British Shorthair Colours: The Complete Guide to Every Coat Colour and Pattern

The British Shorthair is one of the most colour-diverse pedigree breeds in the world. The GCCF recognises an extensive range of coat colours and patterns, from the iconic blue-grey that most people picture when they think of the breed, through to rich chocolate, warm cinnamon, pale lilac, and striking tabby patterns in multiple shades.

As a GCCF judge, I assess British Shorthairs across many of these colour classes at shows throughout the year. The colour of a British Shorthair is not simply cosmetic — it reflects the breed’s genetics, its history, and the care taken by the breeder to produce cats that conform to the standard in both type and coat quality.

This guide covers every recognised British Shorthair colour and pattern, explains how each one is produced genetically, and helps you understand what to look for — and what to avoid — when choosing a kitten based on coat colour.

What Colours Do British Shorthairs Come In?

British Shorthairs are recognised in a wider range of colours and patterns than almost any other pedigree breed. The full list includes solid colours, tabby patterns, tortoiseshell, bi-colour, colourpoint, and tipped varieties — often in multiple base colours.

The colours recognised for championship status by the GCCF include:

• Blue (the most common and most recognised)
• Black
• White
• Chocolate
• Lilac
• Cinnamon
• Fawn
• Red
• Cream
• Golden
• Silver
• Tortoiseshell (in multiple base colours)
• Tabby (classic, mackerel, and spotted, in multiple colours)
• Bi-colour and Van patterns
• Colourpoint (British Shorthair Colourpoint)
• Tipped and shaded

The sheer variety means there is a British Shorthair colour to suit almost any preference — though availability varies considerably. Blue remains the easiest colour to find from reputable breeders, while rarer colours such as cinnamon, fawn, and chocolate can require a longer wait and more careful searching.

The Genetics Behind British Shorthair Colours

Understanding a little about feline coat genetics helps make sense of why certain colours appear together, why some are rare, and why responsible breeding matters.

The B locus (black/chocolate/cinnamon)
This gene controls the depth of the base pigment. Black (B) is dominant over chocolate (b), which is dominant over cinnamon (b^l). A cat must carry two copies of the recessive gene to express chocolate or cinnamon in its coat.

The D locus (dense/dilute)
The dilute gene (d) reduces the intensity of the base colour when a cat carries two copies. Black becomes blue, chocolate becomes lilac, and cinnamon becomes fawn. Dilution is recessive — a cat must carry two copies to show the dilute coat.

The O locus (orange)
The orange gene is sex-linked, which is why tortoiseshell and calico patterns almost exclusively occur in females. Male tortoiseshells do exist but are extremely rare and almost always sterile.

The A locus (agouti/tabby)
The agouti gene determines whether a cat shows tabby banding. Non-agouti cats (aa) show a solid colour, while agouti cats show tabby patterning. The specific tabby pattern is controlled by a separate tabby gene.

The Cs locus (colourpoint)
The colourpoint gene is responsible for the restricted pigmentation seen in colourpoint varieties, where colour is confined to the points — face, ears, paws and tail.

British Shorthair Blue

The British Blue is the colour most associated with the breed and the one that gave rise to the common alternative name. It is a medium to light blue-grey — a true dilute of black — with a dense, plush double coat that shows the colour at its best.

The GCCF breed standard calls for an even, light to medium blue coat with no tabby markings, white hairs, or shading. Eye colour should be deep orange or copper — the contrast between the blue coat and rich copper eyes is one of the most striking features of a well-bred British Shorthair.

The British Blue has been the dominant colour in the breed since its formal development in the late 19th century. As a result, it is the most widely bred and most readily available colour from reputable breeders across the UK. The British Blue is also widely searched for as the grey British Shorthair — both names refer to the same colour, and either search will lead you to the same breed.

Read the complete British Blue cat guide for a full breakdown of genetics, appearance, health considerations and what to look for when buying.

Searching for a grey British Shorthair? Our grey British Shorthair guide explains why this is the same cat as the British Blue, and what to look for when buying.

British Shorthair Black

Black British Shorthairs carry two copies of the dominant black gene with no dilution factor. The coat should be a solid, dense, jet black from root to tip with no rusting, white hairs, or tabby ghost markings. Eye colour is deep orange or copper.

Black can be a difficult colour to maintain in tip-top show condition. Sunlight and poor nutrition can cause the coat to take on a brownish tinge — known as rusting — which is a fault in the show ring. A black British Shorthair kept in good condition with a high-quality diet has a genuinely impressive, lustrous coat.

Read the complete black British Shorthair guide for a full breakdown of genetics, appearance, health considerations and what to look for when buying.

Looking for a brown British Shorthair? Our brown British Shorthair guide explains the difference between brown tabbies and chocolate British Shorthairs, and helps you find what you are looking for.

British Shorthair White

White British Shorthairs are not simply diluted or depigmented — they carry a dominant white gene (W) that masks the underlying coat colour entirely. This means a white British Shorthair may carry any other colour underneath, which becomes relevant if the cat is used for breeding.

