Color lilac british fawn. Colors of British cats. Abyssinian breed cost

Translated from English "fawn" - tan. This color, in addition to Abyssinian cats, is found in other breeds. British, Scottish, Oriental cats also have a beige coat color in their variety.

The peculiarity of fauns is their rarity.

The fawn was the last to be added to the line of official colors of the Abyssinian breed in 1989.

Representatives are distinguished by a sandy-beige coat color with a more saturated area along the spine line and ivory-colored hair on the stomach and inner surface of the limbs. Sharp transitions, spots, stripes are absent.
The nose is pink, as are the paw pads, which are lined with pinkish-beige hairs. The tip of the tail of all Abyssinian cats is stained darker than the body. In the case of the faun, it is a deep beige.

The Abyssinian cat is often referred to as the "domestic cougar". Faun representatives have some resemblance to lionesses. Their grace and elegance, combined with the wool of the color of the coastal sand, would serve as an excellent disguise in the wild savannah. There are usually 3-5 kittens in a litter of an Abyssinian cat, males are born 3-4 times more often than females. Faun-colored kittens are born even less often. The main reason is the complete recessiveness of the genes responsible for coat color. Parents must be heterozygous for the pigment genotype in order to get such a long-awaited kitten.

The surprising fact is that the fawn color is the extreme oxidation state of the black color gene. B. These cats are genetically black. But due to the pronounced work of enzymes, eumelanin undergoes strong oxidation, the gene goes into an extreme recessive state b l. In addition, in the Abyssinian breed, the “diluent” gene affects the intensity and saturation of the color. D(Delutor). In the faun it is also homozygous and recessive. d. A kitten of this color is born from a random combination of recessive genes. This probability is very small, since the original set of genes in parents is rarely known.

Not all breeders test their animals for the genotype. The wild Abyssinian color is considered the most commercial. The birth of an Abyssinian fawn from wild parents is unlikely, even if they are both initially heterozygous.

The beauty of Abyssinian fawn cats is revealed with age. ticked wool gene A(Agouti) does not start working immediately, only after the first molt, the kittens acquire the stripe of each hair. And due to the work of the gene T a(Abyssinian Tabby) ticking is evenly distributed throughout the body without patterns and spots. As we grow older and puberty, the work of the black color gene intensifies. b l and the diluent gene d. Each hair is stained in a warm sandy color with loose zones of pinkish-beige eumelanin.

Abyssinian fawn cats are a lightened version of the sorrel. They are a universal indicator of the genotype of another cat when mating. According to the offspring from the parent's fawn, one can quite easily assume the partner's genotype. Fully dominant wild cats, when crossed with a fawn, will produce only wild-colored kittens.

Genetics of the fawn color of the Abyssinian cat.

b l b l dd– fawn color ( ABYp). The probability of having fawn kittens from fawn parents increases if they are mated with heterozygous sorrels or blue Abyssinian cats.

Full genotype of the Abyssinian fawn breed: AAb l b l ddssTaLL. s- the “white spot” gene, in the Abyssinian breed is in a recessive state, therefore there are no white spots in the color, with the exception of the chin. L- the dominant gene that determines the length of the coat. In this form, it produces a short, smooth coat.

Photos abyssinian faun

Truly regal animals come from Abyssinia (Ethiopia). The breed was formed far from its historical homeland. Cats brought to Europe looked somewhat different than modern cats. So, as a result of selection, tabby stripes on the limbs and tassels on the ears were bred. The uniqueness of the species lies not only in the natural grace and grace, but also in the unusual color of the Abyssinian cats.

What is ticking

The "fur coat" of the Abyssinian cat is dense, shiny, perfectly smooth, well fitting to the body, short, without a pattern on the tail and paws. A distinctive feature, which is a kind of "business card" of the Abyssinian breed, is the coloring of each hair in different (dark, light) shades at the same time.

Such a non-standard rare pattern is called ticking, and the reason for its occurrence lies in the presence in the genotype of the special prevailing agouti gene "A" (agouti). It is thanks to him that the colors of Abyssinian cats do not have the characteristic tabby pattern inherent, for example, in the British Shorthair.

