bright, located in a chaotic manner;
• Calico: another basic tone is added - white. The pattern consists of short stripes and spots located on the pet’s paws, neck, muzzle and tail. The Calico tabby color is also called "spotted and white";
• patched: unusual coloring combines tortoiseshell and calico. A fairly large pattern of spots of different colors resembles patches;
• Links point: the pattern covers only some parts of the body (ears, muzzle, limbs, tail, chest or spine area). The body of a pet with a lynx point color is one color.

Tabby calico kitten

BRITISH MARBLE COLOR (MARBLE)

The British merle color is a very bright, beautiful color, perhaps the most complex in the tabby series. Marbled British cats wear beautiful patterns on their backs (2 stripes along the ridge, closed large circles on the sides, inside of which there is a clear large painted spot. And this entire pattern should not intersect or be interrupted. Also, a British marbled tabby cat has a butterfly pattern on the back of its head, patterns on the cheeks, starting from the corners of the eyes, on the forehead the letter "M". In addition, the British marble cat has closed "necklaces" on the chest (the larger the better), clear rings on the paws and tail. The British marble cat is very valued among breeders for its beautiful design, especially if the color is drawn correctly.

A British merle color may not be contrasting, in which case the color is rejected.

Photo: British cat Emili black marble on gold BRI ny 22 64

The character of the British marbled cat is no different from all other colors, although often future owners are interested in it, thinking that it is a separate breed of cat.

The marbled color of British kittens is visible from birth and is already quite contrasting. The necessary stripes, circles, and rings are clearly visible. The pattern of a British marbled kitten (British marbled kitten) may blend in a little with the main color of the coat, do not worry, most often by 2 months everything evens out and the color becomes most expressive.

History of the origin of the Asian cat

British specialists managed to obtain the breed in the beginning. 80s XX century. The crossing involved cats of three breeds at once - Burmese, Abyssinians and Persians. The matings were carried out in a certain sequence, but the result really exceeded all expectations - the resulting animal had the structure of a Burmese, with the disposition of an Abyssinian, and a combination of the gloss and modesty of an aristocratic Persian. In addition to the best features of the three breeds, the Asian tabby cat took from all of them a variety of colors, as a result of which several new species appeared in one group: tabby, Burmilla, Asian even-colored, Tiffany and smoky.

The breed was recognized by serious felinological organizations of the world, including WCF, 10 years after its appearance - in the 90s. Initially, the number of wool colors did not exceed three - silver, deep brown and plain. But subsequently the breeders managed to significantly “expand” the range.

BRITISH TABBY CATS: TYPES OF COLOR

In British tabby cats, the main tone - the color of the coat - is light (for example, red, chocolate, lilac, etc.), but the pattern is made in a dark color (black, blue, red). The colors of British tabby cats (or tabby/tabby) are encoded with the numbers 22/23/24/25, which are added after the main color color.

British tabbies can be of the following types:

• black ticked/spotted/striped/marbled BRI n 25/24/23/22 (BROWN TABBY);
• blue ticked/spotted/striped/marbled BRI a 25/24/23/22 BLUE TABBY;
• lilac ticked/spotted/striped/marbled BRI c 25/24/23/22 LILAC TABBY;
• chocolate ticked/spotted/striped/marbled BRI b 25/24/23/22 CHOCOLATE TABBY;
• cinnamon ticked/spotted/striped/marbled BRI o 25/24/23/22 CINNAMON TABBY;
• fawn ticked/spotted/striped/marbled BRI p 25/24/23/22 FAVN TABBY;
• red ticked/spotted/striped/marbled BRI d 25/24/23/22 RED TABBY;
• cream ticked/spotted/striped/marbled BRI e 25/24/23/22 CREAM TABBY;
• silver ticked/spotted/striped/marbled BRI s 25/24/23/22 – SILVER TABBY;
• golden ticked/spotted/striped/marbled BRI y 25/24/23/22 GOLDEN TABBY;
• tortoiseshell ticked/spotted/striped/marbled BRI 25/24/23/22;
• bicolor ticked/spotted/striped/marbled BRI 25/24/23/22;
• color-point ticked/spotted/striped/marbled BRI 25/24/23/22.

