Felis Historica - November 2020

FEATURES: LONGHAIR – NAPOLEON THE GREAT

SHORTHAIR – QUEEN JUMBO THE ART OF – NEEDLEPOINT BREED – THE CHARTREUX PURRSONALITY – MRS. L. HERRING NOVEMBER 2020 Volume 1 No. 5

and much more!

“Pawis is Purrfect”

INTERNATIONAL MAGAZINE FOR CAT LOVERS - LINECHASERS - & FANCIERS OF FELINE HISTORY

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

FELIS HISTORICA HARRISON WEIR COLLECTION © A-Cat-Emy Concepts

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

NOVEMBER 2020 VOLUME 1 NUMBER 5

EDITOR

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

Karen Lawrence (St. Catharines, Canada)

Lorraine Shelton (California, USA)

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Dr. Leslie Lyons (Missouri, USA)

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Laura Dilley Thomas (Virginia, USA)

Laura Vocelle (Muscat, Oman)

Dr. Keith Hammett (QSM) (Auckland, NZ)

Valerie Sheldrake Feline Historian (Suffolk, UK)

Jamie Christian (Ohio, USA)

PHOTOGRAPHY & GRAPHICS

Helmi & Ken Flick (Florida, USA)

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Jack Terry (Florida, USA)

CONTENT All Rights Reserved © A-Cat-Emy Concepts SUBSCRIPTIONS Published Monthly Single Issue $4.00 USD ANNUALLY $48.00 USD

EDITORIAL The Editor outlines issues covered in Issue 5 of Felis Historica!

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

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IN THIS ISSUE!

THE ART OF CAT NEEDLEPOINT- by CFA Judge Vicki Nye A unique journey into the Needlepoint Art of Five CFA Judges

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‘NAPOLEON THE GREAT’ (Red Angora/Persian) Born c.1888 in France.

Our Longhaired Cat History Feature – by John Smithson

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THE CAT IN ADVERTISING - by CFA Judge Karen Lawrence A glimpse into the use of the Cat in early period product marketing.

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EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT GENETICS YOU CAN LEARN FROM YOUR CAT! PART 5 - by Dr. Leslie Lyons Variations on a theme and Fifty Shades of Grey Variable Expression and Genetic Heterogeneity

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THE BOOK SHOPPE – by Ms Rosabella Purrnett Book Reviews and Promotions on ‘Cat-Related’ Publications

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THE CHARTTREUX – ‘Breed Feature’ - by Orca Starbuck The unique and historic Blue Shorthair Cat of France

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‘QUEEN JUMBO’ (Silver Abyssinian) Born c.1890.

The story of the First Registered Abyssinian - by John Smithson CELEBRATING MODERN CATS – IN OUR FEATURED HISTORICAL BREEDS Longhair Breed Type – Red Persian FIFe NW, NSW, GIC WHITE ‘R’ US IZON JUNIOR JW DSM Shorthair Breed Type – Blue Abyssinian CFA GC, BW, NW ZEHNDER’S BBC LATE NIGHT MRS. LOUISA HERRING - by John Smithson Iconic early breeder, exporter, & stalwart of The National Cat Club, (UK) Owner of the ‘Lee’ Cattery, and eclectic lover of many breeds.

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Editorial ’FELIS HISTORICA’ Welcome to the fifth edition of Felis Historica!

JOHN G. SMITHSON EDITOR

It is hard to believe that next month we will be issuing our very first Christmas edition, which will be a spectacular issue for both content and visual dynamism! It will also follow on from the great old English tradition of periodicals, who would usually add a Christmas supplement full of seasonal yuletide illustrations.

Every month we try to add new features and make improvements on our presentation and to date, the responses have been most encouraging.

Our lead article this month is an intriguing piece by Vicki Nye, who reveals details and images behind a group of five CFA cat judges who share a common bond and passion for Cats and Needlepoint! A big thank you to them all for allowing their creations to be celebrated in this issue! Our cover is both French and Cat themed and is the work of one of these ladies – thank you Donna Fuller for allowing us to show your version of ‘Pawis is Purrfect’.

OUR COVER ‘PAWIS IS PURRFECT’ An example of Needlepoint craftwork

By Donna Fuller

COPYRIGHT © A-CAT-EMY CONCEPTS / FELIS HISTORICA THE HARRISON WEIR COLLECTION No part of this magazine may be reproduced without written consent.

No responsibility is accepted for accuracy of advertisements or information.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED www.felis-historica.com www.harrisonweir.com

Karen Lawrence then examines the advantages of using the everpopular cat in marketing. Her late 19th and early 20th century images of advertisements effectively demonstrate that use and its progression.

Dr. Leslie Lyons regales us with another of her fine genetics articles, this time on ‘blue dilution’, reminding us that there are literally 50 shades of grey and that they are all the result of variable expression.

Our feature breed on this occasion is the unique and historic blue shorthair cat of France, known to us as the Chartreux. Orca Starbuck take us on an amazing journey through the many challenges faced by this breed in its various and historic phases of development and its ultimate success to be recognised as a stand-alone separate breed with its own long history and an easily recognised independent phenotype.

Thank you Orca for this informative article.

Continuing our ‘French’ based theme, the Longhair cat featured in our feline history segment, is the red male ‘Napoleon the Great’, born in France in the late 1880’s and exported to the United States, where his enviable show career and his progeny left their mark on the world of the Persian cat in early American cat fancy.

Our Library segment features two originally French publications about cats, the first is Jean Simmonet’s seminal work, ‘Le Chat des Chartreux’ which is an incredibly diverse and well-researched book that delves into

November 2020 all aspects of both the colour and origins behind the Chartreux cat and the efforts of the Léger sisters on their property at Belle-Île. Translated into English by ZZ Auerbach in 1990, this book is highly recommended as a must-read for those who are deeply into knowing their breed’s history! The second book, ‘Les Amis des Chats’ (Our Friends the Cats)

by Marcel Reney, was published in 1947 and although in French, contains as worthy selection of incredibly enlightening historic images of cats in a variety of breeds.

Our Shorthair historic cat this month is the silver Abyssinian female ‘Queen Jumbo’ who is in fact the earliest Abyssinian registered with the National Cat Club, and who was owned by Mrs. Louisa Herring, who is herself the subject of our ‘Purrsonality’ feature article, towards the end of this month’s issue.

Readers will note that we have included two cartoons by Graham Harrop this time round, as both speak eloquently to our French theme throughout. We also celebrate two modern day cats that closely mirror their historic counterparts featured in this month’s magazine, a Persian from Portugal and an Abyssinian from Michigan in the USA. Last but certainly not least, Felis Historica is proud to be sponsoring one of the Top Cat Challenge Virtual Shows, on this occasion it is Egypt’s Pharaonic Cat Club and all nine judges will be tasked to select one exhibit each as their Judge’s Choice winner from all sections of the show. The winners will receive notification of a prize via email and we will publish details of the winners in our December issue!

By the time you read this, Halloween will have been and gone and Thanksgiving will be on everyone’s mind. Our December edition will be a bumper Christmas themed affair, and should not be missed! In the spirit of generosity that comes with the season of joy, perhaps consider gifting a subscription to ‘Felis Historica’ to a deserving catloving friend!

BRONZE MEDAL BY GALLO, PARIS, 1929 in The Harrison Weir Collection

Enjoy!

John EDITOR

http://www.chartreuxbc.org

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 felinegenome@missouri.edu

JAMIE CHRISTIAN

LAURA D. THOMAS

LAURA A. VOCELLE

WRITER/COLUMNIST TICA INTERNATIONAL JUDGE OF THE YEAR 2016

COLUMNIST/AUTHOR Owner/Founder - Formulator at: CASTLEBATHS www.castlebaths.com Owner/Product Developer at: www.purrinlot.com

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

DR. KEITH HAMMETT

HELMI & KEN FLICK

JACK TERRY

PLANT BREEDER President of the Royal NZ Institute of Horticulture

HELMI FLICK CAT PHOTOGRAPHY www.helmiflick.com

‘THE RESTORIAN’ Photo & Graphics Specialist Photo Humourist

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 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

BANGKOK, THAILAND SEC: SIAM BLE-EYED CAT FANCIERS

CHAYAPON PUCHAROENYOS

ROBBIE WALKER

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, FCCQ. QLD

BAMBI J. EDWARDS

IZADDIN SYAH YUSOF

FARAH DIANA

(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

OUR COVER PICTURE

‘PAWIS IS PURRFECT’ Needlepoint by CFA Judge Donna Fuller.

Canvas by April Murphy.

Framed version on wall shown at left.

The Art of

CAT NEEDLEPOINT BY

VICKI NYE

WITH CONTRIBUTIONS BY FIVE CFA JUDGES Graphics Š www.gograph.com

This is the tale of five Cat Fanciers’ Association (CFA) All-breed Judges, with 150 years judging experience between them. That, of itself, is a unique group to be a part of, but they also all enjoy the art of needlepoint.

Being cat lovers, and fanciers, we gravitate towards needlepoint that features cats.

Each of us, has our own story, which I will present later in this article, but first, a bit of education on needlepoint.

Needlepoint is a form of textile art in which fibers are stitched through an open weave canvas. Traditionally, design and stitching completely cover the canvas with one type of stitch; diagonal over a single intersection.

Modern interpretations include open canvas-work, complex decorative stitches, and utilization of fibers well beyond the traditional wool. As a needlepoint devotee, it is a joyous experience to enter a needlepoint shop and have your senses bombarded by an unending array of colors.

The fiber choices now are vast and include selections of silk, linen, fur blends, metal fibers, beads and an assortment of embellishments to use in the creation of a textural piece of art.

Needlepoint canvas is a woven mesh and is graded by count. Count refers to the number of stitches per inch and the most popular count canvas to work on is 13 to 18.

An 18-count canvas has 324 single stitches in 1 square inch or 25 sq. millimeters, and accommodates the ability to stitch in more detail. It is a time consuming, though very relaxing and satisfying experience.

Uniqueness and texture in stitching is developed through the use of decorative stitches, selection of varied fibers and colors. Some fibers are solid color, while others are naturally dyed variegated works of art in themselves.

Fibers come is pliable silk and cotton where 1 to 6 single threads are stitched at one time, braid, ribbon, even natural media like alpaca, mohair, angora, straw and suede.

The choices seem endless and only limited by your imagination. If you want to stitch a wet cat nose in black, try patent leather.

