Note: I used to have photographs on this page of a Tiffany cat whose name was Arthur. His photographs were published with the kind permission of his human guardian – Marianne. Unfortunately, the pictures have been lost because Google hosted the pictures and for some inexplicable reason the pictures disappeared. An error must have taken place on the Google server. This is mainly my fault for putting the pictures on a Google server and not on the server hosting this website. I apologise for this error. I hope the words are still useful.
The page is divided into sections for tech reasons. Links at base of page to next section.
If the “discovery” story is to be taken as fact then this cat breed is as natural a breed as the other well-known natural breeds such as the Norwegian Forest cat and Maine Coon to name a couple. Except the moment of “discovery” happened more recently, in 1967.
As is often the case the history is a little cloudy. I feel the history of a cat breed’s creation and development is quite important as to a certain extent, it defines the breed. This is particularly so in the case of the Thai (a traditional type Siamese), for example.
My reading of the history of the Tiffany cat is that either this cat is a discovered cat (in 1967) and bred from thereon, or the breed is the creation of crossing Foreign Longhair/Angora, Havana, and Abyssinian cats.
In 1967 a cattery owner, Jennie Robinson, bought two young semi-foreign long haired chocolate-colored cats, one male and one female as part of the sale of an entire estate (this may have been on the death of the previous keeper). These two cats mated and in “breeding true” all the offspring where the same as their parents. The color is a “self color” (solid color with no banding on the hair shafts).
In Canada in 1973, and running almost in parallel with the USA creation/development of this breed, it is said that the same type of cat, of unknown ancestry, as had happened in the USA, turned up at the home of a Canadian. Thus began the Tiffany cat’s history in Canada, from which point, breeders began to develop the breed.
A visitor, Ricardo Delgado, asked, “What is the difference between the York Chocolate and Tiffany cats?” – Not much and I don’t know!
I suspected my cat was a Tiffiny. Our cat Shadow was hanging out in our back yard. My husband and I already had a cat and was concerned about him. He would not come to us but did continue to hang out way back on our very large property. Finally one day my husband called me out to the garage and said he had something for me. I walked out and OH MY GOSH!!
There he was; a very hungry, very skinny and the most beautiful cat I had ever seen! My husband knew I had been very concerned about him but we couldn’t catch the poor thing. He finally decided to come into our garage because he was so hungry.
We allowed in into our home but because he was not used to being around people he never left my side. The first day he would not leave my feet and he thought I was too close to him and he did bite me because he was scared. I did have to go to hospital and they were very upset because we took in a stray! I knew he was just scared and but we adopted him and welcomed him into our home.
End of story: he’s is ours! When we took him to the vet to get fixed even though he was so thin they had to use 2 collars put together to go around his neck. I knew at that time he was going to be a big cat. Shadow is huge but a gentle giant. His fur is pitch black but when sunlight shines on him it has beautiful hints of red. He is just beautiful. Oh yes and his eyes!!!! He has the biggest paws I have ever seen on a cat. He has very large teeth as well. All who see him love him. Don’t forget that lovely main like around his neck and that beautiful full tail.
He is excellent with children. He does not shy away from people and will simply walk away when he’s had enough.
I am very grateful he came to our house we just love him.
Thanks for sharing your Tiffany cat story so elegantly and well done in adopting them.
I to have a beautiful pair of these cats that adopted me one day when they were about 5 weeks old .they were wild born and their mother went out one might and never came back ( I had found a big black coyote had gotten to a few nights before) and next thing I know have this little black fur ball ball between my feet meowing away up at me , and another one crawling out a hole in the wall of an abandoned building making twice the noise letting me know he was here to . Well I couldn’t just leave hungry little kittens like that. so put them in canvas bag and took them to my ladyfriends to get them fed good and take them to humane society next day .they had other plans for me though and here 5 yrs. Later almost to the day still do . I have no idea what they plan for me next but their beguiling ways and loving nature’s have been such an appreciated gift to our lives let them do as they will they more than deserve it . . Oh and did I mention they are gorgeous !! always keeping their luxurious coats combed and shiny , never messed up or dull . Guess I’m going on a bit about this breed because that’s what they are , a well put together one for it to stand up to less than pure lines mixed in and still have such strong and consistently recognizable traits and intelligent loving nature’s I I have not seen very many of these cats only one other live one , and the rest pictured here or there in cat fancier magazines but it only takes one glance at these charming cats to recognize them as tiffanys . A very well done mix , and my hats off to the people who brought them into the world.
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She has that Tiffany look! The Tiffany is a difficult breed to place because the breed comes from random bred cats. She is gorgeous. Superbly attractive. She is one of the WOW cats.
Wow at first when I got my cat, I thought oh she’s just a domestic cat with a different look. And every month that went by I kept thinking something was different about her she has her own unique look that I have yet to seen. Maybe she is mixed. Maybe she is a chantilly. Which I hope she is, she’s my world and that would make her that much more special. She is about 8 months now.
He has the “Tiffany look”. The Tiffany is rather a rare and strange cat breed. A breed born out of random bred cats.