Wilma, star of hiding in full view, was a tabby. In Wilma’s Tulip Field Days the main character has to find six different cats, one of them a tabby. Time to talk cat fur patterns.
All kinds of breeds can be a tabby. I love the word tabby as you instantly get the cosy, loving character that I associate with that kind of cat. The stripe pattern can differ. Wilma’s fur had a bit of ginger in it.
What unites them is the M-shape on their forehead. On the photo above you can see the M upside down; the W for Wilma. How typical!
Are all tabbies as loving and magical as Wilma? I enjoy asking Bing random questions so I started my quest there and asked Bing to tell me something about their character.
Moody sometimes
Bing says tabbies are indeed known to be very friendly and intelligent, getting along with many people and animals: “They are rather playful but can get moody sometimes. Fortunately, they tend to be very easy going and not prone to attacking. If treated well, they can be a very contented and well-behaved member of the family.
It’s important to note that every tabby is a completely unique individual, so their personality can vary depending on their upbringing and environment. Some tabbies can be shy, introverted, less active, or dislike handling too much. The personality of a tabby cat also depends on the nature and temperament of its parent breed.”
Hmmm, Wilma was very shy seeing she was a homeless cat when I found her, but during the years I have also wondered, what if she had just been a wild cat? That could explain her shyness even more…
I have been caught out by Bing before when doing some research for an online marketing course. We were assigned to write a web article about an airline catering company. I asked Bing to find me the weirdest thing one of the chefs had suggested for their VIP meals. It’s answer was something like crayfish salad.
The next day I went back and asked Bing where it had found that anecdote as I wanted to check the source. It replied it had not found it anywhere but thought the anecdote might amuse me… Right.
I don’t use Bing to amuse me though it never ceases to, but I found this somewhat discouraging, so I ended up without the anecdote and for this blog I am actually going to check its call about tabbies being friendly, intelligent and playful because I think that could apply to all cats… I turned my gaze to good old Google and found a lot of confirmations online, such as this info about tabbies from Purina:
“Very often the tabby cat is considered the most outgoing cat of all, playing and exploring like no other. Other tabby owners think their cat shows sure signs of being a genius and therefore higher intelligence is another distinctive quality that cat enthusiasts associate with a tabby cat.” Nice!
The important thing about their fur is that it gave them camouflage for hunting in days gone by. As readers of My name is Wilma/Wilma een Wereldkat will know, Wilma was a star in disappearing into her environment. My cover designer Cathy Helms got the cat just right too – the distinguishing M is smack bang right in the middle and has Wilma’s inquisitive, open and friendly eyes.
Next time I will be exploring the tuxedo!
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