Cat colors (grey, orange..?)

Originally Posted by WellingtonCats

In my vocab there is no such thing as a buff, flame, gray or orange cat!

Click to expand...

That's why I made this thread, they are not that familiar to me either. And it annoys me that I don't know what color people mean when they say that their cat is 'grey' or 'orange'.

It seems like it's a matter of opinion. If people are not familiar with the basic kitty colors, they just call them something which may resemble a bit what they see in the cat instead of what the cat really is?

Originally Posted by NorthernGlow

How about lilac, what would that be? Grey? (My lilac point BSH shown in my kitty list). A friend of mine called him white...

Click to expand...

Some would say so, but it doesn't look grey to me since I'm familiar with lilac.

And yes, orange = red. But if you see us DSH/DLH owners saying orange you can probably safely assume we mean red as in the picture I posted. Not a deep red, the common moggie coat of red instead. Hence the confusion there, I suppose?

Apricot just seems odd to me.. But if talking about a breed or a pointed cat I will use the proper names for the colors.

To make this even more confusing, what would you call this handsome fellow: click?

Originally Posted by NorthernGlow

To make this even more confusing, what would you call this handsome fellow: click?

Click to expand...

Squishy! He's adorable, that's for sure. He certainly went through some changes as he matured.
I'm not as caught up with some breeds (there's not much reason for me to be), but I'd just cheat and say what the site listed. Without looking at that and if I saw him in person and needed a description for someone who wouldn't know the color, I'd probably say golden and describe the coat a bit more from there.

BTW - does that site seem slow to anyone else? (aside from NorthernGlow)

He looks like a "ruddy Abyssinian" to me - for the closest color resemblance.

I've had many people come in wanting to adopt a "calico" cat - they want a black/gold tortie. I've even had people tell me their vet labeled their "tortie" cat a "calico"!

Originally Posted by NorthernGlow

That's why I made this thread, they are not that familiar to me either.

And it annoys me that I don't know what color people mean when they say that their cat is 'grey' or 'orange'.

It seems like it's a matter of opinion. If people are not familiar with the basic kitty colors, they just call them something which may resemble a bit what they see in the cat instead of what the cat really is?

Click to expand...

Exactly, but when you really think about it, the correct ways to describe cat colors aren't very accurate either. You just happen to know what they are, because they are agreed upon words that summarize the color of a cat that has a specific phenotype....
No cat is truly red, and no cat is truly blue either. Jake is a brown mackerel tabby with white, but he also has black and red and orange in his fur too, if I was to accurately describe what he looks like, I would have to include all that. But, most people who have dealt with cat genetics or know something about cats know that brown mackerel tabbies don't have only brown in their fur, they have a wide range of tones.

^Actually I'm more familiar with a system where the cats are registered according to their genotype instead of phenotype, and they for example call brown tabbies black tabbies (because that's what they really are). Brown mackerel tabby would be a black mackerel tabby etc.

I do think it's good to know the other terms as well. It's a nightmare trying to explain someone what color my cats are if the person I'm talking with isn't a cat person (who is familiar with the colors). Kuura and Luna are definitely the hardest out of mine..

Originally Posted by WellingtonCats

I'm just sick of explaining colours to people now and let them call them what they want

The term I despite the most is flame *shivers*

Click to expand...

Add to that the differences between countries. Ruddy/Usual or Red are not Aby colour terms here for instance.

Calico is not used here either, same for NZ I think?

Originally Posted by missymotus

Add to that the differences between countries. Ruddy/Usual or Red are not Aby colour terms here for instance.

Calico is not used here either, same for NZ I think?

Click to expand...

Isn't there a sorrel or something in Aby's too? and then the seal/brown burmese thing. Yeah we don't use calico or torbie or dilute tortie here

Originally Posted by WellingtonCats

Isn't there a sorrel or something in Aby's too? and then the seal/brown burmese thing. Yeah we don't use calico or torbie or dilute tortie here

Click to expand...

Yep but I forget what sorrel is to us Isn't it sable/brown/seal, platinum/lilac for the Burms.

Same on the torbie... tortie tabby (& white). Do they not specify the colour before tortie in other parts of the world? Lilac tortie for example

Originally Posted by missymotus

Same on the torbie... tortie tabby (& white). Do they not specify the colour before tortie in other parts of the world? Lilac tortie for example

Click to expand...

We also call them tortie tabbies (& white), and no calicos here. And the colors are mentioned unless it's the basic black&red.

I just have to chime in here. My hair color matches many of my cats fur color. I would be very annoyed if anyone called me "orange head" rather than "red head". Thus, I will never ever call a cat "orange". They are red to me, or red and white. If the red is pale, I call them dilute red. But that's just me.

Black is about the only one I can get right
Flash I just call multi coloured because she has a bit of every colour

And I've always refereed to smooch as ginger or Orange

Most of the people call blue or silver cats "grey". "Orange" usually means a red cat (pale orange for a cream).

Now it really bugs the heck out of me when people refer to the black & white bicolors as "tuxedo" cats..........grrrrr


Sam - in your pictures that's a sorrel ticked Exotic (we would call it a ruddy ticked tabby Exotic over here) - I'm not sure what you guys use for the Ruddy Aby's - is it "Sorrel"?

Originally Posted by Momofmany

I just have to chime in here. My hair color matches many of my cats fur color. I would be very annoyed if anyone called me "orange head" rather than "red head". Thus, I will never ever call a cat "orange". They are red to me, or red and white. If the red is pale, I call them dilute red. But that's just me.

Click to expand...

My hair matches some of the tones on my youngest three cats and I'm no red head. (I have dark blond hair without the reddish tints that some people have)

Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45

I'm not sure what you guys use for the Ruddy Aby's - is it "Sorrel"?

Click to expand...

Ruddy is Tawny
Red is Cinnamon......same as Ocicat colours

Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45

Most of the people call blue or silver cats "grey". "Orange" usually means a red cat (pale orange for a cream).

Now it really bugs the heck out of me when people refer to the black & white bicolors as "tuxedo" cats..........grrrrr


Sam - in your pictures that's a sorrel ticked Exotic (we would call it a ruddy ticked tabby Exotic over here) - I'm not sure what you guys use for the Ruddy Aby's - is it "Sorrel"?

Click to expand...

Did I post pictures? I don't think so?! Can't remember

Originally Posted by WellingtonCats

Did I post pictures?

I don't think so?! Can't remember

Click to expand...

Maybe the pic NG posted? Not an EXO though

Originally Posted by NorthernGlow

To make this even more confusing, what would you call this handsome fellow: click?

Click to expand...

Originally Posted by missymotus

Maybe the pic NG posted? Not an EXO though

Click to expand...

Lol, yes I posted the pic. He's a British Shorthair, color black golden shell (you know like chinchilla but golden instead of silver).

Originally Posted by Natalie_ca

Abby is orange and white. However, I consider her "red" as in red hair.

For me, grey is grey. There are various shades from light to silver to smokey.

Click to expand...

Abby IS red. There is no orange in cat color. All shades of ginger are considered Red, until they are so light as to be considered Cream, there are also shaded Red (cameo) or Red smoke.