CFA Judge Karen Lawrence’s color and stitch selection is eye catching on her Cheshire Cat. Canvas by TS Designs

When selecting a needlepoint project to pour yourself into, you can choose from a painted (artist hand painted or machine printed) canvas or a blank canvas that comes with instructions or “stitch guide” which is called a counted piece.

Hand painted canvasses can be very costly, and can easily run several hundred USD. A number of years ago I worked for Laurel Burch painting her designs, she was just beginning to enter the needlepoint market and wanted to see what her designs would look like in needlepoint.

Laurel eventually licensed with DANJI to represent her work in needlepoint.

Laurel had an amazing way in presenting any animal she painted and the joy of life always showed in her work.

I currently paint needlepoint canvas on commission, including pets and animals, and I enjoy seeing my painted work interpreted into a stitched canvas.

3 Cats canvas designed by Laurel Burch, stitched by CFA Judge Vicki Nye

There are just so many needlepoint pillows one can have in their home, but many of my stitching friends create needlepoint used in other decorative applications.

CFA Judge Vicki Abelson’s creation of the tabby cat and fishbowl is enhanced with varied colors, textures and fibers. Canvas design by Ruth Schmidt

The brown tabby and white Persian is a hand painted canvas I created for a friend.

This became an insert for the cover of an I-Pad case.

She and her husband were beekeepers, and we traded their delicious honey for the canvas.

Hand Painted 18 count canvas by CFA Judge Vicki Nye. This piece was an insert for an i-Pad cover.

Ragdoll Scissor Case stitched by CFA Judge Vicki Nye, canvas design Brenda Stofft.

CFA Judge Donna Fuller’s Russian Blue Butterfly is a great example of realistic fur by using a fiber with texture and a stitch technique called random long & short. Canvas by Nenah Stone.

The framed and matted 3 Cats piece by Laurel Burch Designs, was done by me as a fund raiser for my CFA region. That year, the Northwest Region hosted our CFA Annual Meeting.

This piece has more than 250 hours of stitching time and became quite a rush to finish, between when I promised the piece and delivery time for the winner’s drawing. I never had time to photograph the finished piece and the lucky winner (Pam Hill) kindly provided me photos.

Even accessories used in creating needlepoint can be made of needlework such as project bags, needle and tool zippered cases and even scissor cases.

I found the fabulous Ragdoll scissor case canvas while on a judging assignment in Philadelphia. This was a fun stitch as I felt a connection through the deep blue eyes in this image.

The modern take on needlepoint includes classes at local shops to week-long seminars on topics such as designing, beadwork, goldwork, shading and decorative stitches.

Not all decorative stitches are based on a repetitive pattern. Stitch painting is a wonderful technique for fur and feathers.

Donna Fuller’s stitching of the Russian Blue-Butterfly is a great example of random long & short stitches, a form of stitch painting.

Through the use of decorative and varied stitches, shading of colors and utilization of specialized fibers, you can build dimension and texture on a piece of needlework.

CFA Judge Vicki Abelson stitched this charming Cat Geisha in pleasing pastels. Canvas by Brenda Stofft.

Above: Detail of cat’s head.

Left: CFA Judge Vicki (Dickerson) Nye’s Asian Cat. Many Needle-pointers will stitch-sign their work with initials and a date. Note, this one was done long ago, before Vicki became Nye.

My relationship with needlepoint started in the mid 90’s. Like most stitchers, I dabbled with embroidery, cross stitch and crewel work before I found needlepoint. One of my first pieces was an Asian porcelain sleeping cat. This early piece reflects my learning curve of decorative stitch and fiber choice.

Through the assistance of the needlepoint shop owner, I selected silks-that lie smoothly, rayon-which has a sheen, and gold braid to complement the piece. Like the cat fancy hobby, those involved in needle arts are more than willing to share their love and knowledge of this growing hobby.

I stitch while waiting at airports, on flights, as a passenger in a car on the way to a show and at the hotel. As my eyesight aged and the light at airports and planes diminished, I stopped stitching for a couple of years. I then discovered clip on magnifying glasses and portable LED lights, and I was back to stitching. I have a terrific collection of needlepoint Christmas ornaments, and actually had to buy an additional tree last year to display the mini needlepoint stockings and ornaments.

I have had the pleasure of needlepoint shop hopping with both Donna Fuller and Karen Lawrence while travelling on judging assignments. This is great fun and you get to share your hobby and get the advice of like-minded friends on projects and fibers. I even made it my quest to locate a needlepoint shop in Sydney Australia and came home with a lovely Kookaburra canvas - they had no cats! Needlepoint shops are fairly common in the USA, but not so much in other parts of the world. For the travellers there is one in London and one in Paris.

Back in the day when you could take pretty much anything on a plane while travelling, I carted an 18” x 18” canvas on a flight from San Francisco to Sydney and back.

Nowadays, you are concerned that you will lose your ½” blade scissors and needles while going through security.

This Folded ear cat in leaves by CFA Judge Donna Fuller is whimsical, and the open background stitch adds interest, without detracting from the main subject. Canvas by DeDe.

I remember waiting for Donna Fuller to clear gate security in Singapore as they questioned her tiny little pliers she used to pull a needle though an especially tight canvas. Donna lost.

Most travelling needle-pointers have a small travel piece to work on, and then a larger piece on stretcher bars and a frame stand to enjoy their stitching at home. My husband has even become quite adept as selecting painted canvas, and I have received several cherished pieces from him to stitch.

Above: Cat Lady by CFA Judge Donna Fuller,

by MAP Designs - Marla Pelz.

Inset: The Framed version.

A Halloween mask by CFA Judge Karen Lawrence, yet to be sent to the finisher to turn it into a displayable piece. AT Design

There are hundreds of needlepoint canvas designers currently on the market, enough to satisfy anyone’s taste.

Donna Fuller is a very accomplished stitcher and has shared her love of the needlepoint world with her judging colleagues. Donna has recounted her stitching experience with the following: “Years ago, when the International Cat Show was in Houston, Cyndi Riggoni organized a “Needlepoint Shop Hop” on Friday night. Three shops opened especially for us and there were about a dozen fanciers (including 4 or 5 judges) in a couple of vans.

“It was a lot of fun and once I knew where the shops were, I did my own “Hop” whenever I was in Houston. Houston is particularly good as the shops are relatively close so it’s easy to get to more than one in an afternoon.

“Other cities where I’ve combined cat fancy activities with visiting shops include Atlanta, Philadelphia, Chicago and Phoenix. I’ve managed to get a lot of stitching done on the long international flights as well as the cross-country ones in the US. “I first started needlepoint the year I got married (1970) but in the early years it was strictly wool tent stitch. In the mid-1980’s, I started using a few decorative stitches but it was in 1992 that I discovered Needlepoint Inc. in San Francisco and began taking classes from June McKnight. Once I discovered all the various threads available, I never looked back, and all my pieces now have sparkling threads and lots of texture.”

Karen Lawrence shares her needlepoint cat experience here: “In the years following the beginning of my judging career in 1995, I spent a lot of time just killing time in airports and on long flights. To keep myself occupied, I took up a hobby that I had dropped while raising three daughters, counted cross-stitch. I started a large southwestern themed piece and took it with me everywhere I went. Two years

CFA Judge Karen Lawrence tried numerous stitches before selecting this one that gives the impression of a Cornish Rex wavy coat.

later, it was finished, framed and hung in our dining room. Shortly thereafter, 9-11 happened and taking needlepoint supplies on a plane became difficult, so I again dropped the hobby.

“Fast forward a couple of decades, cataract surgery gave me back 20/20 vision and I decided to try my hand at needlepoint. I’m delighted that I did – it’s such a relaxing hobby and I get to create beautiful pieces using stiches that I enjoy creating.

“The stitches today are a lot more complex that my earlier forays into simple crossstitch, and pieces are much prettier when finished. Plus, there is the opportunity to give a piece of needlework dimension - think how challenging it is trying to find a stitch that would resemble the wavy coat on a Cornish Rex.” One of the joys of traveling to judge shows was that several of my fellow judges were also needle-pointers and could always be talked into visiting needlepoint shops no matter where we were in the world.

It was so much fun to spend hours with friends, searching through shops for that special canvas and then getting opinions on selecting the various thread types and colors.

Liz Watson has shared that she and Vicki Abelson have taken many classes together in several cities. Vicki lives in Florida and Liz lives in New Orleans.

“We usually meet at the airport of the destination city, rent a car and check into the hotel and the stitching class. We love to eat, so this has also become our hunt for local great food. Our classes have been in Alabama, Georgia, Texas and Florida. We rarely work on the same canvas so it’s exciting to see how each of us progresses.

CFA Judges Vicki Abelson (left) and Liz Watson (right) at a workshop in Austin, Texas.

CFA Judges Vicki Abelson and Liz Watson (both far left) at a workshop in Atlanta, Georgia.

Two pieces by CFA Judge Vicki Abelson.

The frame and matting choices can really make the needlepoint a work of art.

Here, the colors and patterns of the frame just add to the uniqueness of this piece by Vicki Abelson.

Canvas design by Jennifer Black Reinhardt for Maggie.

Below:

Another needlepoint piece by CFA Judge Vicki Abelson, Canvas design by Sara Pulver for Zecca.

Left: Liz Watson’s interpretation of Ruth Schmuff’s design includes padding the cat’s cheeks and 3-dimensional work on the dress lace.

Below: Some designs are realistic, some classical, and with the modern designers today, we can select this fabulous Steampunk Cat

by Brenda Stofft. Stitching and gear embellishment by Liz Watson.

Two pieces by CFA Judge Liz Watson which strongly emphasize the three-dimensional aspects of Needlepoint stitchwork.

A cat cross-stitch piece by Lesley Chubb (NZ) based on a Wysocki painting. A gift to our Editor on his 50 th.

A cat themed long-stitch piece done as a gift for the late cat fancier, Olwyn Smithson. (NZ)

A Vicki Nye rendition of a Key West house modified with the addition of her black and white cat.

Needlepoint is an art that is enjoyed across socioeconomic lines and has a diverse and famous following. Notable stitchers include Mary Queen of Scots, Marie Antoinette, Queen Elizabeth, Martha Washington, Barbara Bush, Rosie Grier-legendary American Football player, Mary Tyler Moore-Actress and Cher.

