September 25, 2026 · PrettyBrity Journal
Golden vs Silver British Shorthair: ny 11, ny 12, ns 11 and ns 12 Explained
A clear guide to golden and silver British Shorthair colors — shaded vs chinchilla, what the EMS codes mean, and how the two lines differ.
Golden and silver British Shorthairs look like two different cats, but genetically they are close relatives. Both are tipped colors: each hair is light at the root and colored only at the tip, which creates the shimmering effect people fall in love with.
How to read the codes
Breeders describe colors with EMS codes. For tipped British cats you will see four common ones:
| Code | Name | What it looks like |
|---|---|---|
| ny 11 | Black golden shaded | Warm apricot undercoat, tipping on about a third of each hair |
| ny 12 | Black golden shell (chinchilla) | Warm apricot undercoat, very fine tipping — the lightest golden |
| ns 11 | Black silver shaded | White-silver undercoat, tipping on about a third of each hair |
| ns 12 | Black silver shell (chinchilla) | White-silver undercoat, very fine tipping — the brightest silver |
The letter n means black, y means golden, s means silver, 11 means shaded and 12 means shell (often called chinchilla).
Golden British Shorthair
Golden cats carry a warm apricot to honey undercoat. The best examples have a rich, even ground color with no gray tones, a dark nose outline and green eyes. Golden is one of the most requested colors in the breed today.
Silver British Shorthair
Silver cats have a bright, almost white undercoat produced by the inhibitor gene. Against it, black tipping looks crisp and graphic. Silver British cats also have green eyes, and the shell (ns 12) variety is the lightest and most luminous.
Which one should you choose?
There is no difference in temperament — both are calm, affectionate British Shorthairs. It comes down to taste: golden feels warm and soft, silver feels cool and dramatic. Many families tell us they knew the moment they saw a kitten on video.
Explore our golden British Shorthair kittens and silver British Shorthair kittens.
