UK Tiffanie, Australian Tiffanie, Tiffany, Chantilly, Long Haired Burmilla, NZ Tiffany

For people outside the cat fancy the breed descriptions and standards can seem confusing. One of the more complicated areas is differentiating between the breeds mentioned above. This page is an attempt to try and clarify the situation.

UK Tiffanie (LH Burmilla)

The Burmilla was originally the result of an accidental mating between a Lilac Burmese cat and a Persian Chinchilla in 1981. The Burmilla is a short haired cat. However, the Burmilla carries a recessive long haired gene. In the mid 1980s this recessive gene showed itself in long haired Burmillas when short haired Burmillas were bred together. Eventually interest was shown in these cats and a breed created. The cat is called a “Tiffanie” in the UK. I have added the prefix “UK” for the sake of this discussion. This cat breed was granted provisional status with the GCCF in 1999.

Australian Tiffanie

I have mentioned the long haired Burmilla above in describing the UK Tiffanie. This cat is the result of mating a long haired Burmilla with a Persian Chinchilla. The breed is called the “Australian Tiffanie”. This breed is recognized by the Waratah Cat Alliance. Because of the small gene pool, the Waratah Cat Alliance allows outcrossing to the Chinchilla Persian (Silver & Golden) and Long haired Burmillas. The breed is Persian Chinchilla based.

The Australian Tiffanie differs from the Long haired Burmilla in the following ways:

1. The head is broader;
2. The ears are smaller and set wider apart;
3. The nose is shorter;
4. The legs are shorter;
5. The body is more substantial;
6. The coat is longer;
7. The Australian Tiffanie has a quieter temperament.

Long haired Burmilla

This is a cat breed that is sometimes confused with the Australian Tiffanie. Although both the Australian Tiffanie and the Long haired Burmilla have the same origins the breeding program diverged some years ago leading to a different emphasis.

Whereas the Australian Tiffanie is a Persian Chinchilla based cat the Long haired Burmilla is a Burmilla based cat. The CFA recognize this breed and don’t allow outcrossing to Chinchilla Persian. This breed is recognized by the NSW Cat Fanciers Association.

New Zealand Tiffany or Tiffanie

This cat breed has the same body conformation and temperament as the Burmese. The difference is that this is a medium longhaired cat. The breed is Burmese based.  To add to the confusion the New Zealand Cat Fancy call this cat “Tiffany” and one of the breeders they refer to calls the cat “Tiffanie”. This may be because the name was recently changed to “Tiffany”. NZ recently recognized the LH Burmilla. 

Tiffany

This is a mahogany colored American and Canadian breed of cat that originates from about 1967. The breed was either “discovered” or breed by crossing Foreign Longhair/Angora, Havana, and Abyssinian cats. The breed is rare and recognized by the American Cat Fanciers Association (ACFA) as an experimental breed. Read more and see nice pictures: Tiffany cat.

Chantilly

This is another name for the Tiffany mentioned above. The name was created to differentiate the North American cat called “Tiffany” from the UK cat called “Tiffanie”. The name is used as an alternative name.

UK Tiffanie, Australian Tiffanie, Tiffany, Chantilly, Long Haired Burmilla, NZ Tiffany – Sources: various websites and a debt is owed to Tatiana Lenton of Kaamari Katz.