What kind of cat is Tom from Tom and Jerry?

by · August 27, 2021

Tom is a moggy i.e. a random-bred cat, which are commonly referred to as ‘domestic shorthairs’ for the simple reason they are domesticated and have short hair but no pedigree (recorded family lineage). He is a bicolour cat because his fur is both grey and white although the white looks off-white or grey on the video that I am watching. In the real world this white fur would have been produced by the piebald or white-spotting gene. White fur on the paws is referred to as being ‘mitted’ (i.e. wearing white mittens).

Tom from Tom and Jerry is a moggy
Two useful tags. Click either to see the articles: Toxic to cats | Dangers to cats

Tom from Tom and Jerry is a moggy. Screenshot

I think that it is quite rare for a cartoonist to base a cartoon cat on a cat breed. Therefore, when people ask what kind of cat is Tom, you can’t specify a cat breed. And when you say a cat is a ‘domestic shorthair’ you are saying that they are a non-pedigree, non-purebred or random-bred cat and this makes sense for the cartoon cats because often they have characters which fit the moggy cat world (i.e. street cats) as opposed to the more refined purebred cat world. Although Tom is a true domestic cat living inside and outside the home.

Note: This is a video from another website. Sometimes they are deleted at source which stops them working on this site. If that has happened, I apologise but I have no control over it.

Moggies arrive into the world through natural selection, normally, unless a cat owner is careless about neutering and spaying their cat and allows them to procreate. That might be a form of artificial selection; what is commonly called selective breeding. All purebred cats are selectively bred because the breeder selects the cats to mate.

Useful links
Anxiety - reduce it
FULL Maine Coon guide - lots of pages
Children and cats - important

When I think of purebred cats and cartoon cat characters, I think of the film Lady and the Tramp featuring the sinister pair of Siamese cats who relish causing mischief whenever they can. They are called Si and Am. They are an example of purebred cartoon cat characters.

SOME MORE ON CARTOON CATS:

Useful tag. Click to see the articles: Cat behavior
Note: sources for news articles are carefully selected but the news is often not independently verified.

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Michael Broad

Hi, I'm a 74-year-old retired solicitor (attorney in the US). Before qualifying I worked in many jobs including professional photography. I love nature, cats and all animals. I am concerned about their welfare. If you want to read more click here.

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