What is a tabby cat?
Tabby cats, yellow-brown undertones, with a solid black marking pattern surrounded by a ring of lighter copper. Tabby cats have rounded heads, closely spaced ears, slightly short necks and well muscled. Eyes are large, bright, round almond-shaped, acceptable in color from yellow, gold to green, usually with liner. The nose is brick red with a nose line. The hair is short and thick, with a stiff texture. Independent, lively and alert. Strong ability to catch mice.
What does a tabby cat look like?
Tabby cats have rounded heads, close ears, moderate size, broad ears, wide and deep ears, and rounded tops. The cheeks are broad, making the head appear rather rounded.
Eyes are large, bright, round almond-shaped, acceptable in color from yellow, gold to green, usually with liner. The nose is brick red with a nose line. Tabby cats are of medium build with a broad and deep ribcage. The limbs and tail are of moderate length, strong and muscular.
Tabby cats generally feel strong and well-balanced. The back hair can be divided into long hair and short hair. The markings are beautiful. Because it resembles the markings of wild raccoons, we usually call them raccoon stripes; there are M-shaped markings on the forehead, continuous extension lines at the corners of the eyes, and the neck, limbs and tail. Ring-shaped markings, the body is a complete connection of fishbone spur markings or leopard markings.
tabby cat living habits
Tabby cats are independent, lively, active, intelligent, and witty. They are very sensitive to changes in the surrounding environment and are extremely dependent on their owners. Once the owner changes, it will cause varying degrees of psychological damage to them.
cleanliness
Tabby cats often clean their fur and, in many cases, like to lick themselves and clean themselves. It wipes its beard with its front paws after meals and licks its anus with its tongue after urinating. This is the little tabby cat removing the odor and dirt from the body.
Tabby cats have many rough little bumps on their tongues, which are the perfect tool for getting rid of dirt.
Tabby cats can be seen washing their faces with their paws every day. In addition, every time you defecate in a fixed place, you have to cover the excrement with your claws after you defecate.
For example, a tabby cat licks its coat with its tongue to: stimulate the secretion of sebaceous glands, make the hair bright and smooth, not easily wetted by water, and can lick a small amount of vitamin D, promote the normal development of bones, and also make the coat fluffy, The function of promoting heat dissipation.
The licking behavior of tabby cats has several intentions. Cleaning the mouth after eating is the most common action, but when a tabby cat is in a bad mood and anyone hugs or touches his body, he will lick the touched fur with his tongue until it is soaked, and then he will calm down. Expressing that they don’t like the odor that people bring to them, tabby cats in labor will use their rough tongues to lick the fur off their abdomens so that the nipples are exposed so that the baby can easily suck milk. When there is ringworm or parasites on the skin, tabby cats also lick their hair to relieve itching.
cover up
The tabby cat’s behavior of covering up feces is purely instinctive and inherited from ancestors. The ancestor of the tabby cat, the wild tabby cat, covered up its feces in order to prevent predators from finding it and tracking it from its fecal smell. This behavior of modern tabby cats has no meaning in this regard, but it has earned the tabby a good reputation for being hygienic.
nocturnal
Tabby cats still maintain the nocturnal habits of carnivores, and many activities (such as mouse hunting, courtship and mating) are often carried out at night. Tabby cats are most active at dawn or early evening and spend most of the day lounging or sleeping.
tabby cat feeding
bath
The frequency of bathing your tabby cat should depend on the season and physical hygiene. Most tabby cats live indoors and are generally kept relatively clean. It is enough to wash them once every 2-3 months.
There are usually two types of bathing methods: wet cleaning and dry cleaning:
For wet cleaning, the water temperature should be controlled at about 40 degrees Celsius. When it is in the water, gently sprinkle the water on the body with your hands, and use the shampoo for tabby cats to scrub the fur after the fur is soaked. First wash the back half of the body and the more dirty places, such as the limbs, the lower end of the tail, around the anus, the lower abdomen, and finally the head and ears. Rinse the shampoo with water, otherwise it will easily lead to skin diseases. Dry the hair with a dry towel after washing. If using a hair dryer, pay attention to the distance and location of the blow so as not to burn their fur. You can brush it as you blow it so that the hair doesn’t clump together. When washing the head, hold the tabby nose up and hold it tightly to prevent the shampoo from getting into the eyes. In particular, it is important to prevent sewage and cleaning agents from entering the ear. Don’t let the shampoo irritate its eyes.
