Furry situation

[kelsiarei]

I am doing an ami for someone and the idea is that it will look like her tabby cat.

I have no idea how to make a tabby fur effect. I was trying brown yarn with white and black thread carried along, but it doesn't look right. I was thinking about picking up a Vanna's Choice in tawny, but I don't want to buy it if it won't look right. Suggestions on how to achieve the right effect? I don't really want to spend more than $5 on yarn, since this is a charity-related project.

Thanks in advance for suggestions!