A tabby is any cat that has a distinctive coat that features stripes, dots, lines or swirling patterns, usually together with a mark resembling an "M" on its forehead. Tabbies are sometimes erroneously assumed to be a cat breed. In fact, the tabby pattern is found in many breeds of cat, as well as among the general mixed-breed population. The tabby pattern is a naturally occurring feature that may be related to the coloration of the domestic cat's direct ancestor, the African Wildcat, which (along with the European Wildcat and Asiatic Wildcat) has a similar coloration.

Tabby bezeichnet die typischen Fellzeichnungen von Katzen, wenn die Katze nicht einfarbig oder einfarbig mit weiß ist. Es werden dabei die Muster getigert, gestromt, getupft und getickt unterschieden.

Tabby kallas ett fläckigt agoutimönster i pälsen på en katt. Fläckarna är fördelade så att pälsen får ett marmorerat mönster. Tabbymönstret är recessivt mot de tigrerade och tickade mönstren på katt.