Felis Historica - June 2021, Volume 1 Number 12 by purrcasso

JUNE 2021 Volume 1 No. 12 FEATURE BREED THE SCOTTISH FOLD

FEATURES: LONGHAIR – CH. AYRSHIRE RONALD

THE CFA FOUNDATION – PRESERVING FELINE HISTORY

SHORTHAIR – CH. XENOPHON

THE ROYAL FAMILY CAT BREEDER –

GENETICS – MANAGING ATTRIBUTES

H.R.H. PRINCESS VICTORIA OF SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN

INTERNATIONAL MAGAZINE FOR LINECHASERS & FANCIERS OF FELINE HISTORY

“Today’s achievements are part of tomorrow’s history”

HARRISON WEIR COLLECTION © A-Cat-Emy Concepts

PUBLISHED BY A-CAT-EMY CONCEPTS for THE HARRISON WEIR COLLECTION EDITOR

John G. Smithson editor@felishistorica.com HISTORY PARTNERS The CFA Foundation COLUMNISTS & CONTRIBUTORS

Karen Lawrence (St. Catharines, Canada)

Lorraine Shelton (California, USA)

VOLUME 1 NUMBER 12

EDITORIAL The Editor outlines issues covered in Issue 12 of Felis Historica!

CONTRIBUTING TEAM MEMBERS Gallery of our Team of Columnists, Contributors & Correspondents

CHAMPION AYRSHIRE RONALD (1898) - by John G. Smithson A late 19th Century Blue Persian Champion, based in Scotland!

THE FELINE HISTORICAL MUSEUM – Part One - by Karen Lawrence Establishment of the CFA Foundation, Inc.

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT GENETICS YOU CAN LEARN FROM YOUR CAT! PART 12 - by Dr. Leslie Lyons The Slippery Slope – Managing Genetic Attributes in Cat Breeds

A GALLERY OF SCOTTISH FOLDS

Dr. Leslie Lyons (Missouri, USA)

JUNE 2021

Chloe Chung (Hong Kong)

Laura Vocelle (Muscat, Oman)

CHAMPION XENOPHON (1892) – by John G. Smithson The phenomenally successful 19th Century English Shorthair Champion 56 THE DESCENDANTS OF BASTET – by Karen Lawrence. Book release info.

THE CHINESE LOP or alternative fold-eared cats? From the archives of The Harrison Weir Collection

CAT POEMS and OTHER FANCIES / & TEN CATS – by Graham Harrop

Jamie Christian

A PERSIAN RHAPSODY IN BLUE – by John Smithson. Book release info.

(Ohio, USA)

HRH PRINCESS VICTORIA OF SCHLESWIG HOLSTEIN – by John Smithson A glimpse into the life of a British Royal as a breeder of cats!

Dr. Victor Zaalov (Acre, Israel)

Valerie Sheldrake Feline Historian (Suffolk, UK)

PHOTOGRAPHY & GRAPHICS

Helmi & Ken Flick (Florida, USA)

Jack Terry (Florida, USA)

CELEBRATING MODERN DAY LEADING CATS – Long-hair Breed Type – Black Tortie Silver Scottish Fold Longhair CFA GC, DW LANNA SKY SELFIE Short-hair Breed Type – Blue British Shorthair CFA GC, NW KITTIES LAND MAIN EVENT

88 98

Editorial ’FELIS HISTORICA’ JOHN G. SMITHSON EDITOR

OUR COVER CAT Black Tortie Silver Scottish Fold Longhair ‘GC, DW Lanna Sky Selfie’ Bred by Karnkawee Srimongkol Chiang Mai, Thailand. Sire: ‘Kindlycats Desert’ Dam: ‘Ch. Sundemorning Ellie of Lanna Sky’ Photo: by Amy Works

COPYRIGHT ISSN: 2744-4430 National Library of New Zealand Te Puna Matauranga o Aotearoa © A-CAT-EMY CONCEPTS / FELIS HISTORICA THE HARRISON WEIR COLLECTION No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, screen capture, or otherwise, without prior written permission. No responsibility is accepted for accuracy of advertisements or information. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED www.felis-historica.com www.harrisonweir.com

Our June edition represents a significant milestone for this emagazine, focused on feline history and feline related topics of interest to cat lovers and cat breeders. With this edition we celebrate the successful completion of our first full year! Our feature this month, is the Scottish Fold, both Shorthaired and Longhaired, the Longhair known in some registries as the Highland Fold. We wish to thank both the ‘Lanna Sky’, and ‘Sundemorning’ catteries for generously sharing the equisite photos of their cats and we feature on the cover of this issue, the Longhair fold GC, DW Lanna Sky Selfie – who in her show career gained the singular distinction being CFA’s Best Kitten, in Thailand for the 2018-2019 show year. Also in this issue, Dr Leslie Lyons delicately introduces the subject of how breeders must face and manage the issues of genetic attributes in cats, some more serious than others – but she does so offering hope and encouraging breeders to test where they can, do that any possible negatives that might affect the health and well-being of our precious cats, might be otherwise greatly reduced, and in some cases mitigated. This issue is, and always will be at the heart of the ethics of breeding, and is a topic that needs to be reviewed regularly. Karen Lawrence gives us the first of a two-part article on the establishment of the Feline Historical Museum and an overview of some of the precious content it contains. Folk are usually unaware when they donate to the Museum, that there are considerable costs associated with housing, cataloguing and preserving these items so that they are made available to our feline historians, both present and future! Those costs and how YOU may help us to preserve this important heritage will be covered in more depth in Part Two. In the upcoming month of July, the Cat Fancy reaches a significant milestone in its history. On July 13th and 14th, it will July

JUNE 2021

IN CELEBRATION OF

SCOTTISH FOLDS

be exactly 150 years since the very first organised Cat Show was mounted at the Sydenham ‘Crystal Palace’ venue, the brainchild of ‘The Father of the Cat Fancy’ – Harrison Weir. It was also brought to fruition by the organising genius of Mr. Fred Wilson, who, as head of the Natural History Department of the Crystal Palace Company, was charged with its practical organisation. Registries around the world will celebrate this momentous occasion in different ways, with the GCCF in the process of producing a Video to mark the event, while history exhibitions will be mounted by various clubs and individuals around the globe during the month of July, at shows – despite the difficulties experienced globally by the Covid-19 pandemic! Our May issue featured the celebration Memorial Bowl presented to Harrison Weir in 1901 to celebrate the 30 th anniversary of this same event, and in our July issue we will return to the topic with articles about the first cat shows between July and December of 1871. In addition, there are two new celebratory book releases, one on the Abyssinian cat, by Karen Lawrence entitled ‘The Descendants of Bastet’ and one by your editor on the Blue Persian cat, entitled ‘A Persian Rhapsody In Blue’. So – be sure that you encourage others to subscribe to Felis Historica!

’

Enjoy!

John EDITOR Photos courtesy of Lanna Sky Cattery & Tiny House

OUR TEAM OF COLUMNISTS & CONTRIBUTORS

KAREN LAWRENCE

LORRAINE SHELTON

LESLIE A. LYONS Ph. D

ADVERTISING MANAGER advertising@felis-historica.com Director: CFA Foundation, Inc Manager: Feline Historical Museum Co-Editor: The History Project

AUTHOR/LECTURER ‘Robinson’s Genetics for Cat Breeders & Veterinarians’ Director: CFA Foundation, Inc www.wegies.net www.featherland.net

RESEARCHER/COLUMNIST FELINE GENETICS SPECIALIST Prof. of Comparative Medicine Dept. of Vet. Medicine & Surgery University of Missouri

JAMIE CHRISTIAN

CHLOE CHUNG

LAURA A. VOCELLE

WRITER/COLUMNIST TICA INTERNATIONAL JUDGE OF THE YEAR 2016

COLUMNIST/PRESENTER CAT BEHAVIOURALIST/LECTURER CFA ALL BREEDS JUDGE Based in China & Hong Kong

COLUMNIST/AUTHOR FELINE HISTORY & ART HISTORIAN Creator and Founder The Great Cat www.thegreatcat.org

DR. VICTOR ZAALOV

HELMI & KEN FLICK

JACK TERRY

CEO – WORLD GOLDEN CAT

HELMI FLICK CAT PHOTOGRAPHY www.helmiflick.com

‘THE RESTORIAN’ Photo & Graphics Specialist Photo Humourist

President of World Organisation of Cats

OUR TEAM OF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENTS

DARRELL NEWKIRK

PAM DELABAR

GAVIN CAO

(CFA, USA)

(CFA, EUROPE)

(CFA, CHINA)

NEVADA, UNITED STATES PRESIDENT CFA

TAMPERE, FINLAND

CFA DIRECTOR, REGION 9

CHENGDU, CHINA CFA CHINA BUSINESS ADVISOR

JOHN HANSSON

CHERYLE U’REN

ANNELIESE HACKMANN

(GCCF, UK)

(CCC of A, AUSTRALIA)

(WCF, EUROPE)

LONDON, ENGLAND CHAIRMAN GCCF

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA PRESIDENT CCC of A VICE-PRESIDENT WCC

ESSEN, GERMANY PRESIDENT WCF

JOHAN LAMPRECHT

BOB GLEASON

JANE WEBSTER

(SOUTH AFRICA)

(CCA, CANADA)

(NZCF, NEW ZEALAND)

DURBANVILLE, SOUTH AFRICA PRESIDENT, C.A.S.A. (WCF)

LONDON, CANADA CHAIR - CANADIAN CAT ASSOC. LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE

PALMERSTON NORTH, NZ NZCF HISTORIAN

OUR TEAM OF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENTS

JUN KOHNO

RUSSELL LAW

CHATE RUENGRUGLIKIT

(CFA, JAPAN)

(CFA, HONG KONG)

(CFA, THAILAND)

TOKYO, JAPAN SEC: MICINA CAT FANCIERS

HONG KONG SEC: UNITED FELINE ODYSSEY

CHAYAPON PUCHAROENYOS

ROBBIE WALKER

BANGKOK, THAILAND SEC: SIAM BLE-EYED CAT FANCIERS

SANDRA ALSUMAIT

(WCF, ASIA)

(ACF, AUSTRALIA)

(CFA, KUWAIT)

BANGKOK, THAILAND CHAIR: WCF DISCIPLINARY COMMISSION

GOLD COAST, QLD, AUSTRALIA PRESIDENT, FCCQ. QLD

KUWAIT CITY, KUWAIT PRESIDENT, K-CATS CLUB

IZADDIN SYAH YUSOF

FARAH DIANA

BAMBI J. EDWARDS (ANCATS, AUSTRALIA)

(CFA, MALAYSIA)

(CFA, INDONESIA)

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA NAT.SEC: ANCATS AUSTRALIA

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA CFA INT.DIV. CLERK OF THE YEAR 2016

JAKARTA, INDONESIA RICIMACKA CATTERY

OUR TEAM OF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENTS

ELLEN CROCKETT

STEVEN MESERVE

LUIZ PAULO FACCIOLI

(TICA, UNITED STATES)

(TICA, EUROPE SOUTH)

(TICA, SOUTH AMERICA)

PORT TOWNSEND, WA, USA TICA DISTINGUISED JUDGE

VILA DE CUCUJAES, PORTUGAL TICA REGIONAL DIRECTOR

PORT ALEGRE, SOUTH BRAZIL TICA REGIONAL DIRECTOR

LIESBETH VAN MULLEM

EVA PORAT

DONATELLA MASTRANGELO

(TICA, EUROPE NORTH)

(FIFe, SWEDEN)

(FIFe, BELGIUM)

UTRECHT, THE NETHERLANDS TICA REGIONAL DIRECTOR

OREBRO, SWEDEN PRESIDENT SVERAK, (FIFe)

ROME, ITALY CHAIR: JUDGES & STANDARDS COMM.

STEVEN JONES

JINSON CHOI

LISBETH FALLING

(FIFe, NORWAY)

(CFA, SOUTH KOREA)

(NRR, NORWAY)

STAVANGER, NORWAY SEC: JUDGES & STANDARDS COMM

PAJU-SI, SOUTH KOREA PRES. CAT FANCIERS OF KOREA

OSLO, NORWAY PHOTOGRAPHER/EDITOR - ARISTOKATT

CHAMPION AYRSHIRE RONALD Blue Persian male, born May 1898. NCC: 3050 Bred by Mr. J.A.Doyle, owned by Mrs. MacKenzie Stewart. This specific image was a lucky find. It was cropped from one of a series of photographs by E. Landor, published as a supplement to ‘Our Cats’ magazine, October 12, 1901; and it is doubtful whether any other such supplements from early volumes would have survived to this day. Image © The Harrison Weir Collection Backgrounds © www.gographic.com

AN HISTORICAL PORTRAIT OF

BLUE LONGHAIR MALE BY

JOHN G. SMITHSON

Adapted from the author’s text for ‘Ayrshire Ronald’ @ The History Project www.cat-o-pedia.org

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND With ‘Ayrshire Ronald’ we are reminded of the very enthusiastic and active support given to the Fancy by Scottish cat fanciers. And this was the case from the very beginning. When the first organised and successful Cat Show was held at the Crystal Palace in July of 1871, this memorable event was not only very quickly followed by two more private entrepreneurial shows in London; one at North Woolwich, and another in the Bedford High Street at Camden Town; but also by two more shows organised by Scottish cat fanciers in Glasgow and Edinburgh respectively. These Scottish shows were held only one week apart, the first held at the Burnbank Drill Hall in Glasgow on October 3rd and 4th, 1871; run by H. Martin; the second was held at The Royal Gymnasium, in Edinburgh. Interestingly, the judge listed for the Glasgow Show, was the Rev. J. Cumming Macdona, one of the three judges who had officiated at the first Crystal Palace Show in London, alongside Messrs. Harrison and John Jenner Weir.

