Breed - Specific Tabby

Every breed has its own distinguished patterns and tabbies. Breeds can be recognized by them.


To understand faults of the breed as well as its total merit is important to know about these possible variations


As well as the various permutations of tabby/silver tabby/golden tabby, spotted/silver spotted/golden spotted there are some terms specific to the modified tabby markings and specific colourways of certain breeds.





BREED-SPECIFIC TABBY/SPOTTED TERMS

BROKEN COLOURS - TORTOISESHELLS, BICOLOURS & TRICOLOURS

Tortoiseshell is the mixing of two or more distinct colours; one of the colours is red or cream. The black/orange tortie will be familiar to most readers. In pedigree cats, well defined patches of each colour are preferred. Cats with tabby markings on a tortie background are known as tabby-torties/patched tabbies/torbies. Where the hairs are mixed together, the cat is referred to as brindled. Almost all tortie/tortie-and-white cats are female; males do occur sometimes but they are either infertile or they have a genetic aberration and do not bred true.

Tortoiseshell - Black/Orange (tabby markings visible on the orange patches)

Dilute Tortoiseshell - Blue-Cream (tabby visible on cream patches)

Amber Tortoiseshell - The black areas are replaced by amber. Kittens are born with black markings that brighten to amber as they mature.

Brown Tortoiseshell - (Burmese version of black/orange Tortoiseshell)

Chocolate (Chestnut) Tortoiseshell - Warm milk chocolate, red, and cream

Cinnamon Tortoiseshell - Milk-chocolate brown and cream (Burmese)

Lilac (Lavender) Tortoiseshell - Frosty lilac-grey and cream

Light Amber Tortoiseshell - The blue areas are replaced by amber; kittens are born with blue but this brightens to light amber as they mature.

Patched Tortoiseshell - The above tortoiseshell patters can also occur in combination with the tabby pattern e.g. Blue Tabby Tortie, Lilac Tabby Tortie, Silver Tabby Tortie etc

Bicolour - Solid colours can occur patched with white e.g. Black and White, Cream and White (faint tabby markings), Chocolate and White.

Tabby-and-White - Tabby patterns can occur patched with white e.g. Blue Tabby and White, Red Tabby and White, Silver Tabby and White. Ticked colours can occur patched with white.

Tortie-and-White - Tortie patterns occur with white e.g. Tortoiseshell & White (Calico), Dilute Tortoiseshell & White (Dilute Calico/Blue-Cream and White), Chocolate (Chestnut) Tortie and White (Choc-Cream & White/Chestnut Calico), Lilac (Lavender) Tortie & White (Lilac-Cream & White/Lavender Calico) etc.

Silver Tortoiseshell / Silver Tortoiseshell Tabby - Tortoiseshell and Tortie-Tabby patterns can occur on silver backgrounds e.g. Blue Silver Tortoiseshell/Tortie Tabby/Tabby, Fawn Silver Tortoiseshell/Tortie Tabby/Tabby, Red Silver Tortoiseshell/Tortie Tabby/Tabby etc and on golden backgrounds.

Tipped and Smoke Tortoiseshell - These are described in the section on chinchilla, tipped, shaded and smoke colours and have silver or golden undercoats.

CHINCHILLA (SHELL), TIPPED (SHORTHAIR TIPPED), SHADED, AND SMOKE COLOUR GROUP

Chinchilla (shell) is the lightest tipping; hair tip is coloured and hair shaft is silver, giving a sparkling appearance. Shaded is next degree; colour extends further along the hair shaft, darkest on the back to create a mantle of shading. Smoke is heaviest tipping; undercoat colour is reduced to a small band near the hair root, the cat appears to be solid with pale ruff/frill until the coat is parted or the cat is in motion. In the golden series, the undercoat is gold rather than white. The terms "chinchilla" and "shell" are mostly used for longhairs (Persians), in shorthairs this is called tipped.

Silver series - White undercoat with colour tips.

