Eastern and Western Colors

The traditional Western cat-coat colors are black and its dilute blue, and red and its dilute cream, together with their bicolor versions and solid white.

Western breeds, such as British, American, and European Shorthairs, Maine Coons), and Norwegian Forest Cats, began in these colors only, and some still exist in these colors only Some breeds have even exclusive colors.

Such as the Turkish Van, which originated in red and cream bicolors only (However, other colors are now being bred, and have been accepted by many registries, both here and abroad.)

The traditional Eastern colors are chocolate and its dilute lilac, and cinnamon and its dilute fawn, although many historical works of art confirm that Western colors also coexisted in Oriental feline populations.

Cat-coat colors now been "transposed" from one group of breeds to another. In Britain, British Shorthairs are accepted in Eastern colors and, similarly Burmese are now often bred in "Western" reds and creams.

Conservative cat associations, most notably CFA, do not accept these transposed colors in all breeds.