British cats are brown. Such different and beautiful British cats: we sort out the colors

06.03.2020 -

Everyone knows that there are a huge number of colors of British cats and each color has its own connoisseurs. When many people hear a phrase like “British cat,” they imagine an animal with a classic blue color and luxurious thick fur. Currently (tabby) are very popular.

Color is a set of characteristics such as the color of the coat, the pattern on it, as well as the color of the eyes. Coat color is genetically linked to the color of the paw pads and nose. And if a blue cat has any pinkish spot on its pad, then it is not blue, but blue-cream.

Caring for the fur of British cats requires a lot of effort and effort. But such work pays off later - because you can look at these beautiful animals endlessly.

The most rare colors

British cats sometimes give birth to kittens with amazing colors. It is not easy to find such kittens, because there are huge queues of people wanting to buy them.

Rarely are cats with chocolate or black fur and copper eyes. A great rarity is a white British man with with different eyes.

It should be noted that smoky, shaded and chinchilla are one group of silver color. Blue British cats are very popular, lilac color is in second place, silver tabby is in third place, spotted is in fourth place, and in some countries the brown-spotted color is popular.

Color British breed The coat of cats should be uniform in nature, free of spots, shades and white hairs. The British coat is thick, short and soft to the touch.

Tortoiseshell color

Tortoiseshell coloring is considered a rare coloring of British cats; it occurs only in girls. Spots of two shades are evenly mixed throughout the cat’s body. Cats with this color sometimes give birth to kittens with very interesting colors, so they are prized.

Smoky color

These British cats have a silvery undercoat that turns the base color into a smoky one. Smoky colors of two colors can also be found.

Chinchillas

In these British ones, the main color of the coat is shaded by another shade, which in turn covers the tip of each hair. One of the rather rare colors of the British is golden shaded with green eye.

Color with tabby pattern

Marble

Spotted (WISKAS)

Brindle color

The color of such cats can be almost any, but distinctive feature is a drawing that recalls the wild origin of cats. For the British cat breed, the standard has three patterns: marbled, spotted and brindle.

Color point

These representatives of British cats are distinguished by colored spots. In color, they are similar to Siamese cats. In rare cases, British cats of this color and pattern are found.

Bicolor color

This color occurs when any color from the main colors is combined, it is called bicolor. They are divided into (when the tail is colored and there are two spots on the head), harlequin (large colored spots), and also bicolor (almost half of the body is colored).

Each of these colors has its own clear criteria, and if you follow them, you can ensure successful performances at shows for British cats. Eye color and the symmetry of spots distribution also play a fairly important role.

Any breed has a certain standard, which includes different criteria. One of the most important is color. Sometimes determining it is much more difficult than it seems at first glance. This is especially true for British cats because they have the strictest criteria. Today, seven colors are clearly defined, and their variations number more than two hundred. With the help of our article, you can check your pet for compliance with the standard and find out a description of all the options.

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Varieties and characteristics of colored Britons

If you decide to buy a kitten with a view to further participation in exhibition competitions, then keep in mind that the requirements for British cats are the most stringent. The term “color” is a general term, and consists of a combination of the following characteristics: eye color, coat, and coat pattern. Even the nose and paw pads are taken into account, the color of which is interconnected at the genetic level. Just imagine, if there is a gray spot on a pink pad, the cat's color does not fall under the cream standard. Therefore, when choosing kittens, it is very important to pay attention to all these nuances.

According to standard requirements, every hair on a cat's fur must have an even color from root to tip. Only silver and tabby varieties fall under the exception. This means that solid-colored kittens should have an even color without overflow. No one will argue that the silver tint on a blue cat’s coat looks impressive, but she will simply not be allowed to compete due to inconsistency. Unfortunately, only a few of our domestic cats fall under such a strict requirement.

Not only the colors of the British, but also the patterns on their coat are subject to strict restrictions. According to one of the authoritative American standards, in bi-color or calico, as well as in smoky, solid and shaded colors, signs of residual pattern are considered to be a serious fault.

For for many years existence, British cats have won the hearts of many furry lovers. Palm long time held by the blue British. Lilac kittens are a little behind, followed by silver tabbies and spotted cats. In a number of countries, brown-spotted kittens are popular, having pronounced chocolate spots on a light background.