In fact, Scottish Shows featured among the largest for the number of entries, and before very long, many famous catteries were established in this northernmost region. The Scottish Cat Club, founded in 1894, was one of Britain’s oldest, and its medals are among the rarest and most collectable of Cat Fancy show memorabilia. A great many exceptional Persian cats were bred and kept in Scotland, among them the likes of the white, ‘Champion White Friar’ and the blue, ‘Champion Ayrshire Ronald’. Their owners, Mrs A Finnie Young, Miss Hunt, and Mrs MacKenzie Stewart were likewise among the most respected of Long-haired cat fanciers. Mrs MacKenzie Stewart ran one of the largest catteries in Scotland, was on the committee of ‘The Cat Club’ when it was founded by Lady Marcus Beresford in 1898, and a Vice-President of the Blue Persian Cat Society when it was founded in 1901, and included in its first list of specialist Judges.

Silver and Bronze Medals produced by The Scottish Cat Club, which was instituted in 1894. Silver Medal courtesy of The CFA Foundation, Inc.,¹² Bronze Medal courtesy of The Harrison Weir Collection.¹³

PARENTAGE & OWNERSHIP From The National Cat Club Studbook & Register, we find that ‘Ronald’ was born in 1898 (date not specific), bred and owned by Mr J.A. Doyle of The Cottage, Bristol Gardens, Brighton. His dam was Mr Doyles’ blue queen ‘Hazel’, whose sire ‘Ulysses’ was a grandson of both ‘Ch. Beauty Boy’ and ‘Ch. Glaucus’. When Mr Doyle chose to breed ‘Hazel’ to ‘Waterloo’, he was in fact breeding her to her half-brother, as both were out of a blue queen named ‘Daisy’, a direct descendant of the foundation male ‘Turco’. The breeder of ‘Waterloo’ is unknown, but from an analysis of this combination, there is a distinct and reasonable expectation that both ‘Waterloo’ and ‘Hazel’ were bred by the same person. Whether that was Mr Doyle or a third party, remains unknown.

‘Hazel’ were bred by the same person. Whether that was Mr. Doyle or a third party, remains unknown. Volume Three of The Cat Club Register provides clear proof of the subsequent transfer of ‘Ronald’ into the ownership of Mrs MacKenzie Stewart, at some time during 1899. It would have been due to this change of ownership, that his name from that time forward was known as ‘Ayrshire Ronald’. Of Mrs. MacKenzie Stewart’s cattery, Frances Simpson, tells us the following: “One of the largest catteries in Scotland, where the fancy grows apace, is owned by Mrs MacKenzie Stewart, of Seagate House, Irvine. Mrs Stewart has possessed several notable cats of different breeds.

Her blue stud cat ‘Ronald’ has made himself a name in the south of England as well as in the north. Mrs Stewart has had silvers, creams, brown tabbies, and is now the owner of ‘Dick Fawe’, who has sired many winning kittens. The severe weather of this part of Scotland seems to suit these Persian cats, for a healthier hardier set of pussies one could not wish to see than those disporting themselves in the pleasantly situated catteries of Seagate House. Mrs MacKenzie Stewart is a most enthusiastic fancier, and often takes the long journey down south to bring her pets to the London shows. She has acted a judge in Scotland and England, and a contingent from the Seagate cattery is generally to be seen and admired at most of our large shows.” ¹

SIBLINGS & SHOWS There do not appear to be any full siblings recorded for ‘Ronald’ or ‘Ayrshire Ronald’. But there were a number of dam siblings, produced out of ‘Hazel’. Mrs Doyle chose to do a breeding to Mrs Well’s ‘Blue Noble’, which resulted in a litter born 20th January 1900, from which came a blue male ‘Adam’, and two blue females, ‘Eve’ and ‘Hazeline’. Mrs Doyle appears to have retained ‘Adam’ and ‘Eve’ but sold ‘Hazeline’ to Miss Gertrude Willoughby, and a consequent name change to ‘Fulmer Hazeline’.⁹ In a subsequent litter to Lady Marcus Beresford’s ‘Blue Boy II’, born 12th June, 1900, arrived ‘Brighton Phoebe’ and ‘Brighton Yuty’, which in the registers appear in the ownership of Mrs Doyle.⁹ Then ‘Hazel’ was probably sold or loaned to Lady Marcus Beresford, as her next two litters of record were on 25th March 1902, and 3rd April, 1903 respectively, both being bred by Lady Marcus and sired by her ‘Blue Boy II’. From the first litter came the blue male ‘Windsor Cerulean’,(OC:30/Jul/1904)¹⁰ who was sold to Mrs I. Hardy; while the second litter produced another two blue males, ‘True Boy’, (OC:18/Feb/1905)¹¹

Mrs MacKenzie Stewart ‘Our Cats’ Magazine, 12th October, 1901¹⁵ Image courtesy of The Harrison Weir Collection

sired by her ‘Blue Boy II’. From the first litter came the blue male ‘Windsor Cerulean’,(OC:30/Jul/1904)¹⁰ who was sold to Mrs I. Hardy; while the second litter produced another two blue males, ‘True Boy’, (OC:18/Feb/1905)¹¹ who was sold to Mrs W. Wells, and ‘Blue Boy III’, who went on to sire ‘Big Ben’ (of Devonshire), amongst others. Although we know that ‘Ayrshire Ronald’ was shown successfully and gained his championship, the only verified wins are those that appear with his registration (NCC:3050) which were: 1st and 3rd Brighton N.C.C., etc…and a notation that he was now in the ownership of Mrs. MacKenzie Stewart.⁸

Advertisement for the Glasgow Cat Show, in this case to be judged by Mrs MacKenzie Stewart ‘Our Cats’ Magazine, 30th November 1901.⁴ Image courtesy of The Harrison Weir Collection

BREEDING & PROGENY ‘Ayrshire Ronald’ was a popular blue male. Although based in Scotland, his exposure as a show cat as far South as London, no doubt helped to promote this popularity. Our list of his progeny exceeds 40 plus individuals but for the purpose of demonstrating his individual impact, and that of his sons, we have chosen just three of his progeny on which to elaborate. The first was ‘LORD IRVINE’ a blue male born on 12th March, 1902 (OC:10/Dec/1904). He was bred and owned by Mrs. K. Graham, from her queen ‘Trixie’. The second, was ‘SIR ARCHIE OF ARRANDALE’, a blue male born 22nd May, 1903. He was bred by Mrs Archibald Campbell, out of a black Persian female named ‘Flora MacDonald’. ‘Flora’ is found in The U.S. Register and Studbook for Cats (1906)⁷, where we are advised that her breeder, owner and date of birth are ‘unknown’. But we are told that she was born on board a ship! So it seems she was imported in utero and born on the way!

where we are advised that her breeder, owner and date of birth are ‘unknown’. But we are told that she was born on board a ship! So it seems she was imported in utero and born on the way! ‘Sir Archie’ was first sold to Mrs A Finnie Young but later became the property of Mrs Geo. Wilson, and thus became ‘Sir Archie of Arrandale’. Although we have no image to share of ‘Sir Archie’ himself, he was in his turn the sire of a very famous blue Persian male, his namesake, ‘Sir Archie II of Arrandale’ who became one of ‘Ayrshire Ronald’s’ most prolific and sought-after grandsons. The most famous daughter of ‘Sir Archie II’ was Miss Gladys Cheetham’s ‘Ch. Oaklands Seabreeze’, but he was the sire of a host of top flight blues, among them ‘Edward The Peacemaker’, ‘Keith of Revelstoke’, ‘Lady Bifolia of Revelstoke’, ‘Lady Monkton’, ‘Lady Sally of Hyver’, ‘Mollie of Hyver’, ‘Mona of Hawkhurst’, ‘Oaklands Rosedrop’, ‘Scilla of Hadley’,

Mrs Geo. Wilson’s ‘Sir Archie II of Arrandale’, a grandson of ‘Ch. Ayrshire Ronald’ Photo: Fur and Feather, 24th January 1913. Image courtesy of The Harrison Weir Collection.

top flight blues, among them ‘Edward The Peacemaker’, ‘Keith of Revelstoke’, ‘Lady Bifolia of Revelstoke’, ‘Lady Monkton’, ‘Lady Sally of Hyver’, ‘Mollie of Hyver’, ‘Mona of Hawkhurst’, ‘Oaklands Rosedrop’, ‘Scilla of Hadley’, ‘Remus of Highgate’, ‘Saxon Earl Godwin’, ‘Tuffin of Eversley’(later ‘Torrington Blue Tuffin’), ‘Ulster Blue Brilliant’ and ‘Winsome Lassie’ to mention only a few! The third son, was ‘DON CARLOS’, a blue male born 30th April, 1904. He was bred by Mrs MacKenzie Stewart, out of her blue queen ‘Beauty’, grand-daughter of ‘Ch. Wooloomooloo’. This combination combined the establishment lines of ‘Ch. Turkish Delight’ with those of ‘Ch. Turco’, ‘Ch. Perso’ and ‘Thunder and Lightning’ as well as a doubling on ‘Ch. Glaucus’, bringing in two more strikes on both ‘Turco’ and ‘Perso’. ‘Ch. Wooloomooloo’ infusing a quadrupling on the foundation male ‘Old Jumbo’.

‘Ch. Oaklands Seabreeze’ by ‘Sir Archie II’ Image ©The Harrison Weir Collection

‘Don Carlos’, sired by ‘Ch. Ayrshire Ronald’ out of ‘Beauty’. Photo: The Lady’s Realm, December 1904.⁵ Image courtesy of The Harrison Weir Collection.

‘Don Carlos’, through his daughter ‘Donna Ulsterina’, became the grandsire of Miss Cheetham’s winning blue female, ‘Ch. Oaklands Sceptre’. Other daughters included ‘Lady Chara of Dundee’, ‘Honoria of Highgate’ and ‘Berkshire Lassie

Lassie’. ‘Lassie,’ was ultimately bred to her cousin ‘Sir Archie II of Arrandale’ to produce ‘Scilla of Hadley’ and ‘Ch. Mollie of Hyver’, doubling on a common grandsire, ‘Ch. Ayrshire Ronald’!

Left: A grand-daughter of ‘Don Carlos’ in Miss Cheetham’s ‘Ch. Oaklands Sceptre,’ and at right, his daughter, ‘Honoria of Highgate’. Images: ‘Sceptre’ © The Harrison Weir Collection. ‘Honoria’ – ‘Our Cats’ Magazine, 1950.

Stud advertisement for the ‘Ayrshire’ cattery, including ‘Ronald’ and the notable black, ‘Dick Fawe’. ‘Our Cats’ Magazine, published in January 1903. ³ Image courtesy of The Harrison Weir Collection.

A view of Mrs MacKenzie Stewart’s ‘Ayrshire’ Cattery Photo: ‘The Book of The Cat’ (1903) by Frances Simpson

IN SUMMARY It takes many different types of individuals and personalities to make up a vibrant cat fancy. Those of us who have been among its ranks for a number of decades know this to be true. Some come, and some go, but it takes true grit and dedication to remain an active participant, and to continue to want to ‘add value’ to the whole.

remain an active participant, continuing to want or wish to ‘add value’ to the whole. This can be achieved as a breeder, as a pet owner, exhibitor, as a judge, as a geneticist, and/or as an educator, or even as an historian.

Champion Ayrshire Ronald, enjoying the sun in his stud run, at ‘Ayrshire’ Cattery Photo: The Cat Manual, (1902) Published by George Newnes Ltd. ² Image courtesy of The Harrison Weir Collection.

Mrs MacKenzie Stewart was an active participant, who had a passion for the improvement of the colours and varieties she chose to work with. She did not confine her efforts solely to Blues, but also worked to improve Blacks, Creams, Torties, Smokes, and Brown and Silver Tabbies. Her first blue male was the foundation cat ‘Champion Turkish Delight’, the grandsire of ‘Champion Ayrshire Ronald’; and ‘Ronald’ was himself the middle link between this foundation male and a 5th generation blue, his grandson, ‘Champion Sir Archie II of Arrandale’. These cats, between them, left an indelible mark on the blue Persian variety. It must have been immensely satisfying for Mrs MacKenzie Stewart to observe this development over a relatively short space of

time, knowing that she had played her part in successfully contributing to its ongoing success. References: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12.

