Can Black Cats Be Tabby? 5 Pleasant & Revealing Insights

Can black cats be Tabby? Yes, black cats can be tabby. Many black cats will have a tabby pattern. Some are much easier to see than others as some black cats will have a tabby pattern that is very close in color to their black fur so you can only see it when the sunlight hits it.

Is a Black Cat a Tabby?

A black cat isn’t a Tabby cat although many black cats may be Tabby cats in disguise.

A lot of black cats have Tabby “ghost stripes” and this is thought to be due to the Tabby genes being overpowered by the genes that make a black cat black.

This is not the case for every black cat though.

The Different Types of Black “Tabbies”

You cannot pigeon hole a black tabby cat into one category.

There are many different types of black tabby cats and these are not tied to any particular breed of cat.

Some might have very white circles, some may have a brownish stripe, there are many different tabby patterns in existence.

Black Tabby Cats Are Not Rare

Some people think that a black tabby cat is rare, but this is not actually the case.

There are “rarer” patterns that may not be as common, but that is as far as being rare as a black tabby cat goes.

It is more about the markings on the cat than the color…

The Fab Five

There are actually five recognized styles of tabby cats. These types are mostly agreed upon by the majority of people.

Classic is a kind of swirly design, a mackerel tabby cat has narrow stripes, almost like tiger stripes! A spotted tabby cat will have spots of various sizes on their side.

A ticked tabby cat is a bit more unusual in that the pattern is focused on the head. A patched tabby cat can have a mixture of the others.

There are, of course, rare variations and unique patterns, but for the most part, the majority of black cats will fall into one of the five categories.

Black Tabby Cats, Friends Or Enemies?

There are a lot of conflicting reports in regards to how friendly or unfriendly a black tabby cat is.

This is a bit harsh as just because a black cat is a tabby, does not mean it has a certain type of character.

Like all other cats, tabby cats will have their own character and that is not tied to the markings on their fur.

How Being Tabby Can Help A Black Cat!

To start with a black tabby cat is truly lovely to look at no matter the kind of tabby it is.

However, there is a school of thought that says the reason cats have a tabby pattern is to help them in the wild.

A tabby pattern can help a cat blend in so that they can hide or get the jump on a little mouse or bird that they are hunting.

Can Black Cats be Tabby? – My Thoughts

Can black cats be Tabby? Yes, and I’ve seen it with my own eyes…

Coco our American Shorthair, has tabby stripes that are only visible in very bright and direct sunlight.

These stripes are known as “ghost stripes” and are a sign that Coco is in fact a Tabby cat in disguise.

The genes that make a black cat black are very dominant and they actually suppress the gene that makes a cat a Tabby.

The Tabby gene may have been suppressed but it is not completely dominated as the Tabby pattern can still be visible.

When Coco was a kitten it was a lot easier to see his “ghost stripes” and I haven’t seen them for a very long time now.

Having said that, to see them you need a particular type of lighting and Coco has to be in the right place at the right time…

When we first noticed Coco’s stripey rear legs it was amazing! We were surprised and intrigued at the same time.

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