GENETICS OF COLOR

The tabby pattern is due to the A gene - agotti.

You can often hear the phrase from. What does it mean? — Genetically, all cats (yes, all cats, of all breeds and species) have a pattern on their body, but the magic gene “not agouti” hides the pattern on the body.

Color formula:

AA - a tabby cat (with a pattern), she will always give birth to kittens with a pattern, regardless of the color of the second sire;

Aa is a tabby cat (with a pattern), she will always give birth to kittens with and without a pattern (plain);

aa is a cat of a single color (without a pattern).

WHAT DOES A TABBY CAT'S HAIR LOOK LIKE?

The tip of the hair is well pigmented, then there is a less saturated section of the hair and so alternates.

There are several types of tabby patterns - brindle, spotted, ticked, marbled.

• Ta – ticked tabby
• T – striped/spotted tabby
• tb – marbled tabby

Color dominance:

• Ta is dominant over T and tb colors
• T is dominant over tb color
• tb - recessive color

INTERESTING TO KNOW

• Most kittens have a visible tabby pattern at birth, even if they are born to solid-colored parents. This confirms that all cats are tabbies.
• If we breed a cat with the recessive allele “aa” (it has an even, solid color) with a tabby cat who has the “Aa” gene, we will get offspring with a tabby pattern and a solid color.
• Two same-colored parents can never produce a tabby kitten.
• From two tabby sires a monochromatic kitten can be born (in the case when the formula of the parents is Aa + Aa - this means that they are carriers of a monochromatic color, being drawn)
• Two ticked parents can produce kittens: ticked, spotted/striped and marbled
• Two spotted/striped parents can produce kittens: spotted/striped and marbled
• Only merle kittens can be born from two merle parents and never spotted/striped or ticked kittens.

Possible tabby colors

It should be noted that tabby is precisely the pattern on the animal’s fur. The main background against which these patterns stand out can be completely varied. The color of the cat's nose and paw pads corresponds to the basic tone.

There are several common tabbed colors.

Brown

A cat with a brown tabby color has patterns on his coat that are covered with completely black hair - it resembles the color of coal soot. And the main color of the coat is copper-brown.

The animal's nose has a red tint and is outlined. The pet's tail is covered with spots in the form of rings - this is generally a distinctive feature of the tabby color.

Lilac

On a light lavender background there are gray spots, as if dusted with frost: this is a lilac tabby. The iris of his eyes is yellow or orange. This color is quite rare.

The lilac Briton can boast of such an exotic coat.

Silver

On a light gray background there is a black pattern of curls, stripes and spots: this is a silver tabby color. There are variants of red-silver colors: on a silver-cream tone there is a reddish pattern.

Silver cat

Red

Red tabby is also called marmalade color. It is characterized by pronounced red markings on a lighter red background. The eyes of such a cat are orange, copper, yellow, brown with a dark red outline.

brindle

The brindle color of the tabby brings the cat closer in appearance to a real predator from the cat family - the tiger. Pronounced stripes are clearly colored, usually their color contrasts with the main background.

Blue

The main background of this color is delicate beige. On it are figures of blue or gray shades. At the same time, the eyes are yellow-orange tones with blue eyeliner.

Marble

Very beautiful color. So called because the shape of the stains and patterns resembles the pattern on marble. The spots are large, well-defined, do not merge or connect with each other.

Cream

Spots and stripes of peach or sand color on a mostly pale cream background are a characteristic feature of the cream tabby color. The eyes are outlined with a dark pink stripe.

Chocolate

The pattern is characterized by a rich chocolate color on a light milky coffee background. The iris of the eyes with this color is yellow or brown. The nose is dark brown or brick red.

