British Shorthair of Silver Shaded, Point and Chinchilla Color:
Popularity rating of the British Shorthair cats is very high, and the number of owners is enormous. British Shorthairs are the classic of feline nobility! Representatives of this breed are incredibly tempting; their appearance is impressive and majestic. Their unobtrusive “control” over the life of the family, philanthropy, the ability to display their beauty, “participation” in the family affairs due to all of this there is a growing number of the British Shorthair fans!
The Chinchilla/Silver Shaded British Shorthair color has been very popular overseas since it was first recognized in 1980 by both breeders and Cat lovers thanks to its beauty, refined manners and wonderful, kind nature. However, despite its many positive features, the Chinchilla/Silver Shaded British Shorthair is more rare to find in the US. Its popularity and uniqueness is just coming to be desired by both breeders and cat lovers here in the past few years.
Differences of a Silver Shaded, Chinchilla, Standard Point and Color Point British Shorthair:
With in the silver gene lines there are many names used for the these cats … I would like to just take a little bit of time to kinda talk about the tantamount differences that many are not aware of .. including some breeders. A very good friend and fellow breeder, Dr. Doug Schar and I are actually working on a project to make 2 pamphlets about this across the silver gene cat breeds. Once we get more information, for there is very little info on silvers out there, we will make it available for all to see. One Pamphlet will be simple terms all can understand and another for those that want to go more in depth as to the why. But in the mean time since I get so many people contacting me saying they would like a silver shaded chinchilla, which is really two different colors of cat and so on. I thought this might help a bit for those out in search of their new Silver colored British Shorthair Cat.
Number one difference but hard for most to see … Chinchillas will only have about 1/8th or less of upper hair shaft tipped in color. Silver Shaded will have at least 1/4th to 1/3 of upper hair shaft tipped in color.
Another note is that Chinchilla and Shaded is actually a pattern not a color.
Almost always these little ones will have a very beautiful darker makeup liner around their eyes, nose and sometimes mouth.
Ok so now what does this mean 🙂
Silver Chinchilla ….. will have a very light to no shading color … appearing more like a white cat. Normally has green eyes
Silver Chinchilla Point … same as above but will have some darker shading color normally, on some or all of their points ( Ears, Face, Tails, Legs) normally always with blue eyes.
Silver Shaded …. will have much more shading 1/4 to 1/3 of upper hair shaft will be colored.. but that can range a lot by what color of shading they have (this is true with the Chinchilla as well). A Black will be darker on the tips then a Blue or chocolate… It looks like someone poured a bit of whatever the color is all over the top of them…White on the underside but with that little dusting over the top. They are normally always born with color already on them and lighten up a bit with age. They normally always have Green eyes.
Silver Shaded Point … They are born pure white or cream color and than around 2 weeks old coloring will start to appear. They mostly appear much more white than the Silver Shaded but their points will have the darker coloring with maybe a very slight dusting on the top. They normally always have blue eyes.
The Photo of the two kittens is to show the difference and how noticeable a Chinchilla is compared to a Silver Point laying side by side. The red collar kitten is a Silver Chinchilla Point the Orange Collar kitten is a Silver Shaded Point. They were both born all white but after only a few weeks color started developing in the Silver Shaded Point. The kittens are about 4 weeks old in this photo. These two girls are sisters but look totally different.
Here is another Photo showing the different colors/patterns of the Silver Gene Beauties.
The Big Boy at the back is a Silver Shaded (green eyes) he is actually a long hair
The next two next to him are Silver Chinchilla Points
And the two in the front are Silver Lynx Points.
The only color/pattern missing in this photo is the Silver Shaded Point.
Difference of a Standard versus a Color Point.
Standard/Traditional : Born with darker color on them but will lighten up over time. They normally look like a little tabby or marble color at birth than lighten up as they get older. They will normally have green eyes.
Color Point : Born totally white but within a few weeks will begin to show color shading … this shading will change due to temperature. Darker when cold .. Lighter when Warm. They can have an overall shading but most always will be darker on their points. They always have blue eyes. For more in depth about color points click here.
The color of the shading is determined by the color of their Paw Pads… if pads are black then it would be a Black Silver Shaded or a Black Silver Chinchilla .. and if its a point then it would be called a Black Silver Shaded Point or a Black Silver Chinchilla Point. These shadings can range from all kinds of color … Black, Blue, Cream, Lilac, Chocolate, Golden and on and on.
Then comes other patterns …
Lynx … A lynx would have dark stripping on their legs, face, and sometimes tail.. looking like a Lynx .. so then that would be called a Black Silver Lynx or Black Silver Lynx Point if the Pads are Black. Again color could be Black, Blue and so on
Torbie .. They have a marble like pattern on them .. normally always female .. this photo is a male.. very rare to see a male Torbie
Ticked or Tabby … They are striped all over compared to the Lynx
Chinchilla … They have very little shading on the very tips of the hair shaft. normally 1/8th are less is shaded on the tips. So they look mostly white
Silver Shaded .. They have much more shading then the chinchilla .. 1/4th or more of the tips of hair shafts are shaded. So the shading is much more noticeable.
