Recognised Colours

The Norwegian Forest Cat Rescue

and Welfare Society (UK)

Rescue and re - homing centre for the Norwegian forest cat  and working together to promote the  preservation and original qualities of the breed

Colours of the Norwegian Forest Cat

Most colours and patterns are illustrated here, however there is a few missing which will be added soon.

The Norwegian Forest Cat is accepted  in all  colours  by the GCCF with the exception of  Chocolate, Lilac, Cinnamon, Fawn, Amber / Light Amber and the Oriental  Pointed pattern. The traditional colour of all domestic cats is Tabby. The tabby  comes in several variations of colour and patterns including Mackerel, Classic or Blotched, Spotted and Ticked. The GCCF, however do not recognise differences in patterns for registration purposes. All colours can come with white. Colour variations are illustrated below. At the end of this page we have listed the breed codes for both GCCF and FIFe to denote the colours and patterns.

Article written by Lorraine Twyman (Norgeskaukatt) © 2009

Variation in coat colour and pattern is genetically diverse in The Norwegian Forest Cat.

Tabby (agouti)

A cat showing stripes is termed a Tabby. All tabby cats have lines on the face, expressive markings around the eyes and a mark that looks like an "M" on the forehead. On close inspection of the individual hairs on the tabby coat you will see it alternates dark and light. This banding is termed "agouti". The tabby is the traditional or "wild type" colour of all domestic cats.

Established tabby patterns are four in variation. Colours are Black or Brown, Silver, Blue (commonly called grey), Red, (commonly called ginger) Cream and Tortie tabby. The descriptive names for the tabby patterns are;

• Mackerel Tabby Pattern - Dominant of all tabby patterns. The face shows unbroken lines from the outer eye running backwards away from the eye. Forehead shows a distinct "M" with vertical pencil lines over the back of the head meeting the shoulders. A dark bold line runs along the spine to the tip of an evenly ringed tail. Distinct necklaces on neck and chest area.  Defined dense narrow pencil lines (ideally unbroken) down the flanks resembling  a Tiger. Legs are barred with bracelets upwards toward the torso.

Bracelets on legs.

Silver Mackerel Tabby

• Classic or Blotched Tabby - Dense bold and clearly defined markings. Face shows unbroken lines from the outer eye running backwards away from the eye. Forehead shows a distinct "M". Bold dense swirls on cheeks. Vertical lines  over the head that extend to the butterfly shoulder markings with distinct upper and lower wings marked with centre spots. From the butterfly shoulder markings, a dark bold vertical line each side of the spine extends to the tip of an evenly ringed tail. Large solid blotch on both sides, which should be symmetrical, encircled by one or more unbroken rings. Double row of buttons on stomach and chest.  Bracelets on legs upwards toward the torso. This pattern has a swirling marble effect.

• Spotted Tabby - Face shows unbroken lines from the outer eyes running backwards away from the eye. Forehead shows a distinct "M" with vertical pencil lines over the back of the head meeting the shoulders. Defined bold stripe (ideally composed of spots)  runs along the spine to the tip of an evenly ringed tail. Clearly defined  spots (preferred) evenly distributed down the sides. Bracelets on legs upwards toward the torso.

Silver Spotted tabbies showing spine line and sides with defined spots

Silver Spotted Tabby kitten.

• All of the above established tabby patterns can come with patches of Red, or Cream, termed  a Tortie Tabby or a Torbie. These are illustrated under the Tortoiseshell section

• Ticked Tabby  - sometimes called Abyssinian tabby or agouti tabby,  has no stripes, swirls or spots on the body. Tips of the hairs are ticked. Underside may show tabby markings. Tail Legs and face should show distinct tabby markings. This is the colour of an Abyssinian cat, and also appears in non pedigree cats. Ticked is not accepted in this breed by GCCF.

• All of the above colour variations come with white.

• A Black tabby - may be coal Black or Brown tabby, show black or brown stripes on a yellow or greyish base colour.

• A Blue tabby  -  dark slate grey to a light blue grey stripes on a greyish or very pale apricot base colour. Blue is a dilute black.

• A Red tabby  - dark red to orange or apricot stripes on cream base colour.

• A Cream tabby - sand or peach coloured stripes on a cream base colour. Cream is a dilute red

• A Silver tabby  - show black stripes on a white base colour. Other variations of the silver tabby are blue silver, red silver, cream silver and silver tortie tabby. White or near white base colour comes with  all colour variations of the silver tabby, furthermore, the root of the hair is white.

