A tabby is a cat with a distinctive striped, spotted, or swirled coat pattern. Most tabbies have an “M” shape on their foreheads and dark lines running down their backs and sides. The pattern comes in several varieties: some tabbies have bold stripes like tiny tigers, others have spots like miniature leopards, and still others have swirled marble patterns across their fur.

Tabby describes a coat pattern, not a breed. You can find tabby patterns in many different cat breeds, from ordinary house cats to fancy purebreds. In fact, the tabby pattern is one of the most common coat patterns in domestic cats. Orange tabbies are especially popular, though tabbies can be gray, brown, cream, or other colors.

If someone says “I have a tabby cat,” they're describing what their cat looks like, not what breed it is. It's like saying “I have a tall friend” rather than “I have a friend who plays basketball.”