Ticking (zonal color) can be double and triple. Preference is given to the latter species, as the most rare.

The entire body of the cat is evenly colored, but if you hold it against the coat, you can see a clear bright undercoat, a tone lighter than the main color. Abyssinian cats do not acquire the full coloration immediately, but after a year and a half. An Abyssinian kitten will not have such a bright aesthetic color at an early age.

At first, his coat looks dull and uncolored, but as he matures, the “ugly duckling” will turn into a magnificent regal individual with an amazingly beautiful, bright “fur coat”.

The coat of an adult animal should not have spots, rosettes and stripes, with the exception of white spots on the “collar” and chin. The saturation of the ticking should not be obscured by the depth of staining.

If the Abyssinian cat has flaws in the form of differences between the main color and the shade of the paw pads, “rings” on the tail and paws, dark spots under the chin, visually resembling a closed necklace (marking), a “fur coat” of a soft gray cold tone, then these signs serve as grounds for disqualification.

Today, the International Association CFA (Cat Fanciers' Association) has officially recognized the following colors of the Abyssinian cat breed: wild, blue, sorrel, fawn.

Classic wild color

Wild color (ruddy, denoted as ABY n) is considered the fundamental color of the Abyssinian coat. Until 1963, he was the only one officially approved for this breed.

New, one might say the latest, colors in the British breed. They are very popular and in demand, but so far very rare. Although several articles have already been published on this color, We think it would not be out of place to briefly recall the history and development of this color.
The first attempts to add cinnamon and fawn colors to the British were made in the 90s of the last century. Moreover, this happy, for us, thought came to several breeders from different European countries. So almost at the same time British breeders in England, Belgium and Holland began to introduce this color into the British breed.
Moreover, the Belgians and the Dutch used mainly Abbys and Persians, and already the descendants of these interbreed marriages, tied to the British KSh.
English breeders did it differently, they used cinnamon orientals when mating directly with the British. Now you can argue which way of breeding was more true and correct, we will not deal with this. In my opinion, the British only benefited from this, the breed received cinnamon for the development of color, several different blood lines that do not intersect with each other. This greatly facilitated the selection of manufacturers for further work.
Cinnamon is lighter than chocolate and has a warmer tone. It owes its appearance to the gene b '- brown light, which contributes to the further oxidation of melanin. In this case, the nose is painted in a pinkish-brown (almost beige) color, as are the paw pads. As cinnamon cats mature, they acquire a warmer tone with a reddish-brown sheen, while the undercoat at the base is always slightly lighter than the main coat and this is not considered a disadvantage in cinnamon. With cinnamon: coat color is red-brown (cinnamon color), undercoat is yellow-brown, lighter than the main tone, and the red tone of the coat is light copper sometimes bronze (in bicolors), and not orange like in reds and never brick gray . In kittens, the paw pads, the nose mirror and the rims of the lips and eyes are very light, almost white with a slightly pinkish tinge, while in adult animals they are the color of cocoa with milk, darkening to the color of milk chocolate when stressed.
In a faun, the color is light beige, sandy, sometimes called - Deer (fawn-eng. Deer). Nose leather, paw pads and rims in fawn color, pink-beige, very delicate tone.
Due to its recessive nature, the cinnamon color is very difficult to breed, which means that in order to obtain it, you need to have several different bloodlines that carry this color, and at the same time choose the right partners so as not to get a simplified type. But what happiness when kittens live up to your expectations!
A more detailed article on these new and unique colors can be found at

Currently, the British have about 60 colors.

These are one-color, bicolor, tricolor options. Let's take a look at the more popular colors:

blue color- classic for the British. The coat is even in color, from light blue to deep blue. The hairs are dyed from the base to the tips, specks, spots, impurities in the color are rejected. Eyes orange, amber, copper.

black color should be solid, coat with a glossy sheen, hairs evenly dyed, deep black, without the slightest glimpse of red or red. Copper colored eyes.