‘The Book of The Cat’ (1903) by Frances Simpson. ‘The Cat Manual’ (1902) by Dick Whittington. ‘Our Cats’ Magazine, January, 1903. ‘Our Cats’ Magazine, 30th November, 1901. ‘The Lady’s Realm’, December, 1904. ‘The Graphic’, 21st October, 1893. ‘The U.S. Register & Studbook for Cats (1906). ‘The National Cat Club Stud-Book and Register’ (Vols.1-5). ‘The Cat Club Register’ (Vols 1-5). ‘Our Cats’ Magazine, 30th July, 1904. ‘Our Cats’ Magazine, 18th February, 1905. ‘Scottish Cat Club Silver Medal’, won by Miss Mary for Tim Jim (1895). 13. ‘Scottish Cat Club Bronze Medal’, Estate of Gladys Cheetham.(1912). 14. ‘Our Cats’ Magazine Supplement, 12th October, 1901. 15. ‘Our Cats’ Magazine, 12th October, 1901.

The CFA Foundation’s

Feline Historical Museum

The importance, work, and difficulties of preserving our feline historical heritage… pre MAIN ENTRANCE DOORS TO THE FELINE HISTORICAL MUSEUM IN ALLIANCE, OHIO off the entry arcade to the Headquarters Building of The Cat Fanciers’ Association.

Establishment of the Cat Fanciers’ Association Foundation Inc, (CFAF) and the Feline Historical Museum BY

KAREN LAWRENCE

PART ONE In 1990, when CFA Judge Vaughn Barber visited the Katzen Museum, located near Zurich, Switzerland, he was very impressed with the collection of artifacts and feline history on display. He immediately began to promote an idea for the Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) to start a similar project to preserve the artifacts of the cat and cat fancy in America. Together with other enthusiasts for the idea - Donald Williams, Michael Brim, Tom Dent and Sy Howard - Vaughn put together a proposal to establish The Cat Fanciers' Association Foundation, Inc. as an independent 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization. The proposal was supported and approved by the CFA Board of Directors in June, 1990. To fulfill this dream of the CFA Foundation would, of course, require accumulation of a sizable treasury. At the June 1991 annual meeting, the first monetary donation to the fledgling foundation came from Leon Samuels, on behalf of the Purrfect Persians club. This was followed closely by a donation from Wayne Field and the Oregon Cat Fanciers. In 1992, the Foundation saw the beginning of a library with book donations by Joan Ardrey, Joanne and Don Thompson, and other supportive cat fanciers.

Photo by Larry Johnson

The ‘Cosey’ Silver Collar and Medal from the National Cat Show at Madison Square Garden, New York, May 1895.

A major boost to the collection of cat fancy artifacts was possible thanks to a generous monetary donation by the National Capital Cat Show. This donation allowed the CFA Foundation to purchase the silver collar and medal awarded to Cosey, Best in Show at the National Cat Show, New York, 1895. The CFA Foundation would occasionally show off their collection in displays at major cat-related events around the country. Back then, you could have found us at cat shows in Atlanta, San Diego, and Houston, as well as AKC's Meet the Breeds in New York City. In 2009, the CFA Foundation was the recipient of a generous donation and an enormous collection of cat collectibles and artwork from the estate of Wilton E. Wheeldon and her mother, Gladys J. Wheeldon. This donation gave us the incentive to actually begin looking for a site and start planning to open a museum. Various venues were reviewed by the Foundation’s Board of Directors, with none being “affordable and just right.” Photo by John Smithson

In 2010, CFA decided to move out of New Jersey and purchased the former Midland & Buckeye Federal Savings & Loan building in Alliance, Ohio. As luck would have it, the ground floor of this former bank was a cavernous space that was absolutely perfect for a museum. Major renovations were required, but the end result was that we finally had a home!

After months of renovations, installation of library shelving and display cases, a ribbon cutting ceremony was held on June 10, 2011 officially opening the renovated building, and we were resoundingly welcomed by local breeders and exhibitors, as well as by the residents of Alliance and surrounding communities.

OPENING DAY Above: Attendees at the Ribbon Cutting ceremony outside the main entrance to the Cat Fanciers’ Association building in Alliance, Ohio. Below: The first visitors inside the Feline Historical Museum.

Photo by Karen Lawrence

‘Angel’ the Maine Coon, seated atop the Frank Lloyd Wright cathouse.

The ensuing ten years have been a whirlwind of growth and challenges for the museum. That we actually had a museum would not have been possible but for the bequeathal from the estate of Wilton E. Wheeldon and her mother, Gladys J. Wheeldon. Much of the Wheeldon collection is what you see on display in the museum today. Over the years we’ve added some important historical collectibles and artifacts to the collection. • An early 1920s wooden cat carrier was discovered by Tom Dent, then Executive Director of CFA, at a flea market in New Jersey. It was Tom’s pride and joy when displayed at Central Office in Manasquan, NJ. Today, it is the centerpiece of our collection of cat carriers in the Feline Historical Museum. • A cat house from the Gerald Tonkens’ house in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Tonken’s house was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in the early-1950s, and the drawings of the cat house are by Thomas Olsen who was an apprentice of Wright.

Victorian Silver Nut Bowl - 1st Prize Boston Cat Show, 1883 The oldest Cat Show artifact held in the Museum

We have heard stories from an architect who personally saw the cat house in the garden at the Tonkens’ house. This piece of feline historica passed through several auction houses and collectors before being offered to the Feline Historical Museum. In Wrights’ signature Cherokee Red, the cat house attracts many visitors to the museum – both cat lovers and those who appreciate Wright’s design work.

Photos by Karen Lawrence

• An 1883 Victorian nut bowl was purchased for the collection. It was hard to resist when we discovered that it was engraved “1st Prize – Boston Cat Show – Nov. 1883 – Awarded to A.M. Robinson Jr for Best Specimen of Angora cat”. This piece is the oldest of our cat show artifacts. • The catalog from the May 1895 cat show held at Madison Square Garden. • Numerous trophies awarded to winning cats, as well as memorial trophies

Photos by Karen Lawrence

Above: A close-up of the bronze statue of the Persian cat named ‘YourPets Pixie of Playwicky’, donated by Diane and Bruce Castor, and sculpted by the renowned J. Clayton Bright. Opposite, on a pedestal at the bottom of the stairs to the mezzanine level of the Feline Historical Museum in 2011.

Donations have definitely helped to increase the value and importance of the collection. When you first enter the museum, you will notice a bronze statue of a Persian waiting to welcome you! This is YourPets Pixie of Playwicky, donated by Diane and Bruce Castor. She was sculpted by the reknowned J. Clayton Bright, and is the only cat that Bright has ever sculpted. Of course, all of this doesn’t happen without money available to purchase artifacts as they are discovered! Nor does the museum exist without the money to pay rent and various expenses, develop our graphic displays, as well as properly maintain the collection. At the moment the majority of our income goes on monthly expenses, leaving little available to purchase those newly discovered artifacts. It also costs the Foundation funding to maintain the collection pieces and the museum. Time and energy goes into the record keeping of each piece in the collection. If a piece is not currently on display, it is kept safe in our storage facility. While we appreciate each and every piece donated to the Foundation, we doubt that people who send us donations think about the actual costs of keeping their item safe and secure in our collection.

Photo by John Smithson

Just one end of our dedicated ‘Research’ room, as it looked in 2018 during the research visit of John Smithson to the Feline Historicial Museum.

Much of the valuable collection is found in the research records that have been accumulated. An entire room has been dedicated to research, consisting of periodicals and newsletters dating back to 1909, show catalogs dating back to 1895, individual breed articles, newsletters and magazines, plus a variety of cattery and pedigree records that trace the history of that individual cattery, i.e. Simbelair, Tigerflower, Saren-Del, MaKhanDa, etc. A collection of Regional and National Award trophies graces a shelf unit in the library, representing catteries such as Catsafrats, Stedam, MaKhanDa, Abizaq, Hedgewood, etc. Large Memorial trophies for various breeds are also in the collection, as well as those for the Richard Gebhardt Memorial Trophy and one for CFA’s top cats. Our achievements during the past 10 years have been remarkable. • We established a Special Collections room, with our first exhibit being of our Maneki Neko Collecton. This room has become so popular that the planned 6-month exhibit has become a permanent exhibit room in the museum.

Photos by Karen Lawrence

Above: A view of just a portion of the CFAF Library. Below: a view of one wall within the Maneki Neko room.

Photos by Karen Lawrence

CFA National Awards Collection housed in the CFAF Library

Photo Karen Lawrence

The travelling ‘Road Show’ booth has provided exhibitors and the public an opportunity to see artifacts contained in the Feline History Museum that they might otherwise not had the opportunity to view. The above booth was seen at the CFA International Show, at Cleveland, in 2018.

• A collaboration with John Smithson of the Harrison Weir Collection has resulted in a number of exhibitions, as well as a popular web site. • Together we have developed The History Project (cat-o-pedia.org), which takes an indepth look at over 300 cats from the early days of the cat fancy. • We’ve developed a major display called “From Fancy Cats to Cat Fancy” that takes visitors on a pictorial journey from the early Crystal Palace show days in 1871 through until the current day. • We’ve had breed displays in the museum, with a room dedicated to the Persian, the Manx, the Abyssinian and the Siamese. • We’ve taken the show on the road, and have had mini-museum displays in every CFA region in North America. • We’ve contributed monthly articles to Felis Historica covering a number of historical pieces in our collection, and started an “Icons of the Cat Fancy” series. • Speeches and powerpoint presentations have been given to a number of local groups in Ohio.

Visitors, including cats and dogs, at events such as Feline Agility Trials

• We’ve let our visitors enjoy the fun of being around live cats with visits from local breeders that turn the museum space into an event, with kittens and cats running around and begging to be held, petted and played with. • We’ve even run agility courses in the museum.

Photos Karen Lawrence

Images, courtesy of the The CFA Foundation, Inc. & The Harrison Weir Collection

Images, courtesy of ‘Felis Historica’

Pages from our comprehensive feline history site, at www.cat-o-pedia.org A valuable history resource of well over 300 pages jointly developed by The CFA Foundation in collaboration with The Harrison Weir Collection

Sample covers and pages from ‘Felis Historica’ e-magazine, another part of a collaborative arrangement with the Harrison Weir Collection.

Simply said … we have grown in what we offer to our visitors and are currently bursting at the seams with even more ideas. To be continued in the July issue. We’ll take a look at the Board of Directors that is responsible for the operation of The CFA Foundation and the museum and discuss what YOU can do to help us achieve our goals in the future.

Everything you need to know about Genetics… You can learn from your Cat! PART TWELVE – THE SLIPPERY SLOPE BY

DR. LESLIE LYONS

College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Missouri

Backgrounds © www.gographic.com

EDITOR: This is the Twelfth in a series of articles based on feline genetics by Dr Leslie Lyons being published in FELIS HISTORICA during the 2020/2022 period Article Graphics ©www.gograph.com

of managing ‘Genetic Attributes’ in Cat Breeds! The Good, the Bad and the Ugly and the Slippery Slope of Cat Health Management Cat breeders can now make more informed breeding decisions because of affordable genetic testing for heritable diseases and phenotypic traits of interest, such as coat colors and fur types. Genetic testing confirms the presence of a DNA mutation for disease presentations, such as polycystic kidney disease for a case of renal failure. As importantly, genetic testing can also identify the carriers of recessive mutations (hypokalemia, pyruvate kinase deficiency and others) or dominant mutations that have low penetrance and a variable age of onset, such as the mutations associated with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Thus, via genetic testing, breeders can know which color variants their cats carry and therefore establish more efficient matings to produce kittens with many desired colorations. Unlike for colorations and fur types, for diseases, genetic testing does not often predict severity of disease and the exact timing of the onset of a disability or major health concern. For example, a trait under positive selection, a desired trait, is dominant White. Genetic testing can determine cats as homozygous and heterozygous for the mutation, but will not predict which cats will have blue eyes or which cats will be deaf. Similarly, for the Scottish fold mutation that causes ear folding, genetic testing can determine homozygous and heterozygous cats, but not the severity of osteochrondrodysplasia. However, genetic testing has demonstrated that even cats with one copy of the fold mutation, i.e., heterozygotes, can also have osteochondrodysplasia, even as severe cases. Thus, genetic testing is an important tool for cat breeders, to use in a balance for selection for good

Brown Classic Tabby Maine Coon kitten aged 6 months. ‘Flurmonz Tundra’ – Photo/Breeder/Owner: Judy Formby

College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Missouri

important tool for cat breeders, to use in a balance for selection for good traits that cannot be tested for, such as good temperament or large litter sizes. This article will present some of the known information for cat disease and health mutations and suggestions for health management but also ask some hard questions regarding breeding ethics and disease considerations.