Golden seriesGold undercoat with colour tips

Shell - Chinchilla tipping

Cameo - Red (a term sometimes used in longhairs with red on a silver undercoat)

Cream Cameo - Cream (dilute of Red/Cameo)

Silver Tabby - Coloured markings on silvered/ivory ground colour e.g. Red-Silver (Cameo) Tabby which is red on ivory.

Tortie Chinchilla/Shell Tortie/Silver Tortie - Pale undercoat tipped in tortie combination of colours.

Shaded Tortie/ Tortoiseshell Shaded Silver - Pale undercoat tipped/shaded with tortie combination of colours (e.g. black red and cream). Tipping ranges from shell (chinchilla) to shaded.

Smoke Tortoiseshell/ Tortie Smoke - Pale undercoat smoked with tortie combination of colours. Undercoat only visible when cat is in motion.

Silver Patched Tabby - Coloured markings on silvered ground colour interspersed with patches or red and/or cream (or other tortie combinations).

Golden Patched Tabby - Coloured markings on golden ground colour interspersed with patches or red and/or cream (or other tortie combinations).

The first chinchillas/shaded silvers/smokes were longhairs which had black tipping or shading. Black on silver gives:

Chinchilla aka Silver/Silver Chinchilla/Tipped (called Burmilla in Asian group of cats)

Shaded Silver - blue/green eyes, darker than Chinchilla

Masked Silver - shaded silver with dark face/paws

Pewter/Pewter Tipped - orange-eyed Shaded Silver/Chinchilla (this was the original eye colour of the breed, but fell out of favour in the 1890s)

Silver Tabby - black tabby markings on silver background

Black Smoke - looks solid black until you part the fur which is pale near the roots

Other tipped/shaded/smoke colours used the above naming convention, but named the particular colour e.g. Blue on Silver gives:

Blue Chinchilla
Blue Shaded Silver
Blue Pewter
Blue Silver Tabby
Blue Smoke
Blue Silver Tortoiseshell/Tortie Tabby

Other colours on silver follow the same formula e.g. Chocolate (Chestnut) Chinchilla, Lavender (Lilac) Shaded Silver etc. Red or cream on silver are also earlier developed colours and these have some historically-based synonyms as well as names following the usual formula:

Red Chinchilla = Shell Cameo
Red Shaded (Silver) = Shaded Cameo
Red Silver Tabby = Cameo Tabby
Red Smoke = Smoke Cameo
Red Silver Tortoiseshell/Tortie Tabby

Cream Chinchilla = Shell Cream Cameo
Cream Shaded (Silver) = Shaded Cream Cameo
Cream Silver Tabby = Cream Cameo Tabby
Cream Smoke = Smoke Cream Cameo
Cream Silver Tortoiseshell/Tortie Tabby

Blue Cream Chinchilla = Shell Dilute Tortoiseshell
Blue Cream Shaded = Shaded Dilute Tortoiseshell
Blue Cream Smoke = Smoke Dilute Tortoiseshell

GOLDEN COLOUR GROUP

The golden series is less common. Like the silvers, the colour is on a paler undercoat, but in this case golden. Golden series is named using a similar formula to the silver series e.g.:

Golden Chinchilla
Shaded Golden
Blue Shaded Golden (etc)
Golden Tabby
Golden Tabby-Tortie
Golden Ticked Tabby
Chocolate Golden Ticked Tabby (etc)
Tortoiseshell Golden Chinchilla
Tortoiseshell Shaded Golden
Tortoiseshell Golden Smoke

BREED SPECIFIC TIPPED

There is a breed specific tipped colour found in the Chausie which is distinct from the tipped colours above.

Silver Tipped - Black hairs tipped with silver, appears to be a form of black agouti rather than smoke or silver.

