Bi-color cats, also known as piebald or white-spotted cats, are a captivating sight with their distinctive coats. These felines exhibit a stunning array of patterns, ranging from a mere white locket on their chest to almost entirely white bodies with subtle splashes of color. You might recognize them as tuxedo cats, with their elegant white markings on the paws, chest, and chin, or perhaps as harlequin or magpie cats, adorned with striking patches of color against a white backdrop. The overarching term for these visually diverse cats is “piebald,” or “white spotted,” with certain pattern variations even being categorized as “Seychelles patterns.” Let’s delve deeper into the fascinating world of bi-color cats and explore the science behind their striking coats.
Different Types of Piebald Patterns
The visual spectrum of bi-color patterns is beautifully illustrated in the diagram above, showcasing the progression from solid-colored coats to predominantly white ones. Each level is assigned a “Grade” of spotting, ranging from Grade 0 (no white spotting) to Grade 10 (extensive white spotting obscuring the base color). The “solid color” foundation can be a true solid shade like black or gray, a tabby pattern, or even tortoiseshell, in which case the bi-color cat is known as a calico, technically a tri-color. In the diverse world of non-pedigree cats, countless combinations exist beyond recognized breed standards. The “solid” areas can display Abyssinian ticking (Aby-and-white), smoke, shaded, or tipped variations. The black-smoke-and-white combination, while not officially encouraged in pedigree breeds, is undeniably striking.
The Van pattern, prominently seen in pedigree Turkish Van cats and Seychellois (a Van-patterned Oriental breed), represents Grades 8-9 piebald. This extreme end of the “Seychelles” patterns features color primarily restricted to patches on the head, near the ears, and the tail, often with darker rings in red or cream shades. While auburn has been the traditional color for Turkish Van markings, other colors are being developed in various cat fancies. Interestingly, in their native Turkey, “Turkish Van” actually refers to an all-white cat (Van Kedi).
| (Almost) Van Pattern (Grade 8/9 Piebald) | Grade 7 Piebald Littermates | Grade 7 Piebald | Grade 7 Piebald |
|---|
The Van pattern also extends to Persian Longhairs, manifesting as Van Bi-Colors and Harlequins. These variations often exhibit additional markings on the legs and occasional small splashes of color on the body. The Seychellois breed, an Oriental type available in both longhair and shorthair forms, showcases varying degrees of the Van pattern:
- Seychellois Neuvieme: Predominantly white with color limited to the tail and head patches.
- Seychellois Huitieme: White with colored tail and head patches, plus additional color splashes on the legs.
- Seychellois Septieme: Color splashes on the legs and body, in addition to the head and tail markings.
British cat fancier Pat Turner categorized white spotting levels, defining Grade 2 as “White Trim,” Grade 3 as “Mitted,” Grade 4 as “Irish,” Grade 5 as “Saddle,” Grade 6 as “Pied,” Grade 7 as “Chinese,” Grade 8 as “Harlequin,” and Grade 9 as “Van.” In competitive bi-color cat shows, symmetrical markings are often favored.
The arrangement of color patches is a fascinating result of embryonic development and gene expression. This variability can lead to striking variations, such as Wanda (pictured below), a captivating example of Grade 9 piebald with an all-white body and a black tail, devoid of head or body splashes.
| Variation Grade 9 (Extreme Grade 9) | “Moorish-headed” Cat (Variation on Grade 9) |
|---|
In his 1896 book “Illustrated Book of Cats,” Jean Bungartz described the “Mohrenkopf” or black-headed cat. This rare variety was characterized by a clean white body with contrasting color on the head and tail, typically black, grey, blue, or yellow, with minimal white hairs. Bungartz highlighted the rarity and high value of specimens with consistent and correct markings, considering it one of the most peculiar color patterns in domestic cats.
The Typical Range of Bi-Color Patterns
Piebald cats are incredibly common and exhibit a vast range of appearances. White spotting can combine with any color or pattern, varying from minimal white markings to almost entirely white coats. The subtlest white spotting might manifest as a tiny white locket or a small belly patch, sometimes just a few white hairs. While this minimal pattern lacks a formal name, “locket cat” has been proposed as a descriptive term. The image at the beginning of this article and the descriptions below illustrate a typical progression through the different grades of piebald patterns, though embryonic development can introduce further variations.
