Chocolate cat
Also called: Brown cat, Havana, Chocolate-coloured cat, Brown.
A warm, even brown, like milk chocolate or coffee. It is an uncommon colour in ordinary non-pedigree cats and typical of a few breeds, especially the Havana Brown and the Oriental.
What it looks like
Even brown from root to tip, with a pinkish brown nose and paw pads and, often, green or gold eyes. In tabbies, the pattern is chocolate brown on a lighter background. In colourpoints, it gives the Siamese “chocolate point”.
The genetics, made simple
Black depends on a gene with three versions: the normal one gives black, the chocolate version (recessive) gives dark brown and the cinnamon version (even more recessive) gives a reddish brown. To be chocolate, a cat needs two copies of chocolate, or one of chocolate and one of cinnamon. With dilution, chocolate becomes lilac. Because it is recessive and rare among street cats, almost all chocolate cats are pedigrees or descend from them.
Myths and what science says
“My black cat is chocolate”
Many black cats look brown in the sun or with age. The difference is in the nose and paw pads: black in a black cat; pinkish brown in a chocolate.
Fun facts
- The Havana Brown owes its name, according to the most repeated version, to the colour of Havana cigars (or to the Havana rabbit, which has the same shade).
- In Oriental terminology, solid chocolate is called “havana”.
- The Siamese “seal” is not chocolate but black, restricted to the points by the colourpoint gene.
Does it affect its health?
The colour does not cause disease.
Breeds where it appears or is typical
This coat turns up in plenty of moggies. These are breeds where it is common, characteristic or accepted; under each one, the colours the breed comes in.
Havana Brown
Oriental · United Kingdom / United States
Warm chocolate brown (and lilac in some registries); green eyes
Oriental Shorthair
Oriental · United Kingdom
Over 300 combinations: solids, tabby, smoke, silver, bicolours…
British Shorthair
Shorthair · United Kingdom
Blue (the classic), black, white, cream, lilac, chocolate, silver, golden, bicolours, colourpoint…
Burmese
Oriental · Myanmar (Burma) / United States
Sable (brown), chocolate, blue and lilac; in Europe also red, cream and tortie
Persian
Persian · Iran / United Kingdom
Almost all: white, black, blue, cream, chinchilla, golden, bicolour, tortoiseshell…
Siamese
Oriental · Thailand
Colourpoint: seal, chocolate, blue and lilac (plus others depending on the registry)
Devon Rex
Rex & hairless · United Kingdom
All, including colourpoint
Frequently asked questions
Are there brown cats?
Yes, although they are uncommon outside a few breeds. They are called chocolate (or cinnamon, if the shade is reddish).
How can I tell if my cat is chocolate or black?
Look at the nose and paw pads: black in a black cat, pinkish brown in a chocolate.
Which cat breed is brown?
The best known is the Havana Brown. There are also chocolate Orientals, British Shorthairs, Burmese and Persians.
Educational content from Michipedia. The genetics of coat colour are simplified so they are easy to follow; colour tells you nothing about the personality of a particular cat.