Lilac color of the British cat. Character of the British lilac cat The gray British cat's fur turns purple
Many cat lovers prefer to have British cats: graceful and beautiful animals that can boast of wonderful ones: chocolate, marbled, black, white, tortoiseshell, cream... There are many unusually beautiful British cats, but among all of them they occupy a special place British lilac.
We got the lilac color of the British, or simply lilac, as it is also called, quite recently. And all for the reason that it is very difficult to breed kittens with purple coat color. It's all about the uniqueness of the lilac color of the British. Look at the cat's fur: it seems bluish-pinkish color, which is very reminiscent of lavender shade. And you can get such an unusual color only with the help of chocolate and blue cats.
Breeders had to work very hard to get this unique color. The whole point is that The lilac gene in the British is recessive. The same can be said about the genes for chocolate and blue colors. This means that in order to obtain similar colors, recessive genes must be paired with other recessive genes. In the case of a recessive + dominant gene pair, the recessive gene simply does not show itself. What do recessive genes for chocolate and blue colors have to do with British lilac? The most immediate: to obtain lilac fur, you need a recessive gene for chocolate color and a weakening gene (dilute), which is inherent in blue cats. Thus, in order for a British Lilac to boast of its unusual coat color, its parents must have both of the above genes, otherwise nothing will work.
The lilac British cat is different uniformity of coat color: There is not a single place on the body where there are light spots, which is often found on the belly of animals. The hair of the coat is evenly colored along its entire length. However, the British Lilac has an undercoat of a lighter tone. But even this in no way affects the color of the coat. Please note that in the British Lilac the nose, edging of mucous membranes and paw pads are also very similar to the color of the coat, although they have a more bluish tint.
There cannot be any spots in the British Lilac color.. But don’t be alarmed if you see spots on your kitten’s coat. Kittens are allowed to have residual marks on their fur. Over time, the markings will fade and the adult British Lilac will show its beauty. If the marks have not disappeared, then their presence in an adult cat is considered a fault. Of course, a cat with this color will not be able to take part in exhibitions, but this will not make you love your animal less.
And now about eye color. British lilac cats have yellow eyes. Most prevails copper color, but there are also cats with orange and gold eye colors.
Even though the British Lilac has its own specific color, the intensity of the color can vary from animal to animal. Therefore, within the color there are three colors: lilac, lavender and isabella(it is lighter than purple). The Isabella color has its own origin story. This color is named after the French Queen Isabella of Bavaria, who vowed not to take off her shirt until her husband returned from a campaign. When the king returned, the queen's shirt was a grayish-light tone, which the colorists called Isabella.
The British Lilac cat is a very beautiful animal that enjoys particular success at exhibitions. And keeping such an animal at home is a real pleasure. This is an active, smart cat that loves to run and climb tall trees. In general, British lilacs are quite independent. British Lilac kittens are very mobile and active, constantly playing. The British Lilac is also distinguished by its affection and affection for its owners. In general, these are undemanding animals, although the same cannot be said about food. In this matter, British Lilacs are very scrupulous and demand only the best food.
Fans of British cats know that this breed comes in a wide variety of colors. Today we will talk about lilac cats. Kittens of this breed are in demand among buyers, because a kitten with spectacular pinkish-smoky fur cannot leave anyone indifferent. What are the features of purple pets - find out from our article, and also enjoy photographs of these cute animals.
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Features of the color of the breed
British Shorthair cats have an ancient pedigree descending from English cats. Animal lovers often associate them with English aristocracy and severity. Therefore, lilac and pinkish colors for this breed look very exotic. This feature of the coat, like the chocolate color, is usually attributed to oriental breeds: Siamese and oriental cats. So where did the purple brothers come from among the British?
These amazing Britons appeared thanks to the efforts of breeders. Contrary to popular belief, there is no separate gene responsible for purple coloration. This feature is the result of bleaching chocolate-colored cats and cats, just as blue is obtained by bleaching black, and cream is obtained by bleaching red. The history of the origin of lilac color in British cats is very short and is associated with the development of the color point breed. Interestingly, the new breed has become even more popular than the Color Point.
