![]() ![]() Viewed from above, the classic tabby pattern resembles butterfly wings, giving it the nickname "Butterfly Tabby" - a term better known in grandmother's day than in the modern day. Sometimes the markings are extremely broad and fuse together, especially on the back and flanks. In the "classic tabby" (blotched tabby) there are broad bands, whorls and spirals of dark colour on a paler background usually with a "bulls eye" (or "oyster") pattern on the flank. In the mackerel tabby, the vertical stripes are thin like fishbones and may break up into bars or vertically aligned spots. These two patterns are common in random-breeding pet and feral populations. The two most common tabby patterns are "mackerel tabby" and "classic tabby" (blotched tabby, oyster tabby). So as well as the cat fancy definitions, I've covered as many variations as I can and there are no doubt many more out there! Nature isn't so restricted in its patterns and there are numerous variations found in random-bred cats and emerging breeds (particuarly those with hybrid ancestry) that aren't recognised by the cat fancy. For example the "marbled tabby" seen in Bengals is a variation on the "classic tabby". The cat fancy recognises four basic types of tabby (ticked, mackerel, classic, spotted) with breed-specific variations on each of these types. When sold in England, this silk was called atabi or - by those who misheard - taffety. ![]() Their name was said to have been derived from a street in Baghdad celebrated for the manufacture of its watered or moire silks. In the early days of cat exhibitions, tabbies were divided into banded and spotted. These are two examples of tabby, or striped, cat. New varieties of tippies are appearing all the time, with the reception on the show bench being very positive.For most people, two of the most familiar "types" of cat are the "blotched tabby" and the "ginger tom" (or "marmalade cat"). Their eyes and noses should be outlined with “mascara” in a dark colour. ![]() Tippies should have the breed standard copper or golden eyes, all except for black and golden tipped BSH cats (which should have green eyes). Nose leather should be brick red (a black outline is permissible). Golden tippies should have a chin, stomach, chest and undertail of a pale apricot colour. The gold colour must be sound all the way down the hair shaft to the roots, with no darkening or fading into a different hue. This is the golden tipped BSH cat, which has a coat of rich apricot-gold and black or dark brown tipping. There is also a non-silver variant of the British tipped cat. Nose leather should be brick red, with some black outlining allowable. Paw pads should be in keeping with the overall colour of the cat. In the case of a tortie tipped cat, red or cream should not be absent or insufficient. The cat’s chin, chest, stomach and undertail fur should be pale - the lighter the better - but there should not be any white patches. It’s the evenness of the tipping which is of paramount interest to a show judge, rather than the degree thereof. ![]() Colours can be any one of the accepted self-colours with a pale near-white undercoat. The tipping should be even across the whole of the cat’s body, except for the undercarriage and chin. The undercoat is very pale (it can be cream, silver or another light shade), appearing white with a “frosting” of colour. Tipped British Shorthair catsĪlso known as a “Tippy”, the tipped British Shorthair is a cat with the silver gene but with a colour at the ends of their hairs. Smoke BSH cats with colourpoints are also possible, adding yet another variety to the already staggering range of possibilities. The topcoat can be seal, any kind of tortie, or one of the previously listed self-colours. BSH smokes are characterised by an undercoat of silver that peeks through the topcoat, especially as the cat moves, creating an eye-catching smoke effect. The smoke variant has caused something of a stir in the cat fancy. ![]()
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