The third eyelid, or haw, sits at the inner corner of the eye between the lower lid and the eyeball. It helps keep the eye's surface moist, protects it from stray hairs and can shield it in a scuffle.
- True of
- Domestic cats
- First fold
- Fold 2
Used inNot in the books yet
1 source
- Cornell Feline Health Center, Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine Feline Vision Problems: A Host of Possible Causes university
The rough feel of a cat's tongue comes from sharp, rear-facing spines called papillae, which the cat uses when grooming its fur.
- True of
- Domestic cats (and the other cat species studied)
- First fold
- Fold 2
1 source
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PubMed Central) Cats use hollow papillae to wick saliva into fur (Noel & Hu) journal, 2018
A veterinary school explains that whiskers boost a cat's senses of touch and balance and carry information such as whether the cat can fit through a gap and where obstacles are. Whiskers grow in several places, especially on the face.
- True of
- Domestic cats
- First fold
- Fold 1
1 source
- Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences A Cat's Five Senses (Pet Talk) university, 2019
Cats have large pupils that widen in low light, many light-collecting rod cells, and a reflective layer behind the retina (the tapetum lucidum) that gives light a second chance to be detected. Veterinary sources put a cat's sensitivity in dim light at about six times a person's. Seeing 'in the dark' is a myth: cats still need some light.
- True of
- Domestic cats
- Must keep
can
- Numbers
- about 6 times cat sensitivity in dim light compared with a personMerck Veterinary Manual says 6 times; Cornell says about six times greater
- Corrects
- That cats can see in complete darkness.
- First fold
- Fold 1
3 sources
- Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences A Cat's Five Senses (Pet Talk) university, 2019
- Merck Veterinary Manual Eye Structure and Function in Cats book
- Cornell Feline Health Center, Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine Feline Vision Problems: A Host of Possible Causes university
Purring is linked with friendly contact between cats and with people, and with drowsy rest. Cats also purr at the vet, while recovering from injury and even when in pain, so a purr does not always mean a cat is happy.
- True of
- Domestic cats
- Must keep
can
- Corrects
- That a purring cat is always happy.
- First fold
- Fold 2
2 sources
- NC State University College of Veterinary Medicine Why Do Cats Purr? NC State University College of Veterinary Medicine Behavior Expert Explains university, 2012
- Scientific American Why do cats purr? (Leslie A. Lyons, UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine) news, 2006
Cats are especially good at hearing high-frequency sounds, including the ultrasonic calls of rodents, which helps them find prey and notice danger.
- True of
- Domestic cats
- Must keep
can
- First fold
- Fold 2
2 sources
- Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences A Cat's Five Senses (Pet Talk) university, 2019
- Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery (PubMed Central) AAFP and ISFM Feline Environmental Needs Guidelines journal, 2013
Feline welfare guidelines note that loud and unfamiliar sounds, at home or at a veterinary clinic, can make cats fearful. A veterinary school adds that background noise people barely notice may stress a cat.
- True of
- Domestic cats
- Must keep
can
- First fold
- Fold 2
2 sources
- Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery (PubMed Central) AAFP and ISFM Feline Environmental Needs Guidelines journal, 2013
- Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences A Cat's Five Senses (Pet Talk) university, 2019
Cat registry pattern descriptions treat the 'M' on the forehead as a mark of every tabby pattern: mackerel, classic, spotted, ticked and rosetted tabbies all show it, and an independent cat-welfare group calls it the hallmark of the tabby. The M is part of the tabby pattern itself, so it marks tabby-patterned cats, not a breed.
- True of
- Tabby-patterned domestic cats, as cat registry and cat-welfare descriptions define them
- First fold
- Fold 1
3 sources
- The Cat Fanciers' Association Patterns in the Domesticated Cat – Part 2: Tabby Patterns (Pat Jacobberger, CFA Judge Emeritus) ngo
- The Cat Fanciers' Association Patterns of Cats – For Kids… About Cats ngo
- Alley Cat Allies All About Tabby Cats on National Tabby Day ngo, 2025
In registry descriptions, the mackerel tabby's body markings are narrow pencilled stripes running from the spine down toward the belly; the legs are barred with bracelets, the tail is barred with rings, and distinct necklaces cross the neck and chest. Geneticists describe the same pattern as narrow vertical stripes with regular spacing. Individual cats vary in how crisp the markings are.
