The Persian cat represents the most phenotypically diverse breed in the FIFe registry, with EMS codes covering all base colors at the B locus, the full colourpoint series, all tabby patterns, silver/golden (Inhibitor locus), and complete white-spotting gradients. Persian feline genetics programs are particularly complex due to the simultaneous segregation of B-locus recessives (chocolate, cinnamon), the colourpoint allele (cs), and the Inhibitor (I) locus — all of which are invisible in the phenotype of heterozygous carriers. An EMS color calculator is essential for managing the combinatorial complexity of multi-locus Persian breeding programs.
Common recessive carriers
Chocolate (b) and cinnamon (bl) are both accepted and their heterozygous carriers (Bb, Bbl) are phenotypically black. Dilution (d) carriers (Dd) appear non-dilute. Colourpoint Persians (cs/cs) are registered as Colourpoint Persians (CPP/PER) but share the Persian genetic pool. Many non-pointed Persians carry a single cs allele. The Inhibitor (I) locus produces silver (chinchilla, shaded, smoke) and the non-Inhibitor produces golden series.
Breed-specific restrictions
No base color is excluded from the Persian standard, making it one of the genetically least-restricted breeds. Dominant White (W) is accepted. Amber (e) is not recognized. Ticked tabby (25) is not a standard pattern for Persian. The division between 'Chinchilla' (extreme tipping, 11) and 'Shaded' (11) is phenotypic gradient, not a distinct genetic class — both are coded 11 in EMS with the Inhibitor modifier.
Pattern quirks
Classic (22) is the most prevalent tabby pattern in Persians. Mackerel (23) and spotted (24) occur but are less common. The 'Golden Persian' phenotype requires homozygous non-Inhibitor (i/i) with agouti background (A/-). Silver series (I/-) suppresses pheomelanin in the hair shaft, producing chinchilla and shaded phenotypes. Colourpoint Persians (cs/cs) express all pattern variants within the restricted colourpoint pigmentation.
PER nBlack (solid)PER aBlue (solid)PER ns 11Black Silver Shaded (Chinchilla)PER ny 11Black Golden ShadedPER n 33Seal Colourpoint (Colourpoint Persian)PER f 22Black Tortie Classic TabbyFree online tool to predict kitten coat colors based on Mendelian genetics. Select the breed and appearance of sire and dam to see color probabilities.
Enter the appearance of both parents to calculate color predictions.