| Tuxedo Pattern Bi-Color Cat | Tuxedo Pattern | White facial markings on a Bi-Color Cat | White tail rings (unusual) |
|---|
At the lower end of the white spotting spectrum is the white locket, followed by the well-known tuxedo pattern with its predominantly white belly. As white spotting increases, it extends up the neck and onto the chin, as seen in the Persian cat image above. The cheeks may be white or display white spots, and a white blaze (an inverted V) might stretch from the muzzle up between the eyes, or a white “teardrop” may appear on the nose. If the neck and chin are white, the front paws are also usually white.
| Mask-and-mantle pattern | Mask-and-mantle variation | Saddle pattern Bi-Color Cat | Grade 7 Piebald (with white ringed tail) |
|---|
Further increase in white spotting leads to white extending up the cat’s sides, forelegs (stockings), and onto the hind paws. The next stage is completely white hind legs, white encircling the neck, and the white blaze potentially extending between the ears. Some cats even have white ear tips in this pattern, sometimes called “mantled” as the cat appears to wear a colored cape with a hood or mask. The mask-and-mantle pattern is a common bi-color variation. As white spotting intensifies, the “mantle” shrinks into a “saddle.” The mask might also recede to a “cap,” resulting in the cap-and-saddle pattern, as seen in the center photo above. Further white spotting fragments the saddle into smaller patches, as illustrated by the black-and-white Grade 7 piebald cat. Occasionally, white rings encircle the tail, a ringed effect seemingly more prevalent in tabbies. Regardless of the degree of spotting, colored smudges may appear on the cheeks, chin, or nose. Some cats also exhibit black toes on otherwise white paws.
Jean Bungartz, in his 1896 book “Die Hauskatze, ihre Rassen und Varietäten” (“Housecats, Their Races and Varieties”) within “Illustriertes Katzenbuch” (“An Illustrated Book of Cats”), described two bi-color patterns. His “masked cat” corresponds to the tuxedo pattern, noting, “sometimes the tail-tip is white also. The eyes of this variety are bright yellow with black rims. Regular and sharply defined white patches create the most beautiful Mask Cats which have many admirers.” Bungartz also described the rarer black-headed or Moor-headed cat (Mohrenkopf), clean white except for a colored head and tail (black, grey, blue, or yellow) with minimal white hairs, emphasizing the rarity and value of consistently marked specimens. His illustration depicts a cat with a completely black head, but it’s possible he was describing the Van pattern.
Piebald patterns can also combine with colorpoint patterns. Bi-color Siamese cats have been developed in Europe, though with mixed reception. Some Himalayan breeders are also breeding bi-color Himalayans, introducing white spotting from Persians. Paul Beall in Richmond, Texas, is one such breeder. Paula’s photo below showcases a bi-color (piebald) Himalayan. However, this particular cat hasn’t produced piebald-point kittens, leading Paula to decide against reintroducing the gene from Persians.
A rarely reported pattern in cats is the belt, blanket, or sheet marking, common in pigs, cattle, and Dutch rabbits. This pattern features a white band encircling the animal’s body like a belt, with “sheeted” denoting a wider band, from shoulders to haunches. This pattern has been occasionally observed in Spanish feral cats.
 :
Other Piebald Patterns
Not all bi-color cats neatly fit into typical patterns. Multiple genes likely influence white spotting. The patterns described may not solely arise from a single gene, but potentially from several modifying genes. Other piebald patterns seem attributable to different genes or homozygous modifier genes, resulting in relatively uniform and predictable effects. The cat below, with a black rear and white front and tail-tip, belongs to the Russian Topaz breed, known for blue eyes regardless of coat color. One parent is black with odd eyes, the other black with a white facial blaze and blue eyes. The role of the Topaz gene in this unusual white distribution is unknown.
The “gloves” or “mitts” seen in Birman and Snowshoe cats appear to be caused by an incompletely dominant gene. These white markings are restricted to the feet and legs, varying in length. White markings on the forehead and chest of breeds like the Snowshoe may also stem from a gene limiting white spotting. Lockets, the small white spots on the throat, chest, stomach, and groin of otherwise solid-colored cats, seem to originate from a different gene, usually masked by the more extensive white spotting of piebald cats. White toes on otherwise colored cats are another distinct phenomenon.
In the York Chocolate breed, a specific white displacement occurs in bi-color individuals, maintaining a consistent configuration across generations. Termed “Spotting Particolour,” this may be due to an allele (variant) of the White Spotting gene. This theory proposes four variants of the White Spotting gene: non-spotted, spotted, particolor, and Birman mitted. “Spotted” is dominant and variably expressed. “Non-spotted” is recessive and produces solid coats. The “Birman mitted” allele is also variable, confining white to legs and feet. The “Particolour” allele creates an inverted white “V” on the forehead, white chin, chest, belly, legs, and feet. “Particolour” is also variable, with minimal expression being a white locket or forehead spot. Breeds like the York Chocolate (consistent particolour), Birman, and Snowshoe (consistent mitted) support the existence of white particolour and white mitted genes.