- True of
- Mackerel tabby domestic cats, as described by registry standards and genetics research
- First fold
- Fold 1
3 sources
- The Cat Fanciers' Association Patterns in the Domesticated Cat – Part 2: Tabby Patterns (Pat Jacobberger, CFA Judge Emeritus) ngo
- The Cat Fanciers' Association Patterns of Cats – For Kids… About Cats ngo
- Science (author manuscript in PubMed Central) Specifying and Sustaining Pigmentation Patterns in Domestic and Wild Cats (Kaelin et al.) journal, 2012
Registry descriptions of the classic or blotched tabby call for broad, swirling markings, a butterfly shape across the shoulders, and on each side of the body a large solid blotch encircled by one or more unbroken rings. Geneticists describe the blotched pattern as wide whorls. 'Like a bullseye' is a comparison for the blotch-and-ring shape, not a registry term.
- True of
- Classic (blotched) tabby domestic cats, as described by registry standards and genetics research
- First fold
- Fold 1
3 sources
- The Cat Fanciers' Association Patterns in the Domesticated Cat – Part 2: Tabby Patterns (Pat Jacobberger, CFA Judge Emeritus) ngo
- The Cat Fanciers' Association Patterns of Cats – For Kids… About Cats ngo
- Science (author manuscript in PubMed Central) Specifying and Sustaining Pigmentation Patterns in Domestic and Wild Cats (Kaelin et al.) journal, 2012
Geneticists identified the Taqpep gene as responsible for tabby pattern variation in domestic cats. Cats with a working copy have the ancestral mackerel stripes; changes that knock out the gene expand the narrow stripes into the wide whorls of the blotched (classic) tabby. Other genes shape other tabby patterns.
- True of
- Domestic tabby cats: the mackerel-versus-blotched difference
- First fold
- Fold 2
2 sources
- Science (author manuscript in PubMed Central) Specifying and Sustaining Pigmentation Patterns in Domestic and Wild Cats (Kaelin et al.) journal, 2012
- Nature Communications Developmental genetics of color pattern establishment in cats (Kaelin, McGowan & Barsh) journal, 2021
Solid black cats are still patterned underneath their dark coat. In black domestic cats, faint 'ghost' tabby markings are mostly visible in juveniles and become indistinguishable from the dark background in adults, though hidden stripes may sometimes show in sunlight.
- True of
- Black (non-agouti) domestic cats
- Must keep
some
can
- First fold
- Fold 2
3 sources
- PLOS ONE (PubMed Central) How the Leopard Hides Its Spots: ASIP Mutations and Melanism in Wild Cats (Schneider et al.) journal, 2012
- Stanford Medicine News Center Spots, stripes and blotches: Color patterns of cat fur tracked to a key gene university, 2021
- Alley Cat Allies All About Tabby Cats on National Tabby Day ngo, 2025
A tabby coat combines two layers of pattern: a lighter ground color of banded (agouti) hairs, each with alternating light and dark bands, and darker markings where the hairs have little or no banding. The dark stripes, swirls or spots are made by solid-colored hairs replacing the banded ones.
- True of
- Tabby-patterned domestic cats
- First fold
- Fold 3
3 sources
- Science (author manuscript in PubMed Central) Specifying and Sustaining Pigmentation Patterns in Domestic and Wild Cats (Kaelin et al.) journal, 2012
- The Cat Fanciers' Association Patterns in the Domesticated Cat – Part 2: Tabby Patterns (Pat Jacobberger, CFA Judge Emeritus) ngo
- The Cat Fanciers' Association Patterns of Cats – For Kids… About Cats ngo
A cat needs only one mackerel copy of the Tabby (Taqpep) gene to have mackerel stripes. A blotched (classic) tabby has two blotched copies, one from each parent, so two mackerel cats can have a blotched kitten if both carry a hidden blotched copy.
