<P> A tabby is any domestic cat (Felis catus) that has a coat featuring distinctive 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, and is a genetic landrace common 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 (Felis lybica lybica), which--along with the European wildcat (Felis silvestris silvestris) and Asiatic wildcat (Felis lybica ornata)--has a similar coloration . A genetic study found five genetic clusters from tabbies to be ancestral to wildcats of various parts of the world . </P> <P> The English term tabby originates from the translation of the French phrase "striped silk taffeta", the root of which is tabis, meaning "a rich watered silk ." This can be further traced to the Middle French atabis (14th century), which stemmed from the Arabic term attabiya . This word is a reference to the neighborhood in Baghdad, Attabiy (named for Prince Attab of the Umayyad Caliphate), where such silk cloth was first made . Tabby is also comparable to the Spanish word ataviar, which means "to decorate or to dress or wear" and often implies luxurious clothing . Usage of the term tabby cat, which means "one with a striped coat", began in the 1690s and was later shortened to tabby in 1774 . The notion that tabby is indicative of a female cat may be a reference to the feminine proper name Tabby, as a shortened form of Tabitha . </P>

What does the m mean on a cats head
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