The feline ability to turn the mundane into mirth is no news. Although common, tabby cats never fail to put this charm to work. Remember, tabby is not a distinct cat breed. In fact, it is referred to as a particular fur coat pattern, with the famous ‘M’ prominent on the forehead. While the tabby family has five wonderful members, ginger tabbies may hog the spotlight at times. Nevertheless, the brown tabby cat have their share of fame as well.
5 Fun Facts About the Brown Tabby Cat
Brown may not be your ‘hot’ color, but brown tabby cats sure can give them a cute spin. Whether lurking in our backyards or ruling over our homes as pets, their glistening eyes never cease to melt our hearts Let’s take a quick glance over 5 fun facts that will make us fall in love with brown tabby cats all over again:
1. The Brown Tabby Cat Has Some Accolades
The results speak for the brown tabby cat – among the top 25 cats judged by The International Cat Association (TICA) in 2018, three of them sported the tabby coat. Looking into other such categories, for instance, Top 25 Longhaired Cats, Top 25 Shorthaired Cats, and Top 25 Kittens, it was evident that brown tabbies took the cake.
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Breeds such as Bengals, Maine Coons, Exotic Shorthairs, Persians, Munchkins, Siberians, Scottish Folds, and Oriental Shorthairs have made it into TICA’s top winning cat breeds list. Wait, there is more. Marikoons Magic Mike, a brown tabby Maine Coon, won the title of Best Longhair Cat of the Year. Another brown tabby, Rambo, scooped the Best Household Kitten of the Year title for its captivating mix-breed looks. That does it for the pure-breed obsessed!
2. A Brown Tabby Cat Boasts Wildcat Vibes
Our domestic brown tabbies have some wild links. Bengal cats are one of the rarest to done the brown tabby coat, given that they were bred from the Asian leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis). Only a few wildcats bear resemblance in size and coat with our brown house tabby cats. The Amur leopard cat, the Tsushima leopard cat, ocelots, and margays are on the verge of extinction in their natural habitats in Asia, Central America, and South America.
Our brown tabby mousers are the closest we’ll ever come to witnessing these wild cats. It is interesting to note that the majority of cat breeds did not originate in nature. As a matter of fact, they were ‘crafted’ by breeders by excessive interbreeding and inbreeding to highlight a specific phenotype. One such breed is the Toyger (“toy tiger”).
Toyger cats are brown tabby cats that were bred to fulfill the miniature tiger fantasy. It was reported that in the 1980s, a woman succeeded in breeding the Toyger via interbreeding Bengals to an array of breeds. She finally achieved her ‘the desired phenotype’ by importing a tomcat from India to complete the look. The reason she stated behind all this toil was her passion for tiger conservation.
3. Brown Tabby Cats and Their Tabby Traits
Tabbies are everywhere. There’s always that one tabby cat that lurks in deserted alleyways as it owns it. One might wonder why are they all that common? Well, that’s because the tabby pattern is a dominant gene. No wonder why it’s so popular. Apart from their stripes, the ‘M’ on their foreheads is a certain giveaway of tabbies. No matter the color, all of them have got it.
Brown tabbies are special but not just for their coats. Their sparkling eyes come in an array of colors, and their noses can even change color. Their paw-pads are either brick-red or grey in color. Most tabby cats are live as community cats for life. Even so, they are far healthier than their over inbred ‘pure-breed’ counterparts. Their ability to adapt to any kind of habitat is known far and wide.
4. Famous Brown Tabby Cats
Cats rule the internet. The evidence? Kitten videos across all social media platforms garner over a couple of million views. With all that cat content influx, there’s got to be some cat celebrities. One of such big stature was Lil BUB, a brown tabby cat. The tiny kitty (afflicted with feline dwarfism) was rescued from a shed in the state of Indiana, USA.
Being the runt of the litter, her life out in the open wouldn’t have been an easy one. Her adopters, however, had spoilt her rotten. She quickly and steadily rose to fame on YouTube and Instagram as her adorable videos captivated millions. Sadly, she left for her heavenly abode in December 2019.
Lil BUB may have been tiny, but the legacy she left behind is beyond comprehension. The brown tabby had helped to throw light upon the wonders of adoption from rescue shelters (#AdoptDontShop). She had also played a crucial part in raising a significant amount of funds for the welfare of homeless animals. I’ll Be Next Door For Christmas, a movie produced entirely through crowd-funding, featured Lil BUB, furthering her celebrity status.
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5. The Bottom Line on the Brown Tabby Cat
Your favorite browns may only be chocolates, or occasionally Bobby Brown. Regardless of what you feel, brown tabby cats can make space for themselves in our elastic hearts. Be it crafted breeds or community dwellers, brown tabbies of all kids deserve to be spoilt. While a coat pattern does not define their personalities, it does aid them in mischief. Hunting for rodents or snoozing in the strangest of places, brown tabby cats can do it all camouflaged. That’s some of the things they do best. Others include meowing for food and not giving a hoot.
The best part is that the world can never run short of them. Consequently, that also means that some of them may be in desperate need of our help. Why not head to your local shelter and give a brown tabby mouser a better chance at life. If adoption is not an option, take care of your neighborhood community cats. Our brown tabbies may have a short lifespan, but it always is full of catnip and treats.
