Actually I now realise I have three brown cats! The one I described earlier, the ‘black’ one, and the tabby.
As identified by Tamerlane, the black cat can be seen to actually have a brownish tint in bright sunlight (also faint ghost stripes).
My in-laws have owned several burmese and all of them have been completely brown. It is a dark brown, but definitely would never be mistaken for black in any normal lighting conditions.
Isn’t this the same with human hair, and why true black dye looks so fake?
I can’t tell you how disappointed I was that the picture didn’t show his open fly.
Yes, I think the same principle is at work. For some reason I don’t really notice brown highlights as much with humans. Which might mean we can achieve darker shades or might just be down to most black hair tending to hang flat, unlike fur that sticks out so you get more of a profile when it is in a sunbeam.
My dad had a Burmese when I was a kid and it was semi-sweet chocolate brown; and he had a great purrsonality. (The cat not the dad.)
Sonofagun, you’re absolutely right. I took a look at the cat from my photos sleeping in a sunbeam today, and she really is brown. Whodathunkit?
I had a himalayan that was absolute black, until we started letting him go outside, then he faded to a very lovely blackish brown at the base of the hairs and a faded tobacco brown at the tips of the hair. He had the classic grey skin of a black cat, and no stray white hairs. Beautiful cat, I really miss him =(
OP, surely you knew this thread would be made up of links to pictures of brown cats? 
My friend the cat lady has a little brown cat named Brown Bear. Brown Bear and her siblings were born to a mother that was just a kitten herself, and even as adults they’re teeny tiny. Bear’s mother, sister, and brother are all normal black.
My hair is very thick and has a lot of volume, so it catches highlights like crazy.
Compare this picture with this one.