Needlepoint has made my life full and has been a wonderful creative outlet that I can mix with my love of the Cat Fancy. Happy stitching—Vicki Nye About the author: Vicki has bred Persians since 1977 under the cattery name of Windborne. She is a CFA All-breed Judge for the past 32 years and is currently the Chairman of CFA’s Approved Judges and the Guest Judging Program. Vicki recently retired from Bank of America as a Commercial Officer after 41 years. She and her husband live on the Monterey California coast with their two Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, a 16-year-old Persian, and two Black & White Domestic Shorthairs. Vicki is an avid stitcher, and also enjoys cooking, camping, gardening and riding motorcycles with her husband.

NAPOLEON THE GREAT Red Angora (Persian). Born circa 1888, France Photo: by Harding, Brooklyn. Published in ‘Iroquois’ Magazine, August 1, 1897. Page Graphic © www.gograph.com

AN HISTORICAL PORTRAIT OF

BY

JOHN G. SMITHSON

Adapted from the author’s text for ‘Napoleon The Great’ @ The History Project

INTRODUCTION This amazing Red Longhair, (described as a French Angora) was imported into the United States from France. He is unilaterally described by author Helen M. Winslow as: “The most highly valued cat in America, whose owner has refused four thousand dollars for him. He rejoices in the name ‘Napoleon the Great’, and the title is well bestowed. A magnificent fellow he is, with his bushy orange fur and grand lion-like head.” ¹

PARENTAGE & OWNERSHIP According to Winslow, Napoleon was bred by a French Nobleman and was born at the Chateau Fontainebleau, near Paris in 1888! ² “His mother was a very famous cat, and his grandmother was one of the grandest dams in the country. The latter apparently lived and flourished up to the age of nineteen years and consequently Napoleon the Great is considered by his owners as a mere youth.” ¹

Remarkably, at the time she was writing, ‘Napoleon the Great’ had already attained more than 10 years of age and weighed twenty-three pounds, which she noted: -

His owner is listed as Mrs. Charles Weed, of Woodhaven, Queens Co., New York.

“is a remarkable weight in a male cat, only gelded ones ordinarily running above fifteen pounds.” ²

In an article published in ‘Strand’ Magazine, in 1901, primarily focusing on this cats assumed monetary value, we are given further insight into his personality traits by his owner, and it is important to realise that by this point in time, he was now around 13 years old. We also discover his alternate and pet names.

She further enlarges: “He is a pure French Angora, which is shown by his crinkly hair – so long that it has to be frequently clipped to preserve the health and comfort of the beautiful creature. This clipping is what causes the apparently uneven quality of fur which appears in his picture. His great size is increased by his bushy fur and these with his tawny colour and grand head, make him look, especially while lying down, like a young lion.” ¹

VALUE & WINS

The unnamed columnist begins: “The most valuable cat in the world belongs to Mrs. Charles Weed, of Bound Brook, New Jersey.

It is a superb French Angora, and five thousand dollars would not suffice to buy him.” ⁵

The Forecourt of the Chateau Fontainebleau, also known as the court of farewell in honour of Emperor Napoleon.

From a period lithograph designed by Charles Riviere, published in 1860, in the Harrison Weir Collection.

He continues: “Napoleon the First is the name of this famous cat, and, being worth double his weight in gold, appropriately enough Napoleon’s silken coat is of the richest golden hue.

“The five thousand dollar beauty occupies luxurious apartments, which would not have disgraced the famous Emperor himself, and unlike that great soldier, this Napoleon has never felt the stings of defeat, having easily outclossed all his brothers and sisters at the many shows in which he has participated.

“Mrs. Weed is very much attached to ‘Nap,’ and said, while exhibiting him recently: ‘I have had a number of valuable cats, but none which have won the laurels of Napoleon.’ He is a remarkably easy cat to get along with, too, and is proud of his medals as any veteran.”

However, in another article written by Winslow, for the ‘The Bazar’ entitled ‘Cats of High Degree,’ published on December 18th, 1898, she contradicts herself on details about his birth. On that occasion she states: -

“Mrs. Charles Weed, of Woodhaven, Long Island, has an extremely valuable cat in ‘Napoleon the Great.’ He is worth $5,000 dollars, and was born at a chateau near Fontainebleau, France.”

Her earlier claim that he was bred by a French nobleman is not disputed, as she appears to have excellent information on his dam and grand-dam, and is it not critical whether he was born ‘at’ or ‘near’ Fontainebleau, as there were indeed many very fine chateaus of high renown in relatively close proximity, just one example being Chateau Fremont.

We must remember that the breeding of fine cats in France was during the mid to late 19th century, largely the province of the aristocratic class. It is distinctly possible that longhaired cats were being cultivated with connections to the grand chateau, in much the same way as Princess Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein bred them barely a stone’s throw from Windsor Castle, at Cumberland Lodge.

NAPOLEON THE GREAT Photo: by Harding, Brooklyn. Published in ‘The Strand’ Magazine, Volume 21, 1897. Page Graphic © www.gograph.com

Returning Winslow’s article ‘Cats of High Degree’ she continues: “He is a magnificent orange French Angora, weighing twenty-seven pounds, and with fur so long and thick that it has to be kept clipped. He looks more like a miniature lion than a cat. Mrs. Weed has several fine cats in her kennel. ‘Juno,’ the female, brown and white, is valued at $1500, and her kittens bring very high prices.”

PERSONALITY From the ‘Strand’ Magazine article, we learn more about Napoleon’s personality traits from his owner: “Although large, he is well proportioned, and unlike so many petted cats has not an idle bone in his body; indeed, he is as good a ratter as any ordinary cat who can’t trace his lineage back along a line of royalty.

“Nap’s worst fault, is jealousy. He will sulk for hours at a time and refuse to be comforted if I caress or fondle another puss, and frequently if I devote my attention to the stranger for any length of time Napoleon will cry to go out, and when the door is opened will leave the room with his head held proudly erect and without deigning to give so much as a glance in my direction. I have known him to remain away from home for a whole day when I offended him in this manner.

“Napoleon is very easily fed, and although he will eat a great variety of food, his principal diet is milk, oatmeal, and a little meat. The latter I cut in very small pieces for him, or else leave on the bone, and I only give him this luxury at noon.

“In the summer he will eat potatoes and beans, if well seasoned and buttered.

“He has been exhibited at many large shows and has always won the first prize given to Angoras, for his beauty, intelligence and size.

“I have been offered five thousand dollars for him,

‘Juno’ – a Brown Tortie Tabby & White, sired by Napoleon

double his weight in gold, but I wouldn’t part with Nap for any amount of money.”

BREEDING & PROGENY Of ‘Napoleon’s’ progeny we are told of Mrs Weed’s ‘Margeurite’, the mother of a magnificent Black Angora male named ‘Le Noir’, a son of Napoleon, valued at a thousand dollars at the age of a year and a half.

His sister, ‘Juno’, was apparently born in 1894 and was valued at fifteen hundred dollars. “When she was seven months old, her owners refused two hundred dollars for her. She was a tortoise-shell and white French Angora, and a remarkably beautiful creature.” ¹ Helen Winslow herself gives two contradicting reports on the colour and pattern of ‘Juno’. In her book ‘Concerning Cats’(1900) she is described as a Tortie & White, but in an article written by Winslow two years earlier, for ‘The Bazar’, in 1898, ‘Juno’ is described as a Brown and White.

A poor image of her is given with that article and if we take a pragmatic view, and given that the photo does indicate some barring coming from the face, she was probably, most likely, a Brown Tortie Tabby and White. (as indicated in our caption above).

Above left: ‘Bunch’ (USR:37) aka ‘Longwood Bunch’ (BCC:240) and right: ‘Bunch’ in a studio photo with the daughter of one of his Chicago syndicate of owners. Photos: Left: The US Register and Stud Book for Cats (1906) and right: The Electric Light Photograph Company, Chicago (The Puritan, 1898)

‘Bunch’ (USR, 37) is recorded as born in New York, in 1894 and appears to have been purchased by a syndicate which included Mrs Cora L. Norton, Mrs Edith Talbot, Mrs Chas. S. DeWitt, Mrs F.W. Story.

Good reds were hard to find, although there is some confusion over exactly what colour and pattern ‘Bunch’ really was. He is listed in The U.S. Register and Studbook under number 37, as an Orange Tabby, slight markings, orange eyes. In the register of the Beresford Cat Club, he is listed under his new ownership as ‘Longwood Bunch’ (BCC 240), as an Orange, with no mention of barring or being a tabby.

His dam however, is an unknown, other than one reference to her being a Red and White, which in the case of Bunch, does prove to be of importance. When we

assess all the available data on his progeny, both registered and indirect listings, it becomes apparent that on occasion he was bred to non bi-colours, but was still capable of producing bi-colour offspring.

This would indicate that he was most likely a solid red, with a very small amount of barring about the legs, and probably a white locket on his chest. His photo is also suggestive of such a white locket.

Nevertheless he was Red, and from the already famous ‘Napoleon’, and when Mrs Cora Norton was visiting New York, and found him, she did not hesitate to inform her friends, who responded by forming a syndicate to buy him.

All we know in regard to a date of birth for ‘Bunch’ is a single reference to ‘about 1894’; and this would

‘Napoleon the Great’ (aka Napoleon the First) – as he appeared in both ‘The Iroquois’ (1897) and ‘The Bazar’’ (1898) All photos in this article courtesy of The Harrison Weir Collection.

mean that his sire ‘Napoleon’ would have been about 5 years old at the time.

It is also unclear as to whether Mrs Norton, his purchaser on behalf of the syndicate, bought him direct from ‘Napoleon’s owner, Mrs Weed, or whether ‘Bunch’ belonged to someone else in New York and that the purchase was an opportunistic one. The latter seems probable given the lack of information about his dam.

We also do not have a date for this purchase, but if we look at the date of birth of his subsequent progeny, which range from 1898 forward, then it seems likely that the purchase took place in 1897.

Napoleon was himself in winning form even then. It is unclear as to whether he was ever at public stud, but at a book value of $5,000, his progeny would have been very well sought after. Even at the age of nine, at the Boston Show, against stiff competition from ‘King Max’

and others, he managed to steal away with top honours, gaining the silver cup offered for the Best Cat in the exhibition. Hence, any male coming onto the market from him at that point in time, would certainly have been an appealing proposition. The bloodline was known to produce cats of singular longevity. Helen Winslow, in referring to this in ‘Concerning Cats’ (1900) mentions both the dam and grand-dam of ‘Napoleon’: “His mother was a very famous cat, and his grandmother was one of the grandest dams in the country. The latter apparently lived and flourished up to the age of nineteen years and consequently Napoleon the Great is considered by his owners as a mere youth.”

