Havana Brown
Introduction History Modern Development Character and Appearance The Future Breeders and Breed Standard 
I am immediately struck by the glossy nature of this cat's coat. You can clearly see this in Helmi's fine photograph of "Fraulein Katz" (great name) heading this page (of course, she is lit beautifully by Helmi and Ken, to show off her coat). The coat color is what is called "self-colored". This means a solid color, caused by each individual shaft of hair being of a single color as opposed to a banding of colors caused by the Agouti gene (I discuss tabby cat coats here). The Agouti gene is referred to a lot as it affects the coat appearance of a number of cat breeds (e.g. the Abyssinian and Chausie). The self colored cat has a rich luster. This cat has had at least two names, the origins of both are founded in human consumable products. It seems that, "Swiss Mountain Cat" (see history below) originates in Swiss chocolate (well known country of manufacture) after the coat color. I can only presume this is the case as there seems to be no explanation. The name "Havana Brown" originates presumably in the famous Havana cigar (a brown object). The colour was called "Havana". Another theory about the name is that it originates in the Havana Rabbit (similar color and silky coat). See some more on the Chestnut Brown cat.
History - The Havana Brown has had a long, but up and down history.
The most often used breeding program to produce this cat is a cross between the black Shorthair and Seal Point Siamese with the chocolate gene. In the UK, apparently, the Chestnut Brown or Havana, as the Brits call this cat, has been breed back to the Siamese (I presume this means the Modern Siamese) losing the original look and looking like the Oriental Shorthair (fine boned and very slender). In the US as you can see from these pictures that this breed has retained for me at least a very nicely balanced and "normal" appearance. Although the head is longer and has higher cheek bones than what I would call completely normal. The cats on this page seem to show to the camera very pleasant characters through their open expressions.  All the photographs in this collage are ©copyright Helmi Flick. Please respect it - thank you. This cat has a pleasant demeanor and is very people orientated (inherited from the Siamese no doubt). They are playful and inquisitive and need a lot of attention. As you can see she is an average sized cat, athletic looking, slim and lithe. Ideally, the coat is in fact a deep mahogany brown (reddish brown - see the top three photographs of Fraulein Katz, Hershey and Spider). It has been said somewhere and referred to in the Legacy of the Cat that some Havana's "were associated with a not-too-pleasant-dispostion". This may be misleading. It is said that they have a soft and gentle personality if given sufficient attention. All domestic cats need attention. TICA recognise the lilac colour ("pale tan with a touch of pink"2) that was introduced by Russian Blues that were involved in the creation of this breed (but see update below). The eyes, in perfect harmony with the reddish mahogany colour, are a gorgeous green. The head shape is long, narrowing to a slim muzzle. There is a "pinch just behind the whisker pads"1. The muzzle looks almost square. From 1973, although the CFA called this breed a Chestnut Oriental Shorthair1it seems that the Havana is different from the Oriental Shorthair as the muzzle is more "puffy" and the profile slightly different (source: Legacy of the Cat by Gloria Stephens and Testsu). Note: the CFA register this breed as Havana Brown currently (Oct 2010). Update Feb 2012: "The Havana Brown is and always has been a completely separate breed from the Oriental Shorthair. The head of the Havana Brown is part of its very unique type -- we are looking for a longer head with a distinct muzzle. Lilac or lavendar is the natural dilute of chocolate -- it was not a color that originate with Russian Blues being bred to Havana Browns." This comes from Xocol Havana Browns. Thank you for your valued input.
Apparently the small numbers are allegedly due to the failure to establish a sufficient number of breeding lines because it was forbidden to outcross. This has meant few choices of cat from a limited gene pool from which to breed, restricting the breeding process. Outcrossing has now been permitted (since around 1998). See a short post on Havana Brown genetics. As mentioned on other pages I only list independent websites (non-directory sites). There were none in the first 3 pages on a Google search listing. The only one listed before page 6 is: Mokolea Cattery It is not obvious where they are located but it is the USA. The owner is on the CFA breed council.
Sources:
From Havana Brown to Home page 
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