It has been 47 wonderful years that humans have been enjoying the existence of this delightful breed of cat. To know a Havana is tantamount to falling headover heals in love. The Havana Brown is the most elegant cat God has ever put on the face of the earth and the Havana lilac is the most affectionate.

   Havana owners consider browns the thoroughbred race horses of the feline world and the mink coat with the constant purr! The lilacs may not be as elegant but certainly the most loving and lovable cat of all time.

   The Havana is a man-made breed created by a group of people who sat down and planed a new breed of cat. It is not always possible to successfully pull a cat off the drawing board by genetic engineering but this is literally how the Havana originated. The Baroness von Ullmann. In 1951, planed a new self-chocolate breed and interested Mrs. A. Hargreaves, Mrs. Munro-Smith and Mrs. E. Fisher in working toward the production of such a cat. Mrs. Munro-Smith accidentally produced the first modern self-chocolate in 1952. However, the first planed cat of this color was born in 1953.

   The breed was established by transferring the Siamese chocolate to a solid colored cat, and this was accomplished by crossing a chocolate point Siamese to a black cat of elongated conformation. In the early days Russian Blues also were used, and this may account for the green eyes plus the blue gene which Havanas carry. The blue gene is recessive so both parents must carry it in order to produce lilac Havanas. Havanas must carry two sets of homozygous genes, the chocolate and blue. Therefore, getting a lilac kitten is predictable and breeders should not be embarrassed to admit to the breeding of lilac Havanas.

   The first lilacs born in the Yofranlin Cattery arrived in May 1980 to brown parents, Grand Champion Yofranlin's Vello Castana and Champion Havana Haven's Hombre. A number of breeders say they have never bred a lilac or lavender Havana, but this is a broad statement to make for long-term breeders. There is one chance in four of the possibility of getting lilacs in the litter. The pedigree of my original lilac litter shows that brown to brown for several generations can still produce lilac kittens if both parents are carrying the gene. lilac to lilac breeding produces nothing but lilacs as determined by several years of breeding lilac to lilac. At least two catteries other than Yofranlin have had lilac kittens born to there browns. A Florida cattery advertises occasional lavenders and an Oregon cattery has recently produced it's first lilac kittens.

   The coat texture of the lilac is a bit more plush and does lie as close to the body as does the brown and it does not have the sheen that the brown has. Coat color of both the brown and the lilac must be a true even shade to the roots. The brown is a single coat, short to medium length, smooth, lustrous and close lying. It is a warm brown tending towards red-brown rather than the black-brown of the Burmese. The lilac coat texture is more the texture of the Russian Blue and does not lie as close to the skin as does the brown. The lilac color is a warm color rather than the cold color of the Russian Blue. It has a definite rosy tint and in the horse world be known as a rose beige.

   Havanas are people cats who need and demand a great deal of affection from their humans. Although they are often maligned, they will grow into a very amicable and affectionate cat if they are handled from birth with love and affection.

   Both the browns and lilacs have the same brilliant green eyes that are such a striking feature of the breed. The eyes are oval in shape and should be a good clear bright green, the deeper green the better. The color of the eyes is one of the first features you notice when meeting your first Havana. It is a hardhearted soul, indeed, who can look into the beautiful eyes of a Havana and not succumb into total devotion. They have a pixy look about them when they cock their heads and survey their domain.

   The Havana is a medium sized cat with a foreign body type -- not as long and tubular as the Siamese, but certainly not as cobby as the Burmese. They stand high on their legs with there hind legs higher than the front. The most distinctive and impressive part of the Havana is the unique head which is like no other breed of cat.

   When viewed from above, the head is slightly longer than it is wide. There is a break on either side behind the whisker pads. When the head is viewed in profile, there is a distinct stop at the eyes and the end of the muzzle appears almost square due to a well developed chin. The Havana is the only cat with a double lower lip and looks as though it is smiling all the time. The chin hairs are very sparse, as is the hair on the inside of the ears.

   The muzzle is one of the unusual features if the Havana. The best description is that the muzzle looks like a corn cob stuck on the face. The muzzle is an actual protrusion of the face instead of an extension of the head. The head is not a smooth line, but seems to have a definite break in the bone structure. The muzzle protrudes out, as if stuck on the head. The whisker break is intensified by the sudden protrusion of the cheeks. You can actually feel the protrusion with your fingers when you grasp the muzzle of a Havana.

   The whiskers must be the same color as the coat and it is considered a fault if they do not correspond to coat color. The ears are long and set wide apart, but not flared. They are pricked forward, giving the Havana an alert look. The ears look almost transparent due to the sparse hair covering both inside and outside the ears. The hair sparseness continues from the inside front of the ear to the eyebrow. The ears of the Havana are as expressive as the tail of most other breeds and can be a great weather vain. If you learn to read the "ear language" of the Havana, you will have an instant understanding of this intelligent cat.

   The body which is little-looking, is deceiving as it usually weighs more than it appears, and should be firm and muscular with the appearance of elegance and grace. The tail is medium in length, slender in proportion to the body which is medium in bone structure. As in most breeds, the males are larger than the females. As they jowl out, they tend to loose some of their distinct head features.

   The Havanas will always remain the cat for the connoisseur and one would never expect to see Havanas as popular at shows as Siamese, but Havanas are charming cats, full of character and with an exceptionally sweet and considerate nature. The voice is neither raucous nor effeminate, and although mischievous, Havanas are rarely wantonly destructive. The females especially are super intelligent, and always, whether in repose or in motion, aesthetically pleasing. They will repay a careful upbringing with lifelong friendship and good health. It is a hardy breed and is seldom sick, but care should be taken so a Havana does not become too chilled as they are susceptible to drafts and damp conditions.

   Being so extrovert by nature, Havanas are natural showmen and love a day at a cat show, and enjoy being handled so long as the hand is gentle. Once a rosette is hung, you can see the personality change for then the cat knows really how important and how beautiful he is.

   A hot summer will dapple the coat of a brown, and bleach his tail hairs to a deep ginger tone, but the benefit of the vitamins absorbed from the sunlight will far outweigh any show points he may lose, and the true color will return with the autumn molt.

About the author: Frances Yow is Immediate Past Chairman of the Havana Breed Committee in TICA and is a well known and respected breeder of brown and lilac Havanas. She also is a TICA judge, and is a past editor of the TICA trend.