‹‹Havana

Our collection of Havana cat images features many champions and best of breed. Whether you are a specialist looking for stock images of breed examples, a designer looking for a striking picture, or you're simply a Havana cat fan, we're confident we'll have the image you're looking for.

Our images are from top cat photographers from all over the world.

View all Havana cat images. 

Havana cat overview

Self Brown cats existed in England in the late 1800s but the Havana Brown breed was developed in the UK in the 1950s by crossing a seal point Siamese with a black domestic cat. In 1958, the GCCF (Governing Council of the Cat Fancy) accepted the breed for championship competition under the name Chestnut Brown Foreign. In 1970, the name changed to Havana.

The cat was also known at one time as the Swiss Mountain Cat.
A female reached the USA in the mid-1950s and all North American Havana Browns can trace their ancestry back to this cat. In North America, the breed has maintained the name and the original look of the early imports. 

The Havana is the only cat whose breed standard requires a specific whisker colour. They have a nicely balanced temperament, are very intelligent, affectionate, gently and adaptable. Make good family pets. People-oriented and love human companionship. Requires little grooming and don't shed as much as most other breeds.

Other known names for Havana cat

Havana Brown, Swiss Mountain Cat

Havana cat foreign names

Havanna (German), Habana (Spanish)

Origin

United Kingdom

Breed number/code

No 29 (GCCF)

Biological data

Size
Medium sized cat.
Build
Firm muscular body and an overall moderate body type.
Head is distinctive - it is longer than it is wide, arrowing to a narrow, rounded muzzle with a pronounced break on both sides behind the whisker pads. Described as a corn cob muzzle.
Wide-set ears are large but not flared, rounded at tips and cupped at base. They are tilted forward giving the cat an alert appearance.
Medium-sized, oval eyes are set wide apart.
Legs appear long in proportion to their bodies (more noticeable in females than in more muscular males).
Breed surprisingly heavy for its size.
Hair quality
Coat is smooth and glossy, short to medium in length.
Colours
Rich mahogany brown (only color recognized for showing in CFA)
Lilac (lavender) (dilute colour, which is registerable but can only be shown as Any Other Variety (AOV)).

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Havana cat – Breed standard

The below links are external
TICA, CFA, AACE, ACFA, CCA

Havana cat references and further reading

USA
Havana Brown Cats and Kittens
Havana Brown Breed Council

UK
Havana and Oriental Lilac Club

Please get in touch

If you are an animal photographer, an expert on Havana cats or a breeder, we would love to hear from you. We strive to have all the latest, most helpful and accurate information on our website, but nobody is perfect, so we do ask for your feedback if we can improve our website.

Please get in touch 
Associations and Specialists – We are happy to link to your Havana cat association or specialist area, all we ask is for you to return the favour.
Photographers – Please visit our 'join us' page to learn about working with us.
Experts – Spotted some detail that isn't right? Please email us your thoughts.
Breeders – We work with many great cat photographers such as Helmi Flick, Alan Robinson and Tetsu Yamazaki and we'd love to build our contact list of leading breeders. Who knows when you might get a call. Please email us your details.

Havana cat picture ideas

Featured image

AP-L39JAB - Havana cat
Photo © Animal Photography, Sally Anne Thompson