Felis catus, also known as the domestic cat or housecat, is the most common variety of domestic cat in North America. This typically shorthaired feline should not be confused with either the American Shorthair or the British Shorthair; both these are registered breeds. The domestic shorthair can be found almost anywhere in the world, though local gene pools in particular geographies mean that over time and many generations, a particular body type and coloration will dominate the local Felis catus population in a particular area. The Domestic Shorthair cat is the typical "house cat," that is, a cat that has no specific breed. Nonetheless, recent research suggests that the genetic inheritance of all house cats descends from a handful of African Wildcats, or Felis silvestris lybica from the Near East, c. 8000 B. C.
Domestic cats, while they may be slightly smaller than their nearest wild relatives, still are excellent hunters, with night vision, amazing hearing, stalking, pouncing, and hiding skills, fabulous balance and agility, they are also amazing companions. They still like to hunt, mark their territories (or furntiture) sharpen their claws, and communicate with a startling variety of yowls, cries, purrs and even growls.
While all those cats you know by sight as specific breeds—the Siamese, the Persian, the Maine Coon . . . . what I'm writing about today is the non-pedigreed or non-purebred domestic cat, the house cat, generally divided into two categories, domestic short hair and domestic long hair. Cat breeding in Europe became popular in the 19th century, and breeders began to isolate specific traits associated with specific breeds. In Australia and parts of the UK these domestic non-purebred cats are sometimes called "moggies" (possibly derived from maggie, a term for a somewhat ancient cow in 18 and early 19th century England, applied to farm cats); the equivalent non-specific breed cats may be referred to as either house cats or alley cats in American, even if the cat is a pet, and not at all feral.
One of the most common coloration patterns of the house cat is the tabby; a typical tabby a striped or brindled coat of a gray or tawny color," often with green eyes. The stripes can be of various sorts; some of them are inclined towards large spots or blotches, others tend towards stripes or a mackerel pattern, and and some have distinct spots. Tabbies tend to have a distinctive striped pattern that resembles an "M" on their forehead, with green eyes being the most common.
Image Credit: Ben Aveling