The white coat should be pure, bright white with no cream or yellow tinting. Eye colour varies: deep orange or copper is standard, but blue-eyed and odd-eyed (one blue, one orange) whites are also recognised and can be particularly striking.

White cats with blue eyes carry a significant risk of congenital deafness — a well-documented genetic link. Odd-eyed whites often have normal hearing on the orange-eyed side but may be deaf on the blue-eyed side. Responsible breeders test white kittens for hearing before placing them in homes — see our British Shorthair health guide for more on inherited conditions to be aware of. Always ask.

Read the complete white British Shorthair guide for a full breakdown of genetics, appearance, health considerations and what to look for when buying.

British Shorthair Chocolate

Chocolate is a rich, warm brown — a genuine medium chocolate shade that should be even throughout the coat with no tabby markings or paler hairs. Eye colour is deep orange or copper. You may also see this colour described as a brown British Shorthair — brown is the informal term most commonly used by buyers searching online, though the correct breed term is always chocolate.

Chocolate is a recessive colour, requiring two copies of the chocolate gene (bb). Because it is recessive, many cats carry it without showing it — a black British Shorthair can carry one copy of chocolate without any outward sign. This means chocolate kittens can appear in litters from two black parents if both carry the gene.

Chocolate British Shorthairs are less commonly seen than blue or black and can be harder to find from reputable breeders, but they are fully recognised for championship showing.

Read the complete chocolate British Shorthair guide for a full breakdown of genetics, appearance, health considerations and what to look for when buying.

British Shorthair Lilac

Lilac is the dilute version of chocolate — a soft, pinkish-dove grey that is distinct from the cooler blue-grey of a British Blue. The tone has a warm, almost mauve quality that is quite unlike any other British Shorthair colour. Eye colour is deep orange or copper.

Because lilac requires two copies of both the chocolate gene and the dilute gene, it is among the rarer British Shorthair colours. Both parents must carry both recessive genes, which means careful breeding planning is required.

Read the complete lilac British Shorthair guide for a full breakdown of genetics, appearance, health considerations and what to look for when buying.

British Shorthair Cinnamon

Cinnamon is a warm, reddish-brown — lighter and more orange-toned than chocolate. It is caused by a different allele at the same gene locus as black and chocolate, and is the most recessive of the three — requiring two copies to be expressed.

Cinnamon is one of the rarer colours in the breed. It can be difficult to distinguish from a poorly-coloured chocolate in photographs, but in person the warm, russet tone is clearly different from the cooler, darker brown of chocolate. Eye colour is deep orange or copper.

Read the complete cinnamon British Shorthair guide for a full breakdown of genetics, appearance, health considerations and what to look for when buying.

British Shorthair Fawn

Fawn is the dilute of cinnamon — a pale, warm mushroom tone with a slightly pinkish quality. Like lilac, it requires two recessive genes to be expressed, and like cinnamon, it sits at the rarer end of the colour spectrum.

Fawn British Shorthairs have a soft, understated coat colour that is quite distinctive in person. Eye colour is deep orange or copper.

Read the complete fawn British Shorthair guide for a full breakdown of genetics, appearance, health considerations and what to look for when buying.

British Shorthair Golden

The golden British Shorthair is one of the most visually striking varieties in the breed. The coat has a warm, rich golden-apricot undercoat with dark tipping, creating a shimmering effect that photographs particularly well. Eye colour should be deep green or blue-green — the combination of the golden coat with green eyes is one of the most distinctive looks in the breed.

Golden is produced by the inhibitor gene, which suppresses the yellow pigment in the undercoat in silver varieties but in goldens results in a warm yellow-to-apricot base. The tipping can range from darker on a shaded golden to very light on a tipped golden.

Golden British Shorthairs have grown significantly in popularity over the past decade and are widely sought after. They are more readily available than some of the rarer recessive colours, though prices tend to be higher than for the more common blue.

Read the complete golden British Shorthair guide for a full breakdown of genetics, appearance, health considerations and what to look for when buying.

British Shorthair Silver

Silver British Shorthairs have a white or pale silver undercoat with dark tipping on each hair. The overall effect is a clean, cool-toned coat with good contrast. Eye colour should be deep green or blue-green.

Like golden, silver is produced by the inhibitor gene — but in silvers, the pigment inhibition creates a white or near-white undercoat rather than a golden one. The degree of tipping varies: chinchilla (very lightly tipped) through shaded (more heavily tipped) to smoke (so heavily tipped the cat appears solid until the coat parts).

Silver tabby is also a separate and widely recognised variety — see the tabby section below.

Read the complete silver British Shorthair guide for a full breakdown of genetics, appearance, health considerations and what to look for when buying.

British Shorthair Red and Cream

Red British Shorthairs have a deep, rich orange-red coat. Cream is the dilute equivalent — a pale, warm buff tone. Both colours are sex-linked (carried on the X chromosome), which is why solid red and solid cream cats are almost always male.