Chocolate color- new, yet very rare, as it is found only in those animals that have color-point ancestors in their pedigrees. The coat should be even, rich dark chocolate color, marks, specks, stripes are rejected.

Lilac color- The coat is an even lilac-gray color with a pinkish tinge. Eyes amber, orange, copper.

Cinnamon color. Lighter than chocolate and has a warmer tone. In this case, the nose is painted in a pinkish-brown (almost beige) color, as are the paw pads. As cinnamon cats mature, they acquire a warmer tone with a reddish-brown sheen, while the undercoat at the base is always slightly lighter than the main coat and this is not considered a disadvantage in cinnamon. With cinnamon: coat color is red-brown (cinnamon color), undercoat is yellow-brown, lighter than the main tone, and the red tone of the coat is light copper sometimes bronze (in bicolors), and not orange like in reds and never brick gray . In kittens, the paw pads, the nose mirror and the rims of the lips and eyes are very light, almost white with a slightly pinkish tinge, while in adult animals they are the color of cocoa with milk, darkening to the color of milk chocolate when stressed. In breeding, it is quite difficult to obtain this color, knowledge of genetics is required.

Faun color. In a faun, the color is light beige, sandy, sometimes called - Deer (fawn-eng. Deer). Nose leather, paw pads and rims in fawn color, pink-beige, very delicate tone. Just like cinnamon, it is quite difficult to breed, therefore it is very popular and in demand.

Cream color. The coat should be a uniform light cream color, preferably without leopard markings. Such marks are most often more noticeable in the hot season and during molting. Eyes amber, orange, copper.

White color. British shorthair white cats have three varieties: with orange and blue eyes, odd-eyed. When buying a white kitten, you need to keep in mind that until 12-18 months the color is not yet fully formed. White kittens with blue ancestors in the pedigree will have pale blue head markings, while those with black ancestors will have black markings. With age, the coat becomes pure white. The hairs should be evenly dyed, clean, shiny white, without yellowness. The eyes are dark orange, copper, in odd-eyed ones - one eye is orange, the other is blue. White cats with blue eyes can be deaf.

Blue cream. The coat should be evenly mixed blue and cream. A narrow strip on the nose and cream markings on the paws are not a marriage. The eyes are dark orange, copper. According to US standards, blue-and-cream cats should have coats dyed with patches of blue and cream.

color point. An extremely rare color, obtained on the basis of the British, who have long-haired color-points in the pedigree. The coat is colored like that of Siamese cats: paws, tail, mask and ears are dark in color, the body is in a contrasting light color. The eyes are bright blue.

smoky color. A very beautiful color, in which the outer coat is of a uniform bluish-gray color, and the roots of the hairs are silver. The coat of these cats is very thick and tougher than that of cats of other colors. The eyes are dark amber, copper.

Black smoke. The undercoat should be white, and the ends of the hairs form a strong black speck. When looking at the back and sides of a motionless cat, it seems that it is black; when moving, a white undercoat is visible. Down the sides, the coat has a silvery undercoat. By British standards, the hairs on the legs and muzzle should be black throughout, and by US standards, they should be white at the roots. The eyes are bright copper, orange.

blue smoke. The coat is such that the hairs are dyed white at the base and blue at the ends, which creates the impression of a monochromatic blue color on the back and sides of a motionless cat. On the paws and muzzle, the hairs must be dyed blue along the entire length according to British standards, according to US standards - at the base they must be white. The eyes are orange, copper. Now quite a rare color.

Tabby (links, marble, mackerel).

tiger (mackerel, mackerel)
spotted (spotted, spotted)
marble (blotched, blotched)

There are three types of color: classic, spotted

and striped.

The classic pattern is a butterfly-shaped mark on the neck and shoulders, rounded marks on the sides.

With a striped pattern, there are vertical stripes on the body, more popularly it is called a brindle tabby.

All tabby colors on the forehead of the animal must have a mark in the shape of the letter M.

The eyes are dark orange, copper, in silver tabbies - green, yellow-green.

