Did you know that Persian cats come in sixty-plus colors? Well, they do. They come in some pretty standard colors. Those are colors that most other cats can come in as well. However, Persian cats also have some really unique fur colors. We’re going to take a look at these colors and see how they may occur. Most colors are created by selective breeding. This is when a breeder takes a cat of one color and breeds it to another, perhaps in the same color, but they often choose another of a desired color. They continue to breed these cats with others until they come up with the color they want. Then it’s up to them to produce this color consistently. This must be done carefully and without interbreeding. Interbreeding is when two closely related cats mate. This is undesirable.
Table of Contents
- How Do Color Genetics Work in Persian Cats?
- Modifying Genes and What They Do
- The Persian Cat Colors
- Conclusion
How Do Color Genetics Work in Persian Cats?
When working with Persian cats to get specific colors, breeders work with the cats’ DNA, which is broken down into sections called chromosomes. Feline coloring works with the sex chromosomes. Each set of sex chromosomes has two copies of DNA. Females have XX chromosomes, and males have XY chromosomes. The male animal determines the sex of the offspring in any litter. The reason is that the male is the only one with two different sex chromosomes. So, if he passes on an X chromosome, the baby will be a girl. The baby will be a boy if he passes on a Y chromosome. You are probably asking yourself why do I need to know this? This will help you understand how colors present themselves in your Persian cat.
Basics
There are only two primary colors when all the modifying genes are stripped away. Those colors are Black and Red, aka Orange. Male cats can be Black or Red, but not both. Why? Well, that is because they only have one X chromosome. However, since females have two X chromosomes, they can be Black, Red, or what may be considered the third base color – Tortoiseshell. Tortoiseshell is a mix of Black and Red. So, Black, Red, and Tortoiseshell are our base colors for any other colors.
I know you’re thinking, how can I have a white Persian with copper eyes if their base colors are Black and Red? Well, that is where modifying genes comes in. They are the other genes on a strand of DNA that make each cat unique. We’ll get into those in the next section.
Modifying Genes
In cats, modifying genes is why your cat is gray instead of black or your tortoiseshell girl is gray and cream rather than black and red. This is called dilute. We’ll list the modifying genes and what they do before moving on to all the Persian cats and their fabulous fur colors.
Definitions
Allele – Alleles are forms of a gene that, through mutation, are responsible for all hereditary variation.
Phenotype – Phenotypes are the physical and biochemical characteristics of an organism.
Types of Modifying Genes
Dominant – A gene that produces the same phenotype in the organism whether or not its allele identical.
Recessive – A gene that produces its characteristic phenotype only when paired with an identical allele.
Modifying Genes and What They Do
Bicolor – Bicolor is Dominant. Only one copy of this gene is needed to be visible. With this gene, black Persians become black and white, red Persians become red and white, and a tortoiseshell becomes calico. If a Persian carries two copies of this bicolor gene, the cat will be called Van. A Van cat will always have bicolor kittens no matter what they are bred to.
Chocolate – This is a recessive gene that can only modify black. It has to be present on both copies of the DNA to be visible. These two copies will make a black cat brown, or a tortoiseshell cat will become brown and red. These cats are called visual chocolates. This gene originated with the siamese Persian crosses that opened the door for the Himalayan. All chocolate and chocolate carriers are called CPC or color point carriers. When this gene interacts with a dilute gene, chocolate becomes lilac. Red cats that may carry two copies of the chocolate gene are called Red Chocolate. This means that all their kittens will carry the chocolate gene or may show it when bred to another visual chocolate or chocolate carrier.
Dilute – Dilute is a recessive gene. If this gene is on both copies of DNA, a black cat becomes blue, aka gray, and a red cat becomes cream. A tortoiseshell becomes blue-cream, aka gray-cream. With only one copy of this gene, the Persian will not be these dilute colors but a dilute carrier. These cats will produce dilute kittens if bred with another dilute cat.
Pointed or Himalayan – This gene is recessive as well. There must be two copies of this gene for the Persian to appear pointed. Two copies of this gene will make a black cat become a seal point Persian, which is a standard for Himalayans. A red cat will become a flame point, and a tortoiseshell will become a tortie point. If two pointed cats are bred together, all the kittens would be pointed.
