Animal-World > Pet Cats > Hybrid Cats > Havana Brown Cat

Havana Brown Cats

Family: Felidae

• Puzzles
• Postcards

Felis domesticus Photo © Animal-World: Courtesy Justin Brough

   The Havana Brown is particularly elegant with its uniformly chestnut coat from the tip of its nose to the tip of its tail. It is an active, playful cat that enjoys the indoors. It is especially friendly and affectionate with its owner.

  The Havana Brown is a lively, playful cat. They are extroverted and enjoy being around people, though they often become attached to one person. They are curious, and even mischievous, but not overly destructive cats. The Havana loves being inside, and is therefore a good apartment cat. They have been described as being both reservedly affectionate and exceptionally sweet, which may be a product of becoming attached to one person. The Havana's voice is medium in volume and pitch. This breed requires little grooming.

The Havana originated in Britain. Currently, it is a fairly rare breed. It is even rarer in the United States.

Common Name(s)
  Havana Brown, Havana, Chestnut Brown, Chestnut Brown Foreign Shorthair, Berkshire Brown, Reading Brown, Oriental Chocolate Cat

Background
  The first recognized Havana Brown, Elmtower Bronze Idol, was born October 24, 1952 in England, though other Self-brown (solid brown) cats had been recorded in the past, including the Swiss Mountain Cat and the Brown Cat. Interestingly, Elmtower Bronze Idol was the product of a Seal Point Siamese male named Tombee and a black shorthaired female (half Seal Point Siamese and half Black Persian) named Susannah. Further mating with Tombee and Susannah resulted in a female Havana Brown named Elmtower Brown Study. Though the breeder, Mrs. Munro-Smith had intended to create a Color-point Persian, she had stumbled across an interesting new breed - the Havana Brown.
  The Havana Brown was first shown in Britain in 1953 and achieved championship status in 1958. The breed was imported to America in 1956 and was recognized as an official breed in 1959. The British Havana Brown has a stronger Siamese element than the American breed. It is believed that Russian Blue may have been introduced into the line if the Havana Brown.
  Two theories exist to why the Havana Brown was given its name. It is believed that this breed was either named after the "Havana Brown" color of Cuban cigars, since the cat's coat resembles the color of the tobacco in those cigars, or that it was named after the Havana Rabbit, which has the same colored coat. While this name accurately describes the breed's coat color, it led to some confusion concerning its origins. In the late 1950's, a committee decided to rename the breed "Chestnut Brown Foreign Shorthair" since the breed originated in England, and not Cuba. However, due to popular demand, the original name was reinstated in the 1970's.

Description
   The defining feature of the Havana Brown, as signified by its name, is of course its uniformly brown coat. Even the nose and whiskers are brown. All shades of chestnut brown are acceptable. The coat is medium in length, glossy, and smooth.
The body is medium in length and muscular, but not stocky. The legs are medium in length and the tail is medium long. In Britain, the Havana Brown has a more Siamese appearance than in the United States. In Britain, the head is triangle-shaped and the nose is long and straight. In the United States, the head is rounder in shape and the nose is shorter. In both countries, the ears are large and the eyes are oval-shaped and green. This breed weighs 6-10 pounds and lives to be approximately 9-15 years old.

Care and Feeding
  The Havana Brown is a hearty breed that has no special dietary needs. Unlike some breeds, the Havana Brown is able to digest milk.

Housing Your Cat
  The Havana is an active cat that should be provided with toys and a scratching post indoors. However, it enjoys being inside and can live happily in an apartment. It can benefit from time outside as well. This breed is known to enjoy jumping in snow.

Maintenance
  This breed requires little grooming. Weekly brushing and shining with a flannel or glove in order to maintain its glossy appearance are advised.

Social Behaviors
  This breed is not a highly social breed. It is a loving cat, but attaches itself to one person. It is a faithful, affectionate pet.

Activities
  The Havana Brown is naturally active. It enjoys playing with its owner, but requires no special exercise program.