The color of the coat should be as pure and uniform as possible. The presence of spots, white hairs and other shades is unacceptable. The coat of British cats is very soft, despite its thickness. It is for this reason that this breed does not leave anyone indifferent.

Colors of cats

The main colors of the British are divided into seven groups, each of which has a corresponding coding. A special table will help you understand in more detail.

Color	Photo	Code
Blue		BRI a
Black		BRI n
Lilac		BRI c
Chocolate		BRI b
Cream		BRI e
White		BRI w
Red		BRI d

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A little about whites

Cats with a white color stand out noticeably from others. Their eyes may be blue or orange color. Some kittens may have different color eye. Popularity of white British cats in lately is growing rapidly. This is facilitated by their incredible appearance, which eliminates the appearance of extraneous shades and yellowness.

Breeding White Britons is fraught with some difficulties: the offspring may have physical defects, problems with vision and hearing. The coat is not always exceptionally white, and some kittens may be born with barely noticeable markings, which usually disappear completely with age.

Tortoiseshells

The tortoiseshell color has the following description: two-color spots are evenly distributed over the body. The most common combinations are black and red, cream and blue, cream and chocolate. Only females are genetically predisposed to tortoiseshell coloration.

The main requirement for color is the uniform distribution of spots over the body, that is, one color should not prevail over another. Small stripes on the muzzle are acceptable. According to the standard, the eyes should be copper or gold, and the nose and paw pads should be painted black or pink.

The fate of tortoiseshell cats is very controversial. For some, this color is unacceptable, while others are not even against such diversity. One way or another, British tortoiseshells are indispensable for further selection. Their offspring are so diverse that just look, in a few years another group will appear.

Blue British

British cats blue color may have a silver tint, that is, the hair is not completely colored, but only its middle part, starting from the middle. Based on the ratio of the colored part of the hair to its total length, shaded, smoky and chinchilla colors are distinguished. Smoky kittens are the most closely related to silver cats. Their fur is dyed in the dominant color only for a third of the hair size, and bottom part and the undercoat can very often be almost white. The color of the paw pads of these cats is identical to the color of the coat, and the eyes sparkle with copper or gold. At first glance, it seems that the fur of smoky cats is completely uniform, but looking at the photo, you will understand that this is not entirely true.

Chinchillas

They are shaded and look almost white, but upon closer examination you can see that there is a characteristic coating at the ends of the hairs. In shaded cats, this coating occupies 1/6 of the hair, and in chinchillas only 1/8.

Tabby or wild color

The greatest similarity with representatives wild world have kittens with tabby color. Their coat color can be anything, but according to established standards, only three patterns are recognized: spotted, brindle and marbled. At first glance, it seems that everything is extremely simple, but each type of pattern can be on the main color.

Color point

Kittens whose fur has more dark spots, fall into the category of color points. As a rule, these spots (points) fall on the tail, muzzle, ears and limbs. The color of the points corresponds to one of the six main color groups, excluding white.

Bicolor

Cats that combine any of the main colors with white are divided into a separate group - bicolor. This also includes tortoiseshells, and those with patterns that also have white inclusions. Among bicolored Britons, there are three main groups: harlequin (only 1/5 of the body is colored, large spots are located on the back and head), van (with two spots on the head and a colored tail) and bicolor (half of the body is colored, white spot on the muzzle and a collar on the neck).

As you can see, Britons can come in a wide variety of colors. Perhaps this is where the incomparable magic of this breed lies.

Photo gallery

Video " British Specialty Show»

At exhibitions, British cats are always subject to high demands. In this video you can not only see the variety of colors of the breed, but also find out the judges' requirements for them.

Cats with aristocratic roots were bred in Great Britain and to this day are the pride of the country. Large and medium-sized Murkies with short plush fur and a charming “Cheshire” smile are a British breed that officially appeared in 1987 and has won millions of fans. The first officially recognized representative was pure white. The desire to breed a large, strong, hardy, calm and intelligent cat has led to the fact that the colors of British cats include more than 25 species. Some of them are considered very rare and are highly valued not only in breed, but also in monetary terms.