- True of
- Domestic tabby cats
- First fold
- Fold 3
3 sources
- Science (author manuscript in PubMed Central) Specifying and Sustaining Pigmentation Patterns in Domestic and Wild Cats (Kaelin et al.) journal, 2012
- The Cat Fanciers' Association Patterns in the Domesticated Cat – Part 2: Tabby Patterns (Pat Jacobberger, CFA Judge Emeritus) ngo
- Stanford Medicine News Center How the cheetah got its stripes: A genetic tale by Stanford researchers university, 2012
In tabby skin, the gene Endothelin3 (Edn3) is expressed in the dermal papilla at the base of each hair follicle, at about twice the level in dark areas as in light ones. Follicles with high Edn3 make dark pigment and those with low Edn3 make yellow pigment; in mice, adding extra Edn3 turned yellow hair dark brown. Taqpep is thought to set up the pre-pattern that decides where Edn3 is high.
- True of
- Tabby domestic cats (with supporting experiments in cheetahs and mice)
- Numbers
- about twofold Edn3 expression in dark compared with light areas of neonatal tabby skinKaelin et al. 2012 qRT-PCR
- First fold
- Fold 4
2 sources
- Science (author manuscript in PubMed Central) Specifying and Sustaining Pigmentation Patterns in Domestic and Wild Cats (Kaelin et al.) journal, 2012
- Smithsonian Magazine Same Gene Guides Cheetah and Tabby Cat Coat Patterns news, 2012
Kaelin and colleagues found that the Wnt-blocking signal Dickkopf 4 (Dkk4) plays a central role in laying out the tabby pre-pattern, and that Dkk4 is mutated in cats with the Ticked pattern, including Abyssinians. Removing Dkk4 does not erase the dark areas completely; they become smaller and more tightly packed.
- True of
- Domestic cats with the Ticked pattern (e.g., Abyssinian, Singapura, Burmese)
- First fold
- Fold 5
2 sources
- Nature Communications Developmental genetics of color pattern establishment in cats (Kaelin, McGowan & Barsh) journal, 2021
- Stanford Medicine News Center Spots, stripes and blotches: Color patterns of cat fur tracked to a key gene university, 2021
In a study drawing mostly on feral cats from Northern California, all of the blotched tabbies examined carried a Taqpep mutation in each of their two copies of the gene, while all of the mackerel tabbies had at least one normal copy. That pattern is what you would expect when mackerel is dominant and blotched is recessive.
- True of
- Feral and shelter domestic cats sampled by Kaelin et al. (2012)
- Must keep
in the study
- First fold
- Fold 5
3 sources
- Stanford Medicine News Center How the cheetah got its stripes: A genetic tale by Stanford researchers university, 2012
- Smithsonian Magazine Same Gene Guides Cheetah and Tabby Cat Coat Patterns news, 2012
- Science (author manuscript in PubMed Central) Specifying and Sustaining Pigmentation Patterns in Domestic and Wild Cats (Kaelin et al.) journal, 2012
Using single-cell gene expression in fetal cat skin, Kaelin and colleagues found stripe-like changes in epidermal thickness, preceded by a gene-expression pre-pattern. Embryos with mackerel and blotched Taqpep genotypes showed thick-skin layouts resembling the adult patterns of those genotypes.
- True of
- Domestic cat embryos studied by Kaelin et al. (2021)
- Must keep
in the study
- First fold
- Fold 6
2 sources
- Nature Communications Developmental genetics of color pattern establishment in cats (Kaelin, McGowan & Barsh) journal, 2021
- Stanford Medicine News Center Spots, stripes and blotches: Color patterns of cat fur tracked to a key gene university, 2021
Geneticists note that a feral domestic cat with the wild-type mackerel tabby pattern is difficult to distinguish visually from a true wildcat, which is one reason DNA is used to tell them apart. Interbreeding between the two adds to the confusion.
- True of
- Feral domestic cats and wildcats (Felis silvestris)
- Must keep
can
- First fold
- Fold 3
1 source
- Science (author manuscript in PubMed Central) The Near Eastern Origin of Cat Domestication (Driscoll et al.) journal, 2007
Cats are obligate carnivores: they rely on nutrients found only in animal products. They evolved eating prey high in protein, moderate in fat and low in carbohydrate. A complete, balanced cat food chosen with a veterinarian's advice meets these needs.