In discussing her own arrangements for the cats at home, Mrs. Weed informs us further: -

“All these cats are great pets, and are allowed the freedom of the house and barns, although when they run about the grounds there is always a man in attendance.

“Seven or eight thousand dollars’ worth of cats sporting on the lawn together is a rich sight, but not altogether without risk. Indeed, most people who keep fancy cats find it necessary to set a constant watch over them.” ¹ In the records of The U.S. Register and Studbook for cats, we find more references to the direct progeny and grandchildren of ‘Napoleon the Great’.

Notably, it is through ‘Bunch’ and his subsequent kittens, that the bloodlines of ‘Napoleon the Great’ were to be passed down to latter generations.

It is in fact, through a son and daughter of ‘Bunch’, namely a male named ‘Naulahka’ and a Tortie female named ‘Scamp’ (BCC: 296) who when bred together in 1900 produced ‘Prince of Orange’, who holds the distinction of being the first Orange Champion cat in the United States.

It is also through three other daughters of ‘Bunch’, namely ‘Nitochris’ a Tortie and White born 21st April, 1901,‘Lady Topaz’ a Tortie and White born 9th July, 1901 and ‘Uarda’, a Red Tabby female born 12th May 1902, that the lines of ‘Napoleon the Great’ were further passed on into the realm of a Persian/Angora blend.³ In many ways, the story of Red longhair cat ‘Napoleon the Great’ was a natural stepping stone in the journey of transition between the old world and the new, between the blended Persian/Angora longhaired cats of central Europe, colloquially referred to as ‘French’ cats; and the rise of the Anglo/American Persian longhaired cats which became the intrepid quest of the newly dawning 20th century.

USA CHAMPION PRINCE OF ORANGE Double Grandson of ‘Napoleon the Great’ Photo: ‘Captain Kidd Jnr & Sinbad the Sailor (1908)

By Caro Senor

References: ‘Iroquois Magazine’, August 1st, 1897 ‘Concerning Cats’, (1900) by Helen M. Winslow.

‘The U.S. Register and Stud Book for Cats’ (1906).

‘Beresford Cat Club Register, Vol.2.

‘The Strand Magazine’ (1901) Volume 21.

‘The Bazar’ – ‘Cats of High Degree’ December 18th, 1898. by Helen M. Winslow.

7. ‘Chateau Fontainebleau’ – lithograph by Charles Riviere (1860) 8. ‘Captain Kidd Jnr & Sinbad the Sailor’ (1908)

by Caro Senor.

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HOSIERY ADVERTISEMENT with Longhaired Cat from The Ladies HOME JOURNAL (1925) From the Private Collection of Karen Lawrence

The Cat In Advertising BY KAREN LAWRENCE

KAREN INTO HER PRIVATE ARCHIVES TheLAWRENCE story behindDELVES the Centennial Scroll presented to TO FIND EXAMPLES OF The Cat Fanciers’ Association THE CAT IN ADVERTISING

by the Hong Kong Cat Lovers’ Society, in 2006.

Illustrations of cats have been used in conjunction with advertising of a wide variety of products for well over a century. Inclusion of a cat in an ad, while it may seem improbable, was often a subtle focal point of the ad and considered a major selling boost.

During the latter part of the Victorian era (1839-1901), a fascination with cats, cat shows and exhibitions was developing in Great Britain.

Cat ownership was becoming very popular, so it seems appropriate that vendors eventually took advantage of the popularity of the cat and incorporated one into printed advertisements or shop posters.

The cat, illustrated in various designs and activities, could be found in magazine and newspaper ads as early as 1874. Many of those illustrations were the artwork of various popular illustrators of the day, such as Louis Wain and Harrison Weir.

Prior to the introduction of reasonably priced magazine advertising came the trade card.

Trade cards, containing vendor information and sometimes a black/white illustration, were introduced during the 1700’s and given to customers by tradesmen as a way for customers to remember where they obtained a product or service. In essence, they were their version of the modern-day business card.

In 1853, when a duty levied on advertisements published in Britain was abolished, the trend toward mass advertising started to grow by leaps and bounds.

Near the end of the 19th century, color lithography was starting to be widely used for printing and the simple cards became much more attractive and desirable.

Companies started handing out cards with a colorful illustration on one side and their company advertising on the back. These delightful trade cards became quite plentiful.

They actually became so plentiful that shoppers in the late 1800’s were usually given a trading card of some sort for each of their product purchases, or customers could help themselves to a stack of cards displayed on the store counter top near the cash register.

Often, they came in collections, so that customers could collect one of each to complete their collection.

When trade fairs and world expositions became popular they were tremendous venues for companies to pass out their trade cards. Today, those antique trade cards are a highly sought collectible

In America, cats appeared in magazine ads for Ivory Soap as early as 1899, continuing in 1900, 1906, 1918, and throughout the years into the 1940’s.

In 1900, an exceptional ad for Ivory Soap appeared in the November issue of Woman’s Home Companion.

The ad featured 12 cats – 11 black and one white – surrounding a bowl of water with a bar of Ivory Soap floating in it. The ad itself is a unique piece of artwork, signed by W. P. McDonald and John Dee Wareham (President of the Cincinnati Art Club, 1906-1908).

In fact, the ad was so popular that one could mail 10 Ivory Soap wrappers to Proctor & Gamble and receive an embossed print of this Art Nouveau illustration.

Over the years, cats have been used in advertisements for various beauty products, carpets, sheets, jewelry, perfume, cars, liquor, cameras, and even elevators.

BLACK CATS For several decades, Harry Winston Jewellers have successfully used black cats, both longhair and shorthair, to showcase their magnificent diamond collection.

Lanvin, maker of My Sin perfume, also chose to use black cats in their ads.

TELEVISION COMMERCIALS Now that advertising has moved on to commercials on TV, one of the most popular commercials featured during the 2000 Super Bowl broadcast, was “Herding Cats”.

Produced for Electronic Data Systems, it was a parody of a Western film, in which cowboys herded cats instead of cattle.

The commercial remains one of the highest viewed on YouTube. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pk7yql TMvp8).

An ‘Ivory Soap’ advertisement from the ‘Literary Digest,’ in 1928

Left: A cat featured in an advertisement for the ‘Otis Elevator Company,’ in 1934.

Right: A cat used to promote the ‘Shell’ brand in the ‘Saturday Evening Post’, in 1946

IKEA was innovative in their commercial by letting 100 cats loose in one of their large showrooms in 2013.

The idea behind the “Happy Feeling” ad was “that cats know better than anything what makes them feel happy inside, they live their lives in pursuit of their own comfort, “said the producer’s creative director, Feh Tarty.

It can also be found on You Tube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aUhz ddiVOQ).

To this day, advertisers recognize that the inclusion of a cat in their advertisement will increase its visibility and appeal.

A powerful force in the marketing of any product is an appealing and attractive advertisement, and the cat continues to be successfully used to evoke feelings of “silence”, “softness”, “beauty”, “luxury”, “femininity, and “power”.

‘General Electric’ use a cat in their advert in ‘TIME’ Magazine, in 1946

Left: An Advertisement for the ‘Radio Corporation of America ‘(RCA) dating from 1946.

Right: Another, featuring a Siamese cat advertises ‘Calvert’ Blended Whiskies, in 1947.

A CLASSIC IMAGE ADVERTISING COCA-COLA FEATURING A LONGHAIRED CAT Published in 1924

Everything Everything you you need need to to know know about about Genetics…

Genetics…

You can learn from your Cat Cat! BY

DR. LESLIE LYONS Ph.D

PART FIVE – BLUE DILUTION VARIATIONS ON A THEME AND FIFTY SHADES OF GREY VARIABLE EXPRESSION AND GENETIC HETEROGENEITY

College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Missouri

The domestication of the cat led to the propagation of novelty colorations, which are not prevalent or unknown in the progenitor wildcat population.

Blue dilution (Dilute or Dense) (a.k.a. Maltese dilution) is a simple autosomal recessive trait (d), meaning a cat must have two copies of the mutation (dd) to express the trait (phenotype blue) 1.

The blue trait in cats helped to prove the accuracy of Mendel’s laws in the early 1900’s2. Other species, including mice, rabbits and guinea pigs were soon recognized to have the same coloration and inheritance pattern 3,4.

Although genetically simple, the blue dilution trait of cats can help explain the complex genetic concepts of “variable expression” and “disease heterogeneity”. All research studies in genetics must be aware of these phenomena and control for their occurrence when developing a new investigative project.

In cats, blue dilution is caused by one, and only one, specific DNA mutation (c.83deIT) in the gene called melanophilin (MLPH)5. Because this same single mutation causes blue in all breeds and in all cat populations around the world, the mutation is likely fairly ancient and occurred before the development of breeds and before cats were distributed around the world!

The one missing base of DNA, which occurs early in the gene (exon 2), changes nearly the entire translation of the protein, thereby gravely disrupting the protein formation and function. The melanophilin protein helps to transport the pigment-producing organelles (melanosomes), which are in the color producing cells (melanocytes), into the developing hair shaft6-8.

Vector graphics by www.gograph.com

Animals with MLPH mutations make black pigment (eumelanin) but, the deposition of the black pigment in the hair shaft is uneven and clumping.

Thus, the refraction of the light through the air spaces of the hair shaft causes the black pigment to appear blue – an optical illusion. This pigment clumping has been demonstrated in mice6-8 and in the domestic cat9-10 and can be viewed with a light microscope.

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT GENETICS – YOU CAN LEARN FROM YOUR CAT!

VARIATIONS ON A THEME AND FIFTY SHADES OF GREY VARIABLE EXPRESSION AND GENETIC HETEROGENEITY

CHARTREUX CATS - Left: IC Foxycats Figaro (Italy) owned and photo by Katia Pocci Right: IC Mayrit de la Chabanade (France) owned and photographed by Claire Luciano These cats display the diversity of light and dark shades naturally occurring in the Chartreux Breed

KORAT CATS – GC, BW, RW. Sezerp’s Frangelica of Rebkor owned and photographed by Becky Mullen and Right: CCCA GC, & Gd.Db.GC, Doklao Luuk Chai, owned and photographed by Eva Krynda.

Korats have a close-lying coat with silver tipping on the hairs that gives the cat a ‘halo’ effect.