Spotted color in which dark spots are scattered on a lighter background. On the tail on a light background - dark rings, on the forehead - a mark in the shape of the letter M.

Usually spotted cats come with black, blue, brown, red spots on a silvery background. The eyes are dark orange, copper.

Turtle color. It occurs only in female cats. The coat is colored with spots of different colors with clearly defined boundaries. A narrow strip on the nose and cream spots on the soles of the paws are not rejected. The eyes are dark orange, copper.

Red color. Obtained by introducing red Persian and exotic cats into the genetic line of the British. The coat is an even fiery orange color, it is usually called red, but genetically the correct name is red. More common tabby marks, less often clean. The weaker the stripes are, the better. The eyes are dark orange, copper.

Colors with white spotting (bicolor, harlequin, van, calico tricolor, mitted) The colors of cats with white spotting are very elegant and original. They are various combinations of the main color with varying degrees of predominance of white and are combined into a common group of particolors. At the same time, there is a separation according to the nature of the color of the colored spots - they can be either monochromatic (for example, black, chocolate, lilac, cinnamon) - then these are bicolors, or carry any pattern - then these are actually particolors.

bicolor color. In these cats, the coat has clearly demarcated patches of white and any other color found in the Scots. White color should occupy from 1/3 to 1/2 of the total surface of the body. The eyes are dark amber, copper.

Color Van. This color is characterized by the maximum amount of white in color. Van cats should have two spots on their heads separated by a white line, and the ears should remain white. The tail must be completely colored, and one or two minor colored spots are allowed on the body of the animal. But it is desirable their complete absence.

Color harlequin.This color is intermediate between bicolor and van color. Colored spots make up no more than 1/6 of the part and are placed in a certain way. On the head, on the back and front legs, colored hind legs and a colored tail. On the head, it is sufficient to have only one spot that covers the ear of the animal. On the back, the presence of several spots is permissible. The tail must be completely colored. It is not a fault to have small spots on the legs, but ideally the chest, neck and legs should be pure white and the tail should be completely colored.

Color calico (tortoiseshell with white). This is a tortoiseshell with white color, which occurs only in female cats. The coat is dyed with patches of black, red and cream in combination with white spots. British and European standards require that the painted areas be evenly interspersed with white, according to American standards. there - white is desirable on the lower parts of the torso.

There is a clarified calico, in which the coat is characterized by a combination of blue, cream and white. The eyes are dark orange, copper.

There is also a Mitted color, this is -white color covers no more than 1/4 of the body.

As a rule, this is a white stripe that stretches from the chin to the chest, groin, belly of the animal and "socks" on the paws. This color is not recognized by felinological organizations and is considered a fault.

Cameo with tan marks. With this color, the undercoat should be pure white, and the speck should be a rich red color. The eyes are bright copper.

Silver and tan (ticked, chinchilla). Another name for this color is shaded. Relatively new color recently bred. Relatively recently, in the United States, a special standard was established for them. It exists in several varieties: silver, cameo and tortoiseshell (less common, because it is not so popular among breeders). The coat on 1/4 of the length of the outer hair is colored in the main color, and on 3/4 - white. In the silver and tan color, the undercoat should be pure white, and the speck should be black. The eyes are green, blue-green.

Golden ticked, shaded.

The British cat is known to everyone as a strong, harmonious animal with a short plush coat. Soft features, dense rounded shapes, massive head - all this attracts a lot of admiring glances to the breed. For many, the Briton is necessarily a gray color, but in fact, representatives of this breed have a huge variety of colors, some of which make the animal very expensive and exclusive.

A little history of the breed

There are several versions explaining the origin of the British cat breed. According to one of them, the history of the origin of the British cat is associated with the conquest of Britain by Rome. Allegedly, the Romans brought Egyptian cats with them, which over time adapted to a new habitat, acquired thick hair with excellent protective properties and, thanks to their unsurpassed hunting talent, became valuable pets.

This is supported by the ancient mass graves of cats discovered by archaeologists in the cities of Badbury, Gussage, Danbury and the All Saints.

