Chocolate Division Colors: A CFA Timeline

March 2024
| Chocolate & Lilac, History of the Cat
| By Kathy Durdick, Ristokat Himalayans & Persians

Himalayan Colors:

The Himalayans were the first Persian Division to include the chocolate family colors… since the colors came in from the original Siamese crosses. The Chocolate Point and Lilac Point were two of the original 4 colors the Himalayans accepted, just as the Siamese. Other colors were accepted over the next 35 years.

Himalayan Division
Color	Board Meeting Acceptance	Show Season First Effective
Chocolate Point	12/14/1957	1958-59
Lilac Point	12/14/1957	1958-59
Chocolate Tortie Point	2/14/1987	1987-88
Lilac-Cream Point	2/14/1987	1987-88
Chocolate Lynx Point	2/12/1994	1994-95
Lilac Lynx Point	2/12/1994	1994-95
Chocolate Tortie Lynx Point	2/12/1994	1994-95
Lilac-Cream Lynx Point	2/12/1994	1994-95
First Chocolate Point GC GC Ha-Lee Nutmeg – 1968-69 show season First Lilac Point GC GC Hsing Lotus – 1976-77 show season First Lilac-Cream Point GC GC Kutzikoo Lilac Cloud – 10/3/1998 First Chocolate Lynx Point GC GC Protocol’s S’Mores – 4/10/1999 First Chocolate Point GP GP Foxy’s Chocolate Chip – 6/18/1988 First Lilac Point GP GP Felival Liberace In Lilac – 12/6/2008 First Chocolate Tortie Point GP CH, GP Choc’Sugaw Sugaree – 1/8/2005 First Chocolate Point RW GC, RW Cactusway’s Chocolate Dream – 7th Best Cat, Southwest, 1980-81 First Lilac Point RW GC, RW Yo-Mans Amazing Grace – 14th Best Kitten, Northwest, 1997-98

Solid Colors:

The solid chocolates and lilacs had a tough road… They were not even recognized for showing until 1981, and at that point, the Board accepted them to the show bench as a SOLID color class of the HIMALAYAN breed! The first lilac granded the following year, in 1982 – and then a few months later, the Board rescinded its decision, and the chocolates and lilacs were no longer showable. In 1984, when the Himalayan breed was merged with the Persian breed, the chocolates and lilacs were given recognition again, as part of the solid division.

Solid Division
Color	Board Meeting Acceptance	Show Season First Effective
Chocolate	2/21/1981 2/18/1984	1981-82 as part of Himalayan breed 1984-85 as part of Solid division
Lilac	2/21/1981 2/18/1984	1981-82 as part of Himalayan breed 1984-85 as part of Solid division
First Chocolate GC GC Cactusway’s Chocolate Bruiser – 4/11/1992 First Chocolate GP CH, GP Cactusway’s BrownSugar of Kissncats – 12/6/1997 First Chocolate RW GC, RW Foxy Lucy Brown – 7th Best Cat, Midwest, 1995-96 First Lilac GC GC Lyka’s Shadowbox – 3/13/1982 First Lilac RW GC, RW Foxy Lavender Lucy – 5th Best Kitten, Midwest, 1996-97

Parti-Colors:

The Parti division was the next to have the chocolate colors added to it. The proposals to add Chocolate Tortoiseshell and Lilac-Cream to the division were presented to the Board in 1987, 1990, 1991, 1992 and voted down each time. Finally, in 1993, they were accepted.

Parti-Color Division
Color	Board Meeting Acceptance	Show Season First Effective
Chocolate Tortoiseshell	2/12/1993	1993-94
Lilac-Cream	2/12/1993	1993-94
First Chocolate Tortie GP CH, GP Kissncats Touched By An Angel – 12/4/2010 First Lilac-Cream GC GC Fur Pleasure’s Lucky, DM – 3/14/1998 First Lilac-Cream DM GC Fur Pleasure’s Lucky, DM – earned 6/2/2001

Bi-Colors:

The Bicolor division took an interesting route, adding in their chocolate family colors in fits and starts….

The first to be voted on were the “solid” and “parti” with white — ie, chocolate & white, lilac & white, chocolate calico, and lilac calico. These colors were presented to the Board in 1990, 1992, 1993, and 1994 and voted down each time – then, in 1995, they were finally accepted.

Next came the chocolate calico smoke and lilac calico smoke. These 2 colors were accepted on the first try, in 1997.

In 1999, when the chocolate tabbies/lilac tabbies were accepted in the tabby division, they were also accepted into the bicolors automatically, due to the wording of the standard. The bicolor standard lists the other tabby & white class as being “all currently established tabby patterns with the addition of white”.

The final addition to the bicolors was quite recent, with the addition of chocolate smoke & white and lilac smoke & white in 2008 – oddly enough, 11 years after the other chocolate smoke family colors were accepted.

Bicolor Division
Color	Board Meeting Acceptance	Show Season First Effective
Chocolate & White	2/11/1995	1995-96
Lilac & White	2/11/1995	1995-96
Chocolate Calico	2/11/1995	1995-96
Lilac Calico	2/11/1995	1995-96
Chocolate Calico Smoke	2/1/1997	1997-98
Lilac Calico Smoke	2/1/1997	1997-98
Chocolate Smoke & White	2/1/2008	2008-09
Lilac Smoke & White	2/1/2008	2008-09
Chocolate Tabby & White	2/6/1999	1999-2000
Chocolate Patched Tabby & White	2/6/1999	1999-2000
Lilac Tabby & White	2/6/1999	1999-2000
Lilac Patched Tabby & White	2/6/1999	1999-2000
First Chocolate & White GC GC Cocobella Choccosmos of 23rd Avenue – 3/9/2019 First Lilac & White GC GC Ceylon’s Color Me Crazy – 4/24/2010 First Chocolate Tabby & White GC GC 23rd Avenue Soul Jacker – 4/8/2017

Tabby Colors:

The chocolate/lilac tabby colors were presented to the Board in 1997 and 1998 and voted down both times – finally, in 1999, they were accepted.

Tabby Division
Color	Board Meeting Acceptance	Show Season First Effective
Chocolate Tabby	2/6/1999	1999-2000
Chocolate Patched Tabby	2/6/1999	1999-2000
Lilac Tabby	2/6/1999	1999-2000
Lilac Patched Tabby	2/6/1999	1999-2000
First Chocolate Tabby GC GC Featherland’s Weird Science – 4/21/2001 First Chocolate Tabby RW GC, RW Gorbe Irani Rocky Road of Jude – 7th Best Cat, Gulf Shore, 2002-03

Smoke Colors:

The chocolate lilac smoke colors were presented to the board in 2009, and voted down at that time… despite the fact that all those colors “with white” were accepted to the bicolor division in 2008!! In 2012, they were again presented to the board, and this time around, they were accepted.

Smoke Division
Color	Board Meeting Acceptance	Show Season First Effective
Chocolate Smoke	2/4/2012	2012-2013
Chocolate Tortoiseshell Smoke	2/4/2012	2012-2013
Lilac Smoke	2/4/2012	2012-2013
Lilac-Cream Smoke	2/4/2012	2012-2013
At this time, we are still waiting on the first smoke grands in the chocolate family….

Article copyright © PandEcats.com. All Rights Reserved. Photos copyrighted by the individual photographers.
Copying or redistribution of this article is strictly prohibited without the express written permission of PandEcats.com.

“There are many intelligent species in the universe. They are all owned by cats.”
*Author Unknown