Sometimes referred to as Silver, this is one of the most photogenic breeds of cats, appearing often in advertisements where both beauty and daintiness are sought. Compared to other longhaired breeds, the Chinchilla tends to be delicate. Its coat is pure white, each hair tipped with black to give it a silvery appearance. The medium-length tail is almost bushy and the fur on the chest and neck are shaggy. The tip of the nose is red, the eyes are emerald green, the lids lined with black. The pads of the feet are also black. Keeping these exquisitely beautiful cats in prime condition for show requires effort. The long coat tends to yellow, especially around the tail. Owners often keep their coats, well powdered, to help absorb the oil that accumulates in the coat and causes matting.

Kittens commonly have a banded tail, but the bands usually disappear before maturity. Some are born with dark bands all their legs; these persist, making the cats no good for show purposes.

Varieties include the Shaded Silver, whose ticking is much darker and whose undercoat is off-white rather than pure white. In the Masked Silver the face and paws are black. Another variety is the Blue Chinchilla. Its basic color is bluish, the fur ticked with steel gray on the tail, back, sides, and head. Its eyes are orange, unlike the green eyes of other Chinchillas.