What Is an Asian Semi-Longhair (Tiffanie), and How Does It Differ From the Chantilly-Tiffany?

The Asian Semi-Longhair, which the GCCF also registers as the Tiffanie, is the semi-long-coated member of the British Asian group: a cat of Burmese type whose longer coat came from Chinchilla Persian ancestry. Its name is close enough to the American Chantilly-Tiffany that the two are often treated as one breed, although they come from separate cats on separate continents.

Why Do People Confuse the Tiffanie and the Chantilly-Tiffany?

Two breeds share nearly identical names:

The Chantilly-Tiffany began in New York in 1967. Its last breeding tom died in 2015 and the last breeding queen was sterilised soon after, so a kitten offered as a Chantilly-Tiffany today cannot come from the historic breed. The Tiffanie is a British breed that remains part of the GCCF Asian group and is still bred.

They are separate breeds from separate breeding programmes, and a description written about one does not describe the other.

The Tiffanie (Asian Semi-Longhair) has a verified origin: the 1981 Burmese x Chinchilla Persian cross that also produced the Burmilla. The semi-long coat gene came from the Persian side.

What Does the Asian Semi-Longhair Look Like?

The body follows the Burmese type: medium, muscular and compact. It is heavier than it looks: the GCCF gives about 11 to 15 pounds for males in the Asian group, with females weighing less.

The coat is semi-long, fine and silky. It lies closer to the body than a Persian coat because it lacks the dense undercoat that produces heavy matting in double-coated breeds.

Colours and patterns match the Asian group: self (solid), smoke, tabby and tortoiseshell varieties, in the expanded colour palette beyond the traditional Burmese standard.

What Registry Status Does It Hold?

GCCF recognises the Asian Semi-Longhair within the Asian breed group, and the GCCF records that by 2003 all five Asian varieties had been granted championship status. TICA and CFA do not list it, so papers for a Tiffanie come from the GCCF and a buyer outside the UK has no local registry to check them against.

GCCF

Recognised within the Asian breed group

TICA

Not listed

CFA

Not listed

Also called

Tiffanie, the name the GCCF uses

Different breed from

Chantilly-Tiffany (American, now extinct)

Origin

UK, from the 1981 Burmese x Chinchilla Persian cross

Coat

Semi-long, fine, silky

Body

Burmese type: medium, muscular, compact

What Is It Like to Live With?

The temperament follows the Burmese side: people-oriented, sociable and vocal, with a strong preference for company. A Tiffanie left alone through long working days has little to do but wait, so it suits a household where someone is home for much of the day or a second cat is part of the plan.

The GCCF describes the Asian group as a good family pet that associates well with children and dogs, provided introductions are handled properly. It generally lives contentedly with other cats, but it can be wilful and may push to be top cat, and it co-exists most easily with cats of a similarly confident, lively temperament.

The semi-long coat needs regular combing to prevent tangles, particularly behind the ears, under the legs and around the ruff. The fine silky texture mats less readily than a Persian coat but still needs attention.

Shedding is moderate. The coat lacks the heavy undercoat that produces the seasonal surges a Persian or Siberian owner manages.

Two inherited conditions with DNA tests apply to this ancestry. Burmese hypokalaemia, a recessive muscle weakness caused by low blood potassium, comes from the Burmese side. Polycystic kidney disease, in which cysts slowly replace working kidney tissue, comes from the Chinchilla Persian side, as it does in the Burmilla. Parents from GCCF Asian lines can be tested for both, and a kitten from untested parents carries a risk nobody has measured.

How Do You Find One?

Tiffanies are bred mainly by GCCF-registered breeders in the United Kingdom. Outside the UK the breed is rarely available under this name.

• GCCF registration as Asian Semi-Longhair or Tiffanie
• Confirmation that the cat comes from the GCCF Asian programme, not a Chantilly-Tiffany line
• Parent DNA results for Burmese hypokalaemia and polycystic kidney disease
• The semi-long silky coat confirmed, not a dense Persian-type coat

If you are outside the UK and want a Burmese-type cat with a semi-long coat, the Burmilla is the nearest widely available relative. It shares the same 1981 origin in silver shaded or tipped colouring, and it has broader international recognition.