The Havana Brown cat is developed from British cats of the intermediate type. In Britain, their type has become more and more Siamese, while the Havana Brown Ameticain has become a cat with its own characteristics. The standards of judgment take this into account “with its muzzle of a particular shape, its color, its large ears tilted forward, the Havana Brown is not comparable to any other breed”. The chocolate color is still not more unique since the appearance of the short-haired, brown oriental.
An older story on the Havana Brown
The poets of ancient Siam had made Havana a reputation for great beauty. It was also said that these cats took away sadness and unhappiness from their owners. These brown cats, very popular in their country, were part of the first groups of Siamese to arrive in Europe. It is now almost certain that he had several genetic types among them, including cats that we would now call Burmese and Tonkinese.
In 1888, a Havana won the first prize in a British cat show, and forty years later another Havana won the prize for the most beautiful “chocolate” dress. In the early 1950s, two British breeders (first each their own, later as a team) searched for all brown cats, the chocolate hue of the Siamese, rather than the newly imported Burmese sable. The only recognized foreign races, apart from the Siamese, were the Russian Blues and the Abyssinians at the time. The first kitten wearing a dress of this new shade was born in 1952; it was the result of a cross between a Siamese seal point carrying the chocolate gene, with a black short-haired cat (itself from a similar cross).
It was the first to be exhibited in 1953 and is the originator of the line that was to receive the name the Havana brwon cat, from the name of the variety of rabbits of the same color. In 1956, the breeders declared that their breed was sufficiently established to be registered, but this did not happen immediately as a large number of Persians still criticized its too much resemblance to the Burmese.
The Hanava brown cat resemblance to the Burmese cat
At the same time, a couple of Havanas were exported to the United States in order to develop the variety there. The problem raised by its too close resemblance to the Burmese was not so acute in its new part, since the Burmese had been fixed there for much longer. The standards adopted for judging Havanas closely followed those of Russian Blue, only the adjectives attached to color varied: brown should be a mahogany brown, rich and warm. Breeders and judges in Britain increasingly turned to a type close to that of the Siamese, while the Americans sought to keep Havana its moderately foreign type.
American Havana Brown cat
The American type, called the Havana Brown cat, is now developed only in the United States; the head is slightly longer than it is wide, and the noseless straight than that of the Siamese. The eyes are green. He has the same temperament as the Russian Blue, is very intelligent, and seeks the company of men. Its meow is less disagreeable than that of Siamese and exotic cats, but it has made a constant “talk” to its kittens. These are born with a lighter coat paler than that of the adult and she often has a few tabby marks which disappear later.
The shorthaired lavender alien is a close cousin of the Havana Brown American. He is born from Havana Brown, and also has ancestors among the Russian Blues, the latter having had the lava blue gene that produces this delicate lavender color.
He was recognized by the ACFA but not by other North American associations although he was popular there in his time. However, since the appearance of the short-haired lavender Orientals, their numbers have tended to decrease.
Food and main health problems of the Havana brown cat
The Havana brown cat is a true model of robustness. He is not subject to any hereditary disease or other specific pathology. He can live up to 14 years if he receives the appropriate care and especially a good diet. Opting for a mix of dry foods and wet foods will avoid kidney problems or digestive upset. So, you have to bet on croquettes.
The Havana Brown’s Health
Havana Brown has no particular health problem. Like all cats, however, it must be protected against disease by having it vaccinated against rabies, typhus, leucosis or even coryza.