Smoke – Smoke is a dominant gene. It can’t be carried in the DNA hidden from sight unless the cat has a copy of the white gene. One copy of the smoke gene will turn a black Persian into black smoke, a red Persian into red smoke, and a tortoiseshell into tortie smoke. Persians with two copies of the smoke gene will always have smoke kittens. There are two other versions of the smoke gene. This gene can be confusing when looking at these cats. Smoke Persians have a mostly colored hair shaft with a white undercoat. Those with hair shafts that are half-colored and half-white are called Shaded. Some of these Persians have mostly white hair shafts with colored tips. These cats are called shells. Shell Persians are very rare. Red Persian Shaded or Shell are called Cameo or Shell Cameo. Dilute versions of these cats are Cream Cameo or Cream Shell Cameo. However, when it comes down to it, they are just Red Smoke, Shaded, or Shell.
Silver/Golden – These colors are a combination of three genes working together. The first gene is the Tabby gene, often called Agouti. The second is the smoke gene, called the inhibitor gene. The final gene or set of genes is the one that sets these Persians apart from their peers. These genes mixed together are called wide-banded polygenes. Wide-band polygenes affect the length of the bands on agouti hairs, and it’s more accurate to call it an effect rather than a gene. The particular effect has many variables, causing many lengths of bands on the agouti or tabby hairs. These genes are all dominant, so they can’t be carried or hidden unless the Persian cat has the white gene. These genes have no effect on the red color except for the eyes. It isn’t understood why this is. The polygene can have variable penetration, just as the smoke gene can. This is what causes the silver colors from shaded silver, which is a heavy layer of black, easily seen, to chinchilla silver which is just a dusting of color over white. Shaded black and Shaded silver seems to be the same color, yet they are not. Shaded silver Persian cats will have green eyes and eye and nose liner. Golden Persians are produced by having the tabby gene and the polygene, but not the inhibitor or smoke gene.
Tabby – Tabby is a dominant gene. That means a Persian cat needs only one copy of this gene to show tabby. With the tabby gene, a black cat becomes a brown tabby, a red cat becomes a red tabby, and a tortoiseshell becomes a patched tabby. In a cat with two tabby genes, homozygous tabby, all kittens will have at least one copy of the tabby gene, which means all kittens will be tabby of some sort.
White – The White gene is dominant and stands above other dominant genes as the king of dominant genes. It can hide any other gene, whether dominant or recessive. With the white gene, our three main colors, black, red, and tortoiseshell, become white. If a Persian cat has only one white gene, it will be white, and about half its kittens will be white. A cat with two white genes is called a homozygous white, and all their kittens will be white. White is a masking gene. This means that even if a cat has another color gene in their DNA, it will be suppressed by the white gene.
The Persian Cat Colors
Persian cats come in over sixty colors. In this section, we’ll see what these cats look like, explain their genetics, and give a description.
Color Divisions
Solid: The solid-colored cats are just as you’d expect, all one color. However, with the red, you may notice there are tabby-like markings. Reds always have these no matter the breed.
White – White Persian cats are solid snow white with copper, blue, or odd-colored eyes. Odd eyes are one eye of each color. These cats have pink noses and paw pads. We get a white Persian when they have the white gene, which masks other colors. The white gene is a dominant gene. Cats with two white genes is called homozygous white, which means all their kittens will be white.
Black – The Black gene is one of the main colors of the sex-linked chromosomes. These Persian cats have solid black coats with no other color showing. They have copper, orange, or green eyes with black noses and paw pads. The most common color of eyes for the black is a dark copper.
Blue – These Persian cat have solid blue gray coats. The blue gray comes from the dilute gene. In this case it has made a black cat become a gray cat. These Persians can have copper. orange, or green eyes with blue gray paw pads and noses.
Chocolate – These Persians can appear black, but in certain lights and next to a truly black cat they appear a deep, dark brown. The brown color comes from the chocolate gene. The chocolate gene only affects the color black. So, only black Persian cats can become chocolate Persian cats. These Persian cats have brown noses and cinnamon colored paw pads and copper or orange eyes.
Cream – Cream-colored Persian cats are a pale red or like I used to call them pink. Their color comes from having the dilute gene. As with red Persian cats you may see some light tabby-like markings. This is common with red or cream colored Persian cats. These cats should have pink paw pads and noses with copper or orange eyes.
Lilac – The Lilac Persian cat should appear a light, warm, lavender brown. These cats are chocolate colored with the dilute gene, which makes them appear the color they are. These Persian cats should have lavender pink noses and paw pads with copper, orange, or yellow eyes.
Red – The red Persian cat is colored by the other main color in the sex-chromosome color genes. These cats don’t really appear red, they are more a orange or ginger colored from deep dark to lighter orange. Despite red being a solid color you may notice that red Persians usually have some tabby-like markings. These Persian cats have dark red noses and paw pads with copper or orange eyes.
