Points, smoke and shaded · Colour

Chinchilla and shaded cat

Also called: Chinchilla, Shaded, Tipped, Golden, Silver shaded, Silver cat.

An almost white cat with a veil of colour on top, as if frosted. In the chinchilla only the tip of each hair is coloured; in the shaded, a little more. It is the coat of the chinchilla Persian, the Burmilla and the silver or golden British Shorthair.

Chinchilla and shaded cat: Long-haired shaded silver cat
Long-haired shaded silver catPhoto: Lupus in Saxonia · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

What it looks like

A silvery white background (or golden cream in goldens) with the tip of each hair dark: in the chinchilla or tipped, roughly the top eighth of the hair; in the shaded, up to a third, which gives a darker mantle along the back. The eyes, green or blue-green, are outlined in black as if with kohl, and the nose is usually brick red with a dark rim.

The genetics, made simple

It is a tabby (agouti) with the silver inhibitor gene and, in addition, genes that widen the pale band of the hair until almost the whole pattern is erased. These “wide band” genes are not well identified and are thought to be several. Without the inhibitor, the same wide band gives golden, with a warm background instead of silver.

Chinchilla and shaded cat: Long-haired chinchilla with outlined eyes
Long-haired chinchilla with outlined eyesPhoto: Nouf Kinani · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Myths and what science says

“It is a white cat”

No: it has colour on the tips of the hair, and the outlined eyes and dark-rimmed nose give it away. Genetically it has nothing to do with dominant white.

Fun facts

  • The Burmilla came from an accidental mating between a chinchilla Persian and a lilac Burmese in the UK, in 1981.
  • The chinchilla Persian was one of the most famous luxury cats of the 20th century.
  • The “golden” of British Shorthairs and Siberians is the warm version, without silver.

Does it affect its health?

The colour does not cause disease. The breeds with this coat have their own health profiles: in Persians, those of the flat face.

In the cat diseases encyclopedia:

Feline brachycephalic syndrome

Breeds where it appears or is typical

This coat turns up in plenty of moggies. These are breeds where it is common, characteristic or accepted; under each one, the colours the breed comes in.

Persian Persian Persian · Iran / United Kingdom Almost all: white, black, blue, cream, chinchilla, golden, bicolour, tortoiseshell… Exotic Shorthair Exotic Shorthair Persian · United States The same as the Persian Burmilla Burmilla Oriental · United Kingdom Silver or golden, shaded or tipped, in black, brown, blue, lilac, chocolate… British Shorthair British Shorthair Shorthair · United Kingdom Blue (the classic), black, white, cream, lilac, chocolate, silver, golden, bicolours, colourpoint… Siberian Siberian Forest · Russia All; the Neva Masquerade is its colourpoint variety British Longhair British Longhair Semi-longhair · United Kingdom The same as the British Shorthair

Frequently asked questions

What is a chinchilla cat?

A cat with silvery white fur and colour only on the tips, as if frosted. It is typical of the Persian and the British Shorthair.

What is the difference between chinchilla and shaded?

How much of each hair is coloured: in the chinchilla only the tip; in the shaded, up to a third, darker along the back.

What is a golden cat?

The same idea without the silver gene: a warm golden background with dark tips.

Keep exploring
All cat coat colours and patterns → Cat breeds A to Z →

Educational content from Michipedia. The genetics of coat colour are simplified so they are easy to follow; colour tells you nothing about the personality of a particular cat.