Other color options

Genetics of color

In the genetic code, absolutely all cats have the T (tabby) gene, which means that initially they are all tabbies.

But the pattern on the animal’s skin is not always observed. There is another gene, agouti (A), which affects the color of cats and the appearance of patterns on the animal’s coat. The amazing agouti gene colors each hair in different shades. The colors alternate in the form of transverse dark and light stripes.

When agouti is dominant (AA), the hairs in the dark areas are denser in color. There is less coloring pigment in the lighter areas. A tabby pattern appears with a noticeable color contrast.

If the gene is recessive (aa), the animal’s coat is monochromatic. In this case, the pigment granules are distributed evenly and color the hair equally along the entire length. It turns out that agouti does not affect the pigmentation itself, but is responsible for the distribution of colors on each individual hair.

Another gene, melanin, is responsible for the color of the pigment. It is the amount of this substance that determines the color of the animal’s eyes, skin and fur.

BRITISH - TABBY COLOR: SPOTTED, BRIDGE (STRIPPED), MARBLE

Here are photos of British cats, cats, tabby kittens. British tabbies are spotted, striped (brindle), marbled.

Character of the Asian Tabby cat breed

Asian tabbies are intelligent and peaceful. Aggression is alien to them, but they are very active. They love communication and affection, and take part in games with pleasure. At the same time, cats will not insist on endless attention from the owner - they have enough intelligence and patience to wait until he finishes his business and can communicate with them. The distinctive character traits of this breed are restraint, self-esteem and excellent upbringing.

As children, Asian tabbies are very curious. Their energy is in full swing, they are ready to play until they drop. Therefore, it is necessary to look after kittens - the surprises they present may not always turn out to be pleasant. Looking for adventure is the main activity of these kittens, especially if they are bored or feel lonely.

When a tabby kitten is left alone at home, it is worth checking whether the windows are closed, as well as the doors to those rooms where the kitten is not allowed to enter, and whether there are breakable or valuable objects within the pet’s access. Otherwise, you can rest assured about the kitten - it will react calmly to separation from its owner.

Tabbie dogs show some wariness around strangers. At the same time, they are invariably “polite” in English. But household members equally bask in their love, since the Asian tabby treats each of them with great warmth, regardless of his age. But these cats have a special love for small children. They strive to surround them with almost maternal care and become very attached to them. But it is not difficult for the Asian tabby to find a common language with other family members.

This is not a weak-willed or helpless mug - a tabby will never allow himself to be offended, because he will easily put in his place anyone who crosses boundaries in communicating with her. At the same time, she will not start fights with other pets, will not bite or scratch the child, and will be careful and patient when playing with children. At the same time, the tabby will prefer to sit out the “storm” somewhere in a quiet corner.

BRITISH TABBY KITTENS

British tabby kittens can only be born from parents of this color. Those. at least one parent must be a tabby (with a pattern). A British tabby/tabby kitten should have a fairly contrasting pattern from birth. It must be remembered that over time, the color of British tabby cats “erodes” as the kitten grows, so, for example, a brindle color can turn out to be a spotted color. The full tabby color of British cats is formed by one year.

Interesting Facts

Many newborn kittens have stripes and spots on their fur, despite the fact that the parents are the same color. Over time, the drawing disappears. However, this fact confirms that all cats are tabby by nature.

Ticked males and females can produce babies of all four main tabby color types. If the parents are spotted-striped, the birth of the same kittens or pets with a merle color is possible.

But from marble males and females only the same kittens with the classic tabby coloring will appear. Some experts are sure that tabby cats are the most affectionate, well-mannered, intelligent and very sociable. They are closer to the wild, so they grow up to be excellent hunters.

The tabby color is not only common among cat breeds, but is also very popular among lovers of mustachioed pets. English animal breeders claim that striped and spotted kittens are bought more often than solid ones.