COLOUR AND PATTERN CHARTS Sarah Hartwell / Messybeast . com The charts on this page can be downloaded ( right click and " save as ") full size for use in breed tutorials and web - pages . This page doesn ' t go into inheritance genetics in depth , but is intended to depict the range of colours and patterns . Any genetics contents is extremely simplified ! Similar color charts have appeared in Wright & Walters ( The Book of the Cat , 1980 ) and in Robinson ' s Genetics ( 1977 onwards ) and I ' ve updated those with recent developments and made them freely available . The charts are laid out in the normal 2 - axis format seen in textbooks : the most dominant allele is at the left ( black ) and in descending order of dominance to the most recessive allele on the right ( cinnamon ) . Below that are the two dilution modifiers . The eumelanin ( black ) series and the phaeomelanin ( red ) series are alongside for comparison . In several cases , I ' ve taken the liberty of coining terms for certain patterns for ease of describing something not formally described by a cat fancy standard ( some of these terms have since been used by other people creating their own charts from my information ) . There are also charts of 2 sought - after patterns that haven ' t been confirmed in cats . This page may load slowly due to the number of downloadable images . The explanatory text and the charts are in the public domain for breeders and can be edited as required for your own breed . Please credit the source if you reproduce the contents because as well as material from cat breed standards and genetics texts , the charts depict material from my own studies which are described ( with photos ) elsewhere on Messybeast . com . I ’ ve used this order of precedence for naming conventions : 1 . Use existing cat fancy terminology OR 2 . Use the breed developer ’ s terminology ( e . g . Salt and Pepper ) OR 3 . Borrow terminology from other livestock ( e . g . belted , sheeted , cobweb ) OR 4 . Use descriptive plain English ( swirled , skunk - stripe ) OR 5 . For seen - once mutations , use the location where it was observed ( e . g . Finnish ) OR 6 . Use medical term ( e . g . periocular leukotrichia ) 1 . Self ( Solid ) Colours There are 9 eumelanin - based ( black - based ) self colours and 3 phaeomelanin - based ( red - based ) self colours . The red - based colours are genetically solid , but because of the way the red pigment and non - agouti gene interact , they may have discernible tabby markings . Self white ( not shown ) masks any underlying colour . The cat may be genetically black , genetically cream etc , but the presence of the white gene obscures the colour . Other self white cats are the result of extreme ｅxpression of the white spotting gene discussed later . There are 2 late colour change genes that result in additional self colours : amber ( Norwegian Forest Cats ) and Russet ( Burmese ) . These cause black pigment to gradually fade and become reddish . These charts are in a later section . 2 . White Spotting The white spotting gene causes variable white markings . I ' ve depicted this on a black cat , but any colour or pattern can have white markings . Generally speaking , a cat with one copy of the white spotting gene will be anywhere from 0 % to 50 % white while a cat with two copies of the gene will be anywhere from 50 % to 100 % white as shown on the chart . 2 a . Other White Markings Other white markings are not linked to the white spotting gene . Some are due to newly emerging gene mutations ( e . g . the " Finnish " mutation , the roan mutation ) and some are due to developmental anomalies or to illness / injury . Some of the terminology has been borrowed from other livestock that exhibits the pattern depicted . 3 . Tabbies The main tabby patterns are agouti ( ticked / Abyssinian ) , mackerel , classic and spotted . Agouti ( unpatterned ) tabbies have ticked fur , but almost no striped markings except residual barring on the legs , tail , head and chest . Mackerel tabbies have thin striped markings while classic tabbies have blotched markings . Spotted tabbies can be due to broken mackerel stripes or to spotting genes . Some classic tabbies display a dark " cape " due to heavy markings ; their agouti areas may be reduced to small patches on a black background . There are also several modified tabby patterns produced by selective breeding , mutation or by crossing to a wild species . Strictly speaking , the Bengal marbled pattern should be a horizontally aligned clouded pattern inherited from the Asian Leopard Cat , but in most Bengals it is a slightly modified classic tabby pattern . The tabby patterns and colours are shown in the 2 charts below . Red tabbies are variable in colour from sandy yellow ( marmalade ) through to the rich red found in show cats . 3 a . Ticked Tabby ColoursThe standard colours manifest differently in ticked ( unpatterned ) tabbies . 3 b . Charcoal Bengal An agouti gene inherited from the Asian Leopard Cat has given rise to another modified tabby pattern in the Bengal . The charcoal pattern reduces the amount of rufousing ( red tones ) in the coat and gives a dark " Zorro " mask on the face and a dark cape on the back . 4 . Tortoiseshell , Tortoiseshell - and - White ( Calico ) Tortoiseshell cats have a mix of a eumelanin colour with the corresponding phaeomelanin colour . This means dense with dense as in black with red , or dilute with dilute as in lilac / lavender with cream . The phaeomelanin - pigmented areas ( red , cream or apricot ) may show residual tabby markings . Where there is no white spotting or a low level of white spotting , the two tortie colours tend to be well brindled ( intermixed ) . With greater degrees of white spotting , the colours form larger , well - defined areas . This is due to the way the pigmented cells spread in the developing embryo . In North America , tortie - and - white cats are known as calico . Because the red colour is carried on the X chromosome and requires XX ( female ) genetic make - up , tortoiseshell is uncommon in male cats . It sometimes occurs as a result of developmental or genetic anomalies . 5 . Tortoiseshell Tabby ( with / without white ) Where tortie and tabby patterns are combined , the cat has different colour tabby patches e . g . black / brown tabby with red tabby instead of solid colour patches . These are known as patched tabbies in Europe and torbies in North America . When white markings are present , they may be called torbico in North America . 