Intensive work on popularization, attracting others to breeding popular breeds, obtaining offspring from cats from different continents has led to the expansion of breed species. The first Britons had a thick undercoat and short coat. The relationship with the Persian cat gave birth to the British semi-longhair.

Associatively, the British cat appears to be smoky or blue in color; many “cat lovers” cannot even imagine what colors British cats come in and how unusual kittens can appear in a family of two “standard” parents. The types of colors of British cats are divided into groups depending on the pattern, the predominance of color and the method of pigmentation.

Blue solid

The standard color of the breed, popularly called gray or classic. The British Blue's coat is monochromatic, without light hairs; the undercoat may be slightly lighter. The skin is exclusively blue. Representatives with a lighter tone are more valuable for the breed. Kittens are allowed to have a residual pattern, which disappears as the animal grows.

Myths about British blue cats!

№1. It is widely believed that kittens blue brits should have bright orange eyes - this is not so. Kittens of all breeds and colors are born with blue or gray “cloudy” eyes; the iris gradually gains color.

№2. If a breeder offers you an exclusive British Blue Fold, say “Thank you” and walk away. IN best case scenario they offer you Scottish cat, at worst a mestizo. There are no shorthaired British Folds.

Golden color, suggests darkened pigmentation on 1/8 of the length of the hair, the rest is painted in a rich golden color. Gray tint or undercoat is not allowed. At the same time, the collar is light, often white, and the ear tassels are silver. Despite the light color of their coat, cats predominantly have black paw pads and dark or black eyeliner and nose. " Home name" - golden chinchilla.

Tortoiseshell

A prerequisite is an equal presence of tones, the absence of a pattern in red/beige areas. Red/cream spots on the face are desirable. The eyes are copper or orange. According to the laws of genetics, only females can have a tortoiseshell color, so getting the perfect color is painstaking work and is calculated “for luck.” Tortoiseshell is a rare and difficult to obtain color that combines several colors:

black/brown/chocolate;

red/cream;

blue/lilac.

This is interesting! The birth of males has been recorded in the world, the correct tortoiseshell color. However, an error in the genetic code makes cats infertile.

Patterned, aka tabby

One of the colors allows a difference in the color of the fur at the base. British tabbies have a variety of body patterns, from stripes to large and leopard spots. Tabby is divided into silver, golden and color point subspecies.

British cats, whose breeding began at the end of the 19th century, are to this day the true pride of Great Britain. Large cats with plush fur, according to legend, inherited their smile from Cheshire cat. The first snow-white beauty belonging to this breed was officially presented at the exhibition in 1987. To this day, the colors of British cats are of particular interest to cat lovers. Fold-eared Britons do not exist, this anatomical feature characteristic of Scottish cats.

Since then, the popularity of the breed has been steadily growing. The British attract not only their intelligent character and plush fur, but also a huge variety of colors, of which there are more than 25 types. A table with photos will help you study the colors of British cats, as well as a description of the types and types of colors of this breed. Among the color range of wool there are very rare combinations that are extremely highly valued by both professional breeders and breed lovers. Let's figure out what colors British cats come in.

Types of colors

Selection work on representatives of the British breed with the involvement of different bloods led to a diversity of both colors and breed species. If initially the British had short hair with a thick undercoat, then crossing with the Persian cat made it possible to obtain semi-long-haired animals. The colors of British longhair cats correspond to the colors of shorthair cats.

Many people only think of Britons as smoky, blue or tabby cats and don't even realize how many colors the breed has. Even a pair of quite ordinary parents can produce a kitten of a rare color.

To organize the variety of colors of British cats, they are divided into types and groups according to color, pattern and method of pigmentation.

Types of colors of British cats:

solid (or plain);
typed: smoky, veiled, shaded;
gold;
silver;
tortoiseshells;
color point;
particolors: harlequin, bicolor, van, mitted;
tabbies: spotted, striped, marbled, ticked.

A table of the colors of British cats will help you imagine all the diversity.

