Black Cat Breeds

--Fur color alone does not determine a breed. Therefore, just because a cat is black does not mean he belongs to a specific cat breed.

--Most cats with solid-color coats (i.e. black all over) have a recessive gene that overrides the tabby pattern. This is the reason why you don’t see any stripes or markings on this type of cat.

--Sometimes, under the right light, you may see a shadow tabby pattern - even on a solid black cat.

Only one black-cat breed

The Bombay is the only cat breed that produces all-black cats. You may find sable-colored Bombays - both kittens and adult cats. However, the breed standard does not recognize adult Bombay cats with sable coats. A true Bombay is black to the roots of its fur.

By the way, the sable coloring is a result of a recessive gene. Sable is a dark shade of brown, which may look like black - until you look very closely.

Cat breeds with black cats

The standards of the following breeds allow the color black in their cats’ coats. By the way, most of these breeds produce cats in different colors and coat patterns.

• American Shorthair

• British Shorthair

• Burmese

• Maine Coon

• Manx

• Norwegian Forest

• Persian

• Siberian

For more information about black cats, please visit:

• Black cat pictures