Leukoderma (“white skin”), leukotrichia (“white hair”), or vitiligo, is a cosmetic condition causing progressive “snowflake” depigmentation. White spots expand with age, potentially leading to an almost entirely white coat. This differs from normal isolated white hairs appearing throughout a cat’s life, as it’s an “acquired depigmentation” possibly triggered by illness or environmental factors. “Charva” (owned by Jason Reeves) has vitiligo; initially a black cat with slightly longer/softer black hair, she developed a white patch at age 4, which has since spread into stripes, spots, and patches, with her skin also turning pink due to pigment loss. For detailed information, see “Bicolours – Depigmentation Conditions: Vitiligo, Leukoderma, Leukotrichia.”
In 2011, Kimberly Sexton of New York City shared photos of her cat Frankie. Her 14-year-old cat Miko (white with grey markings) had recently passed away, having formed a close bond with Frankie, a mackerel tabby, in his last three years. The cats often slept intertwined. Two years before Miko’s death, Frankie developed a white neck spot, and his chin and nose paled. Over time, Frankie’s white areas expanded, with new ones appearing around his neck and shoulders. Kimberly jokingly attributed it to Miko’s white color “rubbing off.” Frankie’s white areas are likely to continue spreading, but the effect is purely cosmetic.
Hair regrowth around scars in colored cats is often white. Lizzie Ellis of The Feline Rescue Association Inc, Maryland, USA, provided photos of a grey male cat with white patches from frostbite injuries. Injured or burned skin resulted in white fur regrowth, not grey. Some dark-colored cats develop white hairs with age as follicles cease pigment production, similar to human grey hairs. Unlike vitiligo’s patchy pigment loss, age-related white hairs are evenly sprinkled, creating a salt-and-pepper effect, often with muzzle greying. This normal aging process is less pronounced in cats than dogs and should not be confused with vitiligo.
Swirled Patterns
While piebald patterns are usually symmetrical until white exceeds 60% of the body, some cats exhibit swirled patterns. This may be due to embryo development or gene interactions affecting white spotting. The unrelated cats below both display swirled black markings and black facial markings, along with black toes. Colored toes can occur in bi-colors, either individual toes or multiple, sometimes resembling a white-footed cat stepping in colored paint, with color extending up the leg. Colored toes might be another modifier gene interacting with the white spotting gene. Note: The cat shown top left has radial hypoplasia causing deformed forelegs and a slightly deformed skull.
| Swirled Patterns | Swirled Patterns Bi-Color Cat |
|---|
Photos of Chiyo, an unusual tabby and white cat, were shared online by Nic Hall (via Nayra Bernacki). Chiyo’s pattern was present from birth, ruling out vitiligo. Embryo development significantly influences white distribution in cats. White spotting typically results in colored patches on the back and white on the chest, belly, and limbs, progressing to near-solid white with residual head, back, and tail patches. Chiyo largely reverses this, with tabby limbs and random body patches. White around the eyes and forehead is also unusual; blazes or dark masks are more common, but Chiyo exhibits the opposite. Colored patches appear to follow lines along the torso. Chiyo and a sibling have unusual white distribution; her brother has predominantly white forequarters and colored hind legs. White spotting mutations occur occasionally, and chimerism hasn’t been excluded as a possibility for such unusual patterns. Chiyo is spayed, so pattern inheritance is untestable.
Skunk Stripes
Rarer still is the “skunk marking” – a white dorsal stripe. Early theories suggested pigment cells migrate from the neural crest, leaving the dorsal area colored in low to medium grade spotting. A skunk stripe, however, presents a straight white line along the back, unlike random cracks. This unusual pattern, resembling “continents” rather than “islands” of color, appears hereditary and was recognized in old Thai manuscripts. The Tamra Maew described bi-color patterns, including the But-Se-Weis/But-Tal-Lon, a black cat with a white dorsal stripe. Initially dismissed by Western cat fanciers as fanciful, interest in Thai breeds and online photo sharing has confirmed the existence of these patterns, though it’s not recognized in Western breeds.