COLOURPOINTS

Often called the Siamese pattern or Himalayan pattern (after Himalayan rabbits). As well as the colourpointed coat, they have blue eyes. Pointed cats are slow to develop their full body and point colour and kittens/young cats have paler points or markings Older cats have darker body colour. Temperature affects the point colour - the coldest areas (the 'points' i.e. ears, legs, tail) are darker than the body and things like environment temperature, a fever or even bandaging a leg because of injury will affect the colour. The types of point pattern are:

Solid Point - points are of solid colour e.g. seal (dark brown), blue (grey)

Lynx/Tabby Point - points have tabby markings

Tortie Point - points have tortoiseshell (multicolour) markings

Abyssinian Point - points are ticked (i.e. agouti)

Pastel Point - chinchilla/shaded silver tipped points (pale colour on silvery background) (Tipped Siamese)

Shadow/Smoke Points - shaded points, shadowy tabby markings (darker version of chinchilla)

Snow Tiger - alternate term for Lynx/Tabby Points

Bicolour Point - Colour point with white markings on the coloured areas (present, but less apparent, on the body) e.g. white paws.

Apricot Point - Pinkish brown points

Blue Point - bluish white body, slate blue points

Caramel Point - cafe-au-lait colour points

Chocolate Point - ivory body, milk chocolate points

Cinnamon Point - milk-chocolate colour points

Cream (Ivory) Point - creamy white body, buff-cream points.

Fawn (Light Lilac) Point - Hot cream points

Lavender Point - pinkish lilac points

Lilac (Frost) Point - glacial white body, frosty pinkish grey points

Red (Flame) Point - creamy white body, deep orange to red points

Seal Point - cream/pale fawn body, deep seal brown points

As well as solid colours on the points, there are tabby (lynx) and tortoiseshell points. These can be hard to tell apart without knowing the colours of the cats ancestors:

Seal Tabby Point/Seal Lynx Point - cream/fawn body, points brown with seal brown bars.

Blue Tabby Point/Blue Lynx Point - bluish white body, points deep blue on pale blue.

Caramel Tabby Point/Caramel Lynx Point

Chocolate Tabby Point/Chocolate Lynx Point - ivory body, points warm milk chocolate on paler background

Cinnamon Tabby Point/Cinnamon Lynx Point

Lilac (Frost) Tabby Point/Lilac (Frost) Lynx Point - glacial white body, points frosty grey with pinkish points

Red (Flame) Tabby Point/Red Lynx Point - white body, points deep red bars red.

Cream Tabby Point/Cream Lynx Point - white body, points buff bars on pale cream.

Seal Tortoiseshell Point - body creamy white, points seal brown patched with red and/or cream

Blue Tortoiseshell Point/Blue Cream Point - body bluish white/creamy white, points slate blue patched with cream.

Chocolate Tortoiseshell Point/Chocolate Cream Point - ivory body, points milk chocolate patched with red and/or cream

Lilac (Frost) Tortoiseshell Point/Lilac Cream Point - glacial white body, frosty pinkish grey points patched with cream.

Seal Tabby Tortoiseshell Point/Seal Tortie Lynx Point - body cream/pale fawn, points brown with seal brown markings and red and/or cream markings.

Blue Tabby Tortoiseshell Point/Blue Tortie Lynx Point - bluish white body, points pale blue with slate blue markings with patches of cream.

Caramel Tabby Tortoiseshell Point/Caramel Tortie Lynx Point

Chocolate Tabby Tortoiseshell Point/Chocolate Tortie Lynx Point - body ivory, points pale chocolate barred with warm milk chocolate with red and/or cream patches.

Cinnamon Tabby Tortoiseshell Point/Cinnamon Torrtie Lynx Point

Lilac (Frost) Tabby Tortoiseshell Point/Lilac (Frost) Tortie Lynx Point

A relatively recent experimental development is the silver tabby point. Silver Tabby Tortoiseshells are possible and would use the above formula for their names.