It is worth noting that breeders have made a lot of effort to ensure that British parents have a lilac-colored kitten. By the way, another name for this color is lilac. In person, it resembles blooming lavender, but even in photos, kittens and cats in the Lilac shade look mesmerizing.
How do you get such beauties?
Breeders of mustachioed beauties have been working on obtaining the “lilac” shade for a long time. To get a baby with the desired shade of fur, genes of a certain type must be present in the genotype of the parents. In our case, these are the chocolate shade gene and the lightening gene. Initially, purple babies were obtained by crossing two individuals with such genes, that is, the parents were of different colors. Now that the work of breeders has been crowned with success, breeding Lilac pets has become much easier.
The shade of the coat depends on what type of coloring substance - melanin - is present in a particular individual. There are two types of melanin: one is called eumelanin and is responsible for the black pigment, pheomelanin is aimed at the formation of red-yellow pigments. Eumelanin is involved in the production of lilac shades. With a certain synthesis of melanin, an oxidized form of black is formed - brown. If a diluting genome is present in the animal’s body, then the color becomes less saturated.
According to the standard, a lavender cat can have three shades: light, medium and dark lilac. In the first case, cats have light purple fur with a pink pigment. Medium purple animals are distinguished by a subtle purple tint. Cats have an intense dark lavender coat color that resembles the color of coffee with milk. In photographs, these subtleties are almost invisible, so experts should evaluate pets directly in person, and not in photos.
Even the pads on the paws of such cats have a slight pinkish or lilac tint. Breed standards also take into account eye color. Lavender-colored animals should have copper or bright amber eyes.
Lilac Britons have a friendly and gentle character. They are as playful as kittens, even as adults. This cat is very attached to its owners. Therefore, those who have small children at home can safely get such pets: the British cat will become an affectionate friend for them.
Lilac cats have a good appetite, and sometimes they are very picky about food. But in general, there are no special nuances in care. Of course, if you are going to participate in cat shows, you will need to pay a lot of attention to the condition of the coat, since this criterion is very important when assessing the breed.
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Color of kittens
Lilac colored kittens are born with a pigment characteristic of this species. However, the uniformity of color inherent in adult cats is not characteristic of small kittens. So if you come across a kitten with a purple or pink tint, but with spots on its body, do not rush to be annoyed by the deception on the part of the seller. The photo shows a small, barely born kitten.
White or darker spots that are noticeable on kittens are called residual patterns. While the kitten is small, these inclusions are more noticeable, but over time they disappear. In six months, a British Lilac kitten will look the same as an adult cat.
Photo gallery
The request returned an empty result.Video “Funny British cat babies”
The video shows newborn kittens of lilac and chocolate color.
The lilac color of British cats is one of the most common, along with. British cats of lilac color are distinguished by their coat of an even gray-lilac color, with a pinkish tint. The lilac color in the group of solid colors is one of the most delicate and complex in color range - it intertwines blue and pink, reminiscent of the color of forget-me-nots. It can have several variations: there is a very light, almost pink lilac, there is a medium lilac, and there is a dark lilac, reminiscent of the color of coffee with milk. For breeding, light and medium, warm options are preferable.
In the standards of felinological systems, the lilac color of British cats is described as cool gray with a slight pink tint. The fur should be colored evenly, without inclusions or spots; only the undercoat may have a shade slightly lighter than the hair tone, but without strong contrast. Purple wool is usually soft and of excellent quality. The nose and paw pads also have a delicate lilac-pink hue.
Eye color is copper or amber-orange. Kittens, like all solids, can carry a residual pattern, which should fade over time (by 4-5 months). Getting lilac kittens is not an easy task. There is no separate gene for lilac color; lilac coat color occurs as a result of a combination of recessive forms of two different genes - the b gene (chocolate color, i.e. oxidized black) and the d gene (lightening). Lilac kittens are born only if both parents have this color or carry the genes for this color in their genotype.
Photos for the blog were kindly provided by the owner of the Kharkov nursery of British and Scottish cats “MY JEWEL”. In the photo there are male lilac kittens - Gauthier and General.
In this article I will talk about the colors of British cats. I will describe the most popular coat colors, including the lilac British coat, and indicate their designations. I will give a brief description of each. I’ll tell you how kittens are selected based on color designation.