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT GENETICS – YOU CAN LEARN FROM YOUR CAT!

VARIATIONS ON A THEME AND FIFTY SHADES OF GREY EDITOR: This is the Fifth in a series of articles based on feline genetics

by Dr Leslie Lyons being published in FELIS HISTORICA over the ensuing months

VARIABLE EXPRESSION AND GENETIC HETEROGENEITY But why then – when you look at a Russian Blue, a Chartreux, and a Korat, which all are fixed and each cat has two copies of the MLPH mutation (dd), as well as blue British shorthairs or a common blue tabby - why then - do these cats all have different shades of blue?

This is the concept of variable expression!

Even though a trait may have very simple, autosomal recessive, Mendelian genetics, the overall resulting phenotype and physiological effects on the animal is a summation of the interactions of all the other genes in the pigment pathway, as well as the external and internal environment (i.e., nutrition) of the animal.

The breeds fixed for blue (Russian blue, Chartreux, and Korat) have very consistent but very different shades of blue, implying the rest of each breeds’ genetic background tweaks the final presentation of the coloration.

Therefore, by inspecting these cat breeds, variable expression can be clearly witnessed by the average cat owner and breeder.

This same concept is true for other traits and diseases – in all species.

Sometimes, a disease mutation can be present in an individual cat, but the cat may never get sick, or, have very mild disease.

Most cats with polycystic kidney disease live a long life, but clearly have a severe disease mutation in PKD111. Some cats with the known retinal degeneration (blindness) mutations (CEP290) don’t seem to go blind12!

This is variable expression and currently, no one knows the second most influential gene(s) or mutation(s) in the genome that affect the variation of the trait or disease.

Why are some Dominant White cats deaf, why do some have blue eyes or are odd-eyed, - these are all examples of variable expression.

Thus, the genetic tests for DNA mutations are not necessarily incorrect when a disease or trait is not present, or does not “appear” to be present!

The major mutation causing the coloration or disease is known, but not the genes and mutations causing the variations of the theme.

Blue dilution is a common phenotype identified in many other species, such as mice, rabbits, mink, cattle, and dogs13-19.

However, at least three different DNA mutations cause blue dilution in dogs, all in the same gene, MLPH17-19.

In mice, at least three different genes (RAB27, MLPH and MYO5A), cause the same blue dilution phenotype, the traits known as Ashen, Leaden, and Dilution20,21,13

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT GENETICS – YOU CAN LEARN FROM YOUR CAT!

VARIATIONS ON A THEME AND FIFTY SHADES OF GREY VARIABLE EXPRESSION AND GENETIC HETEROGENEITY

BRITISH SH CATS - Left: GC, NW Kitties Land Kratos and Right: GC, NW Kitties Land Main Event owned and photo by Allen Shi. The plush coat of the British Blue is the same shade of Blue from the root to the tip, with lighter shades preferred.

RUSSIAN SH CATS - Left: GC, Tsar Blu’s Zcarlet and Right: GC, RW Tsar Blu’s Zanzibar as a kitten bred, owned and photographed by Donna Fuller. Lighter shades are also preferred in the Russian Blue, while the tips of the hairs appear to sparkle with silver.

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT GENETICS – YOU CAN LEARN FROM YOUR CAT!

VARIATIONS ON A THEME AND FIFTY SHADES OF GREY EDITOR: This is the Fifth in a series of articles based on feline genetics

by Dr Leslie Lyons being published in FELIS HISTORICA over the ensuing months

VARIABLE EXPRESSION AND GENETIC HETEROGENEITY In mice, each of these genes actually has several mutations causing variations in the blue coloration (variable expression) and also the mutations affect other tissues (plieotrophic effects).

In humans, Griscelli syndromes are rare autosomal recessive disorders resulting in pigmentary dilution of the skin and hair, the presence of large clumps of pigment in hair shafts, silvery-gray hair and accumulation of melanosomes in melanocytes.

Griscelli syndrome patients can also show developmental delay, hypotonia and mental retardation, as well as immune abnormalities, and have mutations in the same dilutions genes as found in mice22 The recently published Chediak-Higashi Syndrome mutation in the cat gene called lysosomal trafficking enzyme (LYST) is also a Griscelli - like syndrome and causes a different pigment dilution in cats23.

These different genes and different mutations cause the same phenotype – blue dilution, this phenomenon is known as disease (genetic) heterogeneity.

Genetic studies are often unsuccessful because investigators are lumping individuals with the same clinical presentation together, but, actually, the different individuals are a mixture of similar phenotypes caused by different genes or mutations within the same gene.

Usually, information from the mouse is used to help find mutations in other species, like the cat, causing the same phenotype, implying the same gene becomes the top candidate, i.e. the candidate gene approach.

The same phenotype for Agouti, Brown, and Color (Siamese, albino) were known in mice and the cat versions of the mouse genes were directly investigated to find the cat-specific mutations.

Mice actually have several other genes that cause blue dilution - type phenotypes such as, Slaty, Pewter, and Steel24.

The first recognized dilute mouse is actually caused by mutations in MYO5A – not in MLPH, thus, the direct candidate gene approach would have failed when looking for the cat blue dilution mutation.

Therefore, although the candidate gene approach is always the first consideration for genetic studies that search for new mutations in new traits and diseases, other genetic approaches need to available to help localize genes to a specific chromosomal region to further prioritize the potential candidate genes.

New technologies, such as DNA arrays and whole genome and whole exome sequencing, are the current, state-of-the-art techniques that support the identification of DNA mutations for new traits and diseases.

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT GENETICS – YOU CAN LEARN FROM YOUR CAT!

VARIATIONS ON A THEME AND FIFTY SHADES OF GREY VARIABLE EXPRESSION AND GENETIC HETEROGENEITY

PERSIAN CATS - Left: GC, PassionFelin Squeaky Smurf, and Right: GC, RW PassionFelin Paddington Bred, owned and photographed by Isabelle Beaulieu Shades of Blue also vary in Persians, but evenness and soundness of colour throughout is paramount References 1. Bateson W., Saunders E.R., Punnett R.C. Report III to the Evolution Committee of the Royal Society. pp 53 London, 1906.

2. Doncaster L. Proc. Camb. Phil. Soc.13:35-38, 1904.

3. Bateson W. Mendel's principles of heredity. University Press, Cambridge, UK., 1909.

4. Castle W.E., et al. Studies of Inheritance in Rabbits. Carnegie Institute Washington Publication, Washington. Series no. 114, 1909.

5. Ishida Y., et al. Genomics. 88:698–705, 2006.

6. Orlow S.J. J Invest Dermatol. 105:3–7, 1995.

7. Provance D.W., Jr, Wei M., Ipe V. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 93:14554–14558, 1996.

8. Wu X., et al. J Cell Sci.110:847–859, 1997.

9. Prieur D.J., Collier L.L. J Hered. 75:41-44, 1984.

10. Prieur D.J., Collier L.L. Hered. 72:178-182,1981.

11. Lyons L.A., et al. J Am Soc Nephrol. 15(10):2548-55, 2004.

12. Menotti-Raymond M., et al. Hered. 98(3):211-20, 2007.

13. Mercer J.A., et al. Nature. 349:709–713, 1991.

14. Lehner S., et al. PLoS One. 8:e84525, 2013.

15. Cirera S., et al. Gene. 527:48–54, 2013.

16. Li W., et al. Anim. Genet. 47:110–113, 2016.

17. Drögemüller C., et al. Hered. 98:468–473, 2007.

18. Welle M., et al. Hered. 100: S75–S79, 2009.

19. Van Buren S.L., et al. Genes.11(6):639, 2020.

20. Wilson S.M., et al. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 97:7933–7938, 2000.

21. Matesic L.E., et al. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 98:10238–10243, 2001.

22. Ménasché G., Fischer A., Basile G.D. Am. J. Hum. Genet. 71:1237–1238, 2002.

23. Buckley R.M., et al. Sci Rep. 10(1):64, 2020.

24. http://www.informatics.jax.org/allele (Accessed 12 October 2020)

IN OUR LIBRARY – (Books featured in previous issues)

INTRODUCTIONS, PROMOTIONS & OCCASIONAL REVIEWS BY

MS. ROSABELLA PURRNETT

Photo: Helmi Flick Cat Photography

THE CHARTREUX CAT:

by Jean Simmonet. English Edition of ‘Le Chat des Chartreux’ with authorised translation by Jerry Auerbach.

Published by Synchro, Paris, 1990. This English version is a translation of the 1989 second edition.

Commentary Considered to be the most comprehensive and scholarly work written to date about the Chartreux, packed with details and references to primary sources, Simmonet’s classic book originally began with an essay written in 1972 when the breed was in danger of being absorbed into the British Shorthair, and later grew into a book first published in 1980.

Serious breeders will find the many informal photographs of Chartreux from the 1970’s and 1980’s to be invaluable in understanding the development of the breed during this crucial period. Feline Historians will also be interested in the comparison with the Persian breed at the time of its arrival in Europe.

Available at Amazon.com, or by emailing Paula Auerbach: momaipjauer@aol.com

OUR FRIENDS THE CATS:

by Marcel Reney.

French Edition of ‘Nos Amis Les Chats’ Published by Grassat, Paris, 1947.

Commentary For our feline historian types who learnt French as a second language, this now rare publication was written by a judge of cats, licenced with the Confederation Internationale Feline.

Its value is predominantly in its historical references, including some copies of pedigrees, and an array of exceptional period photographs of leading cats of the 1940’s era.

It covers the cats early history, showing an original Bronze of the goddess Bast from the Pharoanic era, examples of the Cat in Literature and Art, and then moves through examples of the most popular breeds of the era, including Persians, Siamese, Birmans, Abyssinians, Manx, Burmese and the uniquely French cat, the Chartreux.

Second-hand copies listed at www.Bookfinder.com

Top quality Ragdolls bred for health, personality, type, but most importantly – love!

carolyn@cwtchycats.com

OUR READER REVIEWS… “This is an amazing e-magazine that I look forward to future issues and will be subscribing to – Check it out!

Lorna Dawn Friemoth “This magazine is highly recommended to all my ‘cat friends’! From the get-go Felis Historica truly makes a legitimate attempt in sharing valuable history and timeless knowledge with fellow fanciers around the world. Cannot wait for the next issue!

Kai Cao “The very clever and very interesting new review on the history of cats and breeds… supported by the CFA Foundation”.

