Most common house and alley cats are "tabbies," or at least have the breed somewhere in their undocumented family histories. The breed is old, having originated in the Attabiah district of Baghdad, where Jewish weavers copied the 'varied colors of their common cats in making a popular silk pattern that was sold widely in Europe. The silk was sold under the name of "tabbi" - hence the name of the cat.

Tabbies with pedigrees are not common. They must conform to rather strict patterns, as described for Tabby Persians, but the latitude in eye color and other features is broader than for most breeds. Shorthairs differ from the longhairs not only in the length of the hair but also in body form. Their legs and tail are longer.

The head is broad and the eyes are wide set, but the muzzle is not greatly shortened. The ears are widely spaced and medium-sized rather than small. Similarly, the neck is medium in length and in good proportion to the size of the body. The tail is rather thick at the base and tapers to a point. The short coat is neat, often becoming thicker in winter.

Tabby Shorthairs occur in the same color varieties as Tabby Persians. Some go by several different names. The Brown Tabby, for example, is sometimes called Blotched Tabby or Marbled Tabby, while the Red is known also as Orange Tabby. Most common in shows is probably the striking Silver Tabby. The familiar Striped or Tiger Tabby has a gray background color with narrow, tiger-like vertical black stripes from the shoulder to the tail. Its eyes are green.

Tabbies make excellent pets. They have no special features that set them apart in habits or personality. They are simply classic examples of cats in all respects.