- True of
- Domestic cats
- First fold
- Fold 1
1 source
- Cornell Feline Health Center, Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine Feeding Your Cat university
Veterinary guidance says cats should always be able to reach clean, fresh water. Feline welfare guidelines add that food and water are best kept in separate places.
- True of
- Domestic cats
- First fold
- Fold 1
2 sources
- Cornell Feline Health Center, Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine Feeding Your Cat university
- Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery (PubMed Central) AAFP and ISFM Feline Environmental Needs Guidelines journal, 2013
A veterinary school explains that cats lack the sweet taste receptor. A cat that seems interested in a sweet food is probably responding to its fat and texture.
- True of
- Domestic cats
- First fold
- Fold 2
1 source
- Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences A Cat's Five Senses (Pet Talk) university, 2019
Saito and colleagues played recordings of words to cats. Household cats that had stopped reacting to a list of general nouns or the names of cats they lived with reacted again to their own names, even when spoken by unfamiliar people. Cats living in a cat café did not distinguish their own names from other café cats' names.
- True of
- Domestic cats tested by Saito et al. (2019)
- Must keep
in the study
- First fold
- Fold 4
1 source
- Scientific Reports Domestic cats (Felis catus) discriminate their names from other words (Saito et al.) journal, 2019
Hiding is a normal coping behavior cats use when stressed or when they want to avoid other animals or people. Feline welfare guidelines recommend giving each cat its own hiding places, such as a cardboard box on its side or a carrier.
- True of
- Domestic cats, per AAFP/ISFM feline environmental needs guidelines
- Must keep
can
- First fold
- Fold 1
1 source
- Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery (PubMed Central) AAFP and ISFM Feline Environmental Needs Guidelines journal, 2013
Feline welfare guidelines describe elevated resting places (perches) as a key resource: they add vertical space and let a cat monitor its surroundings, and a perch on top of a hiding box can help a cat feel safe.
- True of
- Pet domestic cats, per AAFP/ISFM feline environmental needs guidelines
- Must keep
can
- First fold
- Fold 2
1 source
- Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery (PubMed Central) AAFP and ISFM Feline Environmental Needs Guidelines journal, 2013
Feline welfare guidelines recommend placing each key resource (food, water, toileting area, scratching area, play area and resting place) in its own location, keeping food and water apart, and giving each cat choices, such as at least two resting, feeding and toileting areas.
- True of
- Pet domestic cats, per AAFP/ISFM feline environmental needs guidelines
- First fold
- Fold 3
1 source
- Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery (PubMed Central) AAFP and ISFM Feline Environmental Needs Guidelines journal, 2013
Feline welfare guidelines describe a carrier as a portable safe place that smells familiar to the cat. Carriers that let the cat hide, or a blanket over part of the carrier, help, and the cat's own bedding adds familiar scent.
- True of
- Pet domestic cats, per AAFP/ISFM feline environmental needs guidelines
- Must keep
can
- First fold
- Fold 3
1 source
- Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery (PubMed Central) AAFP and ISFM Feline Environmental Needs Guidelines journal, 2013
Each patch of hair keeps its light or dark identity as hair regrows and the kitten grows, so the stripes or spots present at birth stretch in proportion to the body instead of new ones being added. Geneticists contrast this with many fish, whose stripes can change in number.
- True of
- Tabby-patterned domestic cats as they grow from kitten to adult
- First fold
- Fold 1
2 sources
- Science (author manuscript in PubMed Central) Specifying and Sustaining Pigmentation Patterns in Domestic and Wild Cats (Kaelin et al.) journal, 2012
- Nature Communications Developmental genetics of color pattern establishment in cats (Kaelin, McGowan & Barsh) journal, 2021
A veterinary behavior expert explains that female cats purr when nursing their young and kittens purr while nursing. Purring also happens in many other settings, so it is a contact signal rather than a sound only kittens make.
- True of
- Domestic cats: nursing mothers and their kittens
- Must keep
can
- First fold
- Fold 1
2 sources
- NC State University College of Veterinary Medicine Why Do Cats Purr? NC State University College of Veterinary Medicine Behavior Expert Explains university, 2012
- Scientific American Why do cats purr? (Leslie A. Lyons, UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine) news, 2006
Feline welfare guidelines recommend letting cats act out as much of the hunting sequence as possible through play and feeding: toys to pounce on and toss, soft toys to rake and bite, kibble tossed to chase, and food hidden for the cat to find. No live prey is involved.
