The name Maltese cat is often given to any solid grey or blue cat of inderminate breed. There are several cat breeds that are always blue. These are the Russian Blue, the Chartreux and the Korat. Maltese cat is a name that is often given to any cat, whose fur is either completely or primarily gray or blue and is of indeterminate breed. Many cats with such coloration are present on the island of Malta, which may have given rise to the use of the adjective in this context.

In literature, "The Maltese Cat" is the title of a short story by Rudyard Kipling. The story is about a polo match set in British Colonial India, told from the point of view of one of the ponies, a gray named The Maltese Cat. There are several cat breeds that always produce blue or gray fur.

White spotting can also occur with any of the tabby patterns, resulting in tabby-and-white bi-colors. Colorpoint (Himalayan pattern) cats can have bicolor points although this variation is not recognized for exhibition. The body markings of bicolor colorpoints become clearer with age as the body fur of colorpoint cats darkens as the cats grow older and the white patches become more visible. These are the Russian Blue, the Chartreux, the Korat. There are several other breeds that often produce blues such as the British Shorthair. The blue variant of this breed was so common that many thought it was its own breed called the British Blue