Grey Bombay Cat Names
A grey Bombay is, under the breed's CFA standard, an unshown cat. Nikki Horner founded the Bombay program in Kentucky around 1953 with the explicit goal of producing what TICA calls 'the black leopard of India,' crossing black American Shorthair with sable Burmese until she achieved her first cats meeting the visual standard in 1965-66. CFA registered the breed in 1970 and granted Championship in 1976, with one fixed color requirement: jet black to the roots, black nose leather, black paw pads. A grey Bombay carries the dilute genotype (d/d at MLPH) on the breed's foundation black eumelanin, which thins the coat to slate — Bombay body type, but not the show-standard color.
Dilute Bombays do appear in registered programs as carriers and pet-quality kittens, but CFA does not recognize a 'Blue Bombay' division. The dilute allele enters Bombay lines through the Burmese parent — Blue Burmese was recognized in 1955 after Sealcoat Blue Surprise was born March 29 that year.
Which raises an honest naming question: should the name lean into the Bombay's intended panther geometry, or into the slate-grey coat that diverged from it?
| Name | Meaning | Gender | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pepsi | Brand of cola soft drink. | Male | |
| Angel | Angel | Male | Word |
| Charcoal | A black carbon material produced from wood | Unisex | |
| Milo | Merciful. | Male | Latinized |
| Cosmo | Order, universe. | Male | Italian |
| Storm | Storm | Male | Word |
| Indigo | A dark blue plant dye | Female | Greek |
| Ghost | A haunting spirit or memory. One who moves noiselessly. | Unisex | |
| Sammy | Hebrew, told by God | Male | English |
| Satan | The Devil and adversary of God | Male | |
| Ashes | Remains of something burned | Female | |
| Slate | Grey layered rock | Male | French |
| Dusty | Covered with dust, tinged with grey | Unisex | |
| Flash | To move rapidly. | Male | Word |
| Echo | Repetition of a sound caused by the reflection of sound waves. For one that b... | Male | Greek |
| Darth Vader | Star Wars Sith lord | Male | |
| Lucky | Having good luck. | Male | Word |
| Shadow | A rough, dark image cast by an object blocking the sun's rays | Female | English |
| Simba | from The Lion King | Male | Swahili |
| Midnight | Intense darkness, the middle of the night | Male | English |
| Beauty | One that is beautiful, especially a woman | Female | |
| Oreo | American cookie brand consisting of two chocolate wafers with white cream fil... | Male | |
| Cinder | Burnt ashes | Unisex | |
| Smokey | A grayish blue colour. Slang for highway patrol officer | Male | |
| Prince | Principal one: first. The rock musician Prince. | Male | Latin |
| Friday | Sixth day of the week | Male | |
| Frankie | Diminutive of Frank Free: a free man. Frankie is occasionally used for girls. | Male | |
| Ashes | Remains of something burned | Female | |
| Akela | noble | Female | |
| Ashley | ash-tree | Female | English |
Showing 30 of 83 matching names.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a grey Bombay show-eligible?
Under CFA, no. The Bombay standard requires jet black to the roots, with black nose leather and black paw pads. A grey-coated cat carrying the breed's body type — copper eyes, muscular medium build, close-lying coat — is genetically a Bombay carrying the dilute allele (d/d at the MLPH locus) but does not meet the color requirement. CFA does not recognize a Blue Bombay division. TICA and CFA both register the Bombay as a single-color breed by design — grey-coated kittens from Bombay breeding programs are typically placed as pets.
Where does the dilute allele in Bombay lines come from?
The Burmese parent line. The Bombay was developed by crossing black American Shorthair with sable Burmese, and the Burmese gene pool carries the dilute allele as a recognized Blue Burmese division — first kitten Sealcoat Blue Surprise, born March 29, 1955. Modern Bombay breeders manage the dilute allele as a carrier trait without breeding for it; pet-quality dilute kittens occasionally appear when both parents carry one copy of d. The black-coat selection that defines the Bombay aesthetic specifically excludes dilute as a target color.
Should a grey Bombay be named for the panther program or for the coat?
Honest answer: depends on the cat. A grey-coated cat with the Bombay body type and copper eyes still has the breed's signature 'patent-leather kid' silhouette, just in slate instead of black; names like Pewter, Slate, Mist, or Sterling honor what the cat actually looks like. A name that ignores the dilute coat and reaches for Bagheera or Onyx fights the visual reality. If the cat behaves like a Bombay — door-greeting, head-butting, very high attachment — the breed-honoring register works; if the slate coat is the reading the cat presents, the grey-coat register is more honest. Either choice is grounded; the dishonest choice is pretending the cat is jet black when it isn't.
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All Breed × Color Combinations
Browse the full breed × color cross hub — 86 curated combinations across 23 breeds and 14 coat colors.