According to another version, the history of the British cat is closely connected with the history of the French cat - Chartreuse. These animals probably came to the territory of modern Europe from South Africa during the Crusades. At first they were bred by Carthusian monks in the Chartreuse monastery, and only then they sailed to the British Isles along with French sailors, who “served” as rat-catchers.

As confirmation of this hypothesis, there is an extraordinary similarity between the two breeds, the difference of which can only be seen by professional felinologists.

Chartreuse, indeed, are very similar to the British

British cats were first introduced in London in 1880, and the first pedigree was issued to them in 1898.

The First World War greatly affected the population of the British, cats of this breed were preserved only by breeders, thanks to whom they did not disappear. This state of affairs remained for quite a long time, and only after the Second World War did the revival of the popularity of British cats and selection begin. For this, Persian cats and short-haired gray chartreuse were used, because for a long time almost the only color of the British was blue (gray). However, hard work on the restoration and improvement of the breed led to the formation of many possible colors - today there are more than 200 of them.

Colors of cats of the British breed

Each system has its own requirements for the breed, and each criterion can have a different significance. So, according to the standard of the World Cat Federation (WCF), points are given to the animal at the exhibition, and for the British, the characteristics of the head, body and color are of primary importance. The presence of gross violations in the last criterion is a direct path to culling, and, given the mass of complex colors in the breed, it is not at all difficult to fall "overboard".

In the WCF system, a cat can be awarded 25 points for color and pattern, and only 15 points in the scoring systems of the International Feline Association and the International Cat Association.

Regardless of the particular organization, only recognized colors are judged, they must belong to one of the many groups and meet its criteria.

solid colors

Monochromatic coat colors imply uniform dyeing of all hairs - from the base to the tip. This category of colors is also called solid, and it includes 2 groups of shades and 9 color options. Only two colors are considered basic - black and red, and the others are called diluted, as they are formed from them.

Black group

The black group includes those shades that are formed by diluting the main black color:

• Black color wool, or ebony (n). The British should be saturated, the undercoat and the coat itself are equally deeply dyed. The nose and paw pads are also required to be black, but the eyes can be amber, copper, or orange. Offspring of this color can appear not only when mixing black parents, but also when combining blue and chocolate Britons. For babies, one feature is characteristic - their coat is thin, with constant licking by the mother, it can turn brown, and when it blooms, it acquires a grayish-smoky hue.

  The black coat color of the British should be rich and bright

• Chocolate or brown coat color (labeled b). It can be presented in any range - from light brown to rich dark. Representatives of deep chocolate shades are the least common, so they are especially appreciated. Like other solid colors, it should not have any spots, stripes, or hairs of a different shade. The requirements for the nose and paw pads are a uniform chestnut color, and the iris must be a copper shade. This color is formed for a very long time - kittens bloom up to 1.5 years.

  Chocolate Brits can be any shade, but dark ones are especially prized.

• Blue (a). The gray British cat is a common classic, by which many differentiate the breed. The blue coat is dense, protruding, not shiny. Several shades are allowed - from light to rich gray of wet asphalt, but breeders still prefer light colors of wool. Since blue hairs are derivatives of the black gene, which did not give full color, special attention is paid to the uniformity of tone, the presence of different shades of wool, spots, stripes, rings in a representative is not welcome. The color of the nose leather and paw pads must match the main color.
  

  The gray coat of the British can be of any saturation, but does not necessarily have a sheen.

• Purple (c) is a combination of blue and pink, which can exist in three shades. The first is light with a pronounced pinkness, the second is medium, when the coat has a slight shade of violet, and the third is a dark lilac, rich and intense, reminiscent of coffee well diluted with milk. In this color, the British allow the undercoat to be slightly lighter than the main coat. This is a rare, but very popular option. To get kittens with this coat, it is necessary to bring parents with the same lilac color (and the entire litter will be the same) or representatives of the breed of a different color, but only if both have such a gene.

  The lilac color of the British cat resembles blue, but differs in a pinkish tint.