6 . Silver and Golden Series Normal agouti hairs have bands of light and dark pigment corresponding to the coat colour e . g . black and brown bands for genetically black cats , red and cream bands for genetically red cats . When the silver gene is present , the light bands are pale grey or nearly white . In genetically tabby ( agouti ) cats , this results in a tabby or ticked pattern on a silver base . Depending on the degree of ticking , this ranges from tipped ( chinchilla ) to shaded to silver tabby . When the silver gene is combined with a self ( non - agouti ) colour , the result is smoke . Some smoke kittens may show a residual tabby pattern until they get their full adult coat . The mechanism for golden is generally analogous to silver , but appears due to the wide band gene that lightens and brightens the background colour of agouti regions of the coat . Therefore it is debateable whether golden smokes exist . Other genes can give the impression of golden e . g . high levels of rufousing in breeds with wildcat ancestry . 6 a . Silver and Golden Torties & Tabby - Torties 6 b . Sunshine and " Bimetallic " In Persians , Exotics and British Shorthairs , golden results from two copies of the recessive inhibitor gene combined with the wide band gene . In Siberians , the Sunshine colour is also inherited recessively but is not due to the inhibitor gene . It brightens the agouti ( ticked ) areas of the coat . The effect is often patchy on the coat . Sunshine silver looks different from a silver with rufism ; the nose leather is pinkish unlike that of a tabby cat . The red colour of a sunshine red tabbies and sunshine torties is brighter and the paws are lighter . The absence of pigment in the sunshine tabbies extends beyond the edges of the nose leather so they have no nose - liner and have whitish fur at the bottom of the nose . 7 . Colourpoints There are 3 levels of colourpointing seen in cats . These are all due to temperature dependent albinism genes that cause cooler parts of the body to develop darker pigment . The first is the familiar high - contrast " Siamese " pattern known to geneticists as colourpoint or Himalayan pattern . The second is the low - contrast Burmese colour restriction , often referred to as sepia pointing ( because it was first seen in brown / sepia Burmese ) . Intermediate between these is the mink pattern ( Tonkinese colour restriction ) caused when the Siamese and Burmese colour restriction genes interact . The points may be solid , tabby or tortie colours . With Siamese colour restriction the torso is a shade of cream or ivory although some cats show " breakthrough markings " especially as they age . With Burmese colour restriction , the torso is marked with a slightly paler version of the colour and pattern . With Mink , the level of colour / pattern displayed on the torso is intermediate between those extremes . 7 a . Ragdoll & Bicolourpoints Some breeds combine colourpointing ( usually Siamese colour restriction ) with the white spotting gene . Breeders generally prefer a low level of white spotting that does not wholly obscure the coloured points . Separate genes are believed to control the uniformly expressed white mitting in certain breeds . 8 . Non - Extension Gene : Amber and Russet These two genes cause the eumelanin to fade , leaving behind reddish tones . Amber ( in Norwegian Forest Cats ) causes black to fade to amber , and blue to fade to light amber . The kittens are born black or blue and fade as they reach adulthood , starting with the dorsal region . Russet is found in the Burmese ; kittens are born an unusual lilac / chocolate colour and eventually turn reddish . The progression of the colour change is depicted in the chart below . 9 . Eye Colours Eye colours are associated with coat colours . Random - bred cats have the widest range of eye colours while the eye colours in pedigree breeds have been restricted by selective breeding . In other breeds , the gene that causes the colour / pattern also affects the eye colour e . g . blue eyes in colourpointed ( Siamese pattern ) cats . 10 . Shimmering Effects Shimmering effects either affect the structure of the fur or are due to white or translucent tipping of the hairs . Effects seen to date are grizzle ( in Chausies ) , silver tipping ( in Korat and Russian Blue ) and Satin ( in Tennessee Rex ) . Sparkling effects are also found in the Bengal . 11 . Posited Tan Series This gene has not yet been seen in cats , but in dogs it is an allele ( alternative gene ) at the agouti locus . This chart is a suggestion of how colour - and - tan cats would look if the mutation occurred . Theoretically it could be combined white spotting , colourpointing and silver / golden series . The possibility of tabby - and - tan patterns would depend on how the tan gene , if it occurred in cats , interacted with existing genes . 12 . Posited Merle Series This gene has not yet been seen in cats , but is found in dogs . Broadly speaking it manifests as patches of dense colour on the equivalent dilute e . g . black patches on a blue background , black patches on caramel , red patches on cream . This is different from tortie where the patches are a mix of a black - based colour with a red - based colour . Theoretically it could combine with existing colours and patterns , but would only show to good effect on dilute - coated cats e . g . a blue / cream tortie with black patches , or a lavender ( lilac ) tabby with chocolate patches . Theoretically these could also be combined white spotting , colourpointing and silver / golden series . The chart shows how merle might manifest in cats should the mutation occur . 13 . Imported Colours / Patterns Some colours and patterns have been imported from a wildcat ancestor . Some of these have already been detailed e . g . charcoal pattern Bengals , grizzle pattern Chausies and the rosetted and marble / clouded pattern seen in several hybrids breeds . The following are 2 novel patterns derived from wildcat x domestic cat crosses . The Rusty Spotted Cat hybrid illustration is based on descriptions of purported hybrids . The Sand Cat hybrid illustration is based on photographs of F 1 kittens . 14 . Colour pattern Mutations in Big Cats These have been depicted on a spotted big cat as this is the most common pattern , however a number of these mutations occur on striped , rosetted or clouded patterns as noted on the chart . This chart is included for comparison and general interest . MESSYBEAST : COLOURS , CONFORMATION & FUR TYPES