Okay, so I’ve been getting really into Persian cats lately. I mean, who can resist those fluffy faces, right? But then I started thinking about breeding them, and things got complicated fast. Specifically, the colors! There are SO many.
I decided I needed to get organized, so my first step was to make a color chart. Sounds simple, but trust me, it wasn’t at first.
The Initial Research (aka Getting Lost in a Sea of Fluff)
First, I started gathering info. I figured the internet would have everything, and it kind of did, but it was all over the place! I spent hours digging through websites, forums, and breeder pages. It was like a treasure hunt, except the treasure was just more confusing information.
Organizing the Chaos (aka My Spreadsheet Adventure)
I decided to use a spreadsheet to be able to start. Just a simple one to begin with. I created columns for the basic color groups I was seeing: Solid, Tabby, Parti-Color, you know, the big categories. Then, under each, I started listing the individual colors. Like, under “Solid,” I put things like “White,” “Black,” “Blue,” “Chocolate,” etc. I felt like I was creating new cells and entering stuff for hours.
- Solid: White, Black, Blue, Chocolate, Red, Cream, Lilac.
- Tabby: Classic, Mackerel, Patched, Ticked (and all the color variations within those!).
- Parti-Color: Tortoiseshell, Blue-Cream, Chocolate-Tortie, Lilac-Cream.
- And so on… Calico,Bi-color,Smoke…
The “Aha!” Moment (aka Discovering Patterns)
After staring at my spreadsheet for what felt like forever, I started to see some patterns. Like, certain colors always seemed to be linked to specific patterns. I started color-coding the cells in my spreadsheet to reflect these connections. For instance, I made all the “red-series” cats (red, cream) one color, and the “black-series” (black, blue) another. It was like a lightbulb went off!
The Finished(ish) Product
My color chart is still a work in progress, honestly. But it’s in a much better state now. I can look at it and, at a glance, get a sense of the different color possibilities and how they relate to each other. I even added a section for eye color, because that’s another whole can of worms!.
It’s not perfect, and I’m sure I’ll keep tweaking it as I learn more. But it’s a massive improvement from where I started. Now, I can actually have somewhat intelligent conversations about Persian cat colors without feeling completely lost. And that, my friends, is a win in my book!