- True of
- Pet domestic cats, per AAFP/ISFM feline environmental needs guidelines
- Must keep
can
- First fold
- Fold 1
1 source
- Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery (PubMed Central) AAFP and ISFM Feline Environmental Needs Guidelines journal, 2013
Studies of cat embryos found stripe-like thick and thin zones in the outer skin that match the coat pattern the cat will have. The thick zones mark fur that will later be dark. This happens before pigment cells enter the skin, before hair follicles develop and long before any color appears.
- True of
- Domestic cat embryos, as studied by Kaelin, McGowan and Barsh (2021)
- First fold
- Fold 2
2 sources
- Nature Communications Developmental genetics of color pattern establishment in cats (Kaelin, McGowan & Barsh) journal, 2021
- Stanford Medicine News Center Spots, stripes and blotches: Color patterns of cat fur tracked to a key gene university, 2021
Kaelin, McGowan and Barsh frame periodic mammalian color patterns as arising from (1) establishing each pattern element's identity during fetal development, (2) implementing the pattern's shape through signaling molecules made in individual follicles, such as Edn3, and (3) keeping each element's identity as hair cycles and the animal grows. This is a working model, not a complete account.
- True of
- Periodic color patterns in domestic cats and other mammals, per Kaelin et al. (2021)
- First fold
- Fold 6
1 source
- Nature Communications Developmental genetics of color pattern establishment in cats (Kaelin, McGowan & Barsh) journal, 2021
Tabby names a coat pattern. Many pedigreed breeds are defined by or allow tabby patterns (for example the Maine Coon, Egyptian Mau, Ocicat, Abyssinian, Singapura and Bengal), and tabby patterns are common in ordinary feral and non-pedigree cats, which is where geneticists collected many of the tabby cats they studied.
- True of
- Domestic cats of all kinds, pedigreed and mixed-breed
- Corrects
- That 'tabby' is a breed of cat.
- First fold
- Fold 1
4 sources
- The Cat Fanciers' Association Patterns of Cats – For Kids… About Cats ngo
- Alley Cat Allies All About Tabby Cats on National Tabby Day ngo, 2025
- The Cat Fanciers' Association Patterns in the Domesticated Cat – Part 2: Tabby Patterns (Pat Jacobberger, CFA Judge Emeritus) ngo
- Nature Communications Developmental genetics of color pattern establishment in cats (Kaelin, McGowan & Barsh) journal, 2021
The tabby pattern can be combined with many coat colors. Registry descriptions and photos name brown, silver, red, cream and chocolate tabbies, among others, and a cat-welfare group lists brown, orange, silver and buff tabbies. The colors are coat colors; the pattern is what makes the cat a tabby.
- True of
- Tabby-patterned domestic cats
- First fold
- Fold 1
3 sources
- The Cat Fanciers' Association Patterns in the Domesticated Cat – Part 2: Tabby Patterns (Pat Jacobberger, CFA Judge Emeritus) ngo
- The Cat Fanciers' Association Patterns of Cats – For Kids… About Cats ngo
- Alley Cat Allies All About Tabby Cats on National Tabby Day ngo, 2025
In the spotted tabby pattern the body markings are spots that vary in size, shape and arrangement, while the face still has the usual tabby markings and the legs and tail are barred. The Egyptian Mau and Ocicat are breeds selected for spots. The genetics of spotted versus mackerel is not yet known.
- True of
- Spotted tabby domestic cats, including the Egyptian Mau and Ocicat breeds
- First fold
- Fold 2
2 sources
- The Cat Fanciers' Association Patterns in the Domesticated Cat – Part 2: Tabby Patterns (Pat Jacobberger, CFA Judge Emeritus) ngo
- Nature Communications Developmental genetics of color pattern establishment in cats (Kaelin, McGowan & Barsh) journal, 2021
In the ticked pattern each body hair carries bands of light and dark color, so the body looks evenly flecked rather than striped, while the face, legs and tail usually still show markings such as the M. The Abyssinian and Singapura are ticked breeds.
