Some breeders with the sanction of CFA are bastardizing the Havana breed by outcrossing to Oriental Shorthairs! This is stupid, idiotic and downright unethical. This kind of outcross will ruin the Havana breed as we know it and love it!

   Orientals are a foreign body type with a long tubular body, very long legs, a long whippy tail, large flared ears and a Roman profile. They come in every color, including white. They can have every eye color, including odd eyes.

   They may get chocolate brown but down the road they will get other undesirable colors. Within the last month, a breeder put a pedigree on the Internet that showed the use of a blue cream Oriental Shorthair (OSH). Eventually, she will get blues, creams, blue creams and black. Other breeders who use a cat sired or queened by a cat from this breeding will get these colors and just as undesirable will be the Oriental type. We will no longer have the unique features that make the Havana the unusual and outstanding cat that we want in our breed.

   Orientals are beautiful cats and I cannot imagine that OSH breeders will be very happy with an outcross to a Havana. They certainly do not want their breed bastardized, either.

   So please, beware when buying a Havana for breeding purposes. Check the pedigrees carefully and if you see an OSH in the pedigree, no matter how far back, do not buy it. If you do decide to buy it, have the animal altered so it does not contaminate the Havana breed.

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 past editor of the TICA trend.