Cat-H-Art Club “I’ve been glued to the August issue and I’m only on the first pages.

Love where John (Ed note’s) are inserted. It makes it all the more fun, perky and personal. Now, the question is, When will I stop reading and get back to work?”

Roeann Fulkerson

This beautiful painting from 1747 entitled ‘Magdaleine Pinceloup de la Grange, née de Parseval’

by Jean-Baptiste Perronneau (French, 1715 - 1783) is in the collection of the Getty Museum.

The description of this painting includes, “With both hands, Magdaleine grasps a large gray-blue cat that bemusedly engages the viewer. Because of its large size and distinctive coloration, the cat can be identified as a chartreux, one of the oldest and most cherished French breeds.”

THE UNIQUE & HISTORIC BLUE SHORTHAIR

CAT OF FRANCE

BY

ORCA STARBUCK EARLY HISTORY

The Chartreux cat is a natural French breed, with a long and illustrious history going back hundreds of years. Throughout its early history, the Chartreux was distinguished primarily by the blue color of its coat and the woolly texture of its fur. It was also valued for its practical utility, with a reputation as an excellent ratter and faithful companion.

The earliest evidence of the presence of these cats in France comes from the French poet Joachim du Bellay (1522 – 1560). In 1558, du Bellay wrote a poem in memory of a little gray cat named Belaud that he had befriended while living in Rome. The poem itself is quite delightful, praising Belaud’s rodent hunting talent as well as the beauty of his features, and listing many details which are reminiscent of our Chartreux of today. Belaud clearly reminds du Bellay of the cats of home, except that he has white markings on his belly; du Bellay contrasts him with “the cats born in France” which are “entirely gray.”

We therefore infer from the poem that the presence of solid gray-blue cats in France was common knowledge in du Bellay’s time, around 1550.

For the first mention of the Chartreux cat by name, however, we must skip forward in time to the Dictionnaire universel of Jacques Savary des Brûlons (1657–1716), published posthumously in 1723. Savary was a customs inspector, and his dictionary was developed from terminology that he found useful in the course of his work.

At the end of Savary’s entry on the domestic cat and its various colors, he adds a special note: “In addition, there are a few that are bluish. This last type is called Chartreux because of the monks of this name who owned the first of the breed.” Referring to Chartreux, we find that it is “the common name for a type of cat which has a blue coat. Furriers do business with their pelts.”

Although the blue cats were relatively rare, there must have been enough of them to produce pelts for the fur trade. Similar descriptions appear in other 18th century texts, including Diderot’s Encyclopédie.

Copper Plate engraving of ‘Le Chat des Chartreux’ from the ‘Histoire Naturelle,’ by George-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon Published in Paris in 1756

The Chartreux cat is also described in detail in Buffon’s Histoire naturelle published in 1756. This important work lists four types of cats that were known at that time in France: the domestic cat, the Angora, the Chartreux, and the Cat of Spain (a tortoiseshell), with detailed engravings. The Chartreux cat is depicted as short haired, but with fur of a slightly wooly texture, compared to the flatter coat of the domestic cat. While the domestic cat is shown in a country kitchen, and the Angora is shown in a luxurious room, the Chartreux is shown standing on an urban rooftop, in keeping with its reputation of roaming the roofs of Paris.

Linnaeus also described these cats in his Systema Naturae, giving them the Latin name catus coeruleus, “blue cat.” In early editions of this text (written in Latin), Linnaeus did not use the name Chartreux for this cat, but later 18th century editions identified catus coeruleus as the Chat des Chartreux of Buffon. An interesting note appears in the modified version of Linnaeus published by Houttyn, 1760: “One notices daily in France that there are people who eat these plump well-nourished cats called Chartreux that are bluish. They eat them roasted or cut up in stews.”

Clearly, the Chartreux was well known in the 18th century. It is still left to us to wonder whether these cats formed a distinct population with its own characteristic traits, as in our concept of “breed” today, or whether this name was simply applied to any blue-gray colored cat in France. It does seem possible that given the abundant evidence of pelts being used in the fur trade, the blue cats may have been raised as a distinct breed for their fur and perhaps even for their meat, similar to rabbit husbandry. There may have also been some selection for utility as ratters and companions.

MONASTERY CATS? The Chartreux cat has been linked in literature and legend to the Carthusian monks since the 18 th century. One legend states that a monk of the Carthusian order carried one of the blue cats from South Africa home to France. Others have speculated that the blue cats travelled with knights returning from the Crusades, who brought them from mountainous regions in the East to the French monasteries. The name of the breed is explained by the legend that these cats were selectively bred by the monks.

Stories of “monastery cats” accumulated many charming details over the years. Chartreux cats are known to be particularly quiet, so some say that they “took the vow of silence” with the monks. Some Chartreux even have a peculiar habit of sitting up on their back legs and holding their paws together in a pose that makes them appear to “pray.” Indeed, these cats would have been excellent companions for the monks, with their calm and devoted temperament, and renowned ability to hunt rats and mice.

It is no wonder that the legend has persisted for centuries.

However, this association with the monks is now believed to be untrue, or at least unlikely, as the monks themselves have no record supporting this claim. Instead, it is now thought that the blue cats may have been named after a type of Spanish wool known as “Pile des Chartreux,” which was considered of high quality at the time. There are numerous mentions of Chartreux pelts being used in the fur trade and fashion industry, and the woolly texture of their fur may have reminded traders of this especially fine type of wool.

Mistigri, Emeraude, and Espiegle de Guerveur, pictured around 1932. The largest cat in the photographs is Mistigri, a male.

Image: ‘La Vie a la Campagne,’ April 15, 1935

EARLY SELECTIVE BREEDING and THE CHARTREUX OF BELLE-ÎLE Cat shows in France began shortly before the year 1900 with a few large shows held in Paris, but the French cat fancy was slow to get started. Philippe Jumaud, a veterinarian, formed the first French cat club in 1913.

A booklet was released by the club in 1914 with a few breed standards, including a description for the Chartreux that appears to have been copied from older books, and a somewhat unrealistic illustration. There is no evidence for Chartreux breeding at that time in France, however. These early efforts to establish the French cat fancy were interrupted by WWI. Not long after the war, around 1925, there was a great stroke of luck for the Chartreux breed, in the form of the sisters Christine and Suzanne Léger.

From all accounts, the Léger sisters were rather intense and strong-willed young women. They studied at the National School of Horticulture at Versailles, which was said to be quite unusual for young women of that period, graduating first and second in their class in 1925.

Shortly afterwards, the family moved to Belle-Île, an island in the northwest of France in Bretagne (Brittany). The sisters bought a property of 30 hectares (about 74 acres), planning to make their living there by farming and raising pedigreed animals.

Mistigri, (centre) flanked by Emeraude, and Espiegle de Guerveur.

Image: ‘La Vie a la Campagne,’ April 15, 1935

After they arrived on Belle-Île, the sisters were intrigued to see a large number of blue-gray cats on the island, both in the main town of Le Palais, and in the countryside.

These cats were particularly numerous around the hospital of Le Palais, and the locals called them “Hospital Cats.” Christine and Suzanne had studied Buffon as part of their education, and they immediately associated these bluegray cats with the Chartreux breed that had been described and pictured by Buffon.

Taking as their foundation stock the cats that were found on the island, they started a breeding program under the cattery name “Guerveur” and began to exhibit their cats in early French cat shows around 1927.

They quickly achieved remarkable success with a young female cat, Mignonne de Guerveur. Mignonne became an International Champion and received a special challenge cup in 1931 from Miss Wade (a judge who had travelled from England) who pronounced her to be “the most beautiful Chartreux in the world,” presumably comparing her to blue shorthairs she had seen in other countries.

Following this success, Suzanne Léger wrote an important article on the breed, published in the magazine La vie a la Campagne in 1935.

In this article, she described the Chartreux as a “reconstituted” ancient breed, referencing Buffon and other texts. She distinguished it from the British Blue and Russian Blue, and included a breed standard.

Left: IC. Mignonne de Guerveur Image: ‘La Vie a la Campagne,’ April 15, 1935

Since the Léger sisters had a great deal of education on animal husbandry and also had wide experience with pedigreed dogs and other breeds of cats, they were able to write a very specific and detailed breed standard.

We can assume that their standard accurately describes the type of native French cat that they found on Belle-Île in the 1920s.

Unlike later Chartreux standards, the 1935 standard is based first of all on the female cat with allowances for the male, since prior to this time the most successful example of the breed had been Mignonne.

The standard describes an elegant and relatively slender cat with a long body, legs and tail. Musculature is strong, without being excessively large or massive; the standard actually penalizes excess weight or size. The nose is straight, and the ears are described as being set high on the head, giving the cat an alert look.

Although the Chartreux is always a blue-gray cat with gold eyes, there is considerable variation in shade of both coat and eye color, from lightest to darkest. All of this variation was already present in the original gene pool on Belle-Île, and consequently the full range of shades of coat and eye color is written into the 1935 breed standard.

Coat color is described as a range from the lightest “silver gray” to the darkest “slate blue,” with eye color is described as a range from pale gold to deep copper. The range of shades is an important characteristic of this natural breed.

Christine and Suzanne Léger pioneered selective breeding of Chartreux and continued to breed these cats for more than 50 years. It is not an exaggeration to say that the Chartreux breed of today owes its very existence to them. The Léger sisters not only gave us the very important practical contribution of their Chartreux bloodlines created over many decades; but perhaps equally important, they were the first to define the Chartreux as a specific natural breed, native to France, and distinct from other blue cats of the world.

Right: IC Keekey de Champmol, born 1936

Sire: Japouk de Fouilloux (blue Persian) Dam: Titote (foundation Chartreux)

THE CHARTREUX OF THE CAT CLUB DE PARIS Another group of French breeders in the Massif Central area near Paris began breeding Chartreux in the 1930s. It seems quite likely that they were initially inspired to breed Chartreux because the Léger sisters had sparked interest in this breed in France, but their breeding program had a different philosophy. Instead of seeing the Chartreux first and foremost as a natural breed to be preserved as close as possible to its original type, they wanted to create a more impressive type of shorthaired blue cat, using the native blue cats as raw material.

These breeders were associated with the Cat Club de Paris.

Our first knowledge of the Cat Club breeding lines begins in 1936, when a native blue cat from the countryside was bred to a blue Persian from the finest English lines available.

