This photo from Leva Cygnet shows one of the more unusual colours that can crop up randomly. More on silver later, but here's an unusual tortie smoke example: To confuse matters further, tortoiseshell cats can have a silver undercoat, making them smoke torties/calicos. These less common ones are found mainly in pedigree cats, but now and again one turns up in randombred pets and strays. Most people are familiar with tortoiseshell and tortie-and-white cats (known as calico in North America) in the black/red and blue/cream varieties, but there are less common torties as well that combine chocolate or cinnamon with red or lavender, or combine fawn with cream. One thing you'll notice is that as the amount of white increases, the tortie colours separate into more distinct patches. Some breeders may not realise they have a tortie cat until she has "genetically impossible kittens." This sort of tortie is known as a cryptic tortie (hidden tortie). Those that are completely new are termed X-colours until the mutation is better understood and the colour gets a proper name in the cat fancy.Īlthough most people are familiar with well-patched or well-brindled torties, torties can actually vary from almost completely black with just a few streaks of orange, through to orange with just a few spots of black. A surprising number of people mistake classic-tabby-and-white, especially those with lots of white, like the one shown here, for calicos and I have to disappoint them that they haven't found an elusive male calico.Īlthough new colours pop up from time to time due to mutation or hybridisation, most of the apparently indefinable colours can be worked out once you are familiar with the basic patterns and colours. I'm often sent photos asking "what colour is my cat – I've looked all over the web and he isn't any colour I can find!" Most of these indefinable colours are colours that are simply unfamiliar to the owner. (photos copyright of individual photographers) WHAT COLOUR IS MY CAT - THE INDEFINABLE COLOURS
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