Fun York Chocolate Cat Facts For Kids

The York Chocolate cat is a breed of cat first discovered in America in 1983 by a woman named Janet Chiefari. The cat is named after the place it was born, the town of Grafton in the state of New York.

The word 'chocolate' in its name comes from its fur coat color, which is chocolate brown or sometimes a lighter lavender or lilac color. The York Chocolate cat has a sturdy body, a joyous temperament, and is very friendly, playful, and cuddly.

It is highly energetic and sociable, even with children, though it does get shy with strangers. It lives for 13-15 years and is known to cost $500-$1,200.

The York Chocolate cat is not a widely, officially recognized cat breed, with only some popularity with organizations in the USA, Canada, Italy, and Germany. There are no official breeders or even registered York Chocolates in the world.

For more relatable content, check out these Asian golden cat facts and Pallas' cat facts for kids.

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York Chocolate Cat Interesting Facts

What type of animal is a York Chocolate cat?

The York Chocolate cat is a cat.

What class of animal does a York Chocolate cat belong to?

The York Chocolate cat belongs to the Mammalia class of animals.

How many York Chocolate cats are there in the world?

Since they are a domestic breed, the exact number of York Chocolates in the world is unknown. There are no registered York Chocolates in the world.

Where does a York Chocolate cat live?

The York Chocolate cat is a relatively new breed that was originally bred by Janet Chiefari in the town of Grafton in the American state of New York using a black and white longhaired barn cat, Blacky, and a longhaired tomcat, Smokey.

One of the kittens in the litter was Brownie, the original York Chocolate cat. Brownie was a brown-white female and Brownie herself gave birth to Teddy Bear, a brown male, and Cocoa, a brown-white female.

Through multiple and sustained breeding efforts, this breed later came to Canada and subsequently the European countries of Germany, Russia, Italy, and many others.

What is a York Chocolate cat's habitat?

The York Chocolate cat lives in the home of its human owners. Abandoned cats also live as stray cats in urban areas. And through their natural predisposition, York Chocolates may also survive in deserts and forests, but this is very rare.

Who do York Chocolate cats live with?

York Chocolates mostly live with the house members of their human family/owners. The York Chocolate cat also has a history of living peacefully with other cat and dog pets.

How long does a York Chocolate cat live?

A York Chocolate cat lives for around 13-15 years, with some living up to 20 years.

How do they reproduce?

York Chocolate cats reproduce by breeding and giving birth to live young. The breeding of the York Chocolate cat with other breeds is not allowed and the number of kittens in a given litter is usually three.

What is their conservation status?

Since this is a domestic cat species and a relatively new breed, the conservation status of the York Chocolate cat has not been evaluated by the IUCN.

York Chocolate Cat Fun Facts

What do York Chocolate cats look like?

York Chocolate cats are medium to large cats with an overall oblong shape. They have rounded chests and short to medium necks.

One of their notable characteristics is their sturdy frames. Their rump is higher than their shoulders and male cats tend to be more muscular, heavy-boned, and bigger than females. York Chocolate cats have medium-sized, wedge-shaped heads that are longer than they are wide.

They have rounded muzzles, slightly rounded skulls, and their noses have a slight dip. Their ears are large and pointed, broad at the base, and are seen tilting forward.

Their ears also have a little hair on the outside. The eyes of York Chocolate cats are medium-sized and almond-shaped, they slant towards the nose slightly and conform with the head's wedge line. They are set apart by one eye length.

The color of their eyes can be golden-yellow, green, blue, hazel, aquamarine, or even dichroic. The legs of York Chocolate cats are muscly and medium-long.

Their forelegs are slightly shorter than their hind legs. Their paws are round, lightly tufted, and large. Their tails are medium or long, tapered, full, and have rounded ends.

The length of the coats of York Chocolate cats is medium-long. Their coat is smooth, glossy, soft, and silky. There is no woolly undercoat.

Their facial hair is shorter as is the hair on their belly and lower legs. The hair is longer on their back, sides, and upper legs. Their ears and toes are tufted and there is also some frontal ruff.

The color of York Chocolate cats can be solid chocolate or brown, lavender or lilac, chocolate and white, or lavender and white. Kittens tend to be much lighter in color than adult cats, with some tipping and barring also present.

How cute are they?

York Chocolate cats are one of the cutest and most affectionate cat breeds. They are very friendly, physical, active, and have fluffy, luxurious, soft coats. They are a beautiful brown color which sometimes looks black.

