The majestic Siberians come in a wide range of colors and markings. In fact, all traditional colors, points, and pattern combinations are recognized and accepted by the TICA standard for this breed.
Much like a digital display is made up of red, green, and blue LEDS, a cat’s coat is made up of red, black, and white. In this case, red and black are the primary base colors while white is caused by a masking gene and simply overwrites the presence of other colors. Depending on gene concentrations, red can appear cream and black can appear as blue. Other colors such as chocolate, cinnamon, lilac, and fawn are possible but are rarely seen in the general population. Therefore, the majority of cats are some combination of red, cream, black, blue, and white. These combinations are known as markings or patterns and can be classified as solid, tabby, tortie, or pointed.
The solid pattern is self explanatory in that the cat’s coat is a single color with the exception of “ghost markings.” Because gene concentration determines the amount of pigment in the fur, the shade of a color can vary throughout the coat. Because of this, an all black cat may have faint traces of blue in their coat and an all red cat may have traces of cream. These ghost markings do not appear in a fixed pattern so they do not affect the “solid” coloring label.
Tabbies are cats with tabby markings (more commonly known as stripes) and come in four variations. The most common variation is the mackerel tabby which displays parallel vertical stripes along the length of the body. Classic tabbies sport wide, circular patterns along their sides with a broad stripe running down their back. Their side stripes often resemble swirling or bullseye patterns. Spotted tabbies are covered in small, individual spots instead of lines. Some cats display rosettes which are large dark spots with smaller, lighter spots in the middle. This coloration is predominantly seen in Bengals and big cat breeds. Finally, ticked tabbies have individually stripped hairs instead of patterns in their coats. In show, some breeds are allowed to display stripes on the legs and face while others must be pattern-free. In general, tabby cats often have white chins, eye liners, or chest (“locket”) patterns but do not need to be classified as “with white.” Tabbies are also the only coloring pattern that displays silver or light grey coats.
Tortoiseshell coats are the result of combining red and black coats. They are lovingly referred to as torties or, if stripes are involved, torbies. Torties are usually predominantly black with the addition of red but may be red with the addition of black. These cats each have a unique color pattern and are often compared to modern art. Perhaps the most commonly recognized variety is the black with white tortie known as a calico. Their coats are predominately black with patches of red and white.
Although primarily associated with Siamese cats, the pointed pattern can be seen in all breeds. In this pattern the points - face, paws, and tail - will be a different color than the body and the points may be solid or striped (which is known as a lynx point). The body is often off-white or grey in color while the points can be red, cream, seal (dark brown/grey), or blue. Interestingly, all cats with point coloring have blue eyes.
The final pattern found in cat coats is known as particolors. This pattern is caused by the white spotting gene and mostly means “with white.” Particolor can be seen in any of the colors and patterns mentioned above in three main varieties. First, the mitted pattern applies when white is found only on the paws, belly, chest, and chin. The bi-color pattern allows for white farther up the legs and on the face and the van pattern is seen in predominantly white cats with patches of color on the only the face and tail. The mitted and van patterns almost inverse to each other. “With white” can also appear in any of the other patterns mentioned above. Solid with white coats are often black cats with mitted patterns which is why they are lovingly referred to as tux or tuxedo patterned. Tabby with white can be seen in the mackerel, classic, spotted or ticked varieties. Tortie with white is perhaps the most widely recognized variation and is often called a calico. Finally, pointed with white cats are known as patch points because they often display patches of color in their coats as their bodies are already a cream color. The points are still distinctly colored and they will still have those pretty blue eyes.
As stated above, Siberan cats (even in show) are allowed to have any combination or variation of coloring which is part of what makes them such a fun breed. Each cat has a unique and distinct coloring pattern that sets it apart from the rest. Make sure you check out our gallery and available kittens to see which colors and patterns you can identify!
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