• Faun (p). This is an unusual and expensive color of British cats. It looks like light lilac, but it is distinguished by a complete lack of pinkness, the shade of the coat is soft, reminiscent of sea sand, with a corresponding color of the nose and paw pads. The peculiarity of the British fauns is that they give very unusual offspring - they lighten other shades, and this is appreciated by experts. To get such offspring, both parents must have an altered purple gene, otherwise fauns will not work.

  The color of the fawn is similar to lilac, but instead of a pink undertone, it has a warm beige tint.

• Cinnamon (cinnamon, o). Another unusual and rare solid color of British cats, which differs from chocolate in a warmer range and copper tints. The nose and paw pads are lighter, brown-pink, which makes the representatives bright and recognizable.

  The cinnamon color is a rare variety with a distinctive pink nose and paw pads.

The black group also includes white, which is formed through the suppression of other color genes. It is marked with the letter "w", can be combined with several eye colors, and each pair has its own designation:

• with blue (w 61);
• with orange, yellow or copper (w 62);
• with green (w 64);
• odd-eyed cats (w 63) are a rarity, and often they are called royal.

White color belongs to the group of blacks, as it is formed through the suppression of color genes.

The color should be even and clean, no darkening or yellowness, and the nose and paw pads should be pink. The gene for white color is dominant, but this type of coat in a cat is very insidious - the combinations that led to its appearance in a particular animal can be so diverse that it is not easy to keep it.

Video: British cinnamon cat

Red group

The red group primarily includes the eponymous color of British cats, as well as the cream shade that is formed from it. Red (d), more commonly known as ginger, is a very complex color, which makes it more free from rigid restrictions. Taking into account the rarity of uniformly colored red British (genetically red colors have a tabby pattern, albeit a residual one), experts admit that the animal has an unexpressed pattern on the head and paws. The nose and paw pads should be a rich brick color.

The solid red coat color of the British still has a residual, dim pattern.

Cream (e), or, as they are often called, beige, the British have a very light, uniform and soft warm color. The nose and paw pads are pink, and the eyes are gold to rich copper. White hairs, pigmentation of the nose and paws are rejected. This color is included in the breed standard, but it is extremely rare.

The cream color of British cats belongs to the red group and is not common.

Tortoise colors

A feature of tortoiseshell colors is the presence of color spots throughout the body, which have a uniform distribution. In fact, this is a combination of the colors of the black and red groups in one animal. One of the important criteria is that both shades must be present both on the head and on the paws of the representative. There are a lot of color combinations, the most popular are:

• classic:
  
• smoky turtles - this group includes the same shades as the classic one, but with smoke (blurring of color, which is created due to the silver staining of the wool at the roots), the prefix "s" is added to the letter designation of the color;

  The smoky tortoiseshell coloration has blurry borders of spots.

• torby - a combination of the color of the classic group with a pattern on the body (that is, it is the color of the black group, the color of the red group and tabby in one cat);

  Thorby is a combination of tortoiseshell and tabby pattern on the body.

• tortie (33) - a rare color that combines the classic tortie color and color-point elements (colored dots typical of Siamese cats), on the body of the British Tortie, darkening of the tone of the coat with spotting is found on the muzzle, paws, ears and tail, the body also has a light color;
• bicolor tortoiseshell colors, where in addition to the classic combinations of black and red color groups, there are white areas.

  Tortoise bicolor is a combination of contrasting spots and white patches on the animal's body.

"Turtles" do not appear immediately, kittens may have very few small spots, but as the animal grows, they will grow and be distributed throughout the body. The process lasts on average up to one year of age.

If you see a British “turtle”, you can be sure that this is definitely a female, since genetics exclude the appearance of this type of wool in cats. It is the X chromosome that carries the red or black type of color, cats have two of them (XX), so color groups can be combined. But cats have only one X chromosome (XY), so they can only have black or red fur.

tabby

Tabby is a group of patterned colors that can be present on any base coat color of the black or red group. In total, there are 3 types of drawing:

• spotted, or leopard - in this case, contrasting hairs form separate spots on the body;

  Spotted tabby - a pattern on the body, consisting of numerous small spots

• striped (brindle, mackerel) - contrasting stripes start at the spine and stretch to the limbs, and should be narrow and frequent, this is a very insidious color, as it changes more often than others up to a year (the stripes can be interrupted and stretched in the process of reblooming, which is why tabby type is changed to spotted);

  Striped tabby implies the presence of narrow stripes that stretch from the ridge to the paws.

