Guide to Cat Coat Colors and Patterns

Van pattern is one extreme of white spotting and mitted is the other extreme with a colourpointed cat appearing to have white bootees. The 'Mitted Pattern' is found in the Snowshoe, Birman and Ragdoll. The mitted pattern can occur with any of the Colorpoint colors and patterns.

There are six Ragdoll patterns, only three of which have competition status:- Colorpoint, Bi-color and Mitted. The other three patterns are High Mitted (mitts extend up legs), Mid-High White (Bi-color with additional white in "saddle" area) and High White (Bi-color with even greater degree of white, "saddle" may be absent). The Piawaian Kucing Malaysia has a Ragdoll-type Seal Point Mitted pattern.

• Seal Point Bi-Color: Seal brown ears, tail, mask, "saddle"
• Seal Point Colorpoint: Siamese pattern
• Seal Point Mitted: Birman pattern, dark body, white face blaze, belly, boots & mitts
• Blue Point Bi-Color/Colorpoint/Mitted: as above but with blue (gray)
• Chocolate Point Bi-Color/Colorpoint/Mitted: as above but with chocolate
• Lilac Point Bi-Color/Colorpoint/Mitted: as above but with lilac
• Lynx Point Bi-Color/Colorpoint/Mitted: tabby-patterned points (various colors)
• Red (Flame) Point Bi-Color/Colorpoint/Mitted: red (red tabby, flame) points

Colorpoints (Siamese & Various Other Breeds)

Often called the Siamese pattern or Himalayan pattern (after Himalayan rabbits). As well as the colourpointed coat, they have blue eyes. Pointed cats are slow to develop their full body and point color and kittens/young cats have paler points or markings Older cats have darker body color. Temperature affects the point color - the coldest areas (the 'points' i.e. ears, legs, tail) are darker than the body and things like environment temperature, a fever or even bandaging a leg because of injury will affect the color.

Point Pattern Types

• Solid Point: points are of solid color e.g. seal (dark brown), blue (gray)
• Lynx/Tabby Point: points have tabby markings
• Tortie Point: points have tortoiseshell (multicolor) markings
• Abyssinian Point: points are ticked (i.e. agouti)
• Pastel Point: chinchilla/shaded silver tipped points (pale color on silvery background) (Tipped Siamese)
• Shadow/Smoke Points: shaded points, shadowy tabby markings (darker version of chinchilla)