What is this color called?

I'm not sure what the exact term for the color of Forrest is. When you look at him, you would think he's an all black cat:


However, his fur is actually only black on the 1/2 towards the tip, and gray at the base:


All the fur on his body is like this - including his head and feet. In the sunlight you can see what looks like black with black striping on his legs and tail. My vet calls it either a "black tabby" or "smoke". Anyone have the correct info? Although he was feral, his body shape and personality is definitely of an oriental.

He's only about 6 1/2 months old now. Will this color change?

Thanks

True smokes would have much whiter undercoat; so he's either a poor colored smoke, or the black it just faded out. I've seen excellent mixed breed smokes that were really WHITE at the base - not just in pedigree.

My BF's cat, Cato, actually looked sable-colored in bright sunlight, but only in certain spots on him. He was a big, handsome black cat with green opals for eyes!

If anyone asks I just say he's black. But I find it cool he has grey roots

Forrest has the most beautiful almond shaped greenish gold eyes and has the sweetest personality. He's such a loving "Mommy's boy".

Everyone that has seen him in person has a different idea as to what his color is. I had hoped that maybe there was a technical term for his coloring.

Nope, just black. Smoke, as a color, is almost iridescent, like a ticked coat, so when the cat moves and adjusts its fur it's almost a shimmering coat.

But most cats are lighter colored at the skin level, it's just very obvious on darker cats due to the contrast.

Plus, I've heard that black cats are actually grey tabbies, but with the color genetics having gone wrong somewhere (thus giving the color black). My Buffy has lighter color closer to the skin, too.

Put the black cat next to a good source of light, and you can see the tabby stripes. I personally find this fascinating, lol

I read somewhere on the net that all cats are tabby. Maybe they meant that all cats originated from tabby?
I would call him black. I have a mouse that I called dark brown, but when I saw a mouse of the same color at a show, they said it was black.

My husband and I both call him black. I was actually surprised when my vet called him a black tabby or somewhat of a smoke. He does have stripes on his legs and tail when you look at him the right way in the sunlight. It's quite striking. I've seen other solid color cats that have phantom striping on them also.

His Meowmmy loves him so!

Limerick has the same thing... he even has dark brown in it too, but he has to be in the sun for that.

It's just regular ol' black My black girl also is heaps lighter at the base of her fur, and also has the tabby stripes in the light. I believe - as someone else said - black cats are still tabbies, you just can't see the stripes as clearly because of the rest of the dark fur.

Originally Posted by sarahp

It's just regular ol' black

My black girl also is heaps lighter at the base of her fur, and also has the tabby stripes in the light. I believe - as someone else said - black cats are still tabbies, you just can't see the stripes as clearly because of the rest of the dark fur.

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Regular ol' black.....ok....but as his Mommy I'll think of him as amazingly beautiful black.

I remember back when my Son was born and we were still in the hospital. When I was standing looking at him through the window in the nursury I just couldn't understand why people were looking and pointing at other babies but didn't recognize that my baby was the cutest of all. I think back about that and laugh now. Must be the mothering instincts because we all know that, of course, our babies MUST be special