Blue mackerel tabby?

[vball91]

I know from reading on this site that my Aria is a domestic shorthair. I think her markings are blue mackerel tabby? Is that correct? Another question I have is about her stripes. I could swear that when we first got her at a little under a year old, her stripes were much more defined than they are now. Is that even possible or just my imagination (or poor memory - it was 6 years ago)? Unfortunately, I have no pictures from that time to compare to.

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• vball91
• Mar 13, 2013

 

[maewkaew]

She may just be a blue mackerel tabby with a very subtle pattern. and maybe the reason it showed up more as a kitten was related to kitten coat vs. adult coat.

Those aren't the easiest photos to see pattern. Best way to see which kind of tabby pattern in a tabby is a side view of the cat with their body stretched out. not curled up.

In the close up head shot (cute picture ) , she definitely does look like a tabby, looks like i can see a sort of "M" on the head, and light color around the eyes and she's got a brick red nose outlined in dark colour -- all those are tabby features. Looks like it is very high contrast? Or does she really have the white/ silver markings on her head?

In the 2nd photo most of the coat looks hard to even see a pattern, to the point it almost looks blue rather than blue tabby ( but she can't be self blue with that tabby face!) Then a section on her hip with white hairs or silver tipped hairs. Is that right? that's odd, but maybe someone else knows what is up with that.

 

[vball91]

Thanks maewkaew, I will try to take some better pictures of her later. She is not a very cooperative subject unless she's sleeping. Plus I am a terrible photographer!
She definitely has the M on her forehead, lighter fur around her eyes and dark outline around her nose although her nose is more pink rather than brick red.
Her stripes are very subtle, a little more prominent on her tail so maybe I'll try to get a picture of that.

 

[orientalslave]

To tell what sort of tabby pattern she has we need to see a photo of her side, taken in good light - beside a window for example.  All tabby cats have rings on their tails!

 

[vball91]

Sorry for the my foot photobombing this picture!

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• vball91
• Mar 14, 2013

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• vball91
• Mar 14, 2013

 

[orientalslave]

Looks like strips to me.

 

[vball91]

Thank you! Glad to know I got it right.

 

[maewkaew]

Thanks for the photos. It does look like vertical stripes on the side (therefore mackerel tabby) but that is about the most subtle mackerel tabby pattern I have ever seen on an Agouti (genetically tabby) cat. It looks more like ghost tabby markings on a non-agouti (genetically solid) . but her face looks tabby. That cute lil pink nose looks tabby. ( "brick red" is just one way of describing some tabbies' nose leather color. but it can be lighter pink version, like a pale salmon. The important thing about her nose is that if she were genetically a self blue (solid blue) her nose would be a dark slate grey color.
So Aria is Agouti! and unusual!

Another thought. I can't help wondering a little if Aria might possibly be Blue Ticked Tabby. Her coat doesn't look obviously ticked. but I don't totally rule that out since if she is not selectively bred for it, it may not BE as obvious, and it could be that the Ticked Tabby pattern doesn't completely break up the mackerel tabby , there could be some residual stripes. I think it is both a matter of the Ta gene and other polygenetic influence.

In a ticked tabby, each individual guard hair would be banded ( striped) The "guard hairs" = the outer coat, straight hairs that may be a little longer and thicker than undercoat hairs that are finer and can be wavy. The best known example of ticked tabby is the Abyssinian breed, which are bred to not have a striped PATTERN on the coat, but to have (ideally) several bands of color on each hair of the guard hairs. A good Aby may have 5 bands on each hair. But a random bred cat usually would not have so many. Here is a page about tabby patterns from a genetics prof and Oriental breeder http://people.ysu.edu/~helorimer/TabPat.html

 

[vball91]

Thanks maewkaew, that was interesting reading. I had not heard of ticked tabbies before. I knew nothing about breeds/markings, but since joining this site, I've learned a little. I saw a picture of a blue mackerel tabby that looked similar to Aria, so that's what interested me in posting her picture. You're right that her stripes are very subtle. Unless you're close and in good light, she just looks all blue. Her stripes are more prominent on her legs and tail. And as you said, she definitely has a tabby face. Thanks for that explanation of brick red for her nose. Yet another thing to learn! It's all interesting though.

I checked her guard hairs because you made me curious. No banding. Her background is completely unknown to me because she was a stray. Clearly a stray because when I took her in to get spayed, the vet told me after he shaved her that she was already spayed! We think she was abandoned which happens quite a bit in our military town. Did the usual flyers, checked with the usual places, and no one ever claimed her. She is a total lap cat, very vocal. Well, their loss is our gain! I love this little princess.