Breeding/Reproduction
  Female Havana Browns are excellent mothers. Litters, on average consist of five kittens. The kittens open their eyes as early as the third day after birth.

Common Health Problems
  This is a naturally healthy breed. The Havana Brown is even known for having a natural immunity to upper respiratory infections.

Availability
  Due to its scarce nature, the Havana Brown is an expensive breed. However, breeders can be found for this breed.

Add your comment here!
Latest Comments
I have recently bought a mixed breed cat, I was struck by his unusual black/brown stripes which alternate from short brown fur to long black fur. He has long black fur along his back and on his tail which appears to be becoming plumed. He is pointed black. He is not your usual tabby and I have been trawling the internet for hours trying to determine where his very unusual looks come from. The havana brown is the closest I have come, and a picture of a havana brown kitten that I found is the spitting image of him except for the points. He is very elegant in appearance with a wedge shaped face and long nose. His ears are large even for an 11 week old and his eyes are slightly slanted, one eyes width apart and appear to be turning green. He has unusually long limbs and tail with big oval paws. He is very intelligent and even learned to play fetch at nine weeks old after an hour playing with a screwed up lottery ticket. He is the exact temperament of a havana brown - extremely loyal to me, very soft voice, not destructive, gentle, affectionate and talkative, loves to play games such as tag and fetch, is fascinated by paper and card and learns extremely quickly. I have no idea what breed is mixed in to him only that his mother was a tortoiseshell short hair. Shelley 2008-09-24
I have a brown cat but I don't know if it's a Havana brown. She is exactly what they had described her as, but she is the daughter of a Calico cat and I don't know who the father is. I'm on this website because I wanted to find out how rare brown cats really are and I wanted to know how many other breeds of cats have browns, if any. Brenda 2008-09-18
Absolutely the sweetest cat ever. Can be a bit pricey because of the rarity of the cat, but definitely worth it. Havana Browns are vocal and playful animals. catherine 2008-01-01
I owned a havana brown cat over 30 years ago. His name was Kanakoa of Oaklands, bred in South Africa and grandson of the Havana featured in ?Grace Pound's English cat book. He was a wonderous animal who thought himself part dog and part vervet monkey, whom he observed climbing and swinging in the trees of our home. He traveled to England in 1976 and then to the States (Virginia and California). Need I say he has spoiled me for any other cat. shel tarling 2007-11-17
When I was littler my stepsister had one of these cats, and when she left to go to college, the cat stayed with me for the five or so years left of her life. (i think she was like thirteen years old when she died.) She was the most beautiful, sweet, & soft cat I've ever had. Her voice was really high-pitched, which made her even cuter. I only remember her getting sick once or twice. She liked being outside a lot, and she'd bring home squirrels and birds. Once, she bit a coral snake right in the freaking heart; now it's in a frame right over the spot where she set it down by the door. She'd fight small dogs, raccoons, and other cats that came near the house, but she was scared of the peacocks. She scratched up the carpet around my bedroom door and this one chair pretty badly, but mostly she used her scratching posts. She always responded to her name and would come here. Lily was a good cat. loop of poop 2007-11-02
Some of the coolest comments:
We have a 12 year old Chocolate Havana Oriental Male Cat. It wasn't until recently that I was informed, by a vet, that this breed of cat of the male gender is quite rare as they tend to be female. He is a delightful cat. He's not that vocal but when he is his voice sounds more like a wolf's howl than a normal cat meow. He's extremely tolerant of our children's overwhelming affection. He loves being outside and tries to get outside particularly at night time. He has very strong dog characteristics often been seen taking walks with us, without a lead, always walking ahead to check that the coast is clear before returning to us briefly only to repeat this routine many times over. He loves his food and until you pick him up doesn't look as though he'd be that heavy, but most of his weight is in muscle. I would recommend this breed as ideal for a house pet and particularly if you have children, they love attention. Zara 2008-12-08

Back to Hybrid Cats