If you’ve ever wondered how many colors of cats there are, or maybe which is the most common cat color, the most sought after, the rarest, or the least popular, here I bring you a series of super exciting facts about the colors and patterns of these furry ones.
Most common cat coat colors
- Black (ebony in the cat world)
- Red (could be orange or ginger)
- Chocolate
- Cinnamon
- Blue (a form to refer to gray cats)
- Cream or beige
- Lilac or lavender (shade of soft brown, kind of like grayish-brown)
- Fawn (dilute of brown, not as smooth as lilac)
- White
Can you guess what the most common colors are? That’s right, brown and black! These colors are present in all patterns and almost all breeds, although it doesn’t mean that they are the most sought after, as the most popular colors are usually the ones that are hard to get, such as lilac and fawn.
There are hundreds of combinations and shades, but in general, these are the colors in which you can find a cat, each beautiful in its way.
Most common cat coat patterns
In addition to the many coat colors, there are also patterns to consider, as they make a huge difference in a cat’s appearance. A blue cat, a white and gray tabby, or a tuxedo cat will never look alike.
Remember that colors and patterns do not mean breed. For example, a tabby cat is not a single breed. It is a pattern of lines in its coat.
Solid color
Contrary to what you might think, this pattern is not the most common among cats. Sometimes only specific breeds have it, such as the Turkish Angora with its beautiful white coat. As the name suggests, it refers to the cat’s coat being of a single color, with no variation in tone, this type of coat gives the cat an air of elegance and beauty like few others.
Bicolor
This pattern is typical of mix-breed cats. Bicolor cats have white fur mixed with another color, for example, brown, black, or red. Six categories can derive from the dual color pattern:
a) Van
White body, with tail and ears of another color.
b) Harlequin
White body with tail and ears of another color, with some color spotting on the back.
c) Bicolore
Colored head, tail, and back, while the rest of the body is white.
d) Coat and saddle
White body, with ears, tail, and top of the tail of another color.
e) Mask and mantle
White body, with a colored mantle running from head to tail.
f) Tuxedo
The most famous, colored body, with white legs, belly, and face. Here are some awesome black and white cat names if you want to baptize your new Tuxedo.
Tricolor
Three-colored cats! They are not so common, and for that reason, they are trendy. That beautiful explosion of colors makes them always look very mystical. We can divide tricolor cats into three categories:
a) Tortoiseshell or Tortie
It’s a marbled cat. Its spots are asymmetrical, as if buckets of colors had fallen on them. It is usually black, brown, and orange and very rarely has a bit of white present on its body, and if so, it would be just a speck, but never a large portion of the body, unlike the Calico. This pattern is one of the rarest and dazzles with its uniqueness.
b) Calico
The body of these beauties is white and is usually accompanied by black and orange spots, although the latter two can vary in tone. The difference with the Tortie is that the Calico always has the white present.
c) Tabby
This pattern is the most common among cats. Most mixed breeds are tabbies, so do the math. Their bodies have a white base, and the second coat, of any color, is the one that carries the distinctive Tabby pattern.
There are four categories, but all share the M on the forehead, characteristic of this pattern.
- Classic: the lines are darker than the body and form a target on the cat’s sides.
- Mackerel: These cats have colored rings on the tail, solid bands running down both sides of the body, and often have lines simulating collars on the chest. This combination is the most common pattern among tabby cats.
- Spotted: As their name suggests, they have spots all over their bodies instead of stripes. One of the most representative breeds is the Ocicat.
- Ticked or Agouti: These cats appear to have a solid color, but if you look closely, you can see that each hair has banded variations in tone, i.e., the pattern is per hair. This pattern seems like certain parts of the cat’s body are washed out or brighter.
Color-point
You will indeed distinguish this pattern so characteristic of Siamese cats. The cat’s body is of a lighter color than the points or limbs. For example, a cat may have a cream-colored body, and its pointy ends (mask, ears, tail, and paws) might have a chocolate color. This pattern is present in very few breeds, such as the Ragdoll and the Himalayan. A curious fact is that cats with this pattern usually have blue eyes.
Most common cat color: Wrapping it up
There are many colors and even more patterns, not to mention hair type. In short, each cat is unique and unrepeatable, and in the end, no matter what they look like, they all can give infinite love and fill your hours of laughter and fun moments!
Tell us in the comments, what color is your cat? Have you identified the pattern of his coat?