College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Missouri

Of specific interest to cat breeders, approximately 22 conditions are controlled by 33 DNA mutations in 26 genes are known health concerns in cats (Table 1). Several mutations are now also known for the cat blood types, A, b, and AB. Some of these genes and mutations have been discussed in previous issues or will be in future issues of this publication. Many other mutations are known to cause health problems in random bred cats demonstrating any given kitten, whether pedigreed or not, can have a genetic health problem. Animal breeders are often accused of producing animals with health problems, which is not always the case. Inbreeding does not cause new mutations, inbreeding causes mutations to be more common within the breed or line. For example, the Spotting mutation is highly prevalent in many lines of Maine Coons – a positive selection and a beautiful coloration / pattern, but hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), also in Maine Coons, should be under negative selection, mutations that are not desired. Most every breed has some kind of health concern, some breeds more than others, which is largely bad luck. However, breeders do have the responsibility to prevent and move towards the eradication of poor health conditions once problems are identified. Balancing all the concerns for health while selecting for good health, behavior and type can be tricky business. In addition, some health concerns are of more significance than others, leading to a better or worse quality of life for the kittens and adult cats. How can breeders weigh the significance of a health concern? Of course, all health concerns are not desired, but eradication of disease needs to be taken with care. How can we address the “slippery slope of health management in cats” (Figure 1)?

EDITOR: This is the Twelfth in a series of articles based on feline genetics by Dr Leslie Lyons being published in FELIS HISTORICA during the 2020/2022 period

‡ Mode of inheritance of the non-wild type variant. *The breed affected represents the breed in which the DNA variant was identified. Other breeds may be affected if they have common ancestry, especially other breeds in a breed family. In reference to the variant allele, AD implies autosomal dominant, AR implies autosomal recessive, co-D implies co-dominant. Congenital implies condition presence at birth. Early onset implies condition presence before 1 year of age. Rare implies < 5% population frequency, frequent implies 5 – 10% population frequency, common implies >10% population frequency of DNA variants causing conditions.

Table 1. The genes and DNA variants causing health concerns in domestic cat breeds. Disease / Trait AB Blood Type Autoimmune lymphoproliferative Disease (ALPS) Craniofacial Defect

Phenotype MOI‡ (Affected breeds)* Frequency Onset / Lethality / Expression AR Blood type incompatibilities Common in Congenital; death if unrecognized (Various breeds) some breeds AR non-neoplastic Rare, specific Early onset, death lymphoproliferative syndrome lineages (British Shorthair) AR Craniofacial Defect Contemporary Congenital; homozygous Incompatible with life; (Burmese) lineages heterozygous – cherry eye, stenotic nares

Dwarfism

Shortening of long bones

Breed specific

Folded ears

Ventral ear fold

Breed specific

Gangliosidosis 1 (GM1)

Rare

Gangliosidosis 2 (GM2)

Rare

Early onset, death

Glycogen Storage Dis. IV (GSD)

Lipid storage disorder (Korat, Siamese, S.E. Asia) Lipid storage disorder (Burmese, Korat) Glycogen storage disorder (Norwegian Forest Cat)

Congenital, homozygous lethal in utero; could produce movement and joint issues when extreme, malformations possible Osteochondrodysplasia – more severe in homozygous Early onset, death

Rare

Early onset, death

Hairless

No or scarce hair

Breed specific

Congenital; Secondary conditions of atrichia; well-managed

Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome-5 (HPS5) Holoprosencephaly

Ocular albinism

Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM) Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM) Hypokalemia (HK)

Congenital; hypopigmentation, reduced visual acuity and mild prolonged bleeding time. Female infertility, mild balance and proprioception abnormalities, no treatment Variable late onset, cardiac failure, poorly managed Variable late onset, cardiac failure, poorly managed. Higher risk with homozygous. Early onset, treatable

Hypotrichosis

Manx

Forebrain commissural malformation (Toyger) Cardiac disease (Sphynx) Cardiac Disease (Maine Coon, Sphynx) Potassium deficiency (Burmese) Hairless, early death (Birman) Absence/short tail

Rare, specific lineage Rare; specific lineages Common

Peterbald/Don Sphynx

Hairless, brush coat

Polydactyla

Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA -rdAC)

Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA) Progressive Retinal Atrophy PRA) Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD1) Polycystic Kidney Disease 2 (PKD2) Pyruvate Kinase Def. (PK Def.) Spasticity

Extra toes (Maine Coon, PixieBob) Adult blindness (Abyssinian, various Asian breeds) Juvenile onset blindness (Bengal) Early onset blindness (Persian) Kidney cysts (Persian) Kidney cysts (Siberian) Hemopathy (Abyssinian) Congenital myasthenic syndrome (Devon Rex) Muscular atrophy (Maine Coon) Loss of pigmentation (Various breeds)

Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) White

AD AR

AR AD AR? AR AR AR AD

Common Rare Rare, specific lineages Breed specific

Congenital, early death

Congenital, homozygous lethal in utero; variable expression, malformations & innervation issues, poorly managed Breed specific Secondary conditions of atrichia, well-managed Specific lineages Congenital, variable expression, malformations possible Frequent Variable blindness, well-managed

Frequent

Early onset, variable blindness, well-managed

Rare

Early onset, complete blindness, well managed

Common to frequent Unknown

Early onset, variable expression, possible early renal failure, palliative care Poorly documented

Frequent

Variable onset, risk uncertain, treatable

Rare

Early onset, death generally by 2 years, no treatment Early onset; disabled cats can survive for years, palliative care Congenital, deafness, well managed

Rare Common

Figure 1. Cat health management slippery slope. Presented is a subjective consideration of the diseases in cats and their implications for quality of life. Conditions with poorer quality of life are near the bottom of the diagonal line, better quality of life at the top of the line. To the right of the diagonal line, and below the red line, are diseases that can be genotyped and breeders actively eradicate these conditions. Many conditions vary in regards to the penetrance and expression of disease, thus can be repositioned on the slope depending on severity.

EDITOR: This is the Twelfth in a series of articles based on feline genetics by Dr Leslie Lyons being published in FELIS HISTORICA during the 2020/2022 period

For example, some cats with PKD can have severe disease and succumb to renal failure within a few years of life, while others never have renal disease. To the left of the slope line are structural abnormalities, such as Manx tailless, folded ears, dwarfism, polydactyla, in which these conditions could be managed well by good breeding programs, but the presentation of health-related consequences are difficult to predict and could be extremely debilitating. The state of the genotype also influences risk of these diseases, such as homozygotes being lethal in utero (Manx, dwarf) or stillborn (Burmese cranial facial defect), or may cause more severe disease, such as osteochondrodysplasia in Scottish folds, including higher risk for disease, such as for HCM. Brachycephalic cats pose as interesting problem of requiring chronic care and surgical interventions. How should breeders manage the conditions to the left of the diagonal line?

Multi Best in Show winning solid blue Maine Coon male cat aged one year. ‘Flurmonz Lee Jay’ - Photo:Breeder/Owner: Judy Formby

Here are some general considerations and recommendations for health management of cats when using genetic testing: 1) How early is the age of onset of the disease or health concern? College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Missouri

Several diseases cause significant health problems that are incompatible with life. Conditions such as spasticity, Birman hypotrichosis, gangliosidosis 1 and 2, glycogen storage disease and autoimmunolymphoproliferative disease have a disease onset before one year of age and will cause death within a year or so of life. Spinal muscular atrophy has an early set, but some cats can live many years with neurological disabilities. Any ethical breeder should eradicate these diseases from their breeding lines.

Odd-Eyed Scottish Fold Longhair Photo: Tiny House Studio – Witsarut Rungruangwattanachot

2) How frequent is the problem in the breed? Is the problem confined to certain lineages? How large is the breed population?

EDITOR: This is the Twelfth in a series of articles based on feline genetics by Dr Leslie Lyons being published in FELIS HISTORICA during the 2020/2022 period

Although eradication of disease may be self-evident, the population size of a breed needs to be considered. For breed populations of smaller sizes, such as Korats, the eradication of gangliosidoses (GM1 and GM2) needs to be closely considered. Rapid removal of all carriers may lead to new inbreeding and founder effects, which could easily cause new inbreeding problems. Likewise, if a health problem is common in the breed, such as HCM in Maine Coons or polycystic kidney disease (PKD) in Persians, eradication should be slow to minimize other concerns of inbreeding and to allow breeders to transition to new breeding stock. However, for rare diseases in popular cat breeds, eradication should be more enthusiastically recommended. Hypokalemia, the progressive retinal atrophies, “spasticity”, ALPS, GM1 in Burmese, SMA, and GSD could be eliminated in one generation, thereby removing the need and financial cost of these genetic tests in the future.

Scottish Fold Longhair Photo: Tiny House Studio – Witsarut Rungruangwattanachot

3) Are new outcrosses from different breeds or the random bred population of origin introduced into the breed? Korats have allowable outcrosses from new founder cats from the random bred populations of origin, such as Thailand. Random bred cats have been documented to have different heritable diseases. Therefore, genetic testing of all known diseases, as well as favorable traits, should be conducted on any outcrosses to evaluate risk for disease and utility in a breeding program. Of course, random bred cats have a chance of having an unknown mutation for a new disease, but this risk is true for any new kitten, at any time, of any breed. 4) Is there a difference in the risk or severity for the health concern between the homozygous and heterozygous individuals? College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Missouri

The breeding practice of - not mating two cats with the same condition has been used to reduce risk or severity of health problems for several breeds. However, this mating scheme is not actually effective. Cats with two copies of the mutations for taillessness (Manx), PKD, and dwarfism are never produced. These mutations are so severe, they are incompatible with the growth of the fetus and hence these kittens die during development, i.e., lethal in utero. If two cats with these dominant conditions are bred, basically 25% of the kittens in a litter are not born or are stillborn. But even when a normal cat is bred to a cat with the tailless, fold, dwarf, or PKD, 50% of kittens will have the trait, but severity of

Sup. GC, NW Nu-Trenz Nik Nak Pad E Wak – Black Harlequin Munchkin male. Catz Inc. All-Breeds Cat of the Year, 2009

fold, dwarf, or PKD, 50% of kittens will have the trait, but severity of disease can not be efficiently predicted. Some Manx will have severe lameness, incontinence and constipation. Some dwarf cats may have severe angular deformities of the joints, and the time to renal failure in PKD cats can not be predicted. For Scottish folds, homozygous cats are produced, but have a much higher rate of osteochondrodyplasia.

EDITOR: This is the Twelfth in a series of articles based on feline genetics by Dr Leslie Lyons being published in FELIS HISTORICA during the 2020/2022 period

Thus, which is a worse condition? – a trait that is lethal in utero, in which kittens are never born, or a trait in which the kittens are born but could have chronic pain and disabilities throughout their life and need constant health care? How ethical is it to produce cats with a high risk of chronic health concerns? 5) Severity and treatment for the condition

Hypokalemia can be controlled in Burmese cats with a simple supplementation of potassium in their diets. However, breeders have clearly moved to eradicate this disease to not produce a cat with a potential risk for seizures and life-long dietary supplementation. The progressive retinal atrophies cause blindness in cats, no treatment is available and cats actually adapt to their handicaps well.

Blue Bi-colour Sphynx male owned by Sharyn Van Aalst. ‘Gatodouro Ajay’ – Photo: Helmi Flick Cat Photography

But overall, no one wants to breed and produce blind cats. However, the breeding of deaf cats has been more acceptable. No treatment is available and cats also manage well with deafness. But here the problem is a desired trait, all white, is linked to an undesired trait, deafness. The cause of the white coat is known, but not the deafness. Thus, is this risk of deafness an acceptable risk in breeding of all white cats, particularly when deafness is well managed by the cat? 6) Is good documentation of health concerns available?

College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Missouri

Osteochondrodysplasia in heterozygous Scottish folds is documented and relatively known in the veterinary and breeding communities. However, the concern for severe abnormalities for cats with the polydactyla mutations and dwarfism are less documented. Good breeding practices could prevent associated health problems, such as abnormalities from breeding for too many toes or dwarf cats that are extremely short. Documentation of health problems within Manx could indicate that one of the four mutations may not lead to the other health problems. But honest and open documentation would need to be collected and analyzed. Some newer mutations and conditions need better scientific documentation as to their health effects, such as the PKD2 variant found in a Siberian with polycystic kidneys, the Lykoi hairless mutations, and the HSP5 variant in the Peterbalds / Donskoy breed.