For dry cleaning, use a special cleaning powder or water to sprinkle on the hair for scrubbing. Dry cleaning is usually used for tabby cats under 4 months old or who are not suitable for water baths and are prone to colds. After 15-20 minutes of scrubbing with dry cleaning powder, the dry cleaning powder should be completely removed. When removing these dry cleaning powders, rub against the direction of the hair and be careful not to let the powder fly into your tabby’s eye sockets or nostrils. Dry cleaning is best not to use it for a long time. Tabby cats over 4 months should bathe with water regularly.
Nail trimming
Tabby cat nails are the best weapon for climbing, hunting and defense. Usually tabby cats will constantly look for rough surfaces to sharpen their claws. In addition to using scratches to mark their territory, they also need to shed the outer layer of the front end of the nail in this way to expose the sharper new layer below.
Claw grinding is an instinct of tabby cats, and they “maintain” their nails in this way. Most tabby cats can take care of their nails on their own, but if the nails grow too fast and too long, it can cause a lot of trouble and even disease in the tabby. If we spend a little time each week trimming tabby cat’s nails, it can also ease their urge to scratch furniture. When trimming the nails, lightly press the tabby’s feet so that the nails come out of the feet. Just cut off the transparent horny part of the front end, don’t touch the pink tender meat, where the peripheral nerves are very rich, the fingers are connected to the heart, the tabby cat will be very painful.
Sharp, purpose-built nail clippers should be used, a tabby has a limited tolerance for this, and it’s best to do it all before it starts to fuss. If only one or two paws are clipped and irritability occurs, be sure to let it go. Don’t let the tabby associate nail clipping with being forced to avoid future troubles. Tabby cats get used to it quickly if they are given a little praise and reward after cutting their nails.
comb
Tabby cats are very demanding animals and spend many hours every day carefully cleaning themselves. Owners need to be patient to help them groom and keep them clean. Generally, short-haired tabby cats can do it twice a week, but long-haired tabby cats need more time to take care of them. Not only does grooming keep the fur clean, tidy and smooth, it also helps remove shed hair and dead skin, helps improve blood circulation and strengthens muscles.
gargle
Regular dental care for tabby cats can effectively slow the formation of dental plaque that can lead to periodontitis. The methods of care are as follows:
The most effective way is to brush your teeth. Here are two ways to brush your teeth:
- Use a soft towel or sterilized gauze to clean the teeth of the tabby cat, and then rub the teeth and gums with cotton wool and garlic juice. If there is any food left in the teeth, you can use tweezers to remove it. Using a mouth freshener, adding a small amount to a tabby cat’s drinking water daily, can also play a role in cleaning the mouth. 2. If the tooth has tartar, please take it to a professional animal hospital for examination, and ask the doctor to deal with it.
- Usually pay attention to a balanced tabby diet, according to their breed and age preparation of food. A balanced diet can provide the calcium and phosphorus necessary for dental health. It is best not to feed the bones, as this is likely to damage their teeth, cause cracks and cause pain.
- Feed tabby cats as little soft food as possible. Except in special circumstances, it is not recommended to eat canned food for a long time or soak dry food in water to soften it. If you eat soft and soft food for a long time, the teeth of tabby cats in old age are easy to loosen, and food residues are easy to deposit in the crevices of teeth to breed bacteria. Cleaning the ears – The tabby’s ear canal is prone to accumulation of wax, grime, or moisture. If it is not removed frequently, it is easy to cause ear canal inflammation, so daily cleaning of the ears is very important. When cleaning the ear canal, be sure to use a special ear cleaner, not water. The specific operation can be demonstrated by a professional veterinarian. There are many diseases of the ear. Undiagnosed and random medication can easily cause many complications. You should consult a professional veterinarian in time.
Cleaning the eyes—-The eyes often have some secretions sticking to the corners of the eyes or flowing to the lower eyelids. In most cases, just use a damp cotton ball or paper towel to gently wipe off. Be careful not to use the same cotton ball to clean both eyes. to avoid cross infection.