Blue solid

This is the color that comes to mind when thinking about the British, so we'll start with it. It is often called classic, or simply gray. The coat should be a single color, the undercoat may be lighter, but white hairs are not allowed. A lighter color is considered valuable. A small kitten may have stripes that disappear as they age. The beautiful rich amber eye color of blue Britons develops with age, although kittens are born with gray and blue irises.

Plain

In addition to blue, there are six more solid colors: black, white, chocolate, lilac, red, cream. The color is uniform and uniform, without white hairs, spots or patterns. The wool is soft, thick, plush.

Jet-black plush Britons look extremely impressive, they have rich pigmentation of the undercoat, fur and skin, but purchasing such a kitten is not easy. This is due to the fact that in adolescence kittens can change their coat color to chocolate.

The fur of a white British cat is snow-white, without yellowness or spots. In kittens, blue or black stripes on the forehead are acceptable, which disappear without a trace with age. It is difficult to obtain kittens with perfectly white fur, and breeding cats of this color is associated with the risk of producing sick offspring. Since 1997, breeding work has not been carried out with this color.

In warm chocolate color, richness and depth of shade are appreciated. The darker the color, the better. This color is called havana, or chestnut.

Considering the solid colors of British cats, lilac is the most difficult to imagine. This color is a combination of pink and blue. The paw pads and nose are colored to match the coat. Obtaining this color is the result of professional breeding. There is no gene responsible for the purple color. The goal is achieved by a rare combination of parental genes. Kittens are born tender, almost pink color, and the color of an adult animal resembles a latte.

Red British cats are most often called ginger cats. The wool is uniformly dyed, without stains or patterns. The nose and paw pads are brick red. Intensity of color is valued.

Delicate creamy Britons are often called beige or peach. Their nose and paw pads are pink.

Rare colors of British cats

Today, relatively new and rare uniform colors stand out - cinnamon and fawn. Dark colors of British cats are dominant, so light-colored kittens are rarely born.

Cinnamon is a very rare and desirable color, its name comes from the English cinnamon, which translates as cinnamon. The color is similar to lightened chocolate. The gene for this color, discovered 50 years ago, is recessive, so cinnamon kittens are born quite rarely.

Fawn is an even rarer color, which is a bleached cinnamon. It was recognized quite recently, in 2006, and is of particular interest to breeders, as it makes it possible to develop new lightened colors.

Fawn-like kittens, i.e., fauns, and cinnamon cinnamons are classified as cream and blue colors. To identify a rare color, a DNA examination is carried out, which confirms that the animal belongs to a rare color.

Silver and gold

Silver color is one of the most popular among British cats. It can be of the following types:

shaded;
veiled;
smoky;
tabby

Golden color is also not found in its pure form. This bright color is one of the most expensive among British cats. It can be represented by the following types:

shaded;
veiled;
tabby

Ticked tabby, shaded and veiled colors are called chinchilla. It is the representatives of the golden and silver colors called chinchilla and golden chinchilla.

Tortoiseshells

Tortoiseshell cats are a favorite among breeders. From these mothers you can get a wide variety of offspring. Their unique color, also called torti, combines two groups of colors at once - red and black, and this is possible only in females. Tortoiseshell cats can only be born as a result of a genetic anomaly - mosaicism. Such animals are infertile and have the XXY genotype.

Tortoiseshell coloring consists of black and red spots evenly distributed throughout the body (or derivatives of these colors, for example, blue and cream, chocolate and cream, lilac and cream, etc.).

There are a huge number of British tortoiseshell species:

Classic turtle (black-red, chocolate-red, lilac-cream, fawn-cream, cinnamon-red, lilac-cream).
Smoky turtle (black and red smoky, chocolate red smoky, etc.).
Tortoiseshell tabby, or torby (black and red tabby, chocolate red tabby, etc.).
Tortoiseshell color point, or tortie (tortie point - black tortoiseshell, blue cream point - blue tortoiseshell, etc.).
Bicolor tortoiseshells or calicos (black and red bicolor tortoiseshell, etc.).
Bicolor tabby tortoiseshell, or torbico (marbled, striped, spotted bicolor tortoiseshell).

A tortoiseshell kitten can be born from parents different groups colors, for example, mom is red, and dad is black.