Red in particular can be difficult to breed to show standard, as ghost tabby markings are common and hard to eliminate. The breed standard calls for an even coat with no white hairs and minimal tabby patterning, but in practice a degree of ghost tabby is often seen and accepted in young cats.

Read our full guides to the red British Shorthair and the cream British Shorthair for genetics, appearance and buying advice.

British Shorthair Tabby

Tabby is a pattern rather than a colour, and British Shorthairs are recognised in tabby in a wide range of base colours. The main tabby patterns recognised by the GCCF are:

Classic tabby — a bold, swirled pattern with a distinctive oyster marking on the flank. This is the pattern most associated with British Shorthairs in the tabby group.

Mackerel tabby — narrow vertical stripes running down the sides, creating a fish-bone effect. Less common in British Shorthairs than classic.

Spotted tabby — the classic tabby pattern broken into distinct spots. Well-spotted British Shorthairs are very eye-catching and produce well in the show ring.

Ticked tabby — agouti ticking throughout the coat with minimal striping. Less commonly seen in British Shorthairs.

The most commonly seen tabby colours are brown tabby, silver tabby, red tabby, and blue tabby — but tabby is recognised in most of the base colours listed above.

Read the complete British Shorthair tabby guide for a full breakdown of genetics, appearance, health considerations and what to look for when buying.

British Shorthair Tortoiseshell

Tortoiseshell British Shorthairs carry both black (or its dilute or recessive variants) and red pigment in their coat, producing a patchy or mingled two-tone effect. Because the orange gene is sex-linked, tortoiseshells are almost always female.

The standard tortoiseshell has black and red patching. Dilute tortoiseshell (also called blue-cream) combines blue and cream. Chocolate tortoiseshell, lilac-cream, and cinnamon tortoiseshell are also recognised in the breed, each combining the relevant base colour with its red or cream counterpart.

Tortoiseshell British Shorthairs make excellent pets and can be shown, but as females they are particularly sought after by breeders looking to introduce colour genetics.

Read the complete tortoiseshell British Shorthair guide for a full breakdown of genetics, appearance, health considerations and what to look for when buying.

British Shorthair Bi-colour

Bi-colour British Shorthairs combine any of the solid colours with white. The white is produced by the white spotting gene (S), which is separate from the dominant white gene. The amount of white varies: from a small white locket on the chest, to the Van pattern where white covers most of the body and colour is restricted to the head and tail.

The GCCF standard for bi-colour calls for clearly defined patches of colour and white, with no intermingling. A symmetrical pattern is preferred in the show ring, though achieving this consistently is one of the challenges of breeding bi-colour cats.

Read the complete bi-colour British Shorthair guide for a full breakdown of genetics, appearance, health considerations and what to look for when buying.

British Shorthair Colourpoint

The British Shorthair Colourpoint (sometimes listed as the British Colourpoint) has a pale body coat with darker colour restricted to the points — the face, ears, paws, and tail. This is produced by the same temperature-sensitive gene that creates the pointed pattern in Siamese.

Colourpoints are recognised in a wide range of point colours including blue point, seal point, chocolate point, lilac point, red point, and tortie point, among others. Eye colour should be a rich, deep blue — a requirement that distinguishes them from the orange-eyed solid varieties.

Read the complete colourpoint British Shorthair guide for a full breakdown of genetics, appearance, health considerations and what to look for when buying.

Which British Shorthair Colour Is Right for You?

If you are choosing a British Shorthair colour based purely on availability, blue is the easiest to find from reputable breeders across the UK. It is also the colour most aligned with the traditional breed type, and blue kittens from health-tested parents are available from a good number of established breeders.

If you want something less commonly seen, the golden and silver varieties are more widely available than the recessive colours and equally well established in the show world. Black, white, and tabby varieties are also relatively available from specialist breeders.

For chocolate, lilac, cinnamon, and fawn, be prepared for a longer wait. These colours require specific genetic combinations and fewer breeders specialise in them. That is not a reason to avoid them — it simply means you need to find the right breeder and be patient. Our buying advice guide covers everything to look for when choosing a responsible breeder. A reputable breeder of these rarer colours will have a waiting list and will be happy to talk you through their breeding programme.

Colour and the GCCF Breed Standard

It is worth understanding that colour is assessed as part of the overall GCCF breed standard for British Shorthairs, not in isolation. The standard places significant weight on type — the broad, rounded head, dense coat, and compact body — alongside coat colour and eye colour.

A beautiful colour in a cat of poor type will not succeed in the show ring, and a well-typed cat with a poor coat colour is equally penalised. Responsible breeders aim for both.

From a buyer’s perspective, this means you should always prioritise the overall health, temperament, and type of a British Shorthair kitten over coat colour. Colour is the last consideration, not the first.

British Shorthair Colours: Frequently Asked Questions