Bicolor -The bicolor gene allows one color to show with white making the Persian cat have two colors. The only gene that seems to trump the white gene by allowing a color to appear with white. There are many patterns that bicolor cats come in, a few are tuxedo, magpie, van, and harlequin. These Persian cats can have odd eyes. The odd eye is blue and other is one of the colors listed.
Black and White – The black and white Persian cat is white with black patches. The patches are usually found on their backs, sides, legs, and tails with their bellies being white. These cats are black with the bicolor gene. The bicolor gene allows the color to show with white. The black and white Persian cat should have pink or mixed color paw pads with copper, orange, green, or odd eyes.
Blue and White – The blue and white Persian cat is a blue gray and white cat. These cats have the dilute gene making their black, blue gray and the bicolor gene allowing their blue or gray color to show. These Persian cats should have pink, gray, or a mix of the two colors on their paw pads with copper, orange, green or odd eyes.
Red and White – The red and white Persian cat has the bicolor gene allowing their red color to show. They can be any of the patterns listed above under the bicolor heading. They can have pink, dark red, or a mix of the two colors on their paw pads and nose. They should have copper, orange, green, or odd eyes.
Cream and White – These Persian cats are red and white with the dilute gene making their red color become a cream color and the bicolor gene allowing their color to show with the white. These Persian cats should have pink paw pads and noses with copper, orange, or odd eyes.
Chocolate and White – These Persian cats have the chocolate gene. The changes black to the chocolate color. They also have the bicolor gene that allows their chocolate color to show. Chocolate and white bicolor Persian cats should have pink or cinnamon color paw pads and noses with copper, orange, or odd eyes.
Lilac and White – These Persian cats have the dilute gene, which makes the chocolate color a lilac, with is a kind of warm, lavender brown, combined with the bicolor gene that allows the lilac color to show. These cats should have pink or lavender pink paw pads and noses with copper, orange, gold or odd eyes.
Calico – The calico Persian cat is a combination of tortoiseshell, the third color you get when a female is born with one of each black and red main color genes. These cats also have the bicolor gene with allows the red and black to show. These cats should have pink, black or a combination of these colors on their paw pads with copper, orange, or odd eyes.
Chocolate Calico – The chocolate calico is a chocolate tortoiseshell with the bicolor gene. These cats should have pink, brown, or a combination of these two colors for paw pads with copper, orange, or odd eyes.
Lilac Calico – These Persian cats are Chocolate Tortoiseshell with the dilute gene. Add in the bicolor gene which allows the colors to show and you get the Lilac Calico. These cats should have lavender pink or light brown paw pads with copper, orange, green, or odd eyes.
Dilute Calico – These Persian cats are tortoiseshell with the dilute gene. Add in the bicolor gene, which allows the colors to show, you have the dilute calico. These Persian cats should have pink or grey paw pads with copper, orange, green, or odd eyes.
Particolor – These Persian cats have two colors to their coats. They are each based on the black and red tortoiseshell. With the modifying genes we get other colors.
Blue Cream – These Persian cats are tortoiseshell with the dilute gene. This gene is what gives them their blue gray and cream appearance. These Persian cats should have pink, gray, or a combination on their paw pads with copper, orange, or green eyes.
Chocolate Tortoiseshell – The Chocolate tortoiseshell has the chocolate gene, which turns black to dark brown. These Persian cats should have pink, brown, or a combination of the two on their paw pads with copper or orange eyes.
Lilac Cream – The lilac cream tortoiseshell is a chocolate and red tortoiseshell with the dilute gene. The lilac color on these cats can be described as a warm, lavender. These cats should have lavender pink or pale brown paw pads with copper, orange, green, or odd eyed.
Tortoiseshell – The Tortoiseshell Persian cat is the combination of black and red. These are the two primary colors of the XX chromosomes. These cats should have pink, black, or a combination of the two on their paw pads with copper, orange, or odd eyes.
Tabby
There are several tabby patterns classic, mackerel, splotched, and spotted. Tabby can show up in all the other colors. An example being that a black and white bicolor cat can become a brown tabby and white cat. Another is a calico cat becomes a torbie and white. The tabby gene turns the tortoiseshell part into a tabby and it has come to be known as torbie.
Blue Tabby– A blue tabby Persian cat is a black cat with the dilute and tabby genes. The black becomes blue gray with a darker tabby pattern. These Persian cats should have a dark rose-pink nose and rose-pink paw pads with copper, orange, gold, or hazel eyes with a blue rim around them.
