CHAMPION WOOLOOMOOLOO

CHAMPION WOOLOOMOOLOO

Photo by LANDOR. Copyright 2016 The Harrison Weir Collection

THE LATE GREAT ‘CRUFTS’ CHAMPION

BY JOHN G. SMITHSON

An excerpt from ‘Rhapsody in Blue’ © John G. Smithson 2019

In Frances Simpson’s chapter on Blue Persians in ‘The Book of The Cat’ (1903), Wooloomooloo is one of only two early Blue Persian stud males mentioned in the first two pages. She explains the rise in the popularity of the Blues and gives an example of the increase in entries in the competitive classes for this variety as follows:

Through those cats listed in ‘Jumbo’s’ maternal pedigree, Wooloomooloo was also a great-great-grandson of Miss Simpson’s Blue Female ‘Mater’ who was the fourteenth Longhair, to be recorded in the National Cat Club Register.

The Crufts Cat Show Gold Medallion (1894)

Medal held in The Harrison Weir Collection

“In 1891 blues came very much to the fore, and the entries at the Crystal Palace number 15 males and 17 females. At Cruft’s Show in the year 1894, a grand blue, called ‘Wooloomooloo,’ was exhibited by Mrs W.R. Hawkins, and this cat became one of the most famous of stud cats. Many of the finest blues of today are descended from this noted sire.”

Given that Miss Simpson briefs us on only three of the early Blue males before speaking in more detail about the desirable qualities looked for in Blues, this comes as high praise indeed. The other two males mentioned, were Mrs H.B. Thompson’s ‘Don Juan’ and Mrs Singleton’s ‘Moko’. These three should certainly be counted among those early ‘Blues’ described as ‘Pillars’ of the colour variety; alongside such early notables as ‘Ch. Bundle’, ‘Ch. Glaucus’, ‘Blue Goblin’, ‘Beauty Boy’, ‘The Friar’, ‘Turco’ and ‘Thunder & Lightning’.

That ‘Ch. Wooloomooloo’, was one of the outstanding sires of this period is fully supported by the number of his sons and daughters who were retained for breeding by a majority, of serious devotees of the Blue Persian cat and his subsequent appearance on so many extended pedigrees to this day.

PARENTAGE AND OWNERSHIP

‘Wooloomooloo’ was bred by Mrs A. Smith, born March 3, 1892. His sire was ‘Frisk’ (aka ‘Friske’), a Blue Longhair male owned by Mr Gillam, and his dam was ‘Fluff’ a Blue Longhair female, owned by his breeder, Mrs A Smith. Both his sire and dam were sired by ‘Jumbo’ making this a half-brother to half-sister pairing. Both parents were also half-siblings to another well-known Blue male ‘Blue Boy’ also by ‘Jumbo’, owned by Madame L Portier.

As to his unusual name, we probably have Miss Frances Simpson to thank for it, supported by the following quote from Miss Simpson, found in s short article entitled ‘Pillars of the Stud Book’, that she wrote for ‘Our Cats’ magazine, published on May 4 th , 1901: -

“In the blue Persian world, perhaps Wooloomooloo and Beauty Boy can claim more descendants than any other stud cats of this breed. (variety). Wooloomooloo first made his debut at Crufts Show. Curiously enough this was the year in which I was sojourning in the suburb of Sydney, N.S.W., after which this noted cat was named.”

Initially he was sold to Mrs E. Davies, of Talbot Rd, Isleworth; but subsequently came into the ownership of Mrs W. R. Hawkins, who holds the honour of showing him so successfully at the Royal Aquarium in 1894, as described by Frances Simpson. However, by the time he was siring kittens for Mrs Dean of Hawthorndene, in Slough, he was registered in The Cat Club Register, under her name.

CHAMPION WOOLOOMOOLOO. From a watercolour by artist Rosa Bebb. This illustration was commissioned by the judge Charles Lane for his book 'Rabbits, Cats & Cavies', published in 1903 by J.M. Dent & Co.

Image: The Harrison Weir Collection

SIBLINGS AND SHOWS

No notable siblings are recorded, with the sole exception of sire-sibling ‘Starlight’ (aka ‘Bluebeard) whom it is claimed, went on to sire the formidable blue stud males ‘Darius’, (Mrs. Ransome) and ‘Blue Noble’ (Mrs Wells) and the female ‘Rosalys’ (aka ‘Ben Mohr Rosalys’ – owned initially by Mrs.Clinton Locke).

His show wins, as recorded in the Register of the National Cat Club are: Royal Aquarium, 1894, Two first prizes, Six Specials and the Beresford Challenge Cup, but this was not apparently his first show, which we learn from an excerpt taken from a letter written by his first owner, Mrs. Davies, to ‘Our Cats’, published on May 18 th , 1901: -

“Champion Wooloomooloo belonged to me, and did not make his first appearance at Cruft’s Show. I showed him at the Palace in October, before Cruft’s. Judge Mr. A.A. Clarke who only gave him h.c. I sold him to Mr. Hawkins, five days before the Cruft’s Show, where he took so many honours. He was sold a few months after, to Mrs. Dean, where he died.”