All the photos of the different patterns are a form of the silver gene BSHs … so there is a wide range both in color and pattern. There is actually other patterns but these are the ones that I breed.
The other issue I have ran across is that there are many names for the same colored cat across the breeds in the silvers … so even within the British Shorthair you will see a Chinchilla called a Silver Tipped, Shell and so on this is normally due to it being from another breed and the name just stuck. This is why Doug and I have decided to join forces in order to try and get a better understanding from the confusion even within the cat world and judging of the Silvers. So that it is more uniformed and easier across the board.
History of Chinchillas and Silver Shaded British Shorthairs:
Origin is British Isles, where thousands of years ago their ancestors inhabited it. British shorthair – is a harmonious, medium or large sized animal with a muscular, solid, well-developed body; strong legs; powerful chest; round head with big cheeks; short and thick neck.
British Shorthair breeder Norman Winder derived British Shorthair Chinchillas in the early 1970’s. He made a crossbreeding of Persian Chinchilla with a British Shorthair cat. His experiment was a full success: in 1973, Winder demonstrated at the exhibition a new breed that was named British Shorthair black tipped or “British Shorthair black silver tipped (Silver Shaded)”. The Board of Cat Clubs, England, recognized this color in 1980. Since this time due to other excellent breeders the Silver Shaded and Chinchilla British Shorthair has came along way and some exquisite color patterns and colors are now making there way to Cat Shows and Loving homes.
“Silver” – is a pure white coat color. Silver Shaded and Chinchilla British Shorthair – is an almost white cat, with “sprayed” black color at the very tips of the hairs. Only 1/3 of the hair of Black Silver Shaded British Shorthair cats has a black “covering”, hind legs to the hock and the palms are black. British Shorthair Chinchilla (Black Silver Shell) Cats color have even less colored coverage about 1/8 of the hair, and their hind legs are white, only palm pads are black(or other color). Silver Shaded coats should have shades of black(or other color if they are another color version like blue, chocolate and so on) on the back, sides, head, ears and tail. Uniformity of a color is more important than its contrast. Chin, stomach and underside of the tail should be white. ( note: The Silver shaded and Chinchillas British Shorthairs now come in many colors… they will always be mostly white but the coverings, paw pads, points and tips can be blue, golden, Chocolate and many many more colors thanks to breeders developing this very unique colored British shorthair. They also come in Color Points as well as Traditional Colors in the other colors mentioned. The Color Points will normally always have blue eyes .. where the Traditional will have Green Eyes.)
The name “chinchilla” came about because of this color resembling the color of the fur of these funny animals. Since the modern British Shorthair Silver Shaded and chinchilla has among their ancestors of the Persians and Exotics, this breed is both longhair and shorthair.
These regal cats are of extraordinary beauty! Their white mantles with slightly blackened tips of the hair give them a great elegant look. They are generously endowed with natural makeup: eyes, lips and nose of chinchillas encircled by black lines. Large expressive emerald-green eyes, a nice red nose, lips curved in a mysterious smile (This is the breed the Cheshire Cat came from in Alice in Wonderland) and black palm pads are a nice contrast to the shining snow-white fur. British Shorthair Silver Shaded and Chinchillas mature very slowly: they grow up to 4 years and reach full growth at 5 years old. They look great all their life, up to 18-20 years. Girl cats – are much less massive in comparison with the boys, they have a shorter jaw and reach maturity at 2-3 years.
British Shorthair Silver Shaded/Chinchilla Temperament:
Currently, because of the exquisite form inherited from the Persians calm and balanced nature, the British Shorthair Silver Shaded, Lynx and Chinchilla is in high demand. They are worthy favorites of the breed and pride of their owners. Good manners of British Shorthair in their blood. They feel themselves perfectly at home in a city apartment or country house; easily get along with other cats and dogs. You can feel their wise, innate intelligence, dedication and kindness. And due to the Persian in them these Silver beauties tend to be much more affectionate then their counter parts and love to be held and cuddled. British Shorthair cats do not lose their temper easily; they are calm and yet very playful. These cats will please and surprise you. They will not sit long in your lap, but more likely will lie by you and enjoy your closeness. They are extremely loyal and affectionate. Many say the Silver Shaded/ Chinchillas British Shorthair are more dog like, being a Faithful, Loyal and Loving companion but yet still have the independence of a cat :), and so easy to train to different tricks. I have found this to be very true with my little ones .. they sleep with me and love to cuddle, play and stay close to me most of the time. But still love to explore and play on their own as well.