Blue cats are beautiful to look at. Their blue-gray color comes from a changed black coat gene. Four cat breeds are only blue, while six others can sometimes be blue.
The blue color comes from the cat’s genes. Blue cats can be light gray or dark gray. They often have green, yellow, or copper eyes. Their fur can be short, medium, or long.
These 10 cat breeds are the most likely types to have blue coats.
Russian Blue
Russian blue cats have just one color – a bright, solid blue coat with no patterns. Their fur has silver-tipped hairs that make their coat shine beautifully. They have short, thick fur and striking green eyes.
These cats are loving, and smart, and make great pets. Because many people want them, buying a purebred Russian blue from a good breeder can be costly.
Breed Overview
Height: 9 to 10 inches
Weight: 8 to 15 pounds
Personality/Temperament: Friendly, loyal, intelligent
Energy Level: Medium
Coat and Color: Short hair; steel blue
Life Span: 20 years
Chartreux
French Chartreux cats come from ancient Persia and are mostly found in Europe. You can spot them by their blue-gray fur and orange-copper eyes. Their fur can range from light gray to dark gray.
Their fur is special because it’s medium-length, thick, and has two layers, making it feel like wool. This woolly coat helps keep them warm in cold and wet weather. Male Chartreux cats usually have woollier fur than females and kittens.
Breed Overview
Height: 9 to 11 inches
Weight: 12 to 16 pounds
Personality/Temperament: Calm, friendly, docile
Energy Level: Medium
Coat and Color: Short hair; gray
Life Span: 15 years
Nebelung
Nebelung, meaning “creature of the mist” in German, is a cat that looks like it could vanish into the morning fog. This beautiful cat has blue-gray fur and looks similar to a long-haired Russian Blue cat. They look a lot like the Russian longhair cats that were popular in the late 1800s.
The Nebelung’s medium-length blue coat has silver tips, like many other blue cat breeds. Their green eyes stand out beautifully against their soft, shiny fur.
Breed Overview
Height: 8 to 10 inches
Weight: 7 to 15 pounds
Personality/Temperament: Intelligent, affectionate, playful
Energy Level: High
Coat and Color: Medium-long hair; bluish-grey with silver tips
Life Span: 15 to 18 years
Korat
The Korat cat has a blue-gray coat that Thai people describe as looking like rain clouds. Their fur has a slight silver shine, especially on their face and paws.
Their coat is short and changes from light blue near the skin to darker blue at the ends. This creates a shimmering effect that makes their fur look silvery.
Breed Overview
Height: 10 to 12 inches
Weight: 6 to 10 pounds
Personality/Temperament: Intelligent, social, friendly
Energy Level: Medium
Coat and Color: Short hair; blue-gray with silver tips
Life Span: 15 to 19 years
British Shorthair
People often think of British shorthair cats as blue cats, and they were once called “British blues.” Their famous blue fur and orange-colored eyes make them one of the best-known blue cat breeds.
Their coat is short, thick, and plush. The blue color can be lighter or darker but is usually a medium blue shade that looks the same all over their body.
Breed Overview
Height: 12 to 14 inches
Weight: 9 to 17 pounds (males); 7 to 12 pounds (females)
Personality/Temperament: Affectionate, easygoing, calm
Energy Level: Medium
Coat and Color: Short, dense hair; various colors and patterns
Life Span: 12 to 16 years
Oriental Shorthair
The Oriental shorthair comes in many colors and patterns, not just blue. But blue is one of its most beautiful looks. A solid blue Oriental has a slim, graceful body with long legs and almond-shaped eyes.
The blue color can range from light bluish-gray to dark slate gray. You can also find blue mixed with other colors, creating smoke, silver, tabby, and spotted patterns.
Breed Overview
Height: 9 to 11 inches
Weight: 8 to 10 pounds
Personality/Temperament: Affectionate, playful, vocal
Energy Level: High
Coat and Color: Short hair; white, black, gray/blue, brown, orange (300 variations); solid, shaded, smoke, tabby
Life Span: 15 years
Persian
Persian cats are famous for their long, soft fur and flat faces with bright eyes. They come in many colors. Blue (gray) used to be the most popular color for Persians. Though less popular now, gray still looks beautiful on these exotic cats. Gray Persian cats can have solid coats, smoky patterns, tabby stripes, two or more colors, or the Himalayan pattern.
Breed Overview
Height: 8 to 10 inches
Weight: 7 to 12 pounds
Personality/Temperament: Sweet, gentle, affectionate
Energy Level: Low
Coat and Color: Long hair; blue, black, white, red, cream, chocolate, lilac, silver, golden; solid, tabby, tortoiseshell, bicolor
Life Span: 15 to 20 years
Burmese
The Burmese cat first came in rich brown, but now comes in four colors: brown, tan, gray-white, and blue-gray. While not all Burmese cats are blue, some have this beautiful color.
Blue Burmese cats should have a medium gray coat with light brown hints. Their fur is soft and silky to the touch.
Breed Overview
Height: 10 to 12 inches
Weight: 6 to 14 pounds
Personality/Temperament: Friendly, playful, affectionate
Energy Level: High
Coat and Color: Short hair; sable, champagne, platinum, blue, and variations of each
Life Span: 18 years
American Shorthair
The American shorthair is a medium-sized cat that’s very popular in the US. While they come in many colors and patterns, blue is rare.
These friendly and calm cats get along well with kids, making them perfect family pets.
Breed Overview
Height: 12 to 15 inches
Weight: 6 to 15 pounds
Personality/Temperament: Gentle, affectionate, easygoing
Energy Level: Medium
Coat and Color: Short hair; various colors and patterns
Life Span: 15 to 20 years
Domestic Shorthair
Mixed-breed cats with short hair, often called domestic shorthairs, are the most common cats in America. Eight out of ten pet cats in the U.S. are of this type.
These cats come in many different colors and patterns, including gray (which cat experts call blue).
Breed Overview
Height: 8 to 10 inches
Weight: 8 to 10 pounds
Personality/Temperament: Friendly, playful, affectionate
Energy Level: Varies
Coat and Color: Long, medium, or short hair; various colors and patterns
Life Span: 20 years
Breeds to Avoid
If you want a cat with deep colors like blue or black, an albino cat isn’t the right choice. Only 2% of cats are albino, mostly in breeds like Oriental, Siamese, Burmese, and Tonkinese. Albino cats have no color in their fur or skin. Their eyes look almost see-through with a pink-blue tint, and they have pink noses and inner ears.
But if you’d like a rare cat, albinos are very special. These cats either don’t have the gene that makes color, or the gene doesn’t work properly. Keep in mind that albino cats often have health problems. They’re more likely to have trouble seeing, hearing, fighting off illness, and getting skin cancer or sunburn. They also tend to have skin and fur problems.
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What is a blue cat?
Blue cats have gray fur with a blue tint. The Russian Blue is a well-known example.
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What cat breeds have blue eyes?
Many cat breeds have blue eyes, including Siamese, Persian, Ragdoll, and Turkish Angora cats.
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How much does a blue cat cost?
While purebred blue cats can be expensive, costing up to $2,000, you can easily find and adopt blue cats and kittens at local animal shelters for much less.