Scottish Fold Longhair Photo: Tiny House Studio – Witsarut Rungruangwattanachot

Pyruvate kinase deficiency has a relatively higher allele frequency than expected in many breeds, but many homozygous cats are not identified, nor cats having anemia concerns. Thus, should this mutation be of management concern to breeders? Several mutations have been identified for cat blood types and most breeders know how to manage neonatal isoerythrolosis concerns within the breeds with a high Type B blood type frequency. Should type B cats be eradicated? Or, is there some natural reason for different blood types, which confer some survival advantage, as has been suggested for different human blood types? 7) Known health problems – caused by positive selection – by breeders

EDITOR: This is the Twelfth in a series of articles based on feline genetics by Dr Leslie Lyons being published in FELIS HISTORICA during the 2020/2022 period

The Burmese craniofacial defect is a condition that has a heterozygous advantage. Heterozygous Burmese cats became the Contemporary lines, which because of the shorted head conformation, brachcephalic faces, these lines became enormously popular. However, when cats are homozygous for the mutation, a severe congenital abnormality is produced and kittens are either stillborn or need to be euthanized. In the meantime, Traditional Burmese breeders and non-USA Burmese breeders, have slowly selected Burmese to also have shortened faces. The slower means of selection over generations, which has occurred in Persians and other breeds as well, is likely due to the selection of multiple DNA variants that add up (additive or polygenes) to cause the shorter facial structures

Brown classic babby Exotic male kitten, aged seven months. ‘Paddington Too Cool For School’ – Photo: Breeder/Owner: Annamaria Martin.

structures. But even so, brachycephalic cats have chronic health concerns, presenting as stenotic nares (small nose holes), compromised airways, stenotic lacrimal ducts, bite malocclusions, and higher risks for eye problems, such as sequestrums. Skull and brain cavity deformities have been noted in some severe cases. Genetic tests will be far more difficult to develop for these additive and polygenic traits, and, actually, unnecessary. The popularity of brachycephalic cats is under the control of the cat fancy – breeders, judges and registries all share the responsibility in producing brachycephalic cats that will have chronic health concerns. So, where do these cats fit on the “Slippery Slope” of cat health management? The power of genetics has helped cats and breeders, now how are the breeders going to help the cats – when it is in their power?

College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Missouri

Overall, in just a few generations, less than 5 years, most all cat diseases with known genetic tests could be eradicating from cat breeds. Common disease mutations, such as those for HCM and PKD, may be more persistent. Think of the financial savings for the breeders, the improved welfare for the cats and the better public relations for the cat fancy if everyone pulled together and tested their breeding cats for the next generation! But the harder question – do we have the courage to eliminate some cat breeds with known health concerns and change conformations of many breeds to a healthier style? Can we wipe the slippery slope clean?

A GALLERY OF SCOTTISH FOLDS

Photos courtesy of Tiny House Studio - Witsarut Rungruangwattanachot

A GALLERY OF SCOTTISH FOLDS

Photos courtesy of Tiny House Studio - Witsarut Rungruangwattanachot

A GALLERY OF SCOTTISH FOLDS

. Photos courtesy of Sundemorning Cattery. By Keeratiya Cruvongpaiboon

A GALLERY OF SCOTTISH FOLDS

Photos courtesy of Sundemorning Cattery. By Keeratiya Cruvongpaiboon

A GALLERY OF SCOTTISH FOLDS

Perk-eared Folds Photos courtesy of Sundemorning Cattery. By Keeratiya Cruvongpaiboon

A GALLERY OF SCOTTISH FOLDS

Photos courtesy of Helmi Flick Cat Photography

A GALLERY OF SCOTTISH FOLDS

Photos: Lanna Sky Cattery. By Kiatkul Jirapatpimol

A GALLERY OF SCOTTISH FOLDS

Photos: Lanna Sky Cattery. By Kiatkul Jirapatpimol

FULMER CHAMPION XENOPHON Brown Classic Tabby English Shorthair male, born in 1892. Cropped Photo by E. Landor, Ealing. Image: ‘The Tatler’ October 2, 1901. Backgrounds © www.gographic.com

AN HISTORICAL PORTRAIT OF

BROWN CLASSIC TABBY ENGLISH SHORTHAIR MALE BY

JOHN G. SMITHSON

Adapted from the author’s text for ‘Fulmer Xenophon’ @ The History Project www.cat-o-pedia.org

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND Of the many beautiful English shorthairs shown in the first 40 years of the Fancy, Ch. Xenophon was notably the most famous and the most honoured, with the only other shorthair cats to come close to him being the renowned Silver Tabbies ‘Ch. Jimmy’ owned by Mrs Herring, and in his turn, the son of ‘Jimmy’, ‘James II’, owned by Mrs Collingwood. On the show bench, ‘Xenophon’ was never defeated in his class and often took, - Best of Colour, Best in Variety, followed by Best Shorthair Cat, and on occasion, Best Cat in Show. Amongst the favoured Longhairs, his fiercest rival for top honours was the memorable multiple Best in Show winning chinchilla, ‘Zaida’. For a time, both these very celebrated and amazing cats were owned and exhibited by Lady Gertrude Decies, with both becoming world-famous. During his lifetime, ‘Xenophon’ changed hands several times, twice due to the untimely demise of his then current owner. While he was owned by Mr Charles Heslop, he was sometimes agented at the London shows by Mr Charles Lane amongst others and it is a testament to the style and personality of the cat, that he had such a large personal following of fans within the cat fancy.

others and it is a testament to the style and personality of the cat, that he had such a large personal following of fans within the cat fancy.

BLUE LONGHAIR MALE

The following tribute to him is taken from Frances Simpson’s ‘The Book of The Cat’, Chapter XXV, which dealt with shorthaired cats in particular. The writer bemoans the difficulty that breeders of Brown Tabbies experienced in seeking a good rich brown sable colour: “Very few good brown tabbies are benched, and breeders, I am afraid, get very disheartened at the result of their efforts. I despair to think of the litters I have seen, and not a good one amongst them. The rich brown sable colour is very seldom met with, and now that the world-renowned champion of champions, ‘Xenophon,’ is no more, we have only ‘Flying Fox’ and ‘King of Lee’ anything like the type you can expect in this handsome breed. ‘Of Champion Xenophon’ I am afraid we can truly say, ‘We shall ne’er look on his like again.’ His wonderful colour, markings, and size approached the ideal shorthair cat.” ⁴

‘Champion Xenophon’ Photo: E. Landor, Ealing. From ‘The Tatler’ October 2, 1901 ¹

In all his years as a show cat, Xenophon accumulated a staggering number of awards, making him the number one shorthaired cat of his era, of all shorthaired breeds and all colours. PARENTAGE & OWNERSHIP ‘Ch. Xenophon’ appears in the Register of The National Cat Club a number of times, but his initial registration was under the number (1338), in Vol.II of the Studbook, (January 1893 to March 1894). Here, he was already listed as a Champion, with Sire and Dam as ‘unknown’. In this record his name is officially recorded as XNEPHON, with his first owner of record being Mr. J. Johnson, Lewisham, Malton, Yorkshire. His current owner was recorded as Mrs Charles Heslop, of 24 Bondgate, Darlington, but at the bottom of the entry, there is also a rider which states: *Now owned by Mr. Sam Woodiwiss, Sedgemere, East Finchley.⁸

bottom of the entry, there is also a rider which states: *Now owned by Mr. Sam Woodiwiss, Sedgemere, East Finchley.⁸ At this time, Mr Sam Woodiwiss was an active Committee Member of The National Cat Club, and a friend of Mr Charles H. Lane. We can turn to Charles Lane’s reminiscences published in ‘Rabbits, Cats & Cavies’ in 1903, in which he tells of how he nearly owned ‘Ch. Xenophon’, for further information on how this lovely cat managed to change hands and slip through his fingers into the appreciative hands of Lady Gertrude Decies: “I think the best Brown Tabby that has been brought out for many years was the late Champion Xenophon, the property of Lady Decies, and I have always thought I did a foolish thing in refusing the offer of him, long before her ladyship ever heard of him, when I could have had him for less than a quarter of the price for which he was

‘Ch. Fulmer Xenophon’ An illustration by Rosa Bebb, from ‘Rabbits, Cats & Cavies’ (1903) by Charles H. Lane

Decies, and I have always thought I did a foolish thing in refusing the offer of him, long before her ladyship ever heard of him, when I could have had him for less than a quarter of the price for which he was afterward sold to a friend of mine. “It so happened, I had a lot of cats, some thirty or forty I think, at the time, and was not anxious for more, and so missed my chance; and although, whenever they met, whether at the Crystal Palace or any other large shows, my Brown Tabby, Laurel Quar, who was really a better brown in colour than he, but lost to him in size and general appearance, had to play second fiddle as long as he remained in the band; it would have been more satisfactory to have owned both, when I could have made each a champion, as I held the winning cards, with two champions in Whites, and the same in Silver Tabbies, which were the only two varieties to be much feared.

a champion, as I held the winning cards, with two champions in Whites, and the same in Silver Tabbies, which were the only two varieties to be much feared. “I am pleased, however, that Xenophon got into good and appreciative hands, in both his late owners, and that he had a thoroughly good time. “I am glad to give the reproduction of a capital portrait of him, as I think, taking him all round, he was the best specimen of the variety I can call to mind…” ⁷ In Volume V of the Studbook of the National Cat Club (1899) compiled by Mrs Champion, under the section for ‘Re-Entries’ we finally find ‘Xenophon’ relisted with his original number and his name with the corrected spelling.

One of four Crufts Cat Show Medals won by Sam Woodiwiss in the Harrison Weir Collection during the time he was probably showing ‘Xenophon’ and other shorthairs. These were only issued during 1894/1895. Images © The Harrison Weir Collection

number and his name with the corrected spelling. In this entry he is now under the ownership of Miss G. Willoughby (Lady Decies) and with his wins recorded for the intervening period between 1896 and 1899. ⁸ SIBLINGS & SHOWS Although there is no mention of her in any book or any historic references to a sibling by early authors, we find in the Register and Studbook of The National Cat Club, Vol. III, (March 1895), a shorthair female with the registration number (1811), who is simply described as a ‘Shorthair Grey Tabby’. And although both her date of birth and sire and dam are all listed as ‘unknown’, her listed name is just ‘Sister to Xnephon’! And coincidentally, she is owned by Mrs Charles Heslop, who also just happened to be a former owner of ‘Xenophon’. So, this appears to be one verifiable full sibling from unknown parentage. ⁸

From an article in ‘Windsor Magazine’ in 1899, written by E. Leuty Collins, comes this fine illumination of the show wins of ‘Xenophon’ while he was under the stewardship of Mrs Sam Woodiwiss, plus an insight into the close relationship between pet and owner. The article is ostensibly a tribute to several excellent perennial exhibits that attended the Crystal Palace Cat Show each year, giving a little inside information on each. On ‘Xenophon’ whose photo leads the article, the writer has the following to contribute: “A man now pre-eminent in the study of cat life as a hobby is Mr Sam Woodiwiss, of Finchley, whose remarkably victorious ‘Xenophon’ holds still the champion sway. Not only is Mr Woodiwiss devoted to his cats, but he is also an enthusiast on the subject of dogs.

‘Champion Xenophon’ pictured in the Cattery belonging to Sam Woodiwiss. Photo: T. Fall; from ‘Windsor Magazine’, 1899, in an article by E. Leuty Collins. ³ Image courtesy of The Harrison Weir Collection

“Xenophon was prized at £2,000, and has won his master very possible honour a cat can – eight championships, over 20 first prizes, besides cups, specials, etc., etc. He is a most homely cat, of immense size, and with exceptionally fine sable markings. His pet name is ‘The Man’.” ³ The list of his wins, if they could all be found, would no doubt fill a page in itself, but for the purpose of this history, we will list those official wins that are recorded in the register: 1st, Malton; 2nd, Bishop Auckland; 1st and Special, Walsingham; 1st and four Specials, Crystal Palace; 3rd, Brighton; 1st and Special, Guisborough; 1st and Special, Great Ayton; 1893.

1st, Malton; 2nd, Bishop Auckland; 1st and Special, Walsingham; 1st and four Specials, Crystal Palace; 3rd, Brighton; 1st and Special, Guisborough; 1st and Special, Great Ayton; 1893. 1st and four Specials, Royal Aquarium; 1894. The following wins are recorded after his transfer of ownership to Miss Gertrude Willoughby (Lady Decies): -1st, Championship, Crystal Palace; 1896. 1st, Championship and Premiership, Crystal Palace; 1897 and 1898. 1st, Botanic; 1898 and 1899. 1st, Brighton; 1899.

‘Champion Xenophon’ Published in ‘The Harmsworth Magazine’, 1898 ⁶ Cropped from an interpretative illustration by Louis Wain, entitled ‘Some Costly Pets’ Image courtesy of The Harrison Weir Collection

BREEDING & PROGENY: There are few references to the progeny of ‘Ch. Xenophon’ in the registers, but these two, both females, are clearly listed, along with a number of grand-progeny. ‘Heather Star’- Shorthaired Brown Tabby female, (NCC &CCR), born 19th July 1897, out of ‘Cheechy’. Breeder/Owner: Mrs Clarence J. Meller Bonny. ⁹ ‘Watership Zenia’-Shorthaired Brown Tabby female, (CCR) born October 4 1896, out of Mr. Woodiwiss’ ‘Zenobia’. Breeder: Mr. S. Woodiwiss, Owner: Miss Power ⁵

Two males sired by ‘Ch. Xenophon’ may be found in privately owned databases, for which at this point in time, we cannot find verifiable information. One is a male named ‘Bainbridge’ who could possibly be a Red Tabby, as his dam is listed as ‘Ch. Windsor Vermillion’, by a ‘Kuhnel’ red male. No date of birth is given for ‘Bainbridge’. The second is ‘Jerry’, possibly a Brown Tabby, out of a female named ‘Brownie’. Although we have no parentage or date of birth for ‘Jerry’ he does appear as a son of ‘Ch. Fulmer Xenophon’ on the pedigree of ‘Rose’, the dam of ‘Ch. James II’!

