1. Find your cat's EMS code
Near your cat's name you will see something like MCO ns 22 or BSH a 33. This is the EMS code — it describes the breed and colour. Everything else on the page is names, dates and registration numbers.
Guide
How to read a cat pedigree
A pedigree looks intimidating: a grid of names, numbers and cryptic codes like MCO ns 22. It is actually a short, strict language. Once you know the grammar, you can read any pedigree in the world.
2. The first three capitals are the breed
MCO is Maine Coon, BSH is British Shorthair, PER is Persian, RAG is Ragdoll. Careful: registries disagree. FIFe writes BSH for the British Shorthair while WCF and TICA write BRI. Same cat, different letters.
3. The lower-case letters are the colour
n is black, a is blue, d is red, e is cream, f is black tortie. A letter stuck to the colour is a modifier: s is silver, y is golden. So ns is a black silver cat — or a black smoke cat, if no pattern number follows.
4. The numbers are white, pattern and points
01-09 is how much white the cat has (03 bicolour, 09 some white). 11-25 is shading and tabby pattern (22 blotched, 23 mackerel, 24 spotted, 25 ticked). 31-33 are the pointed varieties. 61-67 is eye colour.
5. What is missing also means something
This is the part everyone gets wrong. FIFe leaves out any trait a breed is fixed on. A Ragdoll is always pointed, so RAG a is not just "blue" — it is a blue colourpoint. An Abyssinian is always ticked, so ABY n is a ruddy ticked tabby. The code is short because the breed standard fills in the rest.
Have a code in front of you?
Paste it into the decoder and get the full breakdown in one click.
Open the decoderCommon questions
What does n 22 mean?
n is black and 22 is the blotched (classic) tabby pattern, so n 22 is a black blotched tabby — what most people call a brown classic tabby.
What is the difference between ns and ns 22?
Both are black silver cats. ns on its own has no pattern code, which means black smoke. ns 22 has the blotched tabby pattern, so it is a black silver blotched tabby.
Why does my Siamese pedigree have no 33 in it?
Because every Siamese is a colourpoint. FIFe never writes a code for a trait the whole breed shares, so SIA n already means seal colourpoint.
My pedigree says BRI, not BSH. Is it wrong?
No. BRI is the British Shorthair code used by WCF and TICA; FIFe uses BSH. Both refer to the same breed.
Does your cat really look like its code?
Upload a photo and let Pawcode estimate the coat colour and pattern from the image, then compare it with the pedigree.