• marble (the rarest and most complex color) - on the back along the spine of the British there should be 2 stripes, and on the sides - circles with a painted spot in the middle, the patterns on the cheeks start from the very eyes, and on the back of the head - a pattern in the shape of a butterfly.

  The marble tabby has a lot of subtleties, including circles on the sides with a solid spot in the center

Regardless of the type of pattern and the main color, all British tabbies must have the following parameters:

• a clear letter "m" on the forehead;
• tail rings;
• stripes on the limbs;
• stripes on the chest;
• spots on the abdomen in one or two rows;
• eyeliner at the eyes and nose, which matches the main color of the coat in tone.

The main requirement for the drawing is that it must be clear, blurred boundaries are rejected when assessing the animal. The background (ground color of the coat) can be any of the black or red group, which allows the undertone to be described as golden or silver.

Chinchilla

The colors of the chinchilla type (shell) are almost white, but there is a coating of color on the hairs at the very tips. This color is indicated by the addition "12" to the name of the color. Details are of great importance in such complex colors:

• there should be no closed stripes on the limbs, chest and tail;
• wool is only partially colored along the length;
• paw pads and nose leather correspond in color to the color of the shaded part of the hairs.

There are two types depending on the background:

Depending on the degree of dyeing of wool, we can talk about three types of chinchillas:

• shaded - the upper third of the hairs is dyed, a white collar is characteristic;
• veiled - only the 8th part of the hairs is dyed, which creates a very light touch of color, a veil;
• ticked (tabby pattern).

Bicolor

The name "bicolor" implies a combination of any basic coat color of the British with a second color - white. Thus, there are many combinations, given that both tabby and tortoiseshell colors can be bicolors. There are three options for zoning white on the body of an animal:

• van - the main color of the body is white, color tones are only on the tail and on the head (two characteristic spots);

  Colorpoints have dark patches of fur on the legs, muzzle, ears and tail.

  By the name of the coat color, you can immediately understand what color the dark areas will be on the animal:

  • black point (sil) - the base can be almost white or beige;
  • blue (blue point) - body of cold white or grayish color, gray markings;
  • chocolate (choklit) point - implies an ivory body and chestnut brown spots;
  • lilac (lilac) point - a warm background with a hint of violet and gray-pink markings;
  • red point - this type of coat is rare, but looks very bright - white body combined with red, orange spots;
  • cream point - a delicate color that combines a warm milky body and cream markings;
  • fawn point - light sandy body and warm brown markings;
  • cinnamon point is a particularly rare combination, the main coat of such a cat should be ivory, and the points should be bright and warm brown.

  How to determine the color of a British cat

  The color of a British cat is determined visually, and the final decision is made only when it reaches the age of 1–1.5 years - until this time, the coat can change color and change. The most accurate estimate can be given by an expert. The specialist must study the main color, the presence of culling signs, the pattern and shading (if any) - all this can be done by eye, knowing the requirements for the numerous colors of British cats.

  There is such a procedure as conducting a genetic test (using any biological material, most often blood). It is also related to the definition of color, but not an adult animal, but its future offspring. According to the results of the analysis, it is possible to determine the carriage of certain genes, which will allow you to choose a partner to obtain the desired color. So, for example, any British can get a lilac coat color, but only if both have a recessive form of the d gene. Such a test is of great importance for breeding work.

  British cats are not only the usual gray plush pets, this breed boasts a huge list of possible colors. A variety of monochromatic (solid) variants can be called classic, and active breeding work has made it possible to create the most incredible combinations, in particular, multicolor tortoiseshell colors with a tabby pattern.