Popular colors of British cats
Color occupies a special place in the standard of British cats. At the exhibition, experts evaluate the fold-eared cat on a par with its exterior.
The colors are divided into several groups, and each of them includes several color variations:
- Plain. The fur is uniformly colored, there should be no foreign color or shade on it, and the presence of spots or stripes is unacceptable. This group includes 7 colors (white, black, blue, chocolate, cream, red, purple).
- Tortoiseshell. Found only in British females. This type has several harmoniously mixed shades (usually a mixture of black and red, blue and cream, etc.).
- Silver. The undercoat and lower part of the hairs have a light silver tint, the tips of the hairs are colored in different colors (depending on the name). This group is divided into chinchilla, shaded and smoky colors.
- Tabby. Included here are the following pattern names: marbled, tiger or mackerel (often called "whiskey") and spotted. The main color can be any of the solid colors. The design itself is black or dark brown.
- Color point. This means the presence of dark markings on the face, ears, tail and limbs. The body is covered with light hair (white, cream, lilac). The name is given according to the color of the spots: black - seal point, blue - blue point, purple - lilac point, cream - cream point, red - red point. If there is a pattern on the marks, this color is called links point.
- Bicolor. The main coat color is white, with tabby, tortoiseshell or solid spots on the body. This group is divided into categories: van (a couple of spots on the head and a colored tail), bicolor (half of the entire body area is colored) and harlequin (only a fifth of the body is colored).
Each color has its own marking of letters or numbers. When selecting pairs, experts rely on these designations in order to get kittens of the desired colors.
This color is most often found among the British. It belongs to the monochromatic group. The fur is evenly colored, the undercoat may be slightly lighter than the main color.
Silver tint to the coat is not allowed. The eyes of such cats are usually amber.
Chocolate and cinnamon
These kittens are monochromatic. Chocolate Britons have a rich coat color, the color of milk or dark chocolate.
Spots or inclusions of other shades are not allowed.
The nose is the same color as the coat, or maybe a little darker.
Cinnamon is similar in color to chocolate, but the hairs are a lighter shade. These cats have a pink nose.
White
White Britons can have blue or orange eyes, and there are also odd-eyed animals.
Kittens may have small markings (blue or black), but these disappear in adults.
Black
The Black British is not that common. A special feature is the fact that kittens up to six months are colored dark brown, so it cannot be said that such babies will be completely black as adults.
Animals with this color are not as “plush” as British cats of other colors.
Marble and whiskey
These colors are classics of the entire tabby group.
Marbled British women have wide stripes on their bodies in the form of a butterfly (on the shoulder blades) and curls (on the sides).
There are several ring-necklaces on the neck of the marble.
Whiskas or brindle cats have transverse stripes on their bodies. The spotted tabby has bright spots on its body, usually black.
Both colors are based on solid colors (usually silver, blue or red).
This group includes the following colors: smoky, chinchilla, shaded. Animals with a smoky color have a silver undercoat, and the tips of the hairs can have the following colors: chocolate, blue, cream, red, lilac, black.
The fur of animals of shaded and chinchilla species is light (silver), with a light coating at the tips (from 1/6 to 1/8). In the first case, darkening is present on the tail, head, sides, back and ears. Chinchilla cats can have emerald (bright green) eyes. Shaded Brits have orange irises.
The golden species is extremely rare and golden kittens are very expensive. The lower part of the body is covered with apricot-colored hair, the remaining hairs at the tips have a darker coating.
The nasal planum has a brick tint, the iris of the eyes is green.
What are the coat colors of a British dog?
Each color of a British cat has its own designation, which includes letters and numbers. Each code must be preceded by the prefix “BRI”. Eye color is marked with numbers (blue or sky blue - 61, amber (orange) - 62, different - 63).
