What EMS Codes Are
When you browse pedigrees or listings you will meet strings like BSH a 03 or PER ns 22, and these are EMS codes, short for Easy Mind System. Used by FIFe and other bodies, the idea is that the same code broadly means the same thing across breeds, even though which codes and combinations are actually recognized varies from breed to breed. It is a registration and recognition system rather than a genetic report, though the codes often mirror the underlying genetics. Once you learn the building blocks, most codes become easy to read at a glance.
How a Code Is Built
A code reads left to right in a set order, starting with the breed, then the base color, then any silver or golden, then the amount of white and the pattern, and finally the eye color if it is specified. The breed comes first as a short abbreviation, for example BSH for British Shorthair, PER for Persian, or MCO for Maine Coon. Not every part appears in every code, so a short code simply means fewer of those features are being described. Reading in this fixed order is the key to untangling even a long code.
Colors, Patterns, and Numbers
The base color is a single letter, such as n for black, a for blue, d for red, and e for cream, while tortoiseshell colors get their own letters like f and g. An s after the color marks silver, and numbers then describe the rest, with 01 to 09 covering the amount of white and the 20s covering tabby patterns like 22 for classic and 23 for mackerel. Colorpoint is shown by 33, and a final pair such as 61 to 64 records eye color. So BSH a 03 is a blue-and-white British Shorthair, and MCO n 22 is a black classic tabby Maine Coon.
Putting It Together
With the order and the letters in mind, you can now read almost any code without a reference sheet. For example, PER ns 22 is a black silver classic tabby Persian, and RAG n 33 is a seal colorpoint Ragdoll. If a code looks unfamiliar, break it into breed, color, and numbers and take each piece one at a time. Remember that recognized colors differ between breeds, so a valid combination in one breed may not appear in another.