- True of
- Ticked tabby domestic cats, including the Abyssinian and Singapura breeds
- First fold
- Fold 2
3 sources
- The Cat Fanciers' Association Patterns in the Domesticated Cat – Part 2: Tabby Patterns (Pat Jacobberger, CFA Judge Emeritus) ngo
- The Cat Fanciers' Association Patterns of Cats – For Kids… About Cats ngo
- Nature Communications Developmental genetics of color pattern establishment in cats (Kaelin, McGowan & Barsh) journal, 2021
Veterinary guidance explains that mixed-breed (non-pedigreed) cats are generally grouped as domestic shorthairs or domestic longhairs. 'Domestic shorthair' describes coat length and mixed ancestry, not a breed.
- True of
- Mixed-breed domestic cats
- Must keep
usually
- Corrects
- That 'domestic shorthair' is a pedigreed breed.
- First fold
- Fold 2
1 source
- Cornell Feline Health Center, Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine Choosing and Caring for Your New Cat university
Ancient-DNA work on cat remains found that the blotched tabby variant reached high frequency only after the Middle Ages, and its researchers placed the mutation's emergence in the Ottoman Empire. Depictions of tabby cats from the Middle Ages are mostly mackerel-striped.
- True of
- Domestic tabby cats in the Near East, Africa and Europe, per ancient-DNA and historical evidence
- First fold
- Fold 3
3 sources
- Nature Ecology & Evolution The palaeogenetics of cat dispersal in the ancient world (Ottoni et al.) journal, 2017
- ABC News (Australia) The origin of the tabby coat and other cat mysteries revealed news, 2017
- Science (author manuscript in PubMed Central) Specifying and Sustaining Pigmentation Patterns in Domestic and Wild Cats (Kaelin et al.) journal, 2012
Any tabby pattern can be combined with red or cream patches to make a patched tabby (torbie). Because the patching comes from a sex-linked red gene, the great majority of patched tabbies are female. The patches may sit apart from the tabby markings or run through them.
- True of
- Patched tabby (torbie) domestic cats, per a cat registry description
- Must keep
most
- First fold
- Fold 3
2 sources
- The Cat Fanciers' Association Patterns in the Domesticated Cat – Part 2: Tabby Patterns (Pat Jacobberger, CFA Judge Emeritus) ngo
- The Cat Fanciers' Association Patterns of Cats – For Kids… About Cats ngo
Although the blotched pattern arose relatively late, it spread quickly: the naturalist Carl Linnaeus described it in 1758 as characteristic of the domestic cat, before most modern breeds existed, and ancient-DNA researchers report it was quite common by the 18th century.
- True of
- Domestic tabby cats in Europe and nearby regions
- Numbers
- 1758 year Linnaeus called the blotched pattern typical of domestic catsKaelin et al. 2012
- 18th century century by which the blotched pattern was quite commonABC News report on Ottoni et al. 2017
- First fold
- Fold 4
2 sources
- Science (author manuscript in PubMed Central) Specifying and Sustaining Pigmentation Patterns in Domestic and Wild Cats (Kaelin et al.) journal, 2012
- ABC News (Australia) The origin of the tabby coat and other cat mysteries revealed news, 2017
Dictionaries list an informal sense of 'tabby' meaning a domestic cat, especially a female, but in cat genetics and cat-registry use the word names a striped, swirled, spotted or ticked coat pattern.
- True of
- The word 'tabby' as applied to domestic cats
- Corrects
- That 'tabby' means a female cat rather than a coat pattern.
- First fold
- Fold 4
3 sources
- Smithsonian Magazine Same Gene Guides Cheetah and Tabby Cat Coat Patterns news, 2012
- American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th ed., and Collins English Dictionary, via The Free Dictionary tabby book
- The Cat Fanciers' Association Patterns of Cats – For Kids… About Cats ngo
Geneticists report that blotched (Ta b) alleles are common in most feral cat populations, even though mackerel is the ancestral pattern. Because blotched is recessive, many striped cats can carry a hidden blotched copy.
