I'm not sure who created the rules but if you want to insult a pet owner the fastest way to do it is call their boy cat a girl (or girl cat a boy). Even worse is to not know the proper color of their special "child". This primer on cat colors is intended for educational purposes only. Further study will be required to achieve "expert" status.
The first rule of cat colors 101 is that Garfield is a red mackerel tabby - not an orange cat.
The second rule is that normal calico's and tortiseshells are girls.
The basic colors are black, blue, red, cream and white. More colors are assigned according to the breed of cat and is an advanced study course.
the basic color patterns are solid, bicolor, tabby, pointed, van, shaded & smoke . More Patterns are assigned according to the breed of cat and is an advanced study course too.
Tabby Patterns include Classic (Bullseye on sides), Mackerel (striped on sides), Spotted (spots on sides) and Ticked (usually striped on sides but with light colored tipping on hairs instead of solid colored hairs)
A "siamese gene" produces the pointed cats in several breeds- both longhair & shorthair. The kittens are born white but the ears, nose, lower legs and tail develop color as the kitten ages. the color continues to darken somewhat over the entire body as the cat ages.
So the next time someone asks if you like "gray cats" you can impress them with your new found knowledge and calmly reply--
"Blue Cats are Cool Cats"
