Coat patterns
The words people use for their cat are usually a pattern or a color, not a breed. Start here.
- Tabby catTabby is a coat pattern, not a breed.
- Tuxedo catA tuxedo cat is a black and white bicolor, and bicolor is a pattern rather than a breed.
- Calico catCalico is a coat pattern, not a breed.
- Tortoiseshell catA tortoiseshell is a cat whose coat mixes red with black, chocolate or seal in a mottled pattern with no required white.
- Lynx point SiameseA lynx point is a pointed cat whose points carry tabby markings instead of solid color.
- Orange tabby catEvery orange cat is a tabby.
- Torbie catA torbie is a tortoiseshell with tabby markings inside the color.
- Dilute calico and dilute tortieDilute versions swap the colors, not the pattern.
Lookalike pairs
Two cats that look alike at a glance, and the features that separate them.
- Calico vs tortoiseshellWhite is the difference.
- Maine Coon vs Norwegian Forest CatRead the head, not the coat.
- Bombay cat vs black catA Bombay is a registered breed with a written color requirement; a black cat is any cat with a black coat.
- Russian Blue vs gray catGray is a color that any cat can wear; Russian Blue is a registered breed with a written description.
- Ragdoll vs BirmanCheck the feet.
Is my cat a...?
What to check before you call a big fluffy cat a Maine Coon.
- Is my cat a Maine Coon?Probably not, and that is the ordinary answer rather than a disappointing one.
- Domestic shorthairDomestic shorthair is not a breed.