British Shorthair Colors: How the Registries Actually Sort Them
All the British Shorthair colors as the registries actually organize them: five GCCF families, the colors CFA only just accepted, and the pointed cats one registry refuses.
Published August 20, 2026 4 min read
Contents
Most color lists for this breed are a flat pile of fourteen names. The registries do not think that way, and their own structure is more useful. , which registers more British Shorthairs than any other body on earth, sorts the breed into five named color-and-pattern families. Here they are, with the divergences between countries stated instead of averaged away.
| family | What it covers | US () status |
|---|---|---|
| Self | white, black, blue, lilac, chocolate, red, cream, fawn, cinnamon | chocolate/lilac championship since 05/2025; cinnamon/fawn AOV since 05/2026 |
| Tabby | Classic, Mackerel, Spotted patterns | recognized |
| Tipped | silver shaded and golden shaded | recognized |
| Tortoiseshell & Bi-Colour | torties, bicolours, Van, Harlequin tier | recognized |
| Smoke | solid color over a pale undercoat | recognized |
| Colourpointed | the Siamese-pattern British | NOT registrable as a British Shorthair with |
Self: the one-color classics
's Self group is the solid coats: "white, black, blue, lilac, chocolate, red, cream, fawn and cinnamon," in its own words. Blue is the flagship (GCCF: almost half the breed's registrations are self colors). And white carries its own page, because it is the one color with a hearing-test rule attached. Cinnamon ("warm, rich cinnamon brown," per the standard) and fawn are full, established colors in GCCF, , and alike.
The transatlantic gap: what CFA accepts, and when it changed
The US registry runs years behind the rest of the world on this breed's palette, and its own registration rules date the catch-up precisely. Chocolate and lilac were accepted as "Any Other Variety" in May 2023, then promoted to full championship status in May 2025. Cinnamon and fawn only reached AOV in May 2026, months before this page was written.
And one whole family remains out: will not register a pointed cat as a British Shorthair at all, while and both give Colourpointed its own recognized category. CFA even guards the border with a DNA gate. An imported carrying chocolate, lilac or the pointed pattern in its first five generations needs a DNA test proving the cat itself carries none of them. If you are buying to show or breed in the US, the breeders page carries the full registration story.
Tipped: golden and silver, one family
What sellers call "golden shaded" and "silver shaded" is one family, Tipped: color carried only on the very tips of the hairs over a pale undercoat, in a silver version and a golden version. It is striking enough, and searched enough, to have its own page, mechanism included.
Tabby: three patterns in the standard
's standard describes three tabby patterns for the breed by name: Classic, Mackerel and Spotted. The silver tabby is the look most people picture. The tabby page covers the patterns and the genetics.
Tortoiseshell, Bicolour, Smoke, Colourpointed: the rest of the map
The remaining families complete the grid. Tortoiseshell (and -and-white). Bi-Colour, with a separate Van pattern and even a "Harlequin" tier between them. Smoke (solid color over a pale undercoat). And Colourpointed, the Siamese-pattern British with the registration asterisk described above. Every family exists in the blue-based colors as well as the rarer ones. That is why the full show catalog runs to hundreds of named combinations while the underlying system stays this simple.
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Frequently asked questions
What colors do British Shorthairs come in?
Nine self colors (white, black, blue, lilac, chocolate, red, cream, cinnamon, fawn) plus tabby (Classic, Mackerel, Spotted), tipped golden and silver, smoke, tortoiseshell, bicolour and colourpointed families, per GCCF's own five-family structure.
Is blue the most common British Shorthair color?
Yes by a wide margin in the UK: GCCF calls the British Blue the breed's "flagship," with almost half of registrations being self colors. Full story on the British Blue page.
Does CFA recognize all British Shorthair colors?
Not yet: chocolate and lilac reached full CFA championship only in May 2025, cinnamon and fawn entered as AOV in May 2026, and pointed cats cannot be registered as British Shorthairs with CFA at all.
What is the eye color of a blue British Shorthair?
The classic pairing is deep orange to copper eyes against the blue coat; eye color varies by coat color class across the breed (white alone has blue-eyed, orange-eyed and odd-eyed classes).
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This is information, not veterinary advice, and it cannot tell you what is wrong with your cat. Our rule is a simple one: if something is wrong with your cat, call your vet, and call an emergency clinic if it is out of hours. Nothing you read here is a reason to wait.
Medical information applies to every reader. Prices, legal duties and common practice do not: unless stated otherwise, they are given for the United States, and they differ in the UK, Canada and Australia, and often between states or provinces. Check with your own vet and your own local authority.
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