‘Champion Zenophon’! (sic) Cropped from an interpretative illustration by Louis Wain. From: ‘Prize Winners at the National Cat Club Show at the Crystal Palace’ Published in ‘The Illustrated London News’ 24th October, 1896 ⁵ Image: The Harrison Weir Collection

This ‘Jerry’ is shown as the sire of ‘Gypsy King’, who in turn is the sire of ‘Rose’. This is not an insignificant discovery, as in this unique combination, we therefore find BOTH ‘Ch. Fulmer Xenophon’ AND ‘Ch. Jimmy’ behind Mrs. Collingwood’s ‘Ch. James II’. This combination is therefore to be found behind all his subsequent progeny, including ‘Silver Stripes’, ‘Dame Fortune’ and the lovely ‘Genesee Valley Jane’. This, therefore, may put ‘Ch. Xenophon’ into the pedigrees of many American Shorthairs that can trace their ancestry back to the silver tabbies descended from ‘Ch. James II’!

In summary, we should take heed of the words of Harrison Weir, a great admirer of the English Shorthaired cat, who is quoted on page 285 of ‘The Book of The Cat’ when he compares the popularity of the Shorthairs to the Longhairs: “I am disappointed at the neglect of the shorthaired English cat, by the ascendancy of the foreign longhair. Both are truly beautiful, but the first, in my opinion, is far in advance of the latter in intelligence. In point of fact, in animal life, in that way, it has no peer; and, again, the rich colourings are, I think, more than equal to the softened beauty of the longer-coated. I do not think that the breeding of short-hairs is yet properly understood.”

Another version of the Landor photo of ‘Champion Xenophon’ Photo: E. Landor, Ealing. From ‘The Book of The Cat’ (1903) by Frances Simpson ⁴

not think that the breeding of short-hairs is yet properly understood.” And immediately following on in the same article, is another quote from a correspondent to ‘Our Cats’ complaining about the classification of Shorthairs: “All fanciers of that beautiful animal the British cat feel that they are handicapped when they receive schedules of the various shows and compare the classification of short- and longhaired cats. Far better it would be honestly to announce a ‘foreign cat show’, with a rider that a few English may compete if they choose. It is a pity in many ways; for, given a little encouragement, the standard of the poor, everyday, homely pussy would be raised, and we would not see so much wanton cruelty and neglect attached thereto.”

From these statements it becomes clearly apparent, that the exhibitors of short-haired cats were and felt that they were at a distinct disadvantage at shows, right from the outset. So, we can certainly appreciate that when a short-haired exhibit did win, and win well, it was considered to be a supreme triumph in itself, and to defeat the foreign Longhair (Persian) for the coveted Best of Show was the pinnacle of achievement! This, ‘Xenophon’ was successful in doing a number of times, hence his great fame and his great following. The death of Xenophon occurred on 15th January 1903, and was reported in the January 24th 1903 edition of ‘Our Cats’ along with the cover page image opposite, in tribute:-

Front page tribute to ‘Fulmer Champion Xenophon’ Cover page image of the January 24th 1903 edition, of ‘Our Cats’ weekly. ² Image courtesy of The Harrison Weir Collection

RECEPTION ROOM AT BERESFORD LODGE, BIRCHINGTON-ON-SEA. NOTE THE PAINTING OF ‘FULMER XENOPHON’ BY W. LUKER JUNIOR, ON THE WALL ABOVE THE PIANO. A CONTEMPORARY PHOTO OF ‘FULMER XENOPHON’ BELOW

Photo: from a Private Family Album, Courtesy of John Pett.

“Ch. Xenophon, the celebrated smooth-haired English sable tabby, died on January 15th at Beresford Lodge, Birchington. This cat has probably won more first prizes than any smooth cat ever exhibited. For years Xenophon was absolutely invincible, and won some hundreds of first prizes, championships, medals, and cups. He finished his show career at the last Botanical Gardens Coronation Show, and there he won his last first prize. Mr Luker (Junior) recently painted a very fine portrait in oils of Xenophon for Lady Decies.” ² (Editors comment: This painting may very well still exist, if only we could track it!)

References: 1. ‘The Tatler’ October 2nd,, 1901 2. ‘Our Cats’ weekly, January 24th, 1903. 3. ‘The Windsor Magazine’ 1899. 4. ‘The Book of The Cat’ (1903) by Frances Simpson. 5. ‘The Illustrated London News’ October 24th 1896. 6. ‘Harmsworth Magazine’ 1898. 7. ‘Rabbits, Cats and Cavies’ (1903) by Charles H. Lane. 8. ‘The National Cat Club Stud Book and Register’ (Vols.1 to V) 9. ‘The Cat Club Register’ (Vols. 1 to V) 10. ‘Reception Room’ – Photo: John Pett. 11. Photos and Quotations as per credits noted.

A-CAT-EMY CONCEPTS is proud to present A NEW PUBLICATION FROM ‘THE ALCHEMY OF CAT BREEDS’ SERIES

‘The Descendants of Bastet’ gives a complete overview of the first century of the Abyssinian breed, from the first mention of the breed in the early 1870s through until circa 1970. Additionally, chapters on the later development of the colors red, blue, and fawn ar included – plus the longhair version of the breed is discussed in a chapter on the originas of the Somali. The book is 8 1/2 x 11. Pre-index, it is 265 pages chock full of historical information for Abyssinian lovers! It includes a great deal of registration information, pedigrees, progeny reports and photos of cats important to the breed history. Preview of the introductory pages here – http://bit.ly/3aBqFys Contact Karen (catfanrep@gmail.com) for pre-order form. No payment is due at this time; you will be contacted when the book is available for mailing.

The Harrison Weir Collection’s The Chinese Lop? ..or alternative early The best early images of the now extinct breed, the Chinese Lop, are those preserved for us by the hand of German-born artist Jean Bungartz, (1854-1934), who, for Germany was like Harrison Weir was to the English. He was a 19th century artist of considerable ability, and a naturalist who enjoyed recording images of dogs, cats, and other beasts of the field; and who, like Weir, was a prolific illustrator. His illustrations particularly of dog breeds are still highly sought after to this day.

An illustration of the ‘Chinese Lop’ (a fold or lop-eared cat still extant in the mid 1890’s Illustration by Jean Bungartz, from his book on cat breeds entitled ‘Illustriertes Katzenbuch.’ Berlin, (1896)

In fact, although he was junior to Harrison Weir by 30 years, almost to the day, their interests were incredibly similar. Both illustrated dogs and cats, and dog and cat shows, both took a keen interest in Pigeon breeding and in illustrating them, and both were well-known naturalists in other disciplines. The above illustration of a Chinese Lop is probably the best as of that date, the book it comes from dedicated purely to the origins and descriptions of the cat breeds of the day, in much the same way as Weir had written his own treatise on the cat ‘Our Cats’ in 1889. The copy of the book ‘Illustriertes Katzenbuch’ from which the above image was derived, was in fact signed by Jean Bungartz and dated in 1896, being a gift to a fellow naturalist.

recent finds… findsfinds… fold-eared cats?

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

The above is the only known photographic portrait of Bungartz, taken from a business card dated 1896. The other illustrations on this page include a cropped version of a Sealpoint Siamese cat, also from his book ‘Illustriertes Katzenbuch’ and two examples of dog breed illustratations, the smaller being of Blenheim Spaniels, and the larger of a Bulldog. In the pages overleaf, we find a larger image of multiple cat breeds, including the Chinese Lop, as well as cats at a show in Munich dated 1897.

The Harrison Weir Collection

‘Katzenrassen’ (or) ‘Breeds of Cats’ A full page illustration dating from 1897, including at centre right, a Chinese Lop With what would seem at least to be a slightly exaggerated pendulous lop to the ears.

recent finds…

International Cat Show, Munich, 1897 Another full page illustration of cats on exhibition at a Munich International Cat Show. Like Weir, these images by Bungartz are an excellent and reliable historical record from the times.

The Harrison Weir Collection

A cropped image from an original photograph in the Harrison Weir Collection, dating from the turn of the 19th/20th century, which may be the only known photo extant, of a Chinese Lop cat. Image © The Harrison Weir Collection

The story of how the above rare photograph of a lopeared cat came into the Harrison Weir Collection is one of complete chance. It was purchased at auction from a vendor located in the United Kingdom. So the question that needed to be asked, was who in the United Kingdom in the early 20th century could have had possession of a photograph of a Chinese Lop cat that was known to have been brought from China to Berlin in the mid 1890’s? One very plausible connection was the young cat fancier, Manx and Abyssinian enthusiast and later judge, Mr. H.C. Brooke; (shown here); who was well-known for his eclectic collection of unusual cats and dogs. Before he and Mrs. Brooke settled in England, he was in fact trained in Veterinary studies in Berlin, so it is highly probable that he would have retained connections in Berlin and would have been advised of the arrival of the Chinese Lop into that city. Could this photo be from his personal archives?

Mr. H.C. Brooke with Manx kitten on his shoulder and pet wolf, under his arm.

Equally fascinating is that if we go back even further, between 15-20 years in fact, on this occasion to the 1880 Boston Cat Show in the United States, we find this cleared marked illustration in the ‘Daily Graphic’, one of many on a feature page about the Cat Show that year – many of them being rare breeds often today considered not discovered until relatively recent times? The above is denoted as a lop-eared cat, the below, is extraordinarily familiar to us today as a lookalike of the modern Sphynx, yet both were available for exhibition in 1880 in the United States! Was the hairless cat an earlier example of the ‘Mexican Hairless’ from New Mexico? Or another more local hairless mutation? Of one thing we can be sure…there is nothing NEW under the sun! Image © The Harrison Weir Collection

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A-CAT-EMY CONCEPTS is proud to present A NEW PUBLICATION FROM ‘THE ALCHEMY OF CAT BREEDS’ SERIES

‘A Persian Rhapsody in Blue’ – Volume 1, provides a rare look into the pre-history and establishment of the Blue Persian Cat, from the first recorded importations direct from the Khorasan province, into Europe in the 1620’s; to a detailed development in 19th and 20th century Britain. Includes many new images of Blue Persian cats, not published in well over 100 years. In depth coverage, of Foundation bloodlines and famous strains. In A4 format, Pre-index, this book comprises of 546 pages of detailed information and rare images of key progenitors of the Persian cat, and their breeders.

Preview of the introductory pages is found at – http://bit.ly/3gOMM8b Contact John (nutrenz57@yahoo.com.au) for pre-order booking form. No payment is due at this time; you will be contacted when the book is available for mailing.

H.R.H. Princess Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein – Royal Cat Fancier extraordinaire. Photo: Alfred Ellis. From ‘Young Woman’ (1893) © The Harrison Weir Collection Backgrounds © www.gographic.com

AN HISTORICAL PORTRAIT OF

H.R.H. PRINCESS VICTORIA OF SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN BY

JOHN G. SMITHSON

Granddaughter of Queen Victoria THE FIRST IN OUR SERIES ON ‘ARISTOCRATIC’ CAT BREEDERS Adapted from excerpts by the author, from ‘A Persian Rhapsody In Blue’

PREAMBLE In Victorian England, for any societal entity to gain popular support and strength, it was prudent to seek interest and approval from quarters within the landed gentry and better still, from the aristocratic classes, and best of all, from within the royal circle. The influence of the aristocracy in the formative years of the Cat Fancy should not be underestimated. Although by numerical comparison to the lay fancier, they may have been few, their ability to influence societal attitudes was just as effective then, as it is now. They were the trendsetters, and when they engaged in what might have been considered by some as avant-garde interests, the gentry usually soon followed. It is easy to forget, that no matter what a person’s social status, the lure of the cat, reaches across all social boundaries, and a cat can be appreciated and adored by an person from any tier of the societal ladder. The earliest organised cat shows date from 1871 and from the beginning had the moral and social support of Lady Dorothy Nevill, a daughter of Horatio Walpole, the third Earl of Orford.

support of Lady Dorothy Nevill, a daughter of Horatio Walpole, third Earl of Orford. She was an inveterate socialite, ardent horticulturalist and cat fancier. In fact, she already owned Siamese cats reputedly imported directly from the King of Siam, through the auspices, and with the aid of Sir R. Herbert, of the Colonial Office. Lady Dorothy’s husband was Reginald Henry Nevill, a grandson of the first Earl of Abergavenny. Two decades later, once cat shows had become well-established and a National Cat Club had been formed, Lady Marcus Beresford officially established her breeding cattery of Siamese and Persians around 1890, and was later based at Bishopsgate, an estate which sat on the edge of the Windsor Park Forest. The Duchess of Bedford, (Mary Russell – nee Tribe) also shared an affinity with Siamese cats, one which she shared with Lady Vyvyan and her sister, Miss Forestier-Walker and for a short time, she bred them, exchanging cats with both. We can date her first recorded purchases of Siamese to 1888, and her first home

‘Cumberland Lodge’, the Royal residence of Prince and Princess Christian and their family. Period Postcard image © The Harrison Weir Collection

home-bred Siamese from 1890. She appears to have been also closely acquainted with the renowned biologist Lilian J. Veley and very probably knew her brothers Mr. Owen Gould and Mr. E.B. Gould. The former had been instrumental in assisting with Lilian’s first importation of Siamese cats in 1884; the latter serving a British Consul-General at Bangkok, later maintaining a Siamese cattery there. Towards the end of the ensuing decade, H.R.H. Princess Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein, who also lived near Windsor Park at Cumberland Lodge, established a cattery there for the purpose of breeding Silver and Blue Persians, with which she had become enamoured. Having Lady Marcus Beresford, as a local breeder with a rgrand stock in such close proximity

grand selection of prize bloodstock in such close proximity, as well as being so readily available as a mentor in breeding, must have also been a very attractive proposition and convenience! Princess Victoria, was, like her mother, Princess Christian (Helena), and her father Prince Christian of Denmark, very fond of cats, and to a large extent, must have shown a keen interest in cats for her mother and grandmother, H.M. Queen Victoria to take the time and trouble to acquire some of her first breeding cats for her. Princess Christian and her family all lived at Cumberland Lodge, situated on the edge of Windsor Park Forest, not far from the end of the ‘Long Mile’.

