Tuxedo, Tabby, and Tortie Cats: A Guide to Identifying These Unique Housecats

You should meet Mike Moo. He’s such a handsome guy! He’s jet black with a face that’s all-boy. His head is as big as a small grapefruit, and despite his large size, he’s undoubtedly the cat's meow. His fur is silky smooth. I’m not sure how Moo keeps it looking so neat.

Farnsworth adores Mike Moo. They hang out together, licking each other’s faces. Farnsworth is always seen in his Sunday best, a tuxedo cat ready for any ball or fancy event. Calvie, on the other hand, is the matriarch of the family, a brown long-haired tabby with a playful attitude.

Mike, Farnsworth, and Calvie aren't purebred cats. In fact, all the cats in my home are rescues — everyday housecats who, when not hissing, chasing each other, or scratching at the carpet, make for excellent companions. (As I write this, Moo is snoring under the desk.) These three are among the most common types of housecats in the United States.

Housecats come in all shapes, sizes, and colors. Some are laid-back, some are playful, some are clever, and others couldn't care less. I've had many cats, all rescued from difficult lives. Pandora was an orange domestic shorthair — daddy's favorite. Batty and D-Day were white boys, although Batty had longer fur. I couldn't help but laugh when they knocked down the Christmas tree one year.

In many ways, ordinary housecats, alley cats, or whatever you prefer to call them, don't get the recognition they deserve. A quick search online will bring up countless articles about the Best Cat Breeds. But because domestic shorthairs and domestic longhairs aren’t officially recognized as pedigreed breeds, they never make it onto these lists. It's unfortunate. Ninety-five percent of the cat population in the U.S. consists of domestics, an often-unknowable blend of genes. One in ten domestics has long hair, a result of a recessive gene in shorthair cats.

So, how should you go about choosing your new domestic shorthair companion?

Each of them has their own unique personality. However, despite some common (mostly anecdotal) beliefs, there's no reason to think a cat’s color determines its temperament. So, a black cat could be just as friendly as one that's orange.

Sterilization has a definite impact on behavior, so a cat that has been spayed or neutered will behave quite differently from one that hasn’t been. You'll also notice significant changes in behavior based on a cat’s age. Adolescent cats, as any cat lover can confirm, tend to be much more energetic and mischievous than older cats.

Environment is another crucial factor, according to Danielle Bays, senior analyst of cat protection and policy at the Humane Society of the United States. "In the wild, domestic cats are both predators and prey. How confident a cat feels in a particular environment or situation will determine its personality." Therefore, if cats are fearful of people or other animals in the house, they may retreat and hide. Cats that feel secure, on the other hand, are more likely to roam freely looking for attention — and treats.

"Cat owners or those interested in adopting a cat should pay attention to the cat's socialization, energy level, and background, as these all play significant roles in behavior," says Marny Nofi, senior behavior manager for the Anti-Cruelty Behavior Team at the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. "It’s also worth noting that kittens are still developing, and their personalities can change as they grow. Socialization is key to helping your kitten become a more confident cat."

Beyond personality, there are numerous genetic factors that influence the color and pattern of domestic shorthairs. In celebration of these cats, here are a few varieties that will certainly make you wiggle your whiskers.

Tabby

"Tabby cat" is often incorrectly used to describe all female cats. In fact, "tabby" refers to the coat pattern, not the gender. A tabby’s fur can come in a variety of colors, from orange and gray to yellow and brown. Regardless of their color, they all share characteristic slashed stripes on their faces, necks, and bodies, and most have the iconic 'M' shape on their foreheads.

Here’s an interesting cat fact that’ll really make your tail flick – genetically speaking, all cats are tabbies. The striped patterns are caused by the agouti gene, which causes banding in individual hairs. The agouti gene is dominant, while the non-agouti gene is recessive. So, if you see a solid-colored cat, it simply means it has modifier genes that suppress the classic tabby pattern. But in essence, it’s still a tabby, according to scientists.

Even in cats that seem to be solid colors, you might notice tabby-like striping in bright sunlight, particularly on their tail. Kittens can sometimes show stripes when they’re young, only to lose these markings as they grow older.

Tabby striping is genetically inclined to return. Even in lineages of cats with solid-colored coats, the tabby stripes often reappear, although it may take several generations for those markings to become visible.

Tabby markings can come in various forms. Some people categorize tabby coat patterns into four subtypes: mackerel, classic, ticked, and spotted.

Mackerel tabbies are recognized for their distinctive vertical stripes, often earning them the nickname of "tiger" cats. These bold stripes have continuous lines and typically maintain regular spacing. The overall appearance can sometimes resemble a fish skeleton rather than a tiger, which is why they're called mackerel tabbies.

