Due to the addition of white coloring in caliby cats, some of these features may not be distinct.Ī caliby with a mackerel pattern has vertical, thin stripes along its body against a light background. They might have stripes around the neck and down their legs. Classic tabby cats have an “m” on their forehead, a concentric swirl on each side of the body called a “bullseye”, and a light area between the shoulders called a “butterfly”.

There are several colors of tabby cats including brown, silver (grey), and orange.Ĭaliby cat colors and markings: Different types of caliby catsĬaliby cats can display the classic, mackerel, or spotted tabby pattern:Ī caliby with a classic tabby pattern is recognized by its bold, swirling pattern against a light background color. The background hair of any tabby pattern is light with dark bands intermingling with dark lines, spots, or swirls on top. The pattern is determined by a gene called the agouti gene that determines the pigment of each hair. There are four possible tabby cat coat patterns: mackerel, spotted, classic, and ticked. Tabby is a cat of any breed with a coat pattern of stripes, swirls, dots, and rings. A male can only be calico colored if he has an extra X chromosome. This is because to show the calico coloration, the genes must be present on two X chromosomes. Most calico cats are female, but male calicos can exist. White is the most common color making up the coat of calico cats, but a calico cat doesn’t need to be mostly white to qualify as a calico-colored cat. They’re commonly 25 percent to 75 percent white with orange and black patches. Calico cats are short- or long-haired domestic cats with a tri-color coat. Like a caliby cat, a calico cat is not a breed but a description of coat color. The calico has patches of black and orange, brown and orange, grey and cream with the addition of areas of white.Ĭats displaying red and brown or cream and grey tabby patterns without the presence of white are known as patched tabbies.The tortoiseshell cat has patches of black and orange, brown and orange or grey and cream.Most cat lovers are familiar with tortoiseshell and calico cats:

The name is a mix of calico + tabby = caliby. Caliby cats have the coloration of a calico mixed with a tabby-typically areas of orange (red) and brown tabby with white. A caliby cat is the coat coloration of a cat and is not a stand-alone breed.

Muted calico tabby cat