Here is a detailed plate with all color codes:
| Color group | Color name in English | Transcript in Russian | Designation |
| Plain (solid) | Blue | Gray or blue | a |
| Black | Black | n | |
| White | White | w | |
| Lilac | Lilac | c | |
| Chocolate | Chocolate | b | |
| Cream | Cream | e | |
| Red | Red | d | |
| Tortoiseshells | Lilac-cream-cake | Lilac with cream | j |
| Blue-cream-cake | Blue with cream | g | |
| Black cake | Black | f | |
| Chocolate-cream-cake | Chocolate with cream | h | |
| Smoky | Cream-smoke | Cream smoke | es |
| Black smoke | Black smoke | ns | |
| Red-smoke | Red smoke | ds | |
| Blue-smoke | Blue smoke (gray smoke) | as | |
| Lilac-smoke | purple smoke | cs | |
| Chocolate-smoke | Chocolate smoke | bs | |
| Chinchilla | Shel | Chinchilla | 12 |
| Shaded | Shaded | Shaded | 11 |
| Tabby | Tabby | Striping | 21 |
| Marble | Marble | 22 | |
| Mackerel | Mackerel or tiger | 23 | |
| Spotted | Spotted | 24 | |
| Color point | Himalayan | Himalayan (Siamese) | 33 |
| Seal-point | Black marks | n33 | |
| Lilac-point | Purple markings | c33 | |
| Blue-point | Blue or gray markings | a33 | |
| Cream-point | Cream markings | e33 | |
| Bicolor | |||
| Van | The coloring on the tail and a couple of spots on the head are “Van” | 01 | |
| Harlequin | The fifth part of the body is painted - “Harlequin” | 02 | |
| Bi-color | Half of the body is painted - “Bicolor” | 03 | |
The colors are deciphered as follows. The first three capital letters (for example "BRI" or "SIB") indicate the name of the breed. Next, a small letter is written, which is assigned to a specific shade. The second lowercase letter s in the name indicates that it belongs to the Silver group. The letter y stands for golden color.
The following are auxiliary figures. They indicate the presence of white coloring (bicolor), stripes (tabby) or marks (color point). The code may also include the numbers 61, 62 or 63, which indicate the color of the iris.
For example, a British solid blue or gray would have a BRI code of a. Cats with more complex colors, such as lilac-point tabby, have a BRI code of 21 33. An animal with a chocolate marbled color will receive a BRI code of b 22.
The coat colors of British cats are very important for breeders.
Breeders carefully select pairs in order to obtain kittens with desirable and rare colors.
Most often, the British have solid colors (blue, lilac, etc.), but recently breeders have been trying to get animals of unique and rare colors, for example golden or chocolate.
The fur color of a lilac cat is reminiscent of cocoa milk: gray with a distinct bluish-pink tint. The intensity of the color can vary, so the color of lilac cats is divided into three options: actual lilac, lavender and lighter. Sometimes cats with this coloring are also called “platinum”.
Kittens of this color are usually born from crossing blue cats with chocolate ones: to obtain fur of this rare and unusual color, they must “come together” with the recessive gene for chocolate color and also the recessive color-weakening gene that blue cats have. Purely statistically, this combination of recessive genes occurs only in 25% of cases, so lilac kittens in litters are quite rare. And according to specialist breeders, to obtain lilac kittens in a nursery, you need to carry out breeding work for about 10 years. Nowadays, the most spectacular are the lilac cats produced by Dutch breeders: their pink tint of fur is most pronounced.
The paw pads, nose and rim of the mouth of lilac cats are also very similar in color to the color of their coat, but their shade is slightly different: more bluish. Kittens are born with bluish-gray eyes, but then they change color to a permanent yellow shade. Most often it is a rich copper tone, but sometimes the iris can be orange or golden.
Lilac colors
The color of lilac cats is most often monochromatic. Among Orientals, spotted animals are sometimes found - with darker, rounded spots located throughout the body.
The lilac color is almost always uniform. True, there may be marks on the body - spots or stripes, but as the baby grows up, they disappear. As a result, there is not a single light spot on the body of a lilac cat, and the hairs are evenly colored along the entire length. The soft undercoat may be slightly lighter, but this should not affect the overall tone of the coat. Too contrasting undercoat or uneven coat color is considered a “color defect.”
There are also British cats of a marbled lilac color - with symmetrical, darker stripes that form a butterfly-like pattern on the shoulders and back. This is one of the rarest colors of marbled cats, and such animals look very unusual and impressive.
In documents for the animal, the lilac color is indicated by the letter “c”; its official international name is “Lilac” or “Lavender”.