BREEDING AND PROGENY

From only a cursory examination of the two main registers, we can pull a memorable list of ‘Wooloomooloo’ sons and daughters that were retained for breeding.

This is highly indicative of his popularity as a stud cat, of the immense regard for his obvious phenotypical advantages. When we trace the pedigrees of modernday blues, we find that like Ch. Bundle and Ch. Glaucus before him, he was similarly, like them, a prominent backbone of later breeding programs, earning him the popular epithet during his lifetime, as ‘King of the Blues’!

The progeny of ‘Wooloomooloo’ are many. The most significant among his sons being his name-sake, ‘Wooloomooloo II’, out of ‘Lady Jenny’, (a descendant of both Ch. Glaucus and Ch. Beauty Boy) and originally owned by Mrs Trivett. Then ‘Wooshoo’ (aka Iver Wooshoo), out of ‘Queen of Sheba’, owned for a time by Mrs Herbert Ransome. Then ‘Oliver Wooleepug’, out of ‘Miss Brougham, (similarly a descendant of Ch. Glaucus and Ch. Beauty Boy, but also tracing back to The Friar and Ch. Perso), owned by Mesdames Lemmon & Bartlett. Lastly ‘Yani’, out of ‘Moke, (another queen who could trace her ancestry back to Ch. Beauty Boy), owned originally by Miss M.B. Hooper, but later jointly owned by Miss Frances Simpson and Miss E.F. Goddard.

Among his more prominent daughters could be counted ‘Jill’, the dam of Rev. Cosway’s ‘Angela’, herself the dam of a raft of renown blues sired by ‘Blue Noble’, among them, ‘Imperial Blue’ and Windsor Blue Gift’; and ‘Ethel’ the dam of ‘Fulmer Roy’.

Stud advertisement from 'Our Cats' Magazine (1903)

Archives of The Harrison Weir Collection

Stud advertisement from 'Our Cats' Magazine (1903)

Archives of The Harrison Weir Collection

Stud advertisement from 'Our Cats' Magazine (1903)

Archives of The Harrison Weir Collection

The accompanying Stud Advertisements are from listings published in ‘Our Cats’ during 1903 for the sons of ‘Champion Woolloomoloo. It is easy to see, that even 9 years after his famous win at the Royal Aquarium in 1894, even major breeders of Blues, such as Mrs Ransome, (Editor of ‘Our Cats’) were perfectly content to advertise his sons at stud.

Among his last notable daughters, we find the blue female ‘Ch. Tibbeboo’, born 31 st July, 1897. She was bred and owned by Mrs S.Clunes, out of her queen ‘Tibby’. Her show wins, as listed in the register of The National Cat Club include: 1 st , Special, Botanic 1898; two firsts, Championship and four Specials, Crystal Palace 1898. The following is a report on her appearance at that show was published in ‘Windsor’ Magazine in early 1899: -

“A little sensation was caused at the summer show over another blue pet in the shape of Mrs Clune’s ‘Tibbeboo’, who, although but ten months old, captured the championship and specials awarded to its class by Mr Louis Wain. For short face and compactness of form as well as in colour, it quite fulfilled Mr Wain’s chief demands. And this beautiful cat easily secured the highest favour at the late show.”

The untimely death of Champion Woolloomooloo was matter-of-factly reported, in the January 17, 1900 issue of ‘Our Cats’ magazine. Described as ‘the well-known light blue cat belonging to Mrs Dean’, Woolloomooloo was only six weeks shy of his 8 th birthday.’ No explanation is offered to suggest any specific cause for his somewhat early demise.

It would understandably be foolish for anyone to underestimate the impact of this singular male, ‘Ch. Woolloomooloo’ on the continuing development of the Blue Persian during the 1890’s, coming as he did, well prior to the rise of the ‘Thorpe’ dynastic strain that would descend from Ch. Orange Blossom of Thorpe, his sons and grandsons. Just looking at ‘Woolloomooloo’ we can see qualities in him, indicative of what the future would hold and of the powerful place the ‘blue Persian’ would occupy, both as a fashionable breed and in the emerging cat fancy of tomorrow. The popular descendants of ‘Ch. Woolloomooloo’ were many, and these have all played a not insignificant part in creating and adding to the great mix of genes, that ultimately assisted breeders to produce the Persian of today. He was unquestionably the most iconic of the early blue Persian males living during the mid-to late 1890’s.

READ MORE ABOUT ‘WOOLOOMOOLOO’ AT WWW.CAT-O-PEDIA.ORG