Cat Colors
Non pedigree cats as well as internationally recognized cat breeds come in many colors. The cat fancy uses its own terminology. For example the British Shorthair which has actually grey coat color is said to be blue, black color in Oriental cats is called ebony, orange color is called red. The coat colors are often closely connected with a particular breed and The International Cat Association and Cant Fanciers’ Association precisely regulate the coat colors of registered cat breeds. For example, Siamese, Birman and Balinese must have pointed coloration.
Besides the color itself which often plays an important role in cat selection many people also pay attention on distribution of the color or patterns. Most cat breeds as well as household cats without pedigree most often come in at least two colors, while all who prefer single-colored cats cat choose between white, black, blue and reddish-brown (Havana Brow) colors. The color combination greatly varies on every individual cat, while bicolor - combination of white and some other color is most common color combination. Combination of white and any other color distributed in a tabby pattern is known as tabby which also encompasses all color combinations which feature strip, dots or swirling patterns. However, orange or ginger colored cats which always also feature strips are not described tabby but are called red cats. Multicolored mottled color which almost exclusively occurs in female cats is called calico.