Tabby cats, also called tiger cats, aren’t a distinct breed. Rather, tabby refers to a pattern of stripes that several breeds can display. The stripes may be whirling or descending from the spine, and they are usually wide and thick.
History
Over two dozen cat breeds can appear in tabby-style color, and tabby cats are the most popular of all domestic cat colors. Despite the popularity of domestic cats, they are relative newcomers to human settlements, undergoing domestication around 4,000 years ago in Egypt. Other studies find that domestication occurred separately in China and Cyprus, perhaps 5,000 or more years ago. Interestingly, some archeologists even question whether cats are truly domesticated. They share no genetic distinction from their feral cousins, and very little distinction from their wild relatives. They can still care for themselves by hunting and finding shelter. One wonders, then, if cats need humans as much as humans need cats.