In 2015, Alaina Hickman from Feline Friendz rescue in Omaha, NE, shared photos of Gogo, a black kitten developing parallel white stripes along her back. These stripes became more pronounced with age. She also found a photo of a similar kitten named Jackson. This color change resembles the Thai manuscript depiction but is likely “fever coat,” developing in unwell kittens and disappearing after the next moult. Genetically, all cats are tabby (solid color is due to a double dose of the non-agouti gene), and the white stripes follow what would be the dorsal stripe in a tabby.
White Ear Tufts
Brindled Bi-Colors and “Tweed” Mutation
Pandora, owned by Bill B in Granby, MA, USA, is a brindled cat with a unique mutation. She displays the brindled pattern typical of tortoiseshell cats, but her red patches are white! Her brindling and facial pattern resemble tortoiseshells, but Pandora, at 15, appears to have a mutation preventing red pigment production. Another possibility is chimerism, where a black and a white embryo fused in the womb. However, chimeras usually have patched appearances, making this less likely. A third option is additional X chromosomes (XXX or XXXX instead of XX), but this is linked to mental retardation and physical anomalies (unlike Klinefelter syndrome, which is only in males). Genetic testing could confirm these conditions but is less advisable for an older cat due to sedation risks. The most likely explanation is a faulty gene for red pigment or another gene masking it. As Pandora was spayed before Bill acquired her, inheritance is untestable. The opposite mutation, where a tortoiseshell cat produces red but not black, resulting in a red, cream, and white brindle, has been observed, but Pandora’s black-and-white brindle with absent red is unique. More on brindled bi-colors can be found on the Roan, Tweed and “Salt and Pepper” Colours page.
The Chinese Harlequin
In the 1980s, there were attempts to breed shorthaired cats resembling cats in ancient Chinese art, called Chinese Harlequins. These cats were intended to have a black tail, black head patches, and small black (or solid color) body patches or spots. While still listed by some registries, this breed appears extinct due to the difficulty of consistently breeding spotted bi-colors. A similar “strikingly spotted” cat, the Gao Taem, appears in ancient Thai art, described with black forepaws, black and white ears, black shoulders, and two black back spots, totaling nine “horse-like” black spots on a white background. If this breed existed, the responsible mutation is lost. This pattern resembles a form of Seychelles (Van) pattern. Some bi-colors have black toes or paws, and breeders have tried to fix this trait for a black-footed Van-type bi-color. Thai art from 1676 also depicts the Vichiens Mas, shown as white with dark ears, nose, paws, and whiskers, likely a stylized representation of the seal-point Siamese.
Genetics of Piebald Cats
Low-grade white spotting (under 40%) includes white belly patches, mitts, lockets, and blazes. Medium-grade spotting (40-60%) is typical for show-quality bi-colors (mask and mantle effect). High-grade spotting (over 60%) is seen in Seychellois or Van patterns.
Piebald spotting is controlled by a dominant gene with variable expression. Low and some medium-grade spotted cats are heterozygotes (one copy of the white spotting gene). Other medium and all high-grade spotted cats are homozygotes (two copies). Determining heterozygosity or homozygosity in medium-spotted cats is generally impossible without breeding trials. Some seemingly non-piebald cats are actually piebald with minimal white markings, like a few hairs in the groin or tail tip.
Genetic notations:
- N = no white genes
- DW = Dominant white gene (“solid white”)
- Ws = White spotting gene
Possible genotypes and offspring percentages (averaged over litters):
- N/N: Unlikely to be white (except for recessive albinism). Cannot transmit dominant white or white spotting.
- N/DW: White, carrying non-white. Transmits dominant white to 50% of offspring (which will also be white).
- DW/DW: White. Transmits dominant white to 100% of offspring (which will also be white).
- N/Ws: White spotting, carrying non-white-spotting. Transmits white spotting to 50% of offspring (which will also be white spotted).
- Ws/Ws: White spotting. Transmits white spotting to 100% of offspring (which will also be white spotted). Ws/Ws cats often have more extensive white spotting than N/Ws cats.
- DW/Ws: White, carrying white spotting. Transmits dominant white to 50% of offspring and white spotting to 50%.
Only one parent needs white spotting to produce white-spotted offspring. Only one parent needs dominant white to produce white offspring. Somatic mutations (chance mutations in skin cells) can also cause white spotting, but these are non-hereditary.