Classic tabby cats, sometimes referred to as "blotched" tabbies, have a combination of stripes and swirls in their markings.

Ticked tabby cats are a bit more challenging to identify, primarily because they lack the usual body stripes. However, the key distinguishing feature is their face, which sports the signature "M" shape that sets tabbies apart from other cats with different coats.

Spotted tabby cats are, as their name suggests, covered in spots all over their sides. These spots vary in shape and size, and they may even blend into stripes in some cases.

Each tabby pattern variation carries its own unique set of traits and cultural significance. For instance, orange tabbies, like the iconic Garfield, are often called "marmalade or ginger cats". The orange hue of these tabbies comes from a pigment known as pheomelanin, and their shape is often reminiscent of a small basketball.

Much like humans with ginger hair, orange tabbies can develop freckles, especially around their mouths or on areas where their fur is shorter. These tabbies are mostly male, as males only require one O gene to turn orange, while females need two. In fact, ginger male tabbies are believed to outnumber females by about three to one.

Tuxedo

Tuxedo cats are truly special, and it's not just because I've had two of them. As Shakespeare would agree, what's good for him is good for me. No kidding – Shakespeare owned one, or so it's said. Tuxedos, with their black and white coats and little boots, are both mysterious and playful.

Tuxedos got their name from their striking formal attire. Sometimes referred to as "Tuxies," they come in various black and white patterns. Some are nearly entirely black, save for their face, chest, paws, and even the tip of their tail. Harlequins have black and white patches, and a few tuxedos even sport a cute "bowtie."

Tuxedos are known for their distinctive color patterns. They usually have green eyes and white whiskers. If they live indoors, they can reach up to 20 years of age. These easygoing cats are perfect companions for kids and make great playmates. Tuxedos can be either male or female.

Black

You don't need to be Edgar Allan Poe to appreciate black cats. Halloween would feel incomplete without them. In the Middle Ages, black cats were linked to misfortune, witches, and even Satan. Nowadays, they're often overlooked for adoption, either due to these old superstitions or because they're not as highly regarded as colorful cats.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals reports that black cats stay in shelters 40 percent longer than orange and white cats. They're also two-thirds less likely to be adopted than white cats and only half as likely to be adopted as tabbies. It's unfortunate. While many people view black cats as simply mono-colored, they actually come in various shades. Some are a deep onyx, while others may have a bluish tint. Their fur is often smooth and luxurious. The gene responsible for black fur is dominant in cats, which is why they are so common.

Tortoiseshell and Calico

We've grouped these two together because they are closely related. True tortoiseshell cats are a combination of black and brown fur, with patches of orange scattered across the darker shades. Their coat patterns vary widely. Like the other cats mentioned, torties aren't a specific breed, but are defined by their distinct fur color pattern.

If a tortie has white markings as well, it is classified as a calico cat. Most calicos and torties are female and possess two X chromosomes in each cell. The X chromosomes carry the black and orange colors, while a separate gene controls the expression of the white fur.

Only 1 in 3,000 calicos are male. Male calicos have an unusual chromosomal pattern: two X chromosomes and one Y chromosome (the typical male configuration). A male calico will be either orange or black, but never both. However, they can still have white markings. Calicos generally live between 12 and 16 years.

White and Albino

White cats and albino cats are not the same. White cats simply have white fur, while albino cats are also white but have a genetic condition that causes a lack of melanin, resulting in the absence of color. This condition is known as albinism.

One way to distinguish white cats from albino cats is by eye color. True white cats can have a broad range of eye colors. However, albino cats always have pale pink, blue, or blue-pink eyes and are extremely sensitive to light. Additionally, albino cats have pink skin on their ears and paws, and they are prone to sunburn, so it's important to keep them out of direct sunlight during peak hours. While white cats are common, albino cats are far rarer.

In some instances, white cats with blue eyes might be genetically predisposed to deafness because the gene that causes the white coat may also result in blue eyes and hearing loss. However, not all white cats with blue eyes are deaf. Sometimes, a cat may have one blue eye and be deaf in the ear on the same side of the head. In such cases, the cat may have adapted so well that the owner might not even notice the hearing issue.

Colorpoint

Siamese cats are most famously recognized for their colorpoint patterns, where darker colors appear on their ears, face, tail, and paws. However, other shorthaired cats may also display similar colorpoint traits. For example, "seal" points are dark brown, "blue" points are dark gray, and "red" points have orange tips. In all cases, these darker points gradually fade into a lighter body color, lending the cats an air of noble elegance.

Nathan Chandler contributed to this article.