An aerial view over Great Windsor Park, showing Cumberland Lodge in the lower foreground, relative to Great Windsor Park and the Long Mile top right, with Windsor Castle in the distance. Photo: Aerofilms Ltd (c.1951) Image: courtesy of The Harrison Weir Collection

In the photographs opposite and above we see in the first, the front façade of ‘Cumberland Lodge’ and then in the aerial photograph in the foreground, is the same Lodge, surrounded by its supporting buildings, set against a backdrop which shows the ‘Long Mile’ in perspective with Windsor Castle in the far distance. From the blue female ‘Dushcar’ presented to her by her grandmother, Princess Victoria is likely to have bred her first litter of blues, which

have bred her first litter of blues, which we find mentioned in an article published in ‘Our Cats’ published October 12, 1901: “H.H. Princess Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein is the patron of the National Cat Club and an ardent admirer of cats, especially Blue Persians and Chinchillas. Her first appearance as an exhibitor was at the Botanic Gardens Show in the summer of 1900. On this occasion a pair of her Blue Persian kittens, named respectively General Buller and Our Tommy Atkins, secured a special prize.

ABOVE LEFT: THE HOUSE BUILT BY PRINCE CHRISTIAN AND PRESENTED TO HIS DAUGHTER, PRINCESS VICTORIA, CONSISTS OF BEDROOM, LIVING ROOM, OUTER RUN, AND SEPARATE COMPARTMENTS. RIGHT: PRINCE CHRISTIAN OF DENMARK. Photos: Russell & Sons, Windsor. ‘Cassell’s Magazine’; Rotary Photographic Series Postcard.

a pair of her Blue Persian kittens, named respectively General Buller and Our Tommy Atkins, secured a special prize. The Princess is very proud of the fact that one of the best-known Blue Persian males now being exhibited was bred by her at Cumberland Lodge, this cat, Lord Bobs by name, having been given first prizes every time shown, and secured a Championship. He is now owned by Mrs. Collingwood, of Leighton Buzzard.” (Ed: later aka ‘Royal Bobs’)

Lodge is a famous one and contains some notable Blue Persians and Chinchillas. Lord Bobs, who has obtained so many premier honours at different shows, was bred at Cumberland Lodge, and was purchased by Mrs. Collingwood of Leighton Buzzard.

In another piece reported in ‘Cassell’s Magazine’ both these same cats are again mentioned: -

“H.R.H. Princess Christian is a great patroness of cat shows and institutions for the amelioration of pussy’s existence. Her Royal Highness possesses a very fine specimen of a blue cat for which she paid a big price, and it is said has taught the pussy to perform a number of clever tricks.”

“Royalty as a patron of pussy is well presented by the Princess Christian and the Princess Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein. The cattery belonging to Princess Victoria at Cumberland Lodge is a famous one and contains some notable Blue Persians and Chinchillas.

“A splendid example of a Blue Persian is General Buller, who is a great favourite at Cumberland Lodge, and has a most commanding and dignified appearance.

ABOVE LEFT: CATTERY MANAGER MRS. AMOR HOLDING THE YOUNG CHINCHILLA MALE ‘PUCK III’. ABOVE RIGHT: MRS. AMOR ATTENDING TO A BLUE PERSIAN CAT IN ONE OF THE BEAUTIFUL CAT CHALETS, HEATED THROUGHOUT WITH HOT WATER PIPES. Photo: ‘Our Cats’ Magazine’ October 12,1901. Photo. W Forbin. Image courtesy of The Harrison Weir Collection

number of clever tricks.” Prince Christian also owns his own pet Persian cat, a strikingly beautiful Red Tabby & White female, named ‘Ladybird’ who is also a favourite family pet. The second litter from ‘Dushcar’ from a breeding to Lady Marcus Beresford’s ‘Blue Boy II’ produced both the blue Persian males ‘Royal Bobs’ and ‘Amesh’ on October 5, 1901. Both of these cats became famous, the first as a show neuter owned by Mrs Collingwood as mentioned earlier, the second being possibly the first blue Persian male to be exported for breeding by a member of the British Royal family. This cat, named ‘Amesh’ was duly exported to Mrs. Gotwalts of Pottstown, Pensylvania, of the Bagdadwhere he are individually featured in Chapter Nine, amongst those cats which were considered Hallmark Blues of the decade between 1900 and 1909.

Bagdad cattery, from whence came his new registered name of ‘Bagdad Amesh’.

PRINCESS CHRISTIAN’S BLUE PERSIAN, WHOM SHE TAUGHT TO PERFORM TRICKS. ‘Our Cats’ Magazine, October 12, 1901

Mrs. Collingwood, with her ‘Royal Bobs’ a Blue Persian by ‘Blue Boy II’ ex ‘Duschar’ Bred by HRH. Princess Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein, at Cumberland Lodge. Photo: Charles (London). ‘Cats and All About Them’ (1902) by Frances Simpson.

Mrs. Gotwalts Blue Persian stud male, ‘Bagdad Amesh’ a litter brother to ‘Royal Bobs’ Bred by HRH. Princess Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein. Photo: Our Cats Magazine, October 1902.

Prince Christian of Denmark’s personal favourite, ‘Ladybird’ a Red Tabby & White Persian spay and beloved family pet resident inside Cumberland Lodge. Photo: Cassell’s Magazine.

Princess Victoria’s second blue female, was known as ‘Blue Girl’, a blue daughter of ‘Darius’ and ‘Ch. Tot of the Downs’, was bred by Mrs. Herbert Ransome, and originally owned by Mr. Alfred Ward of Longsight, Manchester; (CCR: v4), a renown specialist in Feline and Canine medications. Evidence of ‘Blue Girl’s’ finer qualities are found in a report on a show held in St. James’ Hall Manchester, published in ‘Our Cats’ on December 29, 1900: “Longhairs were judged by Mr. T.B. Mason, Shorthairs by Mr. J.E. Trickett. First and special for best longhaired cat went to Mr. A. Ward’s Blue Girl, shown in capital coat and condition, nice shape, even colouring, and deep orange eyes. She was bred, we understand, by Mrs. Herbert Ransome, from Darius and a daughter of Ch. Blue Jacket.” We then find she was sold by Mr. A. Ward, to Her Highness, the Princess Victoria of SchleswigHolstein, (transferred in CCR: v5). From a later snippet in ‘Our Cats’ Magazine, dated June 8, 1901, we read about ‘Blue Girl’s’ assimulation into the Cumberland Lodge household: -

From a later snippet in ‘Our Cats’ Magazine, dated June 8, 1901, we read about ‘Blue Girl’s’ assimulation into the Cumberland Lodge household: “Another admirer of the Blue Persian is the Patron of the N.C.C., Princess Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein, whose Blue Girl, a recent acquisition, is forming many friendships at Cumberland Lodge, and attracting attention and admiration from everyone in the household, including Prince Christian himself.” Then returning to the article from October 12, we learn more and glean an image: “There are at the present time in H.H.’s cattery seven cats and kittens, two of them Chinchilla Persians, the rest Blues. The choicest is undoubtedly Blue Girl, a lovely Blue Persian of splendid pedigree. The photo here shown of her was taken at a wrong time of year, and consequently does not display the coat to its best advantage.” (Ed: Photo not included) “All of the Princess’s cats are carefully looked after by Mrs. Amor, wife of the head coachman at Cumberland Lodge.”

‘TWIN ROSES ON ONE STEM’ BLUE PERSIAN KITTENS BRED BY HRH. PRINCESS VICTORIA OF SCHLESWIG HOLSTEIN Photo: by Landor. ‘The Tatler’, August 1904. Archive of The Harrison Weir Collection

“All of the Princess’s cats are carefully looked after by Mrs. Amor, wife of the head coachman at Cumberland Lodge.” In the earlier photo of Mrs. Amor, she is holding one of the Princess’s young Chinchillas, named ‘Puck III’ a male who had been bred by Lady Marcus Beresford, and who can also be seen as an adult, sitting in the outer run of the stud house built by Prince Christian in a previous page. He was sired by Miss Snell’s ‘Silver Starlight’, a son of Mrs. Balding’s ‘Silver Laddie’ and his dam was the lovely ‘Windsor Dimity’, a silver daughter of ‘Lord Southampton’.

Like many breeders of Blues, the Princess was very fond of Silvers, and over time, these were her favourite colour variety. ‘Puck’ was recognised for his engaging personality, and was described in the same article as follows: “Undoubtedly the most fascinating pet is Puck III., an independent little Chinchilla of charming manners and engaging address, who won seconds at Manchester and 1st at Slough, including many specials.” However, not all the Princess’s early silvers were blessed with such a temperament, as this story from ‘Cassell’s Magazine’ relates of an earlier silver male, named ‘Imp’: -

An extremely rare peek inside one of the stud houses at Cumberland Lodge at the infamous ‘IMP’ who deigned to show his displeasure by scratching the hand of the future King of England! Original photo by W. Forbin, © Archives of The Harrison Weir Collection.

earlier silver male, named ‘Imp’: “Another cat in the royal cattery, named Imp, is gifted with a most unhappy, irritable temper, that renders him a very bad cat for show purposes. Imp one time inflicted a severe scratch upon Prince Edward, who attempted to make friends with him by stroking his tail. “Careless of the fact that the future occupant of the English throne was paying court to him, Imp suddenly shot out a long, silky covered paw and drew blood from the hand of the young prince, who thereafter confined his attentions to the more peaceably disposed ‘Ladybird’ and that lovely Chinchilla Puck III.” In another piece from ‘C.B. Fry’s Magazine’ dated 1905, we are given the image opposite of Princess Victoria, with two of her blue Persian kittens, along with

with this interesting excerpt about her cats: “The only one of our Royalties who has ever exhibited and bred show cats is Princess Christian’s daughter, and since the visit of the King’s sister and the Princess Victoria to our South African colonies, little over a year ago, the Johannesburg ladies have turned their thoughts to the formation of a South African cat club and cat show. “Princess Victoria has a preference for the delicate unmarked Chinchilla Persians, of which she owns many. These have been mainly bred from one pair purchased by the late Queen Victoria at a bazaar at Bagshot Park, promoted by the Duchess of Connaught, where the sister of Sir John Willoughby (now Lady Decies) was selling Persian kittens.

PRINCESS VICTORIA OF SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN SEEN WITH TWO OF HER BLUE PERSIAN KITTENS AT CUMBERLAND LODGE.

Photo: Elliott & Fry. ‘C.B. Fry’s Magazine’ (1905)

“The Princess also owns a famous strain of the fashionable ‘blue’ Persians, distinguished for the deep gold colour of their eyes, two of which are seen in the photograph, recently taken at Cumberland Lodge. The late Queen’s desire to encourage her granddaughter in her chosen hobby is recognised in this

classified snippet from ‘Our Cats’ Magazine, February 16, 1902: “Anyone who would like to buy a kitten from Blue Boy II., out of Dushear, which was presented to Her Highness Princess Victoria by her late Majesty the Queen, should write to Mrs. Amor, Cumberland Lodge, Windsor.”

