York Chocolate
约克巧克力猫 · Semi-longhair · farm breed (United States) · United States (New York State)
The York Chocolate began with one kitten on a goat dairy farm in Grafton, New York.
%22/><g fill=%22none%22 stroke=%22%23B98A5E%22 stroke-width=%226%22 stroke-linecap=%22round%22 stroke-linejoin=%22round%22 opacity=%220.55%22><path d=%22M150 150c0-28 22-50 50-50s50 22 50 50%22/><path d=%22M150 140l-14-34 34 14%22/><path d=%22M250 140l14-34-34 14%22/><circle cx=%22182%22 cy=%22146%22 r=%224%22 fill=%22%23B98A5E%22/><circle cx=%22218%22 cy=%22146%22 r=%224%22 fill=%22%23B98A5E%22/><path d=%22M200 162c6 6 12 6 18 0%22/></g><text x=%22200%22 y=%22230%22 text-anchor=%22middle%22 font-family=%22system-ui,sans-serif%22 font-size=%2230%22 font-weight=%22700%22 fill=%22%23A9764B%22 opacity=%220.75%22>YC</text></svg>)
Quick facts
- Weight
- 10–16 lb (4.5–7.3 kg); males 6.4–7.3 kg, females 4.5–5.4 kg
- Length
- Body 18–22 in (46–56 cm), tail full and plumed
- Lifespan
- 12–15 years (few records exist)
- Typical price
- No real market — the breed is likely extinct; a private transfer, if one exists, would run $1,500+
Temperament & lifestyle
About the breed
The York Chocolate began with one kitten on a goat dairy farm in Grafton, New York. Brownie was born in 1983 to a black-and-white longhaired farm cat and a solid black longhaired tom, and owner Janet Chiefari noticed the brown cast of her coat. In 1985 Chiefari bred Brownie back to a half-brother and son, and the litter came out chocolate — the founding event of the breed. The dilute lilac appeared in 1990. Selection was for a large, hardy farm cat with a semi-long, silky coat in solid chocolate or lilac, with or without white.
Recognition never widened much. The CFF accepted the breed as experimental in 1990 and published a standard in 1993; the Canadian Cat Association recognised it in 1995 but has since marked the standard dormant; the World Cat Federation recognised it in 2002 and remains the only major registry. There were roughly sixty York Chocolates alive in 2005, ten kittens were born in France between 2005 and 2010, and in 2016 the last active breeder, Debbie Reber, ended her programme. As of 2026 the breed is either extinct or down to a handful of unregistered cats.
A real one was a big, firm-boned cat with a broad head, almond eyes and a plumed tail — and a loud purr used in place of a meow.
Care essentials
- Grooming
- A semi-long coat with a light, non-woolly undercoat: comb twice a week, more in spring. The tail and the ruff are the only places that needed real attention.
- Exercise & play
- Moderate farm-cat energy — a long wand session daily and access to a secure outdoor run if possible. It hunted for a living, so it needs something to stalk.
- Feeding
- Large frame, easy weight gain, especially in males of 7 kg and up. Measure portions and use a food puzzle; free-feeding a cat this size goes wrong quickly.
- Home setup
- Adaptable, but happiest with space and a routine. It was a barn cat, so it tolerated cold and company; a flat works if it has vertical territory.
Health
- No published breed health data — the population was too small and too short-lived for any survey
- Inbreeding — the breed descends from one cat and a single backcross; fertility and litter size were reportedly poor
- Obesity — a large farm frame with a hearty appetite
- Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy — as in most large longhaired breeds, plausible but undocumented here
Anyone offered a "York Chocolate" today should ask for a WCF pedigree with registered ancestors, and expect the answer to be no. Without papers the cat is a chocolate-coloured domestic longhair, which is a perfectly good cat but not evidence the breed survived. If a genuine line does exist, it needs outcrossing and full cardiac and DNA screening before it can be called viable.
Health information here is general and not a substitute for veterinary advice. If your cat shows symptoms, contact a vet.
Frequently asked
Can I still buy a York Chocolate kitten?
Almost certainly not. The last active breeder stopped in 2016, only about sixty cats existed in 2005, and no York Chocolate has appeared in WCF show records for years. Treat any online offer as either a mislabelled chocolate domestic longhair or a scam, and ask for a verifiable pedigree.
What did a York Chocolate look like?
A large, firm-boned semi-longhair, 4.5–7.3 kg, with a broad wedge head, almond-shaped green or gold eyes, a full plumed tail and a light, non-matting undercoat. The colour was solid chocolate or its dilute, lilac, sometimes with white.
Why did the breed fail?
Too few founders and too little demand. It started from one farm cat and a single backcross, never gained CFA or TICA recognition, and stayed a WCF-only breed with a few dozen animals. When the last breeder retired, there was no one left to continue the lines.
