Naming the dresses
A cat's coat is the visible appearance of its fur, resulting from the expression of one or more colours, sometimes combined with specific patterns. The interaction between these colours and patterns gives rise to a very wide variety of appearances, from the most classic to the most original.
In the world of French-speaking cat breeding, coat designations follow a mixed nomenclature, often combining English terms for patterns (tabby, point, etc.) and their French equivalent for colours (black, blue, red, etc.). When a cat has white areas, we simply add the expression "and White" at the end of the dress name, as in "bleu tabby and White".
Basic colours and dilution effects
The colour palette observed in the domestic cat comes from the combination of two main pigments:
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Eumelanin, responsible for dark shades (black, chocolate, cinnamon)
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Pheomelanin, responsible for reddish tones
In addition to these colours, white is not a pigment colour but the result of a mutation (KIT gene) that inhibits the migration of pigment cells (melanocytes), leading to an absence of colouration.
Feline genetics also allows these colours to be modified by dilution, under the effect of the recessive d (Dilution) gene, which reduces the concentration of pigment. This gives rise to lighter shades, such as blue, lilac or cream.
The table below summarises the main basic colours in cats, their diluted versions and a few useful details.
In France, the LOOF (Livre Officiel des Origines Félines) sets the official standards for cat breeds. Within this framework, certain coat colours are permitted, while others may be excluded from the standard depending on the breed concerned.
📘The detailed standards for each breed can be found in this document.
As there is a wide range of colours, we have used simple illustrations to help visualise these variations.
The coloured circles ● illustrate the different shades of the coat, while the coloured triangles ▲ indicate the specific colour variations in the muzzle and pads.
I) Basic colours
A cat with a basic colour must have a perfectly solid and brilliant coat over the whole of its body. No variation, nor the presence of a single hair of another colour or a mark of any kind should be visible. The colour must be uniform from the root to the tip of the guard hair.
II) Diluted colours
A cat with a basic colour must have a perfectly even and brilliant coat over the whole of its body. No variation, nor the presence of a single hair of another colour or a mark of any kind should be visible. The colour must be uniform from the root to the tip of the guard hair.
III) Torties Base Colours
A cat with a coat that harmoniously blends red and black, often with a marbled or spotted effect, is called a "tortie", or "tortoiseshell", because of the resemblance of its coat to the shell of the eponymous reptile.
Classic torties are a combination of black and red, but there are also so-called diluted variants, in which the black is replaced by blue (slate grey) and the red by cream. You can also find lilac and cream torties, or fawn (beige) and cream.
Finally, when a tortie cat has a clear demarcation between two colours on its face - for example, one side cream and the other blue - this is sometimes referred to as a "chimera" pattern, although this term does not always refer to a true genetic chimera in the scientific sense.
*** Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version) ***
IV) Tabby (or Agouti) dresses
The Tabby coat, also known as the Agouti, is characterised by alternating agouti and plain hairs. The agouti hairs have a particular structure: each is made up of several bands of pigmentation, alternating a light base (brown, chocolate, cinnamon, or their dilutions - blue, lilac, fawn - or even silver) and darker areas, generally black.
This pattern gives a striped, marbled or spotted appearance, depending on the type of Tabby marking (mackerel, blotched, spotted or ticked). White mottles can also be superimposed on the Tabby coat, as can certain Smoke or Shaded effects, which modify the intensity and distribution of the pattern.
The Tabby pattern can be combined with any colour except solid white, making it one of the most common and varied patterns in the feline species.
V) Special Tabby dresses and colours
Some cats have rare or complex variations of the Tabby pattern. These "special Tabbies" may adopt the same colours as classic Tabbies or Torbies (Torties + Tabby), but are distinguished by atypical markings or shades.
They can also be combined with specific motifs such as :
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Marbled (blotched): large, contrasting scrolls forming a butterfly-like pattern.
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Oceloid: Spots reminiscent of wild felines such as the ocelot.
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Rosette: Rosette-shaped markings, typical of Bengals, reminiscent of a leopard's coat.
Special colours associated with tabby :
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Golden: the hair has a warm apricot or golden base, with a darker tip. This contrast creates a luminous, deep effect.
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Pewter: A blue-silver tabby pattern, where the coat mixes a silver base with grey-blue markings.
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Ruddy: Intense brown ticked tabby, with a golden brown base brightly ticked with black.
