This typical domestic shorthaired cat has a brown mackerel tabby coat.

Moggy or moggie (plural moggies) is a British affectionate term for a domestic cat, but is also used as alternative name for a mongrel or mixed-breed cat whose ancestry and pedigree are unknown or only partially known. Because of this mixed ancestry and free-breeding, a moggy can either be very healthy, or, if from an inbred feral colony, genetically unsound and sickly. However, as feral colonies are often left without any form of human intervention and veterinary attention, the sickly generally do not live past kittenhood, leaving the colony as a whole healthy. Balthazar is a domestic shorthaired tabby cat. ... Balthazar is a domestic shorthaired tabby cat. ... A mackerel tabby, with characteristic vertical stripes and white socks A tabby is a cat with a distinctive coat that features stripes, dots and/or swirling patterns. ... Binomial name Felis catus Linnaeus, 1758 Synonyms Felis lybica invalid junior synonym The cat (or domestic cat, house cat) is a small carnivorous mammal. ... For other uses, see Mongrel (disambiguation). ... Binomial name Felis catus Linnaeus, 1758 Synonyms Felis lybica invalid junior synonym The cat (or domestic cat, house cat) is a small carnivorous mammal. ... A pedigreed animal is one that has its ancestry recorded. ... Inbreeding is breeding between close relatives, whether plant or animal. ... A feral horse (an American mustang) in Wyoming A feral animal or plant is one that has escaped from domestication and returned, partly or wholly, to its wild state. ... Veterinary medicine is the application of medical, diagnostic, and therapeutic principles to companion, domestic, exotic, wildlife, and production animals. ...

Etymology

The origin of the word moggy is not a corruption of the word 'mongrel', as many believe. It was first recorded in 1911, and was possibly derived from maggie, margie or mog, all short forms of the female name Margaret. It is thought this was first used to describe an ungainly lumbering old cow, and it may even have been a minor rural English name for any cow; since 'moggy' was used in several 1800s English dialects as an 'affectionate name' for a cow. As rural people flocked to the cities during the latter part of the Industrial Revolution, it seems likely that the cow moggy became maggie, applied as a term of abuse for a dishevelled old woman or older prostitute. 1911 (MCMXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar). ... COW is an acronym for a number of things: Can of worms The COW programming language, an esoteric programming language. ... Beginning of the Napoleonic Wars (1805 - 1815). ... A dialect (from the Greek word διάλεκτος) is a variant, or variety, of a language spoken in a certain geographical area. ... A Watt steam engine. ...

The origin is obviously confused, but as the early 20th century streets of London became filled with very many unhealthy looking stray cats, it would have been natural to apply the term moggy to describe these unfortunate creatures. (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ...

In parts of Lancashire, England the word 'moggy' means mouse not cat. A cat was known as 'the moggy catcher'. It has been suggested that this could be the etymology of the word moggy meaning 'cat' - over time the catcher part was dropped from 'the moggy catcher' and so moggy now means both 'mouse' and 'cat'. Lancashire is a county in North West England, bounded to the west by the Irish Sea. ...

Trivia

A moggy minor is a nickname for a Morris Minor automobile. Morris Motor logo, from a UK Royal Mail van 1927 Morris Cowley 1928 Morris Minor Saloon 1946 Morris Ten Series M 1953 Morris Minor Series 2 1971 Morris 1000 Traveller The Morris Motor Company was a former British car manufacturing company. ...

Moggie has been a nickname for Morgan cars since the 1920s. 1934 Morgan Super Sports 1936 Morgan F4 Open Tourer 1960 Morgan A Modern Morgan Aero 8 at the Scarsdale Concours Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Morgan vehicles The Morgan Motor Company is a British automobile manufacturer. ...

A moggie is also a slang term referring to a tablet or capsule of mogadon, the alternative name for nitrazepam. Slang is the use of highly informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speakers dialect or language. ... Nitrazepam (marketed under the trade names Mogadon®, Nitredon®, Nilandron®) is a powerful hypnotic drug, which is a benzodiazepine derivative. ...

In the United States, a more common term for "moggy" is "alley cat."

A non-feral moggy makes an excellent household pet. It has been suggested that Residential pets be merged into this article or section. ...

Print Source

• Morris, Desmond. Catlore. New York: Crown Publishers, 1987.

Dr Desmond Morris (born 24 January 1928 in the village of Purton, UK) is most famous for his work as a zoologist and ethologist. ...

Online Source

• The term "Moggie" discussed at World Wide Words.

See also

• domestic longhaired cat
• domestic shorthaired cat