Blue-Silver Tabby -These Persian cats are black with the dilute gene making them gray and the tabby gene gives them stripes. Their silvery appearance is due to a white undercoat in the tabby hairs. These Persian cats should have a blue or dark rose-pink nose with a blue outline and blue or dark rose-pink paw pads with blue rimmed copper, orange, gold or hazel eyes.
Brown Tabby – These Persian cats are black with the tabby gene. The tabby gene makes the Persian cat turn brown with black tabby markings. These Persian cats should have a brick red nose and black or brown paw pads with copper, orange, yellow, or hazel eyes with a black rim around them.
Cameo (Red Smoke) Tabby – A Persian cat that is cameo is a smoke/shaded/shell red. Smoke/shaded/shell has to do with the length of the color on a hair. Smoke has the longest coloring, shaded has about fifty percent color on a hair, and shell is just a dusting of color. The tabby gene gives them the tabby markings. These Persian cats should have rose-pink paw pads and rose-pink red rimmed noses with copper or gold eyes with a red rim.
Cameo (Smoke) Cream Tabby– These Persian cats are cameo aka smoke/shaded/shell reds with the dilute gene, making them cream. The tabby gene then adds the tabby markings that should appear peach or sand colored. These cats should have pink paw pads and noses with copper, orange, yellow, or hazel eyes with a dark pink rim around them.
Cream Tabby – The cream tabby Persian is a red cat with the dilute gene making them cream. The tabby gene then adds the tabby markings that should appear peach or sand colored. These cats should have pink paw pads and noses with copper, orange, yellow, or hazel eyes with a dark pink rim around them.
Red Tabby – The red tabby is a red Persian cat with the tabby gene that gives them their dark red tabby markings. These cats should have brick red paw pads and noses with copper, orange, yellow, and hazel eyes with a red rim around them.
Silver Tabby – The silver Persian tabby is a black Persian with wide banded polygenes with variable penetration. This means the color of the stripes can be lighter or darker depending on how the polygene presents itself. These cats also have the tabby gene that gives them their tabby markings. These cats should have brick red noses with black outlines and black or brick red paw pads with hazel eyes with a black rim around them.
Himalayan – The Himalayan or pointed Persian is a breed on its own. Some of these cats have the flat face that you expect from the Persian cat, while others don’t. They are the result of mixing Persian cats with Siamese cats to get a pointed Persian, which became known as Himalayan cats. The gene is called the pointed or Himalayan gene.
Blue Point – The blue point Persian cat is a black cat with the dilute gene. Add the point gene and these cats have blue gray coloring on their faces, ears, paws, and tail with the rest of their coat having a blue tint. These cats should have dark gray paw pads and noses with blue eyes.
Blue Cream Point – This Persian cat is a tortoiseshell cat with the dilute gene, plus the point gene gives them colored faces, ears, legs, and tails. These cats should have pink noses and pink and gray paw pads with blue eyes.
Chocolate Point – This Persian cat is black with the chocolate gene making them chocolate colored and the point gene giving them the colors on their faces, ears, legs, and tail. The rest of their coat should be a champagne color or a tan. These cats should have cinnamon-colored noses and paw pads with blue eyes.
Chocolate Tortie Point – This Persian cat is tortoiseshell with the chocolate gene giving their black a chocolate color. The point gene gives them the coloring on their faces, ears, legs, and tails. Their body color should be a dark creamy color, kind of like if you put creamer in your coffee. These cats should have pink noses and pink and chocolate paw pads with blue eyes.
Cream Point – This Persian cat is a red cat with the dilute gene making their red coloring cream colored. They also have the point gene that gives them the point coloring on their faces, ears, legs, and tails. Their body color should be white with perhaps a tinge of color. They should have coral-pink paw pads and noses with blue eyes.
Flame (Red) Point – This Persian cat is red with the point gene. The point gene gives this cat the colors on their faces, ears, legs, and tails. Their bodies should be white but may look creamy colored. These Persian cats should have coral-pink paw pads and noses with blue eyes.
Lilac Point – This Persian cat is chocolate with the dilute gene giving them a warm, lavender color. These cats also have the point gene that gives them their color on their faces, ears, legs, and tails. Their bodies should be pinkish frosty gray on pearly white. They should have lavender pink to lavender grey paw pads and noses with blue eyes.
Lilac Cream Point – This Persian cat is chocolate and red with the dilute gene, making them warm lavender and cream colored. These cats also have the point gene that makes their colors appear on their faces, ears, legs, and tails. Their bodies should be white. They should have pink to gray noses with pink and warm lavender paw pads with blue eyes.
