Chantilly-Tiffany cat breed: facts, temperament and care

About the Chantilly-Tiffany

The Chantilly-Tiffany is a semi-longhaired cat that began in North America. In 1967 a woman in New York bought a pair of long-haired chocolate cats, called Thomas and Shirley, at an estate sale, and she began to breed them in the 1970s. Early cats were registered as Foreign Longhairs, and a later breeder in Florida renamed them Tiffany. In the late 1980s other breeders revived the line and renamed it Chantilly in 1992. Many cat lovers now use the double name.

The breed has always been tiny in number. It nearly died out in the late 1980s and again in the late 2000s, and a fire in 2012 destroyed the last known cattery in the United States. Published accounts describe the breed as extinct since about 2015, with no intact cats or breeding programme known as of 2024. TICA's records show only a handful of cats ever registered in its experimental class.

The cat was medium in size, with a semi-long, silky, soft coat and no undercoat. It matured slowly, taking one to two years to show full coat and colour. The original colour was chocolate, later joined by blue, lilac, cinnamon and fawn, in solid, mackerel, ticked and spotted tabby patterns. Adults weighed about 5.5 to 11 pounds.

Temperament and living with one

Almost nothing independent is recorded about the temperament of the breed, and the scores for the breed are neutral estimates for a medium-sized semi-longhaired companion cat. Breeders who worked with it described a gentle, sociable cat. Because the line survives only in a few mixed-breed descendants, if at all, no one can reliably promise those traits in a living cat.

Care: coat, food and play

Accounts of grooming differ. Some say the coat was easy to keep and shed little. Others report that some cats over-groomed, pulled out their hair and developed bald patches or hairballs, and recommend brushing every other day. Any cat sold under this name today should be treated with caution.

Health

No breed-specific health data exists. A cat claimed to be a Chantilly-Tiffany needs an ordinary vet check, with the usual vaccinations, parasite control and dental care. Ask for proof of lineage from a recognised registry. Hair loss, skin irritation or repeated hairballs are reasons to see a vet.

Is it right for you?

Because no breeding programme is known, the Chantilly-Tiffany is mainly a record of a breed that came and went. The name is also often confused with the Tiffanie, an unrelated British semi-longhaired cat. If you want a medium-length silky coat in a similar size, look at the Tiffanie, the Oriental Longhair or the Balinese. If a seller offers a Chantilly-Tiffany kitten, ask for registry papers and be cautious.