Profile
Section 5 – BURMESE – Group 2
The Suffolk Chocolate is one of the newest breeds of cat accepted for registration in June 2014 by the GCCF. It has been developed over the past ten years by two dedicated Traditional Havana breeders who both live in Suffolk. It is available in Chocolate, and it’s recessive colour, Lilac.
It is a charming beautiful cat, with a sleek shiny coat and vivid green eyes. They were made for our modern lifestyle, and are equally at home in a London Penthouse, or a tiny cottage in the country. Their temperament will change your life for ever.
History
The Suffolk Chocolate was created in direct response to the extreme modernisation of the U.K. Havana. The Havana began life in the 1950’s, destined for the Foreign bench. It was created to be a breed in its own right by a group of dedicated breeders who wanted a self brown cat of 1950’s Siamese type. Due to a variety of reasons it never got further than F3, and the gene pool was split. Cats were sent to the USA, where they became American Havana Browns. The Havanas that remained in Britain had an insufficient gene pool and had to be bred to Siamese and other self cats, thus creating the Oriental as it is now known today. Since 2007 a group of Havana breeders have extracted the best genes from the existing bloodlines in Britain. With like to like matings and the inclusion of an European Havana Brown, which originated from our British bloodlines – the Suffolk Chocolate was born, achieving new breed status in 2014, and reaching Preliminary level in 2016.
Personality
The Suffolk Chocolate has a dog like character, and is devoted to its owner and family. It is extremely talkative, brave, and very happy to accompany its owner on their travels, even wearing a harness. They make an ideal house cat, as they prefer the company of their owner, rather than being left to wander. As kittens they never use their claws, and comically fall off things. They have endless patience, and make ideal children’s companions. They are highly intelligent, and extremely nosey. They are the first to meet and greet any visitors to your home. They love to ‘play fetch’ and will do this for hours on end. They also make excellent hairdressers. The Suffolk Chocolate integrates well with other cat breeds, and enjoys the companionship of dogs.
Care
As with all cats, the Suffolk Chocolate needs a balanced diet to maintain its exceptionally shiny coat. Foods that contain oils such as mackerel, tuna etc are highly beneficial to their well being. Their weight needs to be carefully monitored as some of them have a tendency to overeat. Their coat is low shedding, single in texture and very easy to look after. They are quite happy to be brushed, bathed and polished with a silk scarf – especially useful when preparing for a show. They are a medium sized cat, the females weigh approx 3 kilos, and the males 4-5 kilos.
Health
The Suffolk Chocolate is a robust cat and to date has shown no inherent diseases. As the gene pool originates mainly from the Oriental, it is possible that they may be prone to certain conditions that affect this breed.