This combination produced Keekey de Champmol, who was to become an International Champion. Keekey was very different from the Chartreux of Belle-Île. Due to the Persian cross, he was significantly more massive, with a rounder head, shorter muzzle, smaller ears, cobbier body type, and shorter legs. He also appears to have had a more luxurious coat than the shorthaired native cats, which would have come from his Persian ancestry. These traits would have made Keekey stand out from the “common cat,” and he was a great success at the shows.

Shortly after the debut of Keekey, in the late 1930s, a relatively short and simple new breed standard was written for the Chartreux. In contrast to the 1935 standard written by Suzanne Léger, the Cat Club standard was written primarily for the male cat, and may have been specifically based on Keekey himself. Great emphasis was placed on the massive and heavy body of this cat.

The head was described as “very round” with full jowls, a straight nose and ears placed high on the head. All shades of gray-blue were permitted, as well as all shades of eye color from yellow to orange.

In some ways, the Cat Club standard seems to be meant as a rebuttal to the 1935 standard. From the beginning, the Cat Club standard describes a cat that is “massive and heavy” in every way, in contrast to the 1935 standard, which actually lists penalties for “heavy structure, exaggerated size or weight, heavy or massive head type.”

IC. Weekey de Trevise, born in 1948, a son of Keekey de Champmol.

In a note at the end, the Cat Club standard includes the caution that “it is important to eliminate all intermediate forms between the Chartreux and the Russian Blue”; it is possible that these “intermediate forms” may have been intended to refer to the more slender Chartreux of Belle-Île, which were described disparagingly in later publications of the Cat Club.

It seems that the two breed standards, that of the Léger sisters and that of the Cat Club, may have continued to exist in parallel through at least the late 1940s.

Perhaps the two standards were in use in different associations. In Marcel Reney’s 1948 book, Nos Amis les Chats, the 1935 standard of the Léger sisters is reprinted, along with a photograph of three kittens of elegant appearance, characteristic of the cats of Belle-Île. Ultimately, however, the Cat Club standard was the one that prevailed when FIFE was formed in 1949, and in Madame Marguerite Ravel’s 1955 book Le Chat, the Cat Club standard is printed with a note that this is the standard established by the Fédération Féline Française.

POSTWAR BREED DEVELOPMENT As with many other breeds, the early development of the Chartreux breed was interrupted by World War II. Tucked away on their island, the Léger sisters managed to continue their breeding program throughout the war, despite great hardship. On the French mainland, however, few Chartreux survived the war.

We do know that Keekey de Champmol survived, along with his half-sister Trisette, sired by the same Persian but with a different mother. Both Keekey and Trisette produced offspring with other mates that appear in our pedigrees, but their most important contribution was in 1948, when Keekey was bred to Trisette and produced an extremely influential male cat, Weekey de Trevise.

Weekey was to become an International Champion and produce numerous descendants. Photographs of Weekey appeared in many publications from the late 1940s through 1960, so he also had a significant influence on the public perception of Chartreux breed type. Since Weekey was the product of a half sibling mating, and line bred on his Persian grandfather, he exhibited many features similar to the Persians of the 1930s, and was more massive and cobby in type than the typical British Shorthair of his era. He also appears to have had an impressively plush coat, and is likely to have been a longhair carrier.

Jean Simmonet’s first Chartreux.

IC. Guilleri d’Andeyola, born in 1957.

Image: The CFA Foundation, Inc.

In later generations of Cat Club breeding programs, additional outcrosses were added from various sources, including the French countryside, and breeders worked through selection to gradually reduce the influence of the Persian.

Although we don’t have many pictures of the Cat Club lines during their development from 1948 to 1960, one very handsome example is Guilleri d’Andeyola, an International Champion born in 1957. Although Guilleri has a slightly shorter muzzle and broader face and body compared to the cats of Belle-Île, he is still much less heavy and coarse than Weekey, with more of what we recognize today as a typical Chartreux appearance.

Two portrait views of IC. Jimmbo, born 1960. Photos: The CFA Foundation, Inc. Sire: Vasska (son of two foundation Chartreux) Dam: Grichette de Sytka (Cat Club bloodlines)

‘JIMMBO’ & HIS SON ‘MICHOU’ In 1960, a very important male cat named Jimmbo was born, who was to become an International Champion and the best Chartreux of France in his generation.

Jimmbo’s mother was from the Cat Club lines, while his father was the offspring of two foundation Chartreux. Jimmbo was considered to be an ideal example of Chartreux type of his day, free of the unwanted aspects of the Persian influence, while keeping the desired characteristics. Consequently, he was used extensively in breeding programs, and all Chartreux of today can be traced to Jimmbo many times in their pedigrees.

Jimmbo’s son Michou de Fernine also became an International Champion, and was the best Chartreux of France in 1967. In turn, Michou also sired several very influential cats.

Two of Michou’s sons, Taquin de St Pierre and Vandale de St Pierre, were among the first Chartreux imported to the United States by Helen Gamon, the founder of the breed in North America.

Another son of Michou, Titus de St Pierre, went to Belle-Île in 1970 to become part of the Léger sisters’ breeding program, and produced excellent results when bred to the Léger sisters’ females.

‘MICHOU’ & SONS - ‘TAQUIN’ & ‘VANDALE’ Photographs of Jimmbo, Michou, and his sons Taquin and Vandale show that these cats had a distinctive look, with straight profiles, medium length muzzles, high-set ears, low-set jowls, very expressive eyes, and a general appearance of both solidity and refinement.

Although the Persian influence still made these cats more massive in the body than the early Belle-Île cats, the Cat Club had clearly developed a distinct breed type that was not nearly as heavy in appearance, cobby in type, or round-headed as the early generation Persian hybrids, Keekey and Weekey.

All photos courtesy of The CFA Foundation, Inc. Right: IC Michou de Fernine, best Chartreux of France 1967.

Sire: IC Jimmbo Dam: IC Idole de Bertouget Below Left: Taquin de Saint Pierre, born 1970, imported to USA. Sire: IC Michou de Fernine Dam: Nina de Saint Pierre Below Right: Vandale de Saint Pierre, born 1972, imported to USA. Sire: IC Michou de Fernine Dam: Roma de Saint Pierre

IC. Michou de Fernine

JEAN SIMMONET’S EFFORTS to preserve The identity of a UNIQUE FRENCH BREED Around 1960, a few of the Cat Club breeders began to exchange cats with British Shorthair breeders in England. This seemed to be a very reasonable way to add genetic diversity to both breeds, as the British Shorthair breed was not as different at that time from the Chartreux as it is today. In addition to the practical consideration of reducing inbreeding, some of the Cat Club breeders did not believe that there was an essential difference between the British Shorthair and Chartreux. These breeders saw the British Shorthair as “English Chartreux,” and in fact, the imported British Blues did very well in the French shows when registered and shown as Chartreux!

Some of the most important British Shorthair imports of the early 1960s included Bonaventura Beau Brummel (blue male), Pensylva Julia (blue female), and Pensylva Noelle Joyeuse (blue-cream female), all of which CH Broughton Jane, a British blue-cream achieved the title of International Champion. appearing in Chartreux pedigrees of the 1960s.

Photographs of the first-generation crosses between Her sire was Danehurst Peter, a cream Persian. these British Shorthairs and the Chartreux of the Cat Image: from Our Cats Magazine, February 1957.

Club, show the British Shorthair’s influence: with more rounded heads, wider set ears, broader muzzles with softer contours, shorter noses with more of a dip in the profile, stronger chins, and heavier bone in the legs and feet. Most of these changes were not desired by breeders, although some were welcome (breeders did want to see a stronger chin, for example). Most important, the combination did seem to reduce inbreeding depression and improve health and fertility.

Unfortunately, over the course of the 1960s, the two breeds became increasingly confused. By 1970, most breeders of the Cat Club were working with lines that had been crossed to British Shorthair to some extent, and many of the Chartreux being actively shown were 50% British Shorthair by pedigree or even more.

Jean Simonnet, later to be considered the “father of the breed” by many Chartreux breeders, was at this time still relatively new to breeding Chartreux. Simonnet’s first cat had been Guilleri d’Andeyola, born in 1957. Later on he had purchased a female, Pivoine de St Pierre (a daughter of Michou de Fernine, born 1966), intending to breed her, but without success. After that, in 1969, he had bought a female from the Léger sisters, Sidonie de Guerveur. Simonnet believed strongly in the identity of the Chartreux as a native French breed. He intended to build the foundation for his breeding program upon the Belle Île bloodlines, mated to the lines of the Cat Club with the least British Shorthair influence.

Photo: Jean Simonnet, Le Chat des Chartreux.

Madame Ravel (on right) with two UK judges, Kathleen Yorke & Cyril Yeates, admiring CH. Southway Crusader, a Persian that appears in some Chartreux pedigrees of the 1970s. Image: Our Cats Magazine, January 1949.

In 1971, Madame Marguerite Ravel, President of FIFE and Secretary General of the Cat Club de Paris, published a new edition of her book Le Chat, which contained FIFE breed standards along with other information. While in the 1955 edition of her book the Chartreux had been separate from the “Bleu Anglais,” each with its own standard and history, in the new edition the two breeds were combined under one breed standard, entitled “Chartreux (British Blue).” This came as a surprise to breeders, as the change had not been generally announced before the book’s publication. Ravel described the “Chartreux (British Blue)” breed as having been originally created by combining a Persian with a gray countryside cat, and further advised that a Persian should be used every few generations to improve the fur texture and eye color.

A few breeders were indeed doing this cross, as Gisele Barnay wrote in the magazine La Vie des Bêtes (October 1972): “From time to time, one offers to a handsome Chartreux a blue or black Persian mate which possesses the same large orange eyes. The result is magnificent.” Barnay’s article includes photographs of IC Sphinx de Bertouget, a handsome cat who nevertheless was only one quarter Chartreux by pedigree, having a Persian father and British grandfather.

As soon as Simonnet received a copy of Ravel’s new book, he wrote a long reply which was published in the Cat Club’s newsletter, La Vie Feline. Simonnet expressed his surprise and shock at the elimination of the Chartreux as a distinct breed, as well as at the new summary of its history. He argued that the Chartreux had not been initially created by hybridization with a Persian, but instead had been known since the 18th century as a distinct natural breed, and had been selectively bred by the Léger sisters since the 1920s from native French cats.

