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How did Tabby Cats get their 'M'?
All tabbies have an 'M' marking on their forehead, and on some this mark is
very distinct. The 'M' is often referred to as 'the mark of the true tabby'.
There are several amusing legends about how tabby cats got their 'M'.
The most popular of these legends tells us that when the baby Jesus was
lying in the manger he started to shiver with the cold. Mary covered the
baby with blankets but still he kept shivering. Mary then ask all the
animals to move closer to the manger so that their body heat would warm
Jesus.
The animals stood as close to the manger as they could but the baby Jesus
remained cold and shivering. After a time a small cat with tabby markings
jumped into the manger and snuggled next to Jesus. Before long the baby had
stopped shivering and was sound asleep, contented and warm.
In her gratitude to the tabby Mary made the mark of her own initial, upon
the cat's forehead so that tabby cats will forever remind the world of how
they saved Jesus from the cold.
How did tabbies get their 'M'?
A legend from the Islamic world recounts that Mohammed had a tabby called
Muezza who once saved his masters life by slaying a snake that had crawled
up Mohammed's sleeve. Later, when it was time to attend prayers the cat had
fallen asleep upon the sleeve, so to avoid disturbing Muezza, Mohammed cut
the sleeve from his garment. From that day on all tabby cats were born with
the 'M' marking on their forehead to remind all that see them that Mohammed
loved cats, and that cats should always be respected. |
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