Posting this article by Beth Hicks, All Breed Judge, TICA, if others would be interested in it, too:
"Cats come in an amazing variety of colors and patterns. It is not unusual to see many different colors in the same litter of kittens.
There are two primary gene-colors in cats - black and red. All other colors are variations of black and red with the exception of solid white. White is a masking gene. It hides - masks - all other color. So a solid white cat is either black or red but the color is hidden by the white.
The addition of different modifying genes changes the two basic colors. Red can change to cream. Black can change to blue, chocolate, cinnamon, lilac, or fawn. Chocolate, cinnamon, lilac, and fawn are seldom seen in the general cat population.
All colors are also seen with different markings - called patterns. The three most common patterns in cats are solid, tabby and pointed. All colors and patterns can have some white. Referred to as white spotting, this is also a masking gene. However, white spotting only hides some of a cat's color instead of all of it.
It is not color and pattern that determine a cat’s breed. That is established by the physical characteristics described in each breed’s standard. Just as all pointed cats are not Siamese, all long-haired cats are not Persians, all tailless cats are not Manx, and all blue cats are not Russian Blues. The same color and pattern can be seen in many different breeds. For example, there are brown classic tabby Maine Coons, American Shorthairs, Oriental Shorthairs, Devon Rex, Persians, Norwegian Forest Cats, Siberians, and Scottish Folds. There are seal point Siamese, Himalayans, Birmans, Snowshoes, Ragdolls, Balinese, and Tonkinese.
Solid: Cats that are one color and do not have any stripes.
Tabbies: Cats with stripes - called tabby markings. The tabby markings have four different patterns.
Torties/Torbies: Usually females, these cats are a mixture of both black and red. They can be solids or tabbies.
Pointed: Color is only seen on the face, feet, and tail. Those points can be solid or tabby.
With Whites: Any of the above with white added. The term particolor means any cat with white.
Domestic cats have all the same colors and patterns that are seen in purebred cats."
The color and pattern names below are the official names used by The International Cat Association (TICA). This is a list of names commonly used to describe an official color:
Source: What Color Is My Cat? - Beth Hicks, TICA: http://www.seregiontica.org/Colors/intro.htm
"Cats come in an amazing variety of colors and patterns. It is not unusual to see many different colors in the same litter of kittens.
There are two primary gene-colors in cats - black and red. All other colors are variations of black and red with the exception of solid white. White is a masking gene. It hides - masks - all other color. So a solid white cat is either black or red but the color is hidden by the white.
The addition of different modifying genes changes the two basic colors. Red can change to cream. Black can change to blue, chocolate, cinnamon, lilac, or fawn. Chocolate, cinnamon, lilac, and fawn are seldom seen in the general cat population.
All colors are also seen with different markings - called patterns. The three most common patterns in cats are solid, tabby and pointed. All colors and patterns can have some white. Referred to as white spotting, this is also a masking gene. However, white spotting only hides some of a cat's color instead of all of it.
It is not color and pattern that determine a cat’s breed. That is established by the physical characteristics described in each breed’s standard. Just as all pointed cats are not Siamese, all long-haired cats are not Persians, all tailless cats are not Manx, and all blue cats are not Russian Blues. The same color and pattern can be seen in many different breeds. For example, there are brown classic tabby Maine Coons, American Shorthairs, Oriental Shorthairs, Devon Rex, Persians, Norwegian Forest Cats, Siberians, and Scottish Folds. There are seal point Siamese, Himalayans, Birmans, Snowshoes, Ragdolls, Balinese, and Tonkinese.
Solid: Cats that are one color and do not have any stripes.
Tabbies: Cats with stripes - called tabby markings. The tabby markings have four different patterns.
Torties/Torbies: Usually females, these cats are a mixture of both black and red. They can be solids or tabbies.
Pointed: Color is only seen on the face, feet, and tail. Those points can be solid or tabby.
With Whites: Any of the above with white added. The term particolor means any cat with white.
Domestic cats have all the same colors and patterns that are seen in purebred cats."
The color and pattern names below are the official names used by The International Cat Association (TICA). This is a list of names commonly used to describe an official color:
Source: What Color Is My Cat? - Beth Hicks, TICA: http://www.seregiontica.org/Colors/intro.htm
