# Coat; is it blue or gray?



## rosalie (Oct 9, 2003)

I wondered if anybody could tell me the difference between a blue shorthair and a gray shorthair kitty.
I've a foster for adoption and don't know what to call his coat, he's deep gray, likely a mixed breed though looks like a Korat. Here's Jerome page in catster http://www.catster.com/pet_page.php?i=176040
I say 'gray' but 
not sure if it should be blue, he isn't light grey but dark..thank-you! I say Korat because he reminds me of that breed rather than a British blue, he's rather petite and delicate, with round amber eyes, his meow is different, sort of like "mee-ee-ee", "roo-roo", if angry he goes "eeeeeee, aoo,woooo", something like that, rather chilling :wink: but he's such a sweetie, anyways should he be blue or gray?


----------



## dragonfire (Aug 1, 2005)

There is no such thing as a gray cat. :wink: 
That is, there is no color in cats that is called gray, although there are many colors in cats that could be describes as gray (and that is way we have different names of them, so we can keep them apart).

The cat in your picture is definetly a blue cat.

Other cat colors that can sometimes be described as gray by people who doesn't know their real names are:

Brown macarel tabby:









Lilac:










Black smoke:










Black silver classic tabby:









And, of course, blue:










So, you see, there are many kinds of "gray" in cats, bot none of them are actually called gray!  AND the colors are called the same wether it is a purebred cat with pedigree or a backyard "nobreed" cat with unknown background. :wink:


----------



## Jeanie (Jun 18, 2003)

He's a very nice looking cat, Rosalie. I hope he gets a great home soon!


----------



## TxnKats (Jun 9, 2005)

"Grey" cats are techincally "blue" cats in the cat fancy.


----------



## ForJazz (Dec 30, 2003)

They are interchangeable -- but breeders or show people or anyone like that will say blue. But there is no difference.


----------



## rosalie (Oct 9, 2003)

Thank-you for a wealth of knowledge  ! Yes, I have heard of many gray
cats_and probably b/c English isn't my native language either, it was confusing_so Jerome is blue, I like that. And now I know what a lilac cat looks like..thank-you again!


----------



## Aussie_Dog (Jul 27, 2005)

I never knew that there's no such thing as grey. So does "Grey Tabby" still exist? Or would that be the "Black Silver Classic Tabby"?


----------



## ForJazz (Dec 30, 2003)

It would be a blue tabby, probably. Depending on what you are thinking of.


----------



## dragonfire (Aug 1, 2005)

Aussie_Dog said:


> I never knew that there's no such thing as grey. So does "Grey Tabby" still exist? Or would that be the "Black Silver Classic Tabby"?


Jo, there is no such thing as "grey tabby". It would probably be a black silver tabby or a brown/black tabby (they are both the same, only the first one has silver, wich makes the color look more "cold").


----------



## dragonfire (Aug 1, 2005)

ForJazz said:


> It would be a blue tabby, probably. Depending on what you are thinking of.


Yes! That too!


----------



## rosalie (Oct 9, 2003)

<<brown/black tabby>>

Would it be also called "blue smoke"? Like the one in dragonfire picture? I know one like that that when he was younger looked solid black but now shows tabby markings on a brown background..would he be a blue smoke or brown/black tabby?
I deal with ferals mostly,sometimes the coats are as mixed as could be


----------



## dragonfire (Aug 1, 2005)

rosalie said:


> <<brown/black tabby>>
> 
> Would it be also called "blue smoke"? Like the one in dragonfire picture? I know one like that that when he was younger looked solid black but now shows tabby markings on a brown background..would he be a blue smoke or brown/black tabby?
> I deal with ferals mostly,sometimes the coats are as mixed as could be


A blue smoke would look like a blue cat with white in the bottom of the fur. Like the black smoke, only with blue instead of black.

A blue smoke is not similar to a black/brown tabby.


----------



## dragonfire (Aug 1, 2005)

Heather Sharada said:


> Dragonfire I just went to look at your home page - very beautiful cats.


Thank you!  I think so too!  :wink:


----------



## ForJazz (Dec 30, 2003)

Heather Sharada said:


> Actually there is no such colour as gray period....lol.


Actually there is no such color as BLUE! hehe. I know that in the Cat Fancy, there is no gray. It is called blue. But the actual COLOR of it, if you want to be exact, is gray. It will still be called blue anywhere in the Cat Fancy...I know this. But in reality, there are no cats wandering around looking like a blueberry or like the sky - just the same as there are no cats walking around that are the color of a purple lilac bush or a piece of pink bubble gum.


----------