They are medium to long-sized cats, which makes them the perfect cuddle companions, and they do love cuddling! They show their human owners lots of love and are very playful, curious, and smart.

They also have beautiful eyes that are golden or different shades of blue or green. These feline animals have a sweet temperament. They sometimes act shy with strangers and are quick to become friendly with dogs and children.

How do they communicate?

York Chocolate cats, much like other cats, communicate via vocal sounds (hissing, purring, and meowing) and via body language. Being cats, one of their characteristics is high levels of intelligence. They actually use vocal sounds to communicate more with humans than other cats.

They may purr when they're happy, in pain, or anxious. These feline animals meow to get what they want.

And when cats move their tails back and forth, it means they're angry. They may also rub up against humans sometimes. This may be to transfer their scent and mark their territory by rubbing their scent glands which are present on their jaws, cheeks, and near their tails, on their favorite human!

How big is a York Chocolate cat?

The York Chocolate cat is 12-14 in (30.5-35.6 cm) long and 8-12 in (20.3-30.5 cm) tall which makes it twice as big as the Singapura cat and between five and seven times smaller than the Siberian tiger.

How fast can a York Chocolate cat run?

Much like other domestic cats, the York Chocolate cat can run at a top speed of 30 mph (48.3 kph).

How much does a York Chocolate cat weigh?

The York Chocolate cat's weight is anywhere between 9-18 lb (4.1-8.2 kg).

What are the male and female names of the species?

A male York Chocolate cat is called a 'tom' or a 'tom cat'. A female York Chocolate cat is called either a 'molly' or a 'queen'. The female is called a 'queen' when she is about to give birth because the birthing process of cats is called 'queening'.

What would you call a baby York Chocolate cat?

A baby York Chocolate cat would be called a 'kitten'.

What do they eat?

Being obligate carnivores, York Chocolate cats naturally prefer meat and fish. Their diet can be supplemented with plants, fruits, and vegetables too.

They are exceptional at hunting rodents like mice as part of their diet. When living near the habitats of wild animals, York Chocolate cats may face threats of predation from animals like domestic dogs, coyotes, foxes, alligators, mountain lions, snakes, and crocodiles.

If you are the owner of a York Chocolate cat, the amount of food you give them depends on the cat's physical activity level and size. Active and large cats require more food than smaller, sedentary cats.

This cat breed can become overweight sometimes. As far as wet and dry foods go, an owner can give these cats either or a combination of both. Fresh drinking water should be supplied with all dry food.

Are they dangerous?

No, York Chocolate cats are not dangerous at all. They are affectionate, friendly, playful, and very cuddly.

Would they make a good pet?

Yes, York Chocolate cats would make excellent pets. They are beautiful, mild-mannered, active, and friendly. These chocolate brown cats are even-tempered and quickly get familiar with pets like dogs as well as children.

They are relatively easy to feed and take care of and they sometimes act shy with strangers. They will not stop cuddling you! They also need regular grooming since they are longhaired, black to brown cats.

Did you know...

York Chocolate cats can cost anywhere between $500- 1,200. You can buy them today, they are not extinct.

After 1989, Janet Chiefari began making efforts to have the Chocolate York become a certified breed by recruiting family and friends. In 1992, the York Chocolate was given championship status by the Cat Fanciers Federation (CFF). In Canada, the York Chocolate received championship status from the Canadian Cat Association (CCA) in 1995.

The very first York Chocolate cats were named Brownie, Minky, Cocoa, and Teddy Bear. Brownie, the first York Chocolate had a black and white mother and a black father.

Is the York Chocolate cat hypo allergic?

If people have allergies, they may face some challenges with a longhaired cat like the York Chocolate cat. There isn't really a truly hypoallergenic cat, but allergens around the home can be kept in check by regular grooming of the cat and vacuuming up the hair after grooming.

York Chocolate cats are themselves not known to suffer from many illnesses and conditions. They may face the same medical conditions as other cats like cancer, heart problems, obesity, periodontal disease, and kidney issues.

What is the rarest color for a cat?

One of the rarest colors for a cat is indeed the color possessed by the York Chocolate cat and not many other breeds, which is a rich chocolate brown. York Chocolate cats are also known to be lilac or lavender colored, which is another rare color for cat breeds.

Other rare colors for cats include cinnamon, chinchilla, cream, smoke, and fawn.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other mammals from our Arabian stallion surprising facts and German Sheprador fun facts pages.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable Seychellois cat coloring pages.