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Sorrel: Warm copper-orange to light brown, characteristic of the ticked coat of certain breeds such as the Abyssinian.
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Sunshine: A rare colour still undergoing genetic research, sunshine has a warm, light golden base, usually combined with a very bright tabby pattern. Unlike the classic golden, the contrast between the base and the ends of the hair is more subtle, creating a uniform sunny effect. This colour is particularly common in certain Siberian lines.
Chimera cats
A chimaera cat is an individual with a clear demarcation between two colours, often on the face. While this pattern may be the result of a true genetic chimera (fusion of two embryos), it is most often linked to the random inactivation of the X chromosome in tortie females. The term "chimera" is therefore generally descriptive, without implying a genetic anomaly.
VI) Points and albino cats
Colorpoint cats present a partial form of albinism: only the extremities (points) - face, ears, legs, tail - are coloured, and these areas may also be Tabby. The rest of the body remains clear due to temperature sensitivity of the pigmentation.
Complete albino cats, on the other hand, have a total absence of melanin. They have pale pink skin, red or light brown eyes and an entirely white coat with no trace of colour.
Note that a white cat is not necessarily albino: only a genetic analysis can confirm this.
VII) Dresses: Silver, Golden, Ticked, Tipped & Smoke
Unlike the Tabby pattern, which results from alternating bands of colour on each hair, the Silver, Golden, Smoke and Tipped effects depend on the vertical distribution of colour along the length of the hair.
More information on Tipped patterns (Shaded and Chinchilla)
Tipped patterns are characterised by pigmentation limited to the tips of the hairs, giving the coat a light, subtle contrast. This is due to a partial distribution of melanin in the hair shaft, where only the tip of the hair is coloured while the base remains light or white.
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Chinchilla: characterised by very short pigmentation, limited to around 1/8 of the length of the hair. The cat's coat is generally white with a slight veil of base colour. The eyes are often green, and the keratinised tissues (nose, pads, lips) take on the colour of the coat.
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Shaded: the pigmentation covers about half the length of the coat. There are two main variants:
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Shaded Cameo, generally seen in red or cream cats, where faded ghost markings are common. The keratinised tissues are pink and the eyes have a golden tint.
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Shaded Silver, typical of black, blue, tortie or cream cats, where the base of the hair is silvery white. The face is marked by contrasting make-up, with keratinised tissues of the base colour and green eyes.
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This phenomenon of partial pigmentation modifies the overall appearance of the coat by providing a balance between lightness and colour, contributing to the great aesthetic diversity in cats.
Further information on Silver, Smoke and Golden designs
Tipped patterns are characterised by pigmentation limited to the tips of the hairs, giving the coat a light, subtle contrast effect. This is due to a partial distribution of melanin in the hair shaft, where only the tip of the hair is coloured while the base remains light or white.
Chinchilla: characterised by very short pigmentation, limited to around 1/8 of the length of the hair. The cat's coat is generally white with a slight veil of base colour. The eyes are often green, and the keratinised tissues (nose, pads, lips) take on the colour of the coat.
Shaded: the pigmentation covers about half the length of the coat. There are two main variants:
Shaded Cameo, generally seen in red or cream cats, where faded ghost markings are common. The keratinised tissues are pink and the eyes have a golden tint.
Shaded Silver, typical of black, blue, tortie or cream cats, where the base of the hair is silvery white. The face is marked by contrasting make-up, with keratinised tissues of the base colour and green eyes.
This phenomenon of partial pigmentation modifies the overall appearance of the coat by providing a balance between lightness and colour, contributing to the great aesthetic diversity in cats.
Below are two illustrations detailing the variations of the Silver and Golden patterns:
VIII) In brief
Determining a cat's coat and colour remains a complex task, even for professionals. When in doubt, breeders and judges get together at specific events, commonly known as "colour determinations", to meticulously analyse every aspect of the cat's coat.
From a scientific point of view, genetic tests - known as "colortests" - are offered by private laboratories approved by the LOOF, such as GENINDEXE or ANTAGENE. These tests make it possible to identify the genes responsible for colour, and thus to estimate the colour probabilities of future litters.
It is important to note that, although these tests cannot predict the exact colour of a kitten, they do provide a precise indication of the chances of the kitten showing certain colours.
The illustrations on this page are mainly taken from the work of the following authors:
« Spotted-Tabby-Cat », creator of « Cat Genetic Tutorial »
« willowwispp »,creator of « Cat Genetics Guide Pages »