The 6 Types of British Shorthair Cat Colors

 

There are several different factors to consider when describing a British Shorthair’s coat. Besides the color of the coat, breeders and pet registries also consider the undercoat, the fur pattern if any, paw pad color, nose color, and eye color. Here, we will focus primarily on the colors and patterns of the coat.

The six primary types of British Shorthair colors are monochrome, tortie, tabby, tipped, color points, and colors mixed with white.

Monochrome Colors

A monochrome or solid color coat is a coat that is only one color, equally distributed throughout your cat’s body, that does not have any patterns such as stripes or spots. The monochrome coat tends to be very plush and thick-looking. British Shorthairs come in many different common monochrome colors, but the “classic” monochrome British Shorthair is “British blue.”

• British Blue: When people describe an animal as blue, they don’t mean a true blue. In fact, this classic British Shorthair color is more of a gray. In addition to the coat, these monochrome cats should have blue noses and paw pads. While the undercoat may be lighter than the topcoat, a blue cat with white hair is not considered to be a true monochrome cat.

• Black: Truly black British Shorthair cats are difficult to breed. The undercoat should be the same color as the topcoat, and the nose and paw pads should also be black. You might notice that the coat of a black British Shorthair feels rougher than that of its British blue cousin.

• White: White is also difficult to breed due to genetic health problems. The gene that makes a cat white with blue eyes is linked to hearing genes, and these cats are often born deaf. For this reason, breeders cannot mate two solid white cats.

• Cream: The cream-colored British Shorthair isn’t cream in the sense that you might imagine but more of a watered-down red color. Adults may have some visible tabby markings.

• Red or Gold: Red British Shorthairs get their coloration from Persian cats and similar breeds. It is very rare to find a monochrome red or golden British Shorthair cat. In most cases, they have at least some tabby markings.

• Chocolate: Chocolate-colored British Shorthairs tend to have a rich, dark brown color, also known as chestnut. While dark brown cats with white hairs are not truly considered to be chocolate colored, the shading can range from “milk chocolate” to “dark chocolate.”

• Cinnamon: Because the gene for a cinnamon-colored coat is recessive, these cats are rare. They have a lighter chocolate color with a bronze or copper undertone. If a cat is truly cinnamon-colored, it will have pink paw pads and a pink nose.