Siberian Cat Colours: red, tortie, white, blue and golden

The natural colour of the Siberian cat

Brown tabby is one of the most emblematic colours of the traditional Siberian cat. Brown mixes with black and with warmer shades, while the stripes always remain visible on the body, legs, tail and face.

It is not a solid coat. The pattern is part of this colour and gives each cat a different appearance: some stripes are fine and numerous, others wider and more marked.

Tigru, the image of the traditional Siberian cat

Tigru is part of the history of Chatterie de Nice. His large coat, his ruff, his powerful body and his wild expression represent for us that very particular image of the traditional Siberian cat: a natural, robust and majestic cat whose beauty needs no rare colour effect to impress.

Brown tabby may be less spectacular at first sight than a golden, a silver or a white Siberian cat with blue eyes, but it has something special: it immediately recalls the forest cat whose bearing the Siberian still keeps today.

The length and density of the Siberian coat give a lot of depth to red. The colour can look different depending on the light, the season and the development of the coat.

Red also appears in tortie and tricolour coats, where it combines with darker colours and sometimes with white.

Enigma, her story. Her red and white coat is precisely what makes her so recognisable: an uncommon, luminous combination, rich in contrast, which is part of her identity.

This beauty is also found in kittens. Some are luminous from birth; in others, the shades and contrasts become more intense over the weeks.

Each birth holds its own surprise: a luminous red, a small deep tortie, or a tortie with white whose patches form a different pattern.

Iskra, her story. A large Siberian female who came from Russia, she finally had no kittens. Her life then took another path: she joined an elderly lady who lived alone and became a true member of her family.

The beauty of a coloured coat with a blue gaze

The colours of the coat frame the eyes and strengthen their depth. Depending on the light, the blue can look very pale, deeper or almost transparent, while the red, brown and white also change in intensity.

Afina, tortie and white with blue eyes

Afina shows all the beauty of the tortie tricolour Siberian cat with a blue gaze. The different areas of her coat draw her face, and her eyes give her a gentle, lively and singular expression.

It is a beauty made of contrasts: a warm, expressive coat, luminous white areas and a light blue that naturally draws the eye. Every detail contributes to the harmony of her face.

The family who welcomed Aura had already adopted from me a white Siberian female with green eyes. Today they are waiting for a third white Siberian female, this time with odd eyes.

Green eyes, blue eyes or odd eyes: the white coat stays luminous, but the colour of the gaze completely transforms the expression of the face.

Aura, her story. Her family was looking for a Siberian cat combining beauty, charm and prestige. Aura won them over with her white coat, her sumptuous fur and above all her sky-blue eyes.

Silver shaded is not revealed in a single day: some areas lighten, the shades become clearer and the balance between the light base and the dark tips becomes more visible.

Behind this eye-catching colour, Bobby remains above all a kitten with his own character, his way of playing and the bond he will create with his family.

Bobby, his story. He then joined a wonderful family in Monaco.

A blue coat can be solid, striped or combined with white. The density and length of the Siberian coat give this colour even more depth.

Blue should not be confused with silver. Blue is a grey-blue colour, while silver gives a silvery effect thanks to a very light base of the hair.

Finist, his personality. His size, his power and his abundant coat give him an immediately impressive presence.

Solid or tabby Siberian cat: what is the difference?

A tabby Siberian cat can be brown, blue, red, silver or golden, depending on its base colour. Its pattern can form fine stripes, wide swirls or spots. In a solid Siberian cat, the coat shows no such visible pattern.

Which colours can be solid?

Black solid and blue solid are the easiest examples to recognise. Blue is a dilution of black: it gives a soft, grey-blue and even shade. Solid therefore does not mean grey; the word only describes a coat without a visible pattern.

Why do we sometimes see faint stripes?

In some solid kittens, discreet “ghost markings” can appear in the coat. They are often more visible in strong light and can fade as the adult coat develops. This does not automatically make the cat a tabby.

A grey-blue Siberian cat can therefore correspond to several appearances: a blue solid without pattern, a blue tabby with stripes, or a blue with white. Looking at the real coat helps to tell colour and pattern apart.

ISIS, her particularity. In ISIS, the absence of a visible pattern leaves all the room for this plain, deep coat.

What is the difference between solid, smoke and silver shaded?

In a solid Siberian cat, the colour looks even down to the base of the hair. In a smoke, the tips stay coloured but the part close to the skin is light or silvery. Silver shaded is visually brighter: only a shorter part of the tip of the hair is dark.

Why does a smoke coat change with movement?

When the cat is still, the coloured tips cover the light undercoat. When it walks, plays or parts its long coat, the silver base appears and produces this characteristic smoky effect.

A rare and singular colour

Smoke does not always win people over at first sight. Its charm shows above all when the cat moves and the light undercoat appears under the darker tips. It is this changing contrast that gives this coat its very particular character.

Elias, his particularity. In Elias, the effect becomes particularly visible when his coat opens in movement.

In the Siberian cat, golden can show different patterns and different intensities. Some coats look very light, others warmer and more contrasted.

Golden, sunshine and bimetal are three different expressions. At Chatterie de Nice, golden, sunshine and silver are present in our lines, but separately. Bimetal combines warm golden or sunshine shades with a silver effect in the same coat: it is a rare coat, and we do not have a bimetal Siberian cat.

How to recognise a Neva Masquerade?

Among the colours and appearances of the Siberian cat, the Neva Masquerade has a particular place. Its mask, ears, legs and tail show deeper shades, contrasting with the lighter parts of the coat.

This variety is part of the world of the Siberian cat and naturally completes this presentation of its many colours. At Chatterie de Nice, our selection is devoted to the traditional Siberian cat; the Neva Masquerade is presented here to show the diversity of the breed as a whole.