The Mackerel Tabby

Brown Mackerel Tabby with White

Silver Mackerel Tabby with White

Red and Tortoiseshell

A typical Tortoiseshell is a patchwork of Black and Orange, usually in a random pattern. Some "Torties" have large patches of orange, others are mostly black. The Tortoiseshell can be modified by dilution, which gives a patchwork of Blue and Cream rather than black and orange. Such dilute Torties are usually called Blue-Cream. Finally, the black patches of a Tortie may actually be any of the black-based colours, so you may see a Chocolate Tortie or a Cinnamon Tortie, and, if dilution is also present, a Lilac-Cream Tortie or a Fawn-Cream Tortie, these colours are not recognised by the GCCF.

There is much less variation in the red colouration. The orange gene is sex linked and is carried on the X chromosome. Males normally only have one X chromosome therefore if the male carries the orange  gene he will be red tabby, or if dilution occurs he will be cream tabby. Females have two X chromosomes; if both X chromosomes carry the orange gene, the female will also be red tabby, or with dilution, cream tabby. However, should the female only carry the orange gene on one x chromosome this will allow the expression of  black based pigmentation to show through in patches hence the female will be tortoiseshell. Furthermore, the dilution of the black and red colour pigmentation will give rise to blue and cream, therefore we see variation in the tortoiseshell.

Tortoiseshell can come in different patterns:

• Black and Red or Blue and Cream patched all over in a random fashion or mingled (also called brindle) black and red or blue and cream  are all Tortoisehell.

• Patched tabby can be Brown, Blue or Silver with red or cream tabby patches, known as Brown, Blue or Silver Tortie Tabby or Torbie.

• A mingled black and orange or blue and cream with small areas of white is known as a Tortoiseshell and white.

• Patches of black and red or blue and cream with a lot more white is commonly known as a Calico, a dilute  form of blue and cream is a dilute Calico

• A patched tabby with white is sometimes known as a patterned Calico.

Tortoiseshell male cats are rare and are almost always infertile, there are exceptions though. As a point of interest in the early days in Norway there was indeed a fertile male tortoiseshell who served at least two different queens producing kittens that went on to produce as well.

His name was  (N) Trippel, breed number NFO f 09 23  Tortie Mackerel Tabby and White, born: 19th May 1983, registration no: NRR K 51282, bred by our President  Else & Egil Nylund  and owned by Asbjørn Hanssen.

Black Tortoiseshell with White kitten

Blue Tortie Blotched Tabby and White

Self  (or solid colour - non agouti) and Smokes

If a cat is  showing a solid  colour it is known  known as "self "  or "non-agouti" and is the result of a genetic mutation that is recessive. Some will call a solid a recessive tabby. The non-agouti effect acts to suppress the banding or ticking of tabby pattern causing consistent pigment density along the shaft of the hair with exception to the root which shows fading. However, sometimes the tabby pattern is not fully suppressed and ghost markings on solid cats can be seen under certain light conditions. It is interesting to note that  the tabby pattern is not suppressed in the red or cream cats, there is no solid red or cream that show no tabby markings at all.

• A self black - shows variation  from coal black, brownish black, greyish black. Sunlight can turn the coat a mahogany colour.

• A self blue - shows variation  from a dark slate blue, medium grey through to an almost muddy to very pale grey colour. Blue is a  dilute of black.

If a cat is predominantly a self colour but has distinct white roots of the hair it is a smoke. Smokes are a solid silver tabby, very dramatic and beautiful. In full coat they are an impressive sight to see and some say you have two cats in one. During the winter months the Norwegian Forest Cats luxurious long coat shows the silver very well. With the wind in their coat you can see the Silver (white) underneath.  In the summer months they are a more solid colour, sometimes mottled and very attractive.

• A black smoke - a solid black with white roots.
• A blue smoke - a solid blue with white roots.

Black Smoke and Black Smoke and White Kittens. You can see as kittens the coat is not at all like an adult - it is much more mottled and does not come into its true beauty until around 1 year or more. Many people do not know what a black smoke kitten will look like when older, hence they do not sell very well - such a shame as they are magnificent.

White

The white coat in cats is a result of a complete lack of pigmentation in the hair. A unique gene that is dominant (W) over all other colours. The dominant gene actually masks the real colour of the cat and sometimes it is not until the cat is mated is the real colour known. The cat still produces pigment as the eyes are coloured. It is a popular misconception that the white cat is anything to do with the "albino" gene. In albinos, no colour pigmentation occurs in the body and this is why albino animals have pink eyes. Some white kittens are born with head spots which normally completely disappear by the age of 6 months of age. With the white coat there can be an implication of impaired hearing in some white cats. A special hearing test called a BAER test can be undertaken to assess the hearing status of white cats and kittens and is recommended by all responsible breeders of white cats. Deaf cats however, are not as disadvantaged as people may think. They do make fantastic companions and one can have a much closer and deeper relationship with a deaf cat, however correct placement and attention to care and welfare is a major consideration. White cats can have a variation in eye colour including blue, green, copper, orange and odd-eyed.

