Chocolate & Seal Points

Identifying A Chocolate Point Himalayan

Both parents must either be or carry chocolate/lilac in order for any of their progeny to show this color. If only one parent is a chocolate/lilac then all offspring will be carriers.

When inquiring about any new prospect, if at all possible its always best to view the cat in person and check the pedigrees to verify chocolate/lilac is present.

After looking at all the images below, it may appear to be easy to see the difference between the two colors and for the most part, it is. It's when you start to get various shading of those distinquishing features, the inexperienced may easily label a seal point as a chocolate point or chocolate point as a seal point.

Seal points are most noted for their seal brown points, and fawn body. What if your seal point has medium brown points (lighter than seal but darker than chocolate), incomplete mask (but not the racoon-look like your tipical chocolate point), seal nose leather but cinnamon paw pads and slightly lighter coat color. What if your chocolate point has medium brown points (lighter than seal but darker than chocolate), slightly fuller face mask, but a seal nose leather, cinammon paw pads and slightly darker body shading. Is this a dark chocolate point or pale seal point? In the past, test breedings was in order, but that meant bringing in more cats, and producing more kittens than desired and still end up with off colors leaving newcomers scratching their head again. The good news is, you now have another option, coat color test - UC Davis.


Color Description & Illustration - The CFA breed standard calls for the point color to be milk chocolate with the rest of the body ivory white. The nose leather and paw pads cinnamon pink. The eye color vivid blue.

NOTE: Depending on your cats background, point and body color intensity can vary slightly from cat to cat.

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Identifying a Seal Point Himalayan

Color Description & Illustration - The CFA breed standard calls for the point color to be seal brown with the rest of the body fawn. The nose leather and paw pads seal brown. The eye color vivid blue.

NOTE: Depending on your cats background, point and body color intensity can vary slightly from cat to cat.

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Himalayan Kitten Pictures

Chocolate point & Seal point kitten photos for color comparison

Notice the three week old chocolate points cinnamon pink nose leather, milk chocolate point color and ivory white coat, whereas the seal point has deep seal brown nose leather and seal brown point color and a fawn coat. Also note the mask is not fully developed at this age and will continue to expand as they get older.

Chocolate point Himalayan kitten


Seal point Himalayan kitten