Chantilly (cat)

In 1967, New York breeder Jennie Robinson purchased two kittens, Thomas and Shirley, with golden eyes and chocolate coats at a garage sale. The relationship between Thomas and Shirley is poorly established: it is possible that they are half-brothers. Jennie Robinson estimates Shirley's, the female's, age at six months and Thomas's age at a little over a year. The true origin of the kittens is unclear, they are generally considered to be of undetermined breed. According to research conducted by Tracy Oraas in the late 1980s, they may have been the result of crosses carried out in the United Kingdom to obtain the Angora breed. In 1969, Shirley gave birth to a first litter of six kittens, all chocolate color. Jennie Robinson and her veterinarian were impressed by the beautiful color of the kittens and the breeder decided to launch a breeding program in her cattery with the prefix 'Neotype'. The first subjects of this new breed were registered under the name 'foreign longhair' by the American Cat Association (ACA) in the early 1970s.

Character traits are not described in the standards and constitute temperaments generally observed in the breed. Breeders nickname the breed 'The Chocoholics Delight'. The Chantilly character is described as tempered, midway between the placidity of the Persian and the dynamism of oriental cats such as the Siamese. Its pleasant and communicative voice is compared to chirps or mewls. Faithful and loyal, the Chantilly would become strongly attached to its owner and would show distant behavior towards strangers. Not very mischievous, it needs a calm environment. Sociable, it could live in the company of dogs, children and other cats. The Chantilly can be affected by anxiety if it is left alone too often. Described as being able to show affection without being excessive, the Chantilly is considered by the petmedsonline.com website as the tenth friendliest cat breed.

The Chantilly is a graceful, medium-sized, slender and elegant cat of semi-foreign medium-boned type. The bone structure and musculature are medium, females weigh between 3 and 4 kg, males between 4 and 5 kg. The limbs, medium-sized, are muscular but not stocky. The hairs form a ruff around the neck. The tail is plumed and equal in length to the body. The medium-sized head is triangular in shape with rounded curves with slight flattening. The nose is slightly tilted, the muzzle is short and broad, slightly square in shape, with a slight stop, the cheekbones high and wide. The medium-sized ears are wide at the base and rounded at the tip. For the AFC / CCA, the tufts of hair in the Chantilly's ears are a distinctive feature of the breed. The eyes are yellow, preferably golden to amber, the gaze should be expressive. The shape of the eyes is oval, slightly oblique. The coat is silky and semi-long. The color should be rich, without any spots, judged as an intolerable fault. The accepted colors are chocolate (the most common), but also blue, lilac, fawn and cinnamon. The AFC / CCA and the Traditional Cat Association (TCA) accept black. Only tabby and solid patterns are accepted.

The Chantilly does not require much care. It has virtually no undercoat and shedding is minimal; however, the coat should be brushed or combed daily, paying particular attention to the ruff around the neck and the hindquarters. It can quickly become matted and tangled. Although no cat is without free allergens (even the Sphynx which is almost completely hairless), the Chantilly sheds very little hair, even less once brushed, and people with low allergies would do better with this breed. The only point of particular attention is the ear: the Chantilly has ears where earwax can accumulate. Checking each ear once a week, at the same time as brushing or combing and dental care, will be sufficient to keep the auditory canal healthy.