Research in 2016 revealed that piebald patches form due to cell development failure in the womb. The white spotting gene affects melanoblasts (embryo cells becoming pigment-producing melanocytes). Pigment cells move and multiply randomly during embryo growth, and insufficient cells to cover all skin results in white bellies. Research published in Nature Communications showed pigment cells “fail to follow instructions” during early development, moving and multiplying randomly, contrary to previous assumptions of complex cell-to-cell communication. Dr. Richard Mort of the University of Edinburgh noted the unexpected random movement and multiplication. Dr. Christian Yates of the University of Bath suggested piebald patterns may be caused by a faulty version of the kit gene. Researchers found kit reduces the rate of pigment cell multiplication, not slowing them down. Cat fanciers observed that pigmented patches fit together like jigsaw pieces, akin to plate tectonics. Researchers at Bath and Edinburgh stated that while kit is one of many genes causing piebald patterns, their mathematical model explains piebald patterns regardless of the genes involved.
This discovery was not entirely surprising to cat fanciers interested in genetics and embryology, who had independently developed similar ideas based on observation.
Many cat patches resemble jigsaw pieces, with colored spots on legs corresponding to inlets on flank patches, as if colored areas broke off and migrated. Terada and Watanabe demonstrated that all colored areas of a cat coat could fit together. Projecting these seams onto a sphere (the embryo) and expanding it results in cracked patterns resembling bi-color cat coats. Imagine a chocolate-covered balloon; expanding the balloon cracks the chocolate, creating patterns similar to bi-color cats. Swirled patterns particularly support this hypothesis.
This theory suggests black and white patterning results from skin surface “cracking” during early embryo development. Early embryo skin is pigmented, but the dominant WS (white spotting) gene causes “cracks” forming pigment “islands.” These islands drift apart as the embryo grows, but pigment cells don’t multiply fast enough to fill the gaps, creating white areas between pigment islands, like continents separated by seas. White belly areas may be ventral seams from earlier ventral cracks, as the belly area expands significantly during embryo growth. Megacolon in cats and exposed gut conditions in some rabbits support this. Black feet might indicate a black domain pushed to the foot extremity by ventral region expansion during limb formation.
White spotting over eyes can affect eye color, sometimes causing blue eyes in bi-color cats. Another effect is on tortoiseshell cats; those with minimal white have brindled coats with intermingled black and orange hairs. Increased white spotting separates black and orange into patches, explained by the 2016 research findings. Black pigment cells form black islands (clonal patches), and red pigment cells form red patches.
Older / Alternative Theories for Bi-Color Patterns
Above: “Olga”, an attractive brown bi-color owned by Sarah Richie
Older theories proposed melanoblasts originate from the “neural crest” (embryo’s back) and migrate across the body as skin forms. White areas were thought to be regions melanoblasts didn’t reach, explaining why white is common on paws, belly, and chest – furthest from the neural crest and taking longest to reach. Slower cell migration meant less color. This also explained colored backs and tails in mostly white cats, being closest to the neural crest requiring minimal migration.
Another older theory involved cellular mechanisms “turning off” pigment in white spotting. One mechanism was apoptosis (programmed cell death) reducing melanoblast populations. Color cells migrate across the embryo, then selectively die out. Another mechanism was intracellular chemical communication biochemically turning off color cells in certain areas, suggesting a chemical gradient affecting extremities first, stopping color production.
A hypothesis from T. Terada and T. Watanabe in a 1930s Japanese journal, now investigated with computer simulation, also exists. Current hypotheses have “unknowns”: frequencies of 10 white spotting grades given WSWS or WSws genotypes; birth order and patterning relationships; and whether swirled patterns relate to birth defects or pregnancy difficulties. Melanocyte migration theory may not fully explain swirled patterns, black feet on white socks, and skunk stripes.
Some cat breeders questioned melanocyte migration theory flaws. An American Shorthair breeder crossing Van pattern American Shorthairs with bi-color and spotted Van pattern cats since the 1990s found the theory inadequate for certain spotted patterns. Alternative theories from other species’ white spotting genes (dogs, horses, pigs, goats) also didn’t explain her cats’ patterns, especially with 60%, 70%, 80%, and 90% white. Terminology differed from Grades 1-9; 90% white with many random spots was “Level 15.” Selective breeding isolated most white to a single layer. She could produce solid-colored cats from bi-color/pied/vanish matings. Her best breeders had black feet. Mating a Level 15 stud to a solid black, two Level 7 piebalds, and a Level 9 cat, should theoretically not produce solid-colored cats if high white spotting means homozygosity for the white spotting gene. An alternative hypothesis is dominant white gene presence (related to deafness) and a second gene breaking it down to cause spotting. Colored cats can be produced from all-white cat matings as each parent needs only one dominant white gene copy to be white and can carry masked color genes.
| MESSYBEAST : COLOURS, CONFORMATION & FUR TYPES |
|---|