Seal Point – This Persian cat is black with the point gene, making their point colors deep, dark brown on their faces, ears, legs, and tails. These cats have fawn colored bodies. They should have dark brown paw pads and noses with blue eyes.
Smoke and Shaded
Black Smoke – This Persian cat is black with the smoke gene. The smoke gene gives these cats a smokey look. They should have black- or charcoal-colored noses and paw pads with black rimmed copper or gold eyes.
Blue Smoke – This Persian cat is black with the dilute and smoke genes. They should appear smokey blue gray. They should have blue gray paw pads and noses with blue gray rimmed copper or gold eyes.
Blue Cream Smoke – This Persian cat is a tortoiseshell with the dilute and smoke genes. The dilute gene turns the black and red to blue and cream. The smoke gene gives this cat a smokey look. These Persian cats should have blue gray to dark pink noses and blue gray, pink, or a combination of the two colors on their paw pads with yellow or green eyes.
Cream Smoke – This Persian cat is red with dilute and smoke genes. The dilute gene turns the red color to cream and the smoke gene makes their coat look smokey. These cats should have pink paw pads and noses with pink rimmed copper or gold eyes.
Cream Shell – This Persian cat is red with the dilute gene, making it a cream color. These cats have the smoke gene, but in this case with variable penetrance, the hair shaft is mostly white with a cream colored tip. This makes these cats look as though they have a dusting of color. They should have pink noses with a dark pink rim and pink paw pads with pink rimmed copper or gold eyes.
Cream Shaded – This is another red Persian cat with the dilute gene. These cats are called shaded because the cream hair is half cream and half white. These cats have more coloring than their shell peers. These Persian cats should have pink paw pads and noses with copper or gold eyes.
Each of these, smoke, shell, and shaded are also called cameo. Cameo in these cats is just the red version of smoke. It would be much easier to call the red smoke versions the same as the blacks. Cameo can be confusing. The image above is of a cream smoke. Shell and Shaded versions of this color are hard to find. Just keep in mind the definitions of these terms when looking at Persians.
Red Smoke – This Persian cat is red with the smoke gene. They should appear smokey red. These cats should have rose colored paw pads and noses with rose rimmed copper or gold eyes
Shaded Red – This Persian cat is red with fifty percent color hair shaft with a white undercoat. These cats should appear a little less red than a full smoke cat. These Persian cats should have rose colored paw pads and noses with rose rimmed copper or gold eyes.
Shell Red – This Persian is a red with mostly white hair shaft and colored tips. These cats should appear to have just a dusting of red. They should have pink noses and paw pads with rose rimmed copper or gold eyes.
Reds are the same as cream and the word cameo as well as the definitions of these different looks. Red smokes are easier to find than the shaded or shell red.
Silver and Golden – All silver and golden Persians are a combination of several genes, Tabby, Smoke called the inhibitor gene and the polygene. These colors are not completely understood and are confusing, even to those who work with them. The polygene is the wild card here. So, these cats are rare and unexpected.
Shaded Golden– This Persian cat starts as black. The tabby gene makes them a brown tabby. The smoke gene gives them a smokey appearance, and the polygene is what lightens them to the golden color. These Persian cats should have brick red noses with a black outline and brick red paw pads with black rimmed green eyes.
Shaded Silver – This Persian cat is black with the tabby gene giving them their tabby markings, and the smoke gene giving them that smokey color. The polygene gives them the silver color. These Persian cats should have blue rimmed rose colored noses and blue paw pads with blue rimmed green eyes.
Chinchilla Golden – These Persian cats are almost the same color as the Shaded Golden, but these cats lack the smoke gene. The tabby gene and polygene are at work with these cats. These cats should have black lined brick red noses and brick red paw pads with black rimmed green eyes.
Chinchilla Silver – This Persian cat is close to the shaded silver Persian, but it lacks the smoke gene. The tabby gene and polygene do all the work in the appearance of these cats. These Persian cats should have black rimmed brick red noses and brick red paw pads with black rimmed green eyes.
Conclusion
So, we’ve learned about the genetics it takes to get all the coat colors Persian cats come in. We know that the sex-linked chromosomes XX and XY are responsible for the main colors of black and red, but we also discovered that there is a third primary color called Tortoiseshell. Tortoiseshell is a mix of black and red and are only found on female cats because of their two X chromosomes. The next thing we learned was that the other colors in cats that aren’t black, red, or the mix of two come from modifying genes that create the myriad of other colors our Persians come in. Do you have a Persian cat? If so, what color are they? Let us know by commenting below.