The Havana Brown is a fairly recent breed of cat, its development having started in England in the 1950’s by a group of fanciers that managed to isolate the gene pool of a self-brown cat. This does not mean that brown cats had not been seen before, because, in fact, they been around for centuries, probably originating in the South West Asia. There is documented evidence that brown cats were shown at a cat show in 1984 as a variety of the Siamese with greeny-blue eyes. However, by the 1920’s the breeding of these cats, sometimes called Swiss Mountain Cats, was discouraged by the Siamese Cat Club of Britain who ruled that all the Siamese cats should always be blue-eyed. The breeding programme adopted by the brown cat enthusiasts in the 1950’s included mating black shorthairs and chocolate point Siameses or seal point Siameses carrying the chocolate gene. Descendants of these experiments were later exported to the USA, were a parallel development programme was pursued. Today, and because the breeding in Great Britain continued to outcross the Havana Brown with Siamese, the original look of the cat has been lost (now looking more like chestnut Oriental Shorthair in type) but was retained in the American variety. Also the name is different, the British opting by “Chestnut Brown” while Americans retained the “Havana Brown” name. There are discrepancies as to the origin of the Havana Brown name: some say the brown cats were named after a rabbit of the same color and others that the breed was named after the famous Havana cigar.

The Havana Brown is medium-sized, semi-foreign, short haired cat, well-balanced and gracefull. His more distinctive features are the shape of the head (slightly longer than it is wide) and of the muzzle and the beautiful, solid mahogany brown colour. It is a heavy cat, in relation to his size, and males are larger and heavier than females. The females’ legs are slimer and daintier. The placement of the eyes, slightly lower on the head than in other breeds, gives the animal an appearance of “superiority”. The body is medium in length, powerfully muscled, neither cobby nor rangy with relatively high legs which are straight, the hind legs being slightly longer than the forelegs. The feet are compact, oval in shape, with five toes in front and four behind. The head, set on a medium neck, is longer than it is wide, narrowing to a somewhat rounded muzzle, which appears to be a protrusion of the head. The nose is broad and prominent and has a definite stop at the eyes. The chin is well-developed, strong, with sparse hair.The medium-sized, oval eyes are green, set wide apart and brilliant with an alert expression. Placement on the head is lower than in other breeds, beginning at the top of nose outward. The ears are large, wide-set but not flaring, round-tipped and pricked slightly forward which gives the breed an alert look. The tail, medium in length and not too broad at the base, is slender, firm, muscular and tapers at the end. The coat is short to medium in length, smooth and soft to touch and with a pronounced glossy sheen. The colour is a rich mahogany-brown.

The Havana Brown is an outgoing and playful breed, very people-oriented and extremely intelligent. Nothing seems to frighten this curious cat, who rushes to investigate something that would have put other cats on the run. The Havana Brown is a quick learner, can be trained to go out on a leash and do not mind travelling by car or plane. This breed keeps its playfull nature well into adulthood. They are highly adaptable, but should not be left alone for long periods of time. Working families should provide the cat with plenty of toys and a scratching post. The Havana Brown enjoys eating more than anything else and will not mind eating his food and that of other cats if given the opportunity. Therefore, when there are other cats in the household, owners should consider feeding them separately. This breed is gentle and amenable to handling and is generally good with children making a superb companion.