Love Our Tabby Cats!

Johnny Cash

By: Natasha

For years, I maintained the opinion that tabbies were "boring." I'd had several cats as a young girl, and they were a different and interesting breed every time.

A calico, a Russian blue, a Birman Siamese, a Bombay, to name a few.

I never wanted to get a tabby, which I thought I could find anywhere.

However, after moving to my new apartment and starting to have "kitty withdrawal", I found myself heading to the pound with the intention of finding a yellow or orange cat.

I found such a cat, but due to an unfortunate case of worms, was forced to look at other cats.

I felt a little dejected, having bonded with the cat before, and then I saw the cute little kitty that was to become my beloved pet.

He was a white and gray tabby. My boyfriend said he looked and sounded sad, as if he were singing the "Folsom Prison Blues." I agreed, and once I got a chance to hold him, I was hooked.

We named him Johnny Cash, and he's been a great pet ever since. Now I feel foolish for being so judgmental about tabbies simply because of their coloring.

I've had enough cats at this point that I should know better; each cat has their own individual personality and little quirks that makes them enjoyable (and at times, annoying but cute!)

I guess the moral of the story is to be open-minded about everything in life, even when it comes to choosing a pet!

Why'd you wake me up?

By: Alida in Issaquah, WA

I cant love tabby cats enough. I have owned 4 tabby cats throughout my life and while they look like little tigers, they also have the best little personalities ever.

Sure, they aren't always lovey-dovey, but when they are, it makes it that much more adorable.

My current tabby cats are 2 years old and 10 years old. Tabby cats are fun, independent, and loving and I just adore them!

The 2 year old loves to play with the older, more deliberate one who just swats at him but secretly likes the attention. No matter how crazy they get during the day, they both turn into sweet little cuddlers at night, curling up at the foot of my bed for the full 8 hours.

Tobby resting on a motorcycle

By: Amy in Alamogordo, NM, USA

My favorite type of cat is the orange tabby.

Granted I have only owned two cats, both being tabbies; one orange and one the common mackerel.

My orange tabby, named Tobby, has a great personality!

I got him from an animal shelter when he was two years old. At first, we had many problems adjusting to each other.

He didn't have any 'manners' inside the house and would make trouble every minute. He also did not take to my other tabby cat.

But, after about a month of trying to gain his trust he started to come around. Now, he is eight years old and still behaves like a kitten.

He wakes me up every single morning by jumping into bed, curling up on my chest, and purring very loudly until I get up and feed him.

During the days he loves being outdoors, climbing trees, sleeping on the hood of my car, and attempting to catch birds. The coolest thing about Tobby though is he is not scared of anything!

He will go on car rides and calmly sit in the back seat, he enjoys taking baths, enjoys his nails being trimmed, and when I start up my motorcycle he jumps up onto the padded seat and curls up for a nap.

He now gets along with my other cat too. Sometimes I think she wishes Tobby still didn't like her because he will chase her around the house and yard relentlessly swatting at her tail and legs trying to get her to play with him.

I still don't know why his original owners got rid of him, but I do know that he has a permanent home here with me and my other tabby.