Ravel published her response to Simonnet in the following issue of La Vie Feline. FIFE no longer had a separate breed standard for the Chartreux, she explained, because judges and officials from FIFE and GCCF had met three years before and agreed to combine the Chartreux and British Blue, with the reasoning that “the two cats were made of the same cocktail, a cat with long hair and a cat with short hair.” Both were now to be registered with the same code (16) and judged under the same standard; these standards were in the process of being printed and distributed to the clubs.

Following this exchange, Simonnet was asked by Professor Nouvel, President of the Cat Club de Paris, to investigate the question further and produce additional documentation related to the breed and its history. Fearful that the Chartreux breed would be altogether lost if there was any undue delay, Simonnet applied himself to this research with urgency, and in 1972 produced a paper entitled “Etude sur le Chat des Chartreux,” which later formed the basis for his much longer book on the Chartreux.

In 1977, the question of whether to separate the Chartreux and British came up again with FIFE. By this time, Madame Ravel had come over to Simonnet’s side, and FIFE finally separated the two breeds, each under its own breed standard.

There were many positive developments during the 1970s.

Simonnet increasingly took on a leadership role in the breed, with other breeders gradually becoming part of his general project: to combine the cats of Belle-Île with the lines of the Cat Club that had the least influence of British Shorthair. Perhaps due in part to the public discussion of the Léger sisters and their work, an increasing number of breeders in France, Belgium, and other European countries took an interest in the cats of BelleÎle and their offspring. Cats from Belle-Île also traveled to the United States and Canada and became a key part of the North American lines.

1970s first generation crosses between Belle-Île and Cat Club bloodlines. Note that Simonnet’s cats were closely related to North American Chartreux of the same era. Ingrid and Ixion de Guerveur were full siblings, and Titus de St Pierre was a half-brother to Taquin.

At left, from top to bottom: IC ICARE DE GUERVEUR, born 1973 Sire: IC Titus de Saint Pierre

Arista image: The CFA Foundation, Inc.

Dam: Titoune de Guerveur

GIC LANCELOT DU VAUMICHON, born 1975 Sire: IC Ourson de Conteneuil Dam: Ingrid de Guerveur Photos: Jean Simmonet ‘Le Chat des Chartreux’ ARISTA NADIA OF GAMONAL, born 1977 (United States) Sire: Ixion de Guerveur Dam: Arista Kallista

During the 1970s, Simonnet’s group worked on the construction of a new and more detailed breed standard, in order to better replace the old Cat Club standard. The resulting draft standard was created in 1975. Even though it never became an accepted breed standard on its own, this is still one of the best descriptions of the breed, and the work on the draft standard had a positive influence on the later breed standards in FIFE, LOOF, and the North American associations.

The 1975 draft standard brings together elements from the standards of both the Léger sisters and the Cat Club, just as the breeders of this time were in the process of combining these two bloodlines.

The harmonious unification of these two types of GIC Regent du Clos du Lendit, Chartreux is clearly expressed in the draft standard: born 1980 “A robust cat, while remaining very elegant.”

The body is powerful and muscular with a large chest, but it is not cobby in type; “the Chartreux cat should never give the impression of a heavy and fat animal with short legs.” The head is large, with full jowls in the adult male. Ears are placed high on the skull, giving the cat an alert appearance. The nose is straight without a break. The coat is short and very dense, slightly wooly and “having the feel of otter fur.” The tail is tapered at the end, “carried very often vertically.” As with all previous standards, the color in this breed is defined as a range of light and dark shades, with eyes ranging from gold to copper, and coat color ranging from ash to slate.

CH Rose Bleue du Vaumichon, born 1980, Sire: IC Icare de Guerveur Dam: Ingrid de Guerveur Pictured with litter of kittens sired by ‘Regent’ (above) Photos on this page both by: Jean Simonnet, Le Chat des Chartreux

Hugo de Ventadour – Breeder/Photographer: Serge Ostrogradsky

A PROMISING FUTURE FOR THE CHARTREUX Simonnet’s project was ultimately a great success.

Chartreux bloodlines that had been heavily crossed with British Shorthair and Persian fell out of favor, and Simonnet’s views on the breed became established as canon. From just a handful of French breeders in 1970, fifty years later the breed has now grown to hundreds of breeders in France alone, and is one of the most popular breeds in LOOF, with thousands of kittens registered each year.

Vibrant breeding programs exist all over Europe, North America and Japan. Even the GCCF, birthplace of the British Shorthair, is now in the process of recognizing the Chartreux as a distinct championship breed.

These handsome young males illustrate the range of shades of gray-blue coat color in the Chartreux breed, from dark to light.

Lacay Bleu Cosmo Breeder/Photographer: Lella Febi Fedi

The variation of light and dark shades has been observed in the breed since Chartreux of Belle-Île were first described by Suzanne Léger in 1935, and is an important characteristic of our natural breed.

FIFe SC NW ANGELO BLUE AMBER DVM Breeder: Ivija LÄ«ce-Tane Photo: Ludmila Pankova

Above Left: CFA GC, BW, RW BLUEBIJOU’S NICHOLAS OF LUTECE Breeder: Carol & Doug Menzel Owner / Photo: Orca Starbuck Above Right: TICA IW, SGC & CFA GC, MABUHAY ILONSE OF CARCHET Breeder: Carla Bizzell Owner: Carole McFadden & Chet Walborn Photo: Larry Johnson Litter: Alex Blue Amber, FIFe GIC Anabella Blue Amber, FIFe IC Angelina Blue Amber,

and FIFe SC NW Angelo Blue Amber DVM Breeder: Ivija Līce-Tane Photo: Ludmila Pankova

Top: CFA GC, MABUHAY ILLUSION – Breeder: Carla Bizzell Photo: Larry Johnson Left: FIFe GIC, ANABELLA BLUE AMBER – Breeder: Ivija Līce-Tane Photo: Ludmila Pankova Right: IPSIMAE DES BLEUS D’YTTRIUM – Breeder/Photo: Isabelle Noël

Opium, Oxalys, and O'Calypso de la Vimeusière (RIA4) These kittens have a foundation cat from Belle-Île in the fourth generation.

Breeder/Photographer: Patricia Dourin

LOOF’S RIA PROGRAM: KEEPING THE FOUNDATION STRONG Although we have much greater numbers now, Chartreux everywhere in the world still go back to the same small set of bloodlines from the 1970s, with the most important cats like Jimmbo appearing over and over again. Where are breeders to find fresh outcross lines today?

Outcrossing to any established breed such as Persian or British Shorthair would be a horrifying idea to any Chartreux breeder of today, as these breeds have become much more extreme over the years, and are now far too different from the Chartreux to be of any use.

French breeders today follow in the steps of the Léger sisters, bringing in new foundation cats found on Belle-Île and in the French countryside.

LOOF’s RIA program allows cats with unknown ancestry to be registered on the basis of appearance. If several judges agree on a cat’s close resemblance to Chartreux type, the cat can be registered as a first-generation foundation cat.

Each generation in the RIA program must be exhibited and judged as excellent in order to be eligible for breeding.

After four generations, the offspring of the RIA line have full registration and can be used freely in breeding programs. In recent years, the RIA program has produced outstanding Chartreux that have reached the highest levels of championship competition in Europe.

At Right: FIFe NW16 CH Leonidas de la Chabanade JW (RIA4) Breeder: Claire Luciano Owner/Photographer: Davor Anić

DEDICATION This article is respectfully dedicated to the memory of Jean Simonnet, who passed away on December 18, 2016. Honorary President of the Cat Club de Paris, Founder and President of the Club du Chat des Chartreux. His book, Le Chat des Chartreux, is still an important reference work for Chartreux breeders. Jean Simonnet was a great expert on this breed, its history and bloodlines, as well as a kind and helpful friend to Chartreux breeders all over in the world.

References: Barnay, Gisele. “Le chat bleu des Chartreux.” La vie des bêtes, October 1972.

Barnay, Gisele. “The Charming Chartreux from France.” Cat Fancy, May-June, 1973.

Barnay, Gisele. Le plus beaux chats de France. La vie des bêtes, 1973.

Buffon, Georges Louis Le Clerc de. Histoire Naturelle. Imprimerie royale, 1756.

Desbruslons, Jacques Savary. Dictionnaire universel de commerce. Étiennne, 1723.

Gamon, Helen. Unpublished letters and other material, CFA Foundation archives.

Götz, Alfons. Chartreux Pedigree Database, www.chartreux-pedigree.de Jumaud, Philippe. Les chats, bulletin official du Cat-Club de France. February, 1914.

Jumaud, Philippe. Les races du chats. Edition des Tablettes, 1925.

La Gombaudière, M Boilève de. Nos compagnons... les chats. Editions Nilsson, 1932.

Leger, Suzanne. “Le Chat des Chartreux, Race Reconstituée.” La vie à la campagne, April 1935.

Luciano, Claire. “Les Chartreux du massif central.” Cercle des Amis du Chartreux, http://amisduchartreux.com/le-chartreux-60/ Mery, Fernand. The Life, History, and Magic of the Cat. Grosset & Dunlap, 1968.

Pocci, Katia. Certosino. Castel Negrino, 2012.

Pocci, Katia. Unpublished materials from FIFe breed seminar, 2015.

Ravel, Marguerite. Le Chat: Vade-mecum de l'éleveur. Crepin-Leblond et Cie, 1955.

Ravel, Marguerite. Le Chat: Vade-mecum de l'éleveur. Crepin-Leblond et Cie, 1971.

Reney, Marcel. Nos amis les chats. Editions Felis, 1948.

Sardeau, Claude. “Le Chartreux.” Bêtes et nature, January 1967.

Simonnet, Jean. Le chat des chartreux. Synchro, 1980.

Simonnet, Jean. The Chartreux Cat. Translated by Jerome Auerbach, Synchro, 1990.

Simonnet, Jean. Etude sur le chat des chartreux. 1972, with addendum added 1974.

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QUEEN JUMBO SILVER ABYSSINIAN NCC REGISTRATION: 1561 DOB: circa 1890 (or earlier) Owner: Mrs. Louisa Herring Painting: Watercolour by Rosa Bebb Published in ‘Rabbits, Cats & Cavies’ (1903) by Charles H. Lane.

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JOHN G. SMITHSON

THE EARLIEST REGISTERED ABYSSINIAN Adapted from the author’s text for ‘Queen Jumbo’ @ The History Project

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND ‘Queen Jumbo’ could quite fairly be described as ‘the forgotten Queen’!, for in many of the histories written about the Abyssinian breed, she hardly ranks a mention, and/or is simply not mentