FIFé's Easy Mind System for Cat Breeds and Colours
Note: The codes have been slightly modified, for instance so that we don't use "non" for breeds that are not recognized by the FIFé, and some breed codes might be added, for our use. Those cases, that are not completely according to FIFé's EMS system, are marked ** in the table below.
Breed Codes
ABL = American Bobtail Longhair**
ABS = American Bobtail Shorthair**
ABY = Abyssinian
ACL = American Curl Longhair
ACS = American Curl Shorthair
AMS = American Shorthair**
AMW = American Wirehair**
ASL = Asian Longhair**
ASS = Asian Shorthair**
BAL = Balinese
BEN = Bengal
BML = Burmilla
BOL = Bombay Longhair**
BOS = Bombay Shorthair**
BRI = British Shorthair
BRX = Bohemian Rex**
BUR = Burmese
CEY = Ceylon**
CHA = Chartreuse
CLS = California Spangled**
CRX = Cornish Rex
CYM = Cymric
DOM = Domestic cat, no breed**
DRX = Devon Rex
DSP = Don Sphynx
EUR = European Shorthair
EXO = Exotic Shorthair
GRX = German Rex
JBT = Japanese Bobtail
KBL = Kurilean Bobtail Longhair
KBS = Kurilean Bobtail Shorthair
KOR = Korat
LPL = La Perm Longhair**
LPS = La Perm Shorthair**
MAN = Manx
MAU = Egyptian Mau
MCK = Munchkin**
MCO = Maine Coon
NBL = Nebelung**
NBS = Nebelung, shorthaired variety**
NFO = Norwegian Forest Cat
OCI = Ocicat
OLH = Oriental Longhair
OSH = Oriental Shorthair
PBL = Pixie-Bob Longhair**
PBS = Pixie-Bob Shorthair**
PEB = Peterbald
PER = Persian
RAG = Ragdoll
RUS = Russian Blue, but we also use this code for Russian type cats of other colours than blue**
SBI = Birman
SFL = Scottish Fold Longhair**
SFS = Scottish Fold Shorthair**
SIA = Siamese
SIB = Siberian
SIN = Singapura**
SNO = Snowshoe
SOK = Sokoke
SOM = Somali
SPH = Sphynx
SRL = Selkirk Rex Longhair**
SRS = Selkirk Rex Shorthair**
SRX = Selkirk Rex, not known if longhair or shorthair**
STE = Sterling**
SYL = Seychellois Longhair
SYS = Seyshellois Shorthair
THA = Thai**
TIF = Tiffany**
TOL = Tonkinese Longhair**
TOS = Tonkinese Shorthair**
TUA = Turkish Angora
TUV = Turkish Van
XSH = Shorthaired hybrid**
XLH = Longhaired hybrid**
Var(iant)
The term "var" may be added at the end of the EMS code to indicate that a shorthair cat carries or may carry the gene for longhair. An example: "ABY n var" is a shorthaired Aby, but it carries longhair, or it is suspected of carrying longhair, since there is Somali among the ancestors of the cat.
Colours
a = Blue
b = Chocolate
c = Lilac
d = Red
e = Cream
f = Black tortie
g = Blue tortie
h = Chocolate tortie
j = Lilac tortie
m = Dilute modifier, caramel
n = Black (seal in Himalayan-patterned cats, ruddy in Abyssinians and Somalis
o = Cinnamon (sorrel in Abyssinians)
p = Fawn
q = Cinnamon (sorrel) tortie
r = Fawn tortie
s = Silver, smoke
t = Amber, light amber
w = White
x = Indicates an unrecognized colour
y = Golden
Patterns
01 = Van
02 = Harlequin
03 = Bicolour
04 = Mitted
09 = Unspecified amount of white
11 = Shaded
12 = Shell, chinchilla
21 = Unspecified tabby pattern
22 = Blotched tabby
23 = Mackerel tabby
24 = Spotted tabby
25 = Ticked tabby
31 = Burmese pointed
32 = Tonkinese pointed
33 = Siamese pointed (Himalayan)
Eye Colours
61 = Blue eyed
62 = Orange eyed
63 = Odd eyed
64 = Green eyed
65 = Burmese eye colour
66 = Tonkinese eye colour
67 = Siamese eye colour
Tail Codes
51 = Rumpy
52 = Rumpy riser
53 = Stumpy (up to 3 cm)
54 = Longie
Ear Codes
71 = Straight
72 = Curl
73 = Fold
Colour Groups
If you come across codes like MCO 3, or DRX 5, it should be noted that these are not really EMS codes. The first three letters indicates the breed of the cat, as usual, but the number after that indicates the FIFe colour group. Sometimes this is the only information about the colour of a cat that you get in a show catalog.
The groups are according to the following system for Maine Coons, Norwegian Forest Cats, Siberians, and Turkish Angoras:
1 = Black and blue
2 = The same as group 1, but with white
3 = Browntabby, bluetabby (any pattern)
4 = The same as group 3, but with white
5 = Red, cream, all kinds of torties. All these varieties with or
without agouti (tabby).
6 = The same as group 5, but with white
7 = All silver and smoke varieties
8 = The same as group 7, but with white
9 = White
The above groups are also used for American Curls, but then with the addition of the following two groups:
10 = Colourpoints of all varieties
11 = The same as group 10, but with white
The groups for Cornish Rex, Devon Rex, German Rex, and Sphynx are:
1 = Black, blue, chocolate, lilac, cinnamon, fawn, and these colours with smoke (ns, as, bs, cs, os, ps)
2 = The same as group 1, but with white
3 = Red, cream, all kinds of torties. Red smoke, cream smoke, all
kinds of tortie smokes. Redtabby, creamtabby, all kinds of
tortie tabbies (any pattern).
4 = The same as group 3, but with white
5 = All tabby varieties, except redtabby, creamtabby, all kinds
of tortie tabbies (any pattern). All silver tabby varieties,
including shaded silvers and shell/chinchilla.
6 = The same as group 5, but with white
7 = All cats with siamese colours, burmese colours, or tonkinese
colours. With or without agouti (tabby) and silver.
With or without white.
Older colour groups
Earlier there were only four colour groups for Maine Coons, Norwegian Forest Cats, and Turkish Angoras. In those cases is this colour group, we use the following "codes":
* = Nonagouti without white (or solid white)
* 21 = Agouti without white
* 09 = Nonagouti with white
* 09 21 = Agouti with white
If you find any code in a database that does not correspond to this system, please notify the database maintainer!