Blue Silver Tabby Point - points silvery with slate blue barring

Seal Silver Tabby Point - points silvery with seal barring

Red Silver Tabby Point - points silvery with red markings

Cream Silver Tabby Point - points silvery with cream markings

MINK COLOURS (TONKINESE)

Minks are pointed cats with much darker bodies and less (although still apparent) contrast between body colour and point colour. Mink is a halfway-house between solid colour (Burmese) and colourpoint (Siamese). In theory, Tonkinese occur in versions of all Burmese (solid) colours - the list below gives the Burmese equivalent name for some of the mink colours. Mink-colour cats have blue, aqua or blue green eyes. In Australia, Tonkinese are found in spotted, tabby, ticked, tortie and tortie-tabby varieties and in the silver series. Many registries use the Oriental or Burmese colour name, not the "mink" term.

Blue Mink - Ash blue (with warm fawn tones) body, medium/slate blue points.

Champagne Mink - (Chocolate) buff cream/light tan body, points golden tan to milk chocolate

Honey Mink - (Cinnamon)

Natural Mink - (Black/Seal) Medium brown body, deep seal brown points.

Platinum Mink - (Lavender/Lilac) Pale silver/pearly grey body (with light fawn tones), points pale dove grey to light taupe grey

Red Mink - Pale red body, darker red points with ghost tabby markings

Cinnamon Mink

Fawn Mink - A "hotter version" of cream.

Cream Mink

VAN, VAN BI-COLOUR, HARLEQUIN, SEYCHELLES GROUP

Van Pattern is also called Grade 8 - Grade 9 Piebald. It is the most extreme of the 'Seychelles' patterns, comprising patches on head at base of each ear; tail same colour as patches, often with darker rings because red and cream are not true solid colours. Van Bi-Colours & Harlequins have additional markings on legs, one or two small patches on body. Beware: in Turkey, the term Turkish Van does not refer to a patterned cat!! The Seychellois is a Van-pattern cat of oriental type.

The 3 Seychellois patterns are:

Seychellois Neuvieme - white, coloured tail & head splashes

Seychellois Huitieme - has additional leg splashes

Seychellois Septieme - has leg & with body splashes

Other colours are being developed in Van pattern cats. In theory any solid, tabby or tortie colour can occur in the Van pattern. The current colours of Van-pattern cats (Turkish Van and Van Bi-Colour) are:

Auburn and White - original Turkish Van breed colour - red-tabby markings

Black and White - black markings

Blue and White - ash grey markings

Cream and White - dilute of auburn - cream-tabby markings

Tortoiseshell and White - tortie/blue-cream markings

Tabby and White - any colour tabby markings

MITTED & RAGDOLL COLOUR PATTERNS

The following are colourpointed cat appearing to have white mitts. The 'Mitted Pattern' is found in the Snowshoe, Birman and Ragdoll. The mitted pattern can occur with any of the colourpoint colours and patterns. There are six Ragdoll patterns, only three of which have competition status:- Colourpoint, Bi-colour and Mitted. The other three patterns are High Mitted (mitts extend up legs), Mid-High White (Bi-colour with additional white in "saddle" area) and High White (Bi-colour with even greater degree of white, "saddle" may be absent). The Piawaian Kucing Malaysia has a Ragdoll-type Seal Point Mitted pattern. Other colours are being developed in Ragdolls.

Seal Point Bi-Colour - Seal brown ears, tail, mask, "saddle"

Seal Point Colourpoint - Siamese pattern

Seal Point Mitted - Birman pattern, dark body, white face blaze, belly, boots & mitts

Blue Point Bi-Colour/ Colourpoint/Mitted - as above but with blue (grey)

Chocolate Point Bi-Colour/Colourpoint/Mitted - as above but with chocolate

Lilac Point Bi-Colour/ Colourpoint/Mitted - as above but with lilac

Lynx Point Bi-Colour/ Colourpoint/Mitted - tabby-patterned points (various colours)

Red (Flame) Point Bi-Colour/Colourpoint/Mitted - red (red tabby, flame) points