Chantilly

The Chantilly is a semi-long-haired chocolate cat that has been renamed more than once — registered in its time as the Foreign Longhair and the Tiffany — and remains extremely rare.

History

It began in the United States in the 1960s with two chocolate long-haired cats of unknown pedigree, and was long assumed to be a long-haired Burmese, which it is not. The naming confusion did the breed no favours: it nearly disappeared, and the population is still small.

Temperament

The breed is known for being gentle, devoted and quietly communicative, keeping up a low chirping commentary rather than meowing, and preferring its own people to strangers.

Care

The silky semi-long coat has little undercoat and mats less than its length suggests, so regular brushing is enough. The ear tufts and furnishings want occasional attention.

Health

With a population this small there is little breed-specific literature, and a narrow gene pool is the reasonable caution. These are patterns for the breed rather than a forecast for one cat; the measured facts and trait ratings are in the panels.