also: サバねこ · サバネコ
noun
mackerel tabby; gray tabby cat
Refers to a cat with a striped coat pattern resembling mackerel markings; the most common tabby pattern in domestic cats.
うちの鯖猫はとても人懐っこい。
Our mackerel tabby is very friendly.
あのサバ猫の模様がきれいだね。
That gray tabby's pattern is beautiful, isn't it?
トラ猫 (tora neko) refers to a tabby cat in general, often with a classic or blotched pattern, while 鯖猫 specifically describes the mackerel/striped tabby pattern.
Compound of 鯖 (saba, 'mackerel') + 猫 (neko, 'cat'), from the resemblance of the striped coat pattern to the markings on a mackerel.