CFA GC, DW LANNA SKY SELFIE

FACTFILE Pet name:

‘SELFIE’

AWARDS & TITLES

Breed:

Scottish Fold Longhair

CFA Grand Champion 2018

Colour:

Silver Patched Tabby & White

DW Title, Division Winner CFA Thailand 2018-2019

Date of Birth: Sire:

July 23, 2018

Kindlycats Desert

CFA Thailand, BEST KITTEN, 2018-2019 Highest Scoring Kitten, GNL Show, Indonesia 2019

Dam: Ch. Sundemorning Ellie of Lanna Sky

Highest Scoring Kitten, 7th CFA Show, Indonesia, 2019

Breeders: Karnkawee Srimongkol (Thailand)

Highest Scoring Kitten, RC International, Thailand, 2019

The story of CFA Gr, DW Lanna Sky Selfie, could in fact be entitled ‘A Tale of Two Kitties’ as there were two exceptional Scottish Fold females produced from the combination of their parental bloodlines. The Lanna Sky cattery is located in Chiang Mai, a city in the northern part of Thailand, where they have been running a cattery and breeding since 2016, the same year that they also joined the cat fancy and began to exhibit at shows. Keen to get started, and choosing the Scottish Fold as their preferred breed, they began the search for a female to kick-start their fledgling breeding program. Their first acquisition was a female kitten from the Sundemorning cattery, duly named Sundemorning Ellie of Lanna Sky. Ellie’s finest attributes were a great body, well folded ears and a flexible tail. Entering her in competition, first in the kitten classes and then later as an adult gave them valuable experience in showing. Ellie certainly did not disappoint, doing a great job in showing herself off in the ring and gaining numerous finals. As an adult she gained her Championship, but her owners were unable to gain enough points to secure her Grand Championship title. In 2017, their friend at the Chiayo cattery in Bangkok, secured a perk-eared male from kitten from a famous Scottish fold cattery located in Russia, named Kindlycats Desert. His key attributes were a sweet expressive face with well-rounded cheeks. In 2018, both catteries agreed to co-breeding between ‘Desert’ and ‘Ellie’ on the basis that their best features simply complimented each other.

Kindlycats Desert – sire of ‘Selfie’ (Chaiyo cattery) Photo: Supong Parkorntham

Ch. Sundemorning Ellie of Lanna Sky Photo: Kaitkul Jirampatpimol

CFA Judge Vicki Nye, at the KU CFA International Show, December 2018, indicating her willingness to take her Best Kitten home!

On July 23, 2018, the litter from the planned breeding was born, comprising of four female kittens. By the time they were three months old, it was apparent to the owners that two of the fold-eared kittens were particularly special, and could in fact, be outstanding for conformation and colour! They named them ‘Lanna Sky Selfie’ and ‘Lanna Sky Mei-Ing’ respectively, and immediately planned to exhibit them both at the forthcoming KU CFA International Show in December. At a little under four and a half months old, they were among the youngest kittens at the show, but both did extremely well, taking many finals. ‘Selfie’ surprised them, by taking out three Best Kitten wins, despite not being finalled in one ring and therefore missing out on the highest scoring kitten award.

‘Lanna Sky Selfie’ as a young kitten at home. Owner: Karnkawee Srimongkol. Photos: Kiatkul Jirapatpimol

Nevertheless, these first great wins at the KU CFA International Show impressed both judges and many notable exhibitors alike. After the show, one of the judges, Vicki Nye, liked her so much that she suggested to her owners that Selfie was very special and should continue to be campaigned at CFA Shows. Vicki also suggested that if she could possibly be shown in the United States, she might possible be capable of gaining a National Win. Her owner however, decided that it was not practical to take Selfie to be exhibited in the USA, and as there were not enough CFA shows in their region to gain a National Win, that they would instead campaign her at every available show in their region in an attempt to gain a coveted Divisional Winner title. Her second show was at the Genetic Never Lies Cat Show, held on January 12, 2019 by which time ‘Selfie’ was now over 5 months old. It was also the first time that she had been exhibited at a CFA Show

‘Lanna Sky Selfie’ at the Grooming Space Salon Photo: Kiatkul Jirapatpimol

Kiatkul Jirapatpimol with Best in Show rosette with Australian CFA Guest Judge Allan Davies holding ‘Selfie’ Photo: from the Genetic Never Lies Cat Show, Indonesia.

Show outside of Thailand. This was the first show at which ‘Lanna Sky Selfie’ attained a Highest Scoring Kitten award. On this occasion she was chosen for five out of six finals, in three of which she was named Best Kitten, as well as a Second Best Kitten and a 5th Best Kitten win. It was a particularly rewarding experience for the owners/exhibitors, as it was her first win as Highest Scoring Kitten and judge Allan Davies awarded her a Special for Judges Choice.

‘Selfie’ seated against a backdrop of her ring wins gained at the Champ of the Champ 7 Show held on the weekend of February 23/24 2019 , in Indonesia.

Selfie’s third major regional show was the eight ring Champ of the Champ 7 Show Cat show held on February 23/24th in Indonesia. By this show, ‘Selfie’ was aged seven months. As it was not possible for her owner to attend, ‘Selfie’ was placed in the care of an agent/close friend to be exhibited at this event. Excitement levels and hopes were heightened by the knowledge that two of the judges, Nicolas Pun and Marie Griswold, who were themselves experienced Scottish Fold breeders, were officiating. Her exhibitors and agent were therefore keen to know whether ‘Selfie’ would duly impress them. But they need not have been concerned, as ‘Selfie’ was selected for all eight finals, including Best Kitten under both Nicolas and Marie, plus Best Kitten in two other finals, as well as 2nd Best in two finals, with one 3rd Best Kitten and one 5th Best Kitten placement. In all, this culminated in her gaining another Highest Scoring Kitten win, and made her celebrity amongst Indonesian cat fanciers. The 4th Kitten Show for ‘Selfie’ was the 5th Royal Canin CFA International Show in Bangkok, Thailand on March 9-10, 2019. On this occasion many exhibitors were keeping an eye on how ‘Selfie’ would do simply because by this time she was the highest scoring kitten in CFA Thailand. Many were keen to know if she could pull off another Highest Scoring Kitten win! By the end of the show however, all doubt had been removed when she took out Highest Scoring Kitten for the third consecutive time, with Best Kitten in three rings, two 2nd Best Kitten wins, and one 7th Best Kitten win.

‘Lanna Sky Selfie’ as a new one-show Grand! in a ring final with Karnkawee Srimongkol and CFA Judge Pam DelaBar at the Chaiyo Award Aloha Summer Show, April 20-21, 2019, in Bangkok, Thailand.

‘Lana Sky Selfie’ as a five month old kitten, with her winners rosettes from the ‘Genetic Never Lies show’ in Indonesia, in January 12th,2019

CFA GC, DW LANNA SKY SELFIE. Photos: by Amy Works.

The final show for ‘Selfie’ for the 2018-2019 show season, was the CFA International Cat Show, Chaiyo Summer Award, held in Bangkok. She was almost nine months old, so this was her first show in the Championship class. The primary aim of her caretakers was to gain or work towards her Grand Championship title, but they were conscious that this was also the last show of the season. Granding in CFA is never easy and on this occasion there were many beautiful exhibits in a variety of breeds with which she would have to compete for the necessary grand points. Nevertheless, she succeeded, becoming a much coveted one show Grand Champion in true winning style! Her owner tells us that during her great show year, ‘Selfie’ took them to places they had never been to before, won awards that they never imagined were possible, and during that time, had never shown any indication of being stressed or tired. She was always in a good mood, despite travelling long distances and coping with strange environments. It simply seemed to them, that she was born especially for the shows.

GC Lanna Sky Sassy Meiing – Silver Patched Tabby & White Litter sister to GC, DW Lanna Sky Selfie. Photos by Amy Works

Two amazing sisters ‘Lanna Sky Selfie’ & ‘Lanna Sky Meiing’ Photos: by Amy Works

It is often hard to remember that some absolutely gorgeous cats have litter siblings that look to some of us to be equally good! And that is certainly the case with GC. Lanna Sky Meiing, another stunning Silver Patched Tabby & White Scottish Fold Longhair littermate to ‘Selfie’. ‘Meiing’ was first shown as an adult, at the same show where her famous sister became a one-show Grand Champion. But she soon followed closely behind, and at her second adult show, the 19th Thailand Cat Show in 2019, also gained her Grand Championship! That such young breeders and exhibitors managed to title and exhibit two such amazing cats from a single litter to this standard, is nothing short of commendable!

‘Lanna Sky Selfie’ at home. Photo: Kiatkul Jirapatpamol

Photo © CHANAN

CFA GC, NW KITTIES LAND MAIN EVENT

FACTFILE Pet name:

‘M.E’

AWARDS & TITLES

Breed & Colour:

British Shorthair, Blue female

First Kitten Show, Shenyang, China Sept 2014

Date of Birth:

May 5, 2014

Highest Scoring Kitten, CFA International Show (Purple Ring), Philadelphia 2014

Sire:

GC, DW Cromwell Benjamins Dream DM

Dam:

GC Cromwell Me Oh My DM

Breeder:

Allen Shi

Owners:

Allen Shi / Charlene Jin

Gained 61 Best Kitten rings in 10 CFA Shows CFA Best Kitten Regions 1-9 International Division NW - CFA Kitten of the Year 2014-2015. CFA Grand Champion – January 2015

KITTIES LAND MAIN EVENT To some extent, the story of this extraordinary British Blue female kitten, could have been headed ‘An After Event’ as she was not the first great win for the Kitties Land cattery on the show bench, but her final achievement certainly did qualify her as a match for her registered name. The quest for success with British Shorthairs began when Allen Shi contact an Australian breeder to enquire about the purchase of a British Blue, and was redirected to Mrs. Lyndsey Kay Banfield of the ‘Cromwell’ cattery, based in Tasmania in early 2012. The end result of that communication, was the importation of a male and female into China, the male being ‘Cromwell Benjamin’s Dream’ shown above left, and the female, ‘Cromwell Me Oh My’ shown above right. What appealed to Allen was that the breeder had a reputation for producing British shorthairs with exceptionally dense coat texture, typically British conformation, amazing temperaments and beautifully sound round copper eyes. In Benjamin he saw a young male of excellent body conformation and a very sweet expression, and in Me Oh My, a superb dense coat and hypnotic deep copper eyes. In the above photo of Me Oh My, it is also easy to see how compact she is in the body. Allen tells us that GC Cromwell Me Oh My of Kitties Land became an easy one-show Grand. He also exhibited Benjamins Dream as an older kitten, taking out several Best Kitten wins. As soon as he was shown as an adult, he became a one show grand and Allen decided to campaign in Championship. By the end of the season GC, DW Cromwell Benjamin Dream of Kitties Land had gained 4th

Kitties Land Main Event as a kitten at home. Even here, her density of coat is immediately apparent. Photos: Courtesy of Allen Shi.

gained 4th Best Cat in the International Division and CFA’s 3 rd Best British Shorthair 2012-2013. With cats such as these as potential parents, what could Allen expect of their yet to be born progeny? That was soon to be revealed, with their first litter produced 5 excellent kittens, three of which went on to become Grand Champions, including a truly stunning Blue female in the form of Kitties Land Dream A Blue Doll, whom Allen decided to campaign as a kitten. Her success was immediate, resulting with her end of Season placement as CFA’s 7th Best Kitten 2013-2014. As such she was Allens first Kittie Land National Winner, and the first British Shorthair National Winner in China. After such a phenomenal success, Allen was naturally keen to repeat the breeding and a second litter was born May 5, 2014, and when Allen saw the third-born kitten, another female, he considered that she possibly had great potential. By the time she was three months old, Allen was fairly convinced that his new ‘Kitties Land Main Event’ or ‘M.E.’ as he would dub her, was what he had been hoping for. He recalls: - “She had a wonderful temperament, fun-loving, playful, loved spending time with my kids, and when shown, was always purring while the judges were handling her on the table”.

Allen recalls: - “Her first cat show was September 16, 2014 in Shenyang, China, a six ring back to back show. At just four months old, she made five rings as Best Kitten, and 1 ring as 4th Best Kitten. This show encouraged me to continue showing her in the hope of a National Win.” In the photo immediately above, M.E.’s superbly compact body type is clearly apparent.

Clockwise from top left: In competition at the Shenyang Show with CFA Judges, Rachel Anger, Edward Maeda, Carol Fogarty, and climbing the scratch post, with Yaeko Takano.

From above left to right, with CFA Judges at the Purple Show, Allen and M.E., with Ellyn Honey, John Collila, Rachel Anger and Vicki Nye. Lastly, M.E. as a happy retiree at home, such a simply gorgeous kitty!

Allen continues: - “At the November Philadelphia CFA International Show, she was exhibited in the Purple Show and was the highest scoring kitten in that Show. The results were: Best Kitten/ Rachel Anger; Best Kitten/Ellyn Honey; Best Kitten/John Collila; Best Kitten/Vicki Nye; Best Kitten/YaekoTakano; 2nd Best Kitten/Brian Moser; 2nd Best Kitten/Chuck Gradowski; 3rd Best Kitten/Peter Vanwonterghem; 6th Best Kitten/Pam DelaBar.” He further explains: - “In M.E’s kitten career she attended 10 CFA shows and made 61 ring Best Kitten! She became a one-show Grand Champion on January 30, 2015 when 8 months old. She has had many beautiful progeny, and although not all of them got the chance to be shown, NW Kitties Land Oliver of Chelsea Rose and GC Kitties Land Unstoppable are two of the best boys from her.” Strange to say, and ever so humble, Allen failed to remind me that GC, NW Kitties Land Main Event, just also happened to be CFA’s Kitten of the Year for 2014-2015!

On that amazing day at the CFA International at Philadelphia in November 2014 when Charlene and Allen’s kittens took highest scoring kitten in both the ‘Red’ and ‘Purple’ shows, culminating at the end of the Show Season with GC, NW Kitties Land Main Event claiming the coveted CFA Kitten of the Year Award.

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