White Spotting  - or and White

All colours mentioned above can come with white, including the all white coat! The white spotting gene is a common mutation with many variations. These include,  but are not exhaustive, white toes, feet, chin, white streaks on the nose or chin, white bib, tummy, leg or legs through to a large amount of white on the body to nearly all white, the effects are almost endless. The white spotting gene is a dominant mutation and is with varying expression, coupled with other modifying genes affects the degree of white spotting seen in the cat coat colour. The Governing Council of the Cat Fancy make no distinction regarding the white spotting in Norwegian Forest Cat with regard to registration or show purposes. Whilst the paragraph below is specific to the FIFe registration and showing criteria, it is a helpful source of identification for all breeders and pet owners.

White spotting or markings are categorised as follows:

       Unspecified amount of white (FIFe EMS code 09)

• The colours can be with any amount of white i.e. a white blaze, white locket, white chest, white on the belly, white on the paws etc.
• There is no restriction on the amount of white or on the distribution of colour(s) and white.
• Nose leather; harmonizing with the coloured parts and/or pink.
• Paw Pads; harmonizing with the coloured parts and/or pink.

       Mitted (FIFE Breed code 04- for registration purposes 04 is not applicable to the Norwegian Forest Cat)

• White chin, with or without a narrow white stripe/marking(s) on the bridge of the nose.
• White stripe extends from the bib and runs down the underside between the front legs to the base of the tail.
• White mittens on the front legs; the hind legs should be white at minimum up to the heel and at maximum to the middle of the thigh. Coloured spot(s) in this area are acceptable.
• Nose Leather; analogous to the colour of the points or pink.
• Paw pads - Pink

       Bi-colour (FIFe EMS code 03)

       Non-agouti:

• The colour patches must be clearly separated from each other, even in colour and harmoniously distributed.
• Not less than 50% but not more than 75% must be coloured. the rest is white.
• A white blaze on the face is desirable. White on the back is desirable. There must be white on the legs, on the chest, face and stomach. No single white hairs in the solid coloured parts.
• Nose Leather; Pink or according to the solid varieties.
• Tortie; The patches are large and well defined, and should be distributed over the whole body. The colours must be clear and bright.
• Tortie; Large and small patches of the two colours are permitted in the colour distribution.
• Nose Leather; the colour can be patched and/or mottled with pink.

       Agouti:

• The agouti pattern can be mackerel, blotched or spotted.
• No points are deducted for a white chin.
• Nose leather; pink/pinkish red, outlined with the appropriate coat colour.

       Agouti and non-agouti:

• Paw pads; Pink or according to the solid varieties.

• Tortie; the paw pads can be patched and/or mottled with pink.

       Harlequin (FIFe EMS code 02)

       Non-agouti:

• The solid coloured patches should cover no less than 25% and not more than 50% of the body's surface.
• Preferably the coloured part should consist of various patches surrounded by white.
• No single white hairs in the coloured parts.
• Nose leather; pink or according to the solid varieties.
• Tortie; Nose Leather; the colour can be patched and/or mottled with pink.

       Agouti:

• The agouti pattern can be mackerel, blotched, spotted or unspecified,
• All tabby patterns of the Harlequins are registered with the same EMS code: 02 21.
• Nose leather; pink/pinkish red, outlined with the appropriate coat colour.
• No points are deducted for a white chin.
• Agouti harlequins are judged in the same class regardless of their agouti pattern.

       Agouti and non-agouti:

• Paw pads; Pink or according to the solid varieties.

• Tortie; the paw pads can be patched and/or mottled with pink.

• All eye colours of a variety are judged in the same class.

       Van (FIFe EMS code 01)

       Non-agouti:

• Two colour patches in the face, separated by a white blaze.
• One patch commences at the rump and ends at the tip of the tail.
• No white hairs in the solid colour parts.
• Three small irregularly distributed  colour patches on the body and/or the legs are to be tolerated.
• Chest and belly must be white.
• White ears with pink inner surface of the pinna is desirable.
• Nose leather; pink or according to the solid varieties.
• Tortie; Nose Leather; the colour can be patched and/or mottled with pink.

       Agouti:

• The agouti pattern can be mackerel, blotched, spotted or unspecified,
• All tabby patterns of the Harlequins are registered with the same EMS code: 01 21.
• Nose leather; pink/pinkish red, outlined with the appropriate coat colour.
• Tabby Vans are judged in the same class regardless of their agouti pattern.

       Agouti and non-agouti:

• Paw pads; Pink or according to the solid varieties.

• Tortie; the paw pads can be patched and/or mottled with pink.

• All eye colours of a variety are judged in the same class.

Bi - Colour

Harlequin

Van