Coats
Stripes, patches and points:
build a coat and learn its name.
A coat is a pattern, a colour and an eye colour. Mix them below to see what each one is called and why it looks that way.
1 Pattern
2 Colour
3 Eyes
This coat is called
Grey tabby
Pattern. The most common pattern. It comes as narrow stripes, swirls, spots or ticking, with an M on the forehead.
Colour. Breeders call grey "blue". It is a diluted form of black, produced by the dilution gene.
Eyes. Green ranges from pale gooseberry to deep emerald. One of the most common cat eye colours.
The six patterns
Spot the pattern at a glance
Solid
One colour all over
Tabby
Stripes and an M
Colourpoint
Dark ears, face, paws
Bicolour
One colour plus white
Tortoiseshell
Black and orange
Calico
Black, orange, white
Coat myths
What a coat does not tell you
"Tabby is a breed."
It is a pattern
Tabby markings turn up in many breeds and in most mixed-breed cats. The same goes for tortoiseshell and calico.
"Coat colour decides personality."
Meet the cat, not the colour
Coat colour is not a reliable guide to temperament. Early handling and the individual cat matter far more.
"Black cats are bad luck."
Just a superstition
In some countries a black cat is a sign of good luck. Either way, it is simply a solid black coat.
Coat length
Length decides the grooming, not the pattern
Short hair
The easiest to keep. A brush about once a week lifts loose fur.
Medium hair
Brush a few times a week, more often when shedding.
Long hair
Daily brushing keeps tangles and mats from forming.
Hairless
No brushing, but the skin needs regular cleaning and warmth.
Frequently asked questions
What causes tabby stripes?
All domestic cats carry the agouti gene that controls tabby patterning. A separate gene (Tabby locus) determines which pattern appears — mackerel, classic, spotted or ticked. Even solid-coloured cats have hidden tabby "ghost stripes" as kittens. More on the genetics at Lyons et al. (2013), PLOS Genetics.
Why are almost all calico and tortoiseshell cats female?
The genes for orange and black coat colour sit on the X chromosome. Females (XX) can inherit one of each, producing tortoiseshell or calico patterns. Males (XY) have only one X, so they are typically either orange or black — not both. Male calicos exist but are almost always sterile due to an extra X chromosome (XXY). This is explained in detail by International Cat Care.
What is a colourpoint coat?
Colourpoint (also called "Siamese patterning") is caused by a temperature-sensitive enzyme that produces pigment only in cooler body parts — ears, face mask, paws and tail. Warmer areas stay pale. It is common in Siamese, Birman, and Ragdoll breeds, but can appear in any domestic cat carrying the cs allele.
Do coat colour and personality really have no link?
Large-scale owner-survey studies such as those summarised by International Cat Care suggest that perceived personality differences by coat colour reflect owner bias more than actual behaviour. Genetics, early socialisation, and individual experience are the strongest predictors of temperament.
What is odd-eyed (heterochromia) in cats?
Odd-eyed cats have one blue eye and one of a different colour (amber, green, or copper). It is caused by uneven melanin distribution during development. It is most common in white or predominantly white cats and is associated with the W gene. It is generally harmless, though some white odd-eyed cats can have hearing loss in the ear on the blue-eye side — a finding documented by Strain (1999) in the Veterinary Journal.