- True of
- Feral domestic cat populations
- Must keep
most
- First fold
- Fold 5
2 sources
- Nature Communications Developmental genetics of color pattern establishment in cats (Kaelin, McGowan & Barsh) journal, 2021
- Science (author manuscript in PubMed Central) Specifying and Sustaining Pigmentation Patterns in Domestic and Wild Cats (Kaelin et al.) journal, 2012
Kaelin and colleagues genotyped cats of several breeds for two Dkk4 variants. Ticked breeds carried them, mostly in two copies, none of the cats from breeds whose standards require tabby markings carried a variant allele, and in breeds and non-breed cats where both looks occur, the ticked look matched the presence of the p.Ala18Val variant.
- True of
- Pedigreed and non-breed domestic cats genotyped by Kaelin et al. (2021)
- Must keep
in the study
- First fold
- Fold 6
1 source
- Nature Communications Developmental genetics of color pattern establishment in cats (Kaelin, McGowan & Barsh) journal, 2021
The 2012 study that found Taqpep behind mackerel versus blotched tabbies also found a Taqpep change in king cheetahs. In these rare cheetahs the usual spots run together into larger blotches, with dark stripes along the back. Wild king cheetahs have been sighted only in a small area of sub-Saharan Africa.
- True of
- King cheetahs (a rare coat form of the cheetah) and domestic tabby cats
- Must keep
rare
- First fold
- Fold 1
4 sources
- Science (author manuscript in PubMed Central) Specifying and Sustaining Pigmentation Patterns in Domestic and Wild Cats (Kaelin et al.) journal, 2012
- Stanford Medicine News Center How the cheetah got its stripes: A genetic tale by Stanford researchers university, 2012
- Stanford Medicine News Center Spots, stripes and blotches: Color patterns of cat fur tracked to a key gene university, 2021
- Smithsonian Magazine Same Gene Guides Cheetah and Tabby Cat Coat Patterns news, 2012
Domestic cats were domesticated from wildcats in the Near East. The Old World wildcats they came from show a mackerel-like striped pattern, and geneticists treat the mackerel stripe pattern as the ancestral one. A feral house cat with a mackerel tabby coat can be hard to tell apart from a wildcat by looks alone.
- True of
- Domestic cats and their wild ancestor, the wildcat (Felis silvestris)
- First fold
- Fold 1
3 sources
- Science (author manuscript in PubMed Central) Specifying and Sustaining Pigmentation Patterns in Domestic and Wild Cats (Kaelin et al.) journal, 2012
- Nature Communications Developmental genetics of color pattern establishment in cats (Kaelin, McGowan & Barsh) journal, 2021
- Science (author manuscript in PubMed Central) The Near Eastern Origin of Cat Domestication (Driscoll et al.) journal, 2007
Despite its name, the classic (blotched) tabby is not the older pattern. The wild ancestors of house cats were mackerel-striped, geneticists treat mackerel as the ancestral state, and the blotched pattern arose from a later change in the Taqpep gene.
- True of
- Domestic tabby cats and their wildcat ancestors
- Corrects
- That the 'classic' tabby is the original tabby pattern.
- First fold
- Fold 2
3 sources
- Nature Communications Developmental genetics of color pattern establishment in cats (Kaelin, McGowan & Barsh) journal, 2021
- Smithsonian Magazine Same Gene Guides Cheetah and Tabby Cat Coat Patterns news, 2012
- Alley Cat Allies All About Tabby Cats on National Tabby Day ngo, 2025
Genetic studies of modern and ancient cats show that domestic cats were domesticated from the Near Eastern wildcat (also called the African wildcat), probably alongside early farming villages in the Fertile Crescent. Both Near Eastern and Egyptian populations of this wildcat later contributed to the domestic cat's gene pool.
- True of
- Domestic cats (Felis catus)
- First fold
- Fold 3
3 sources
- Science (author manuscript in PubMed Central) The Near Eastern Origin of Cat Domestication (Driscoll et al.) journal, 2007
- Nature Ecology & Evolution The palaeogenetics of cat dispersal in the ancient world (Ottoni et al.) journal, 2017
- ABC News (Australia) The origin of the tabby coat and other cat mysteries revealed news, 2017
Purring is highly characteristic of the cat family. Besides the house cat, the puma, cheetah and ocelot purr, while the large roaring cats of the genus Panthera, such as the lion, jaguar and leopard, do not.
