Glossary

Colourpoint

A coat pattern with a pale body and darker ears, face, legs and tail, caused by a temperature-sensitive pigment gene.

Also called: color point, pointed coat, points, Siamese pattern

A colourpoint cat has a lighter body and darker colour on the extremities: the ears, mask, paws and tail. Siamese cats are the classic example, and the pattern also appears in the Ragdoll, Birman, Himalayan, Balinese and Tonkinese, as well as in many random-bred cats. Points can be seal, blue, chocolate, lilac, red, cream or tabby.

The pattern comes from a variant of the gene for tyrosinase, an enzyme needed to make dark pigment. This variant works only at lower temperatures, so pigment forms in the cooler parts of the body, such as the ears, nose, paws and tail, and not in the warmer trunk. Kittens are born almost white because the womb is warm, and the points darken over the first weeks and months.

Because temperature controls the colour, a cat living in a colder place may look darker overall, and a cat kept warm may look paler. A shaved patch can grow back darker, and the body often darkens with age. Colourpoint cats usually have blue eyes. These changes are cosmetic, but a sudden change in coat colour or texture merits a mention to your vet.

Last reviewed November 7, 2026

In the index now

Related terms

Polydactyl A cat born with extra toes on one or more paws, caused by a common dominant inherited trait that is usually harmless. Double coat A coat made of a soft insulating undercoat beneath longer, coarser guard hairs, found in many cold-climate and semi-longhair breeds. Kitten A cat in its first months of life, from birth until about six months to a year old, a time of rapid growth, learning and vaccinations. Brachycephalic Having a short, broad skull and flattened face, as in Persians and Exotic Shorthairs, which often brings breathing, eye and dental problems.