Tabby

The patterned cats resemble wild ones in color. They have spots, stripes, rings on the body and paws and the obligatory letter "M" on the forehead. Tabby color also has several types:

Spotted, spotted, or leopard print is the most common tabby. Cats of this color look like miniature leopards.
Striped, mackerel, or tiger. Narrow frequent stripes should not be interrupted or intersect with each other. After a year, the brindle color may turn into leopard if the stripes begin to break up.
The merle color is very impressive, bright and the most complex of the tabbies. The stripes on the back are straight, but on the sides they form clearly visible circles and rings.
The ticked color stands apart - it has no pattern and looks like a plain one with “spraying”. Resembles shaded or veiled. Each hair has its own stripes.

Color point

The British are color point light color body and dark markings on the muzzle, ears, paws, tail - points. This color is also called Himalayan or Siamese. The color of the points corresponds to one of the main colors, and the body color is in harmony with it.

Types of color point:

solid;
shaded;
veiled;
bicolor;
smoky;
turtle;
tabby

Colors with white

The combination of any basic, patterned or tortoiseshell color with white is called common name bicolor are colored spots without white fibers, with clear boundaries. There are several groups of this color:

Bicolor - from 1/3 to 1/2 white - muzzle, chest, paws, belly. Colored - one or two ears, head, back, tail.
Harlequin - only 5/6 white - collar, neck, chest, paws.
Van - main color - white. Colored spots on the head, but the ears are white, colored tail, colored spots on the back are allowed.
Tricolor, or calico, is a tortoiseshell (i.e., two-color) color with white.
Mitted - is not recognized by the standard and is considered a disadvantage. There is little white, no more than 1/4, the head, neck, collar, belly and paws are white.

Now you know what the colors of British cats are. The table with photos helped us understand the variety of types and types of colors.

The white color of British cats is an elegant, even color, but, however, with some difficulties.

Photo of a white British man with different eyes (BRI w 63)

WHITE BRITISH: COLOR STANDARD

White color british cats should be smooth, clean, monochromatic, each hair should be equally colored from top to bottom.

White's british cat There should be no spots, stripes, or “smoke” of dark hairs. There should also be no yellowness; it is most often found near the eyes, at the base of the tail and on the head. British nose and paw pads white color but should be pink.

Important! IN childhood White kittens often have small spots (on the head), which indicates the absence of deafness. As the years progress, all these spots disappear.

The white British cat has interesting feature: the fact is that the hairs are not colored white, and coat color is hidden by the W gene.

Eye color in white cats can be in three variations:

orange (BRI w 64)
blue (BRI w 61)
odd-eyed (BRI w 63)

GENETICS OF WHITE COLOR

The genetics of this color are one of the most interesting. The “W” gene is responsible for the white color, which seems to “hide” any other color under the white. In other words, under the white color there can be any other color that is “covered” with white paint.

And it’s not even entirely correct to call animals of a given color colored at all. After all, there is no pigment in their wool at all; more precisely, they are not colored.

White cats have the “W” gene - dominant. Genotype "WW" or "Ww". Cats with the “WW” genotype will produce offspring of only white color (no matter what color the second sire is), and cats with the “Ww” genotype can produce offspring of both white and other colors.

The first sign of a white color is a pink nose and no rim, which is extremely important because... many may confuse this color with the silver chinchilla.

Let's take a closer look.

W– white epistasis, covers all colors (dominant gene).

w– allows color to appear

The “W” gene also affects the hearing organs and eye color. Often the animals are white in color with blue eyes suffer from deafness.

Eye color in white cats depends on the “c” and “c a” genes.

“c” is a true albino, pink iris, “c a” is an albino with blue eyes.

White cats with blue eyes will most often be deaf, since this color is linked to hearing genes.
Cats with different colors eyes (one eye is blue, the other is golden), they may be deaf in one ear - precisely on the side where the color of the eye is blue.
This color, unfortunately, carries many mutations and often cats of this elegant color cannot boast of such excellent health as their colored counterparts, nor their immune system weaker.
Two white cats can produce a kitten of a different color (if the genetic formula of the parents looks like Ww+Ww)
can never be born from two non-white parents white kitten(since the gene for white color - W - is dominant)