- True of
- Members of the cat family (Felidae)
- Must keep
some
- First fold
- Fold 3
2 sources
- NC State University College of Veterinary Medicine Why Do Cats Purr? NC State University College of Veterinary Medicine Behavior Expert Explains university, 2012
- Scientific American Why do cats purr? (Leslie A. Lyons, UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine) news, 2006
In melanistic (black) leopards the rosettes stay visible as even darker markings against the darkened background, showing that the gene change that makes the coat black does not erase the pattern. Black house cats show a similar effect as faint ghost tabby markings.
- True of
- Melanistic leopards and black domestic cats
- First fold
- Fold 4
1 source
- PLOS ONE (PubMed Central) How the Leopard Hides Its Spots: ASIP Mutations and Melanism in Wild Cats (Schneider et al.) journal, 2012
King cheetahs were first described as a distinct species but were later recognized as cheetahs with a single-gene trait inherited in an autosomal recessive way, caused by a change in Taqpep. Wild king cheetahs have been sighted only in a small area of sub-Saharan Africa.
- True of
- King cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus with the king coat)
- Corrects
- That the king cheetah is a separate species or a hybrid.
- First fold
- Fold 5
2 sources
- Science (author manuscript in PubMed Central) Specifying and Sustaining Pigmentation Patterns in Domestic and Wild Cats (Kaelin et al.) journal, 2012
- Stanford Medicine News Center How the cheetah got its stripes: A genetic tale by Stanford researchers university, 2012
Feline welfare guidelines advise people not to force interaction: let the cat start, choose and control the contact, get down to its level, avoid staring, and give it time to approach. Social preferences vary widely from cat to cat, shaped by genetics, early rearing and life experience.
- True of
- Domestic cats interacting with people, per AAFP/ISFM feline environmental needs guidelines
- First fold
- Fold 1
1 source
- Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery (PubMed Central) AAFP and ISFM Feline Environmental Needs Guidelines journal, 2013
Cornell's Feline Health Center advises that any new cat be checked by a veterinarian as soon as possible after it comes home, and that owners ask about its vaccinations, nutrition, parasite control and grooming history.
- True of
- Pet domestic cats
- Must keep
can
- First fold
- Fold 1
1 source
- Cornell Feline Health Center, Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine Choosing and Caring for Your New Cat university
Cats use the head, cheeks and chin for scent and touch communication, and generally rub against their care-givers to mark their scent and as a sign of familiarity. These are also the places most cats prefer to be petted.
- True of
- Domestic cats, per AAFP/ISFM feline environmental needs guidelines
- Must keep
can
- First fold
- Fold 1
1 source
- Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery (PubMed Central) AAFP and ISFM Feline Environmental Needs Guidelines journal, 2013
Feline welfare guidelines advise putting away toys with string or other swallowable parts after play, avoiding toys with small ingestible parts and bells (or removing them before unsupervised play), and giving kittens toys of a suitable size.
- True of
- Pet domestic cats, per AAFP/ISFM feline environmental needs guidelines
- First fold
- Fold 3
1 source
- Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery (PubMed Central) AAFP and ISFM Feline Environmental Needs Guidelines journal, 2013
Humphrey and colleagues found that cats made more eye-narrowing movements when their owners slow-blinked at them than when owners were present without blinking, and that cats were more likely to approach an unfamiliar experimenter after a slow-blink interaction than after a neutral face. The authors suggest slow blinking may work as positive communication between cats and people.
- True of
- Domestic cats tested by Humphrey et al. (2020)
- Must keep
in the study
- First fold
- Fold 4
1 source
- Scientific Reports The role of cat eye narrowing movements in cat–human communication (Humphrey et al.) journal, 2020
Dictionaries trace 'tabby' through French tabis to Arabic 'attābī, after al-'Attābīya, a quarter of Baghdad where the fabric was first made. The word named a watered silk before it was used for cats with striped or wavy coats.
- True of
- The English word 'tabby', per standard dictionaries
- First fold
- Fold 4
1 source
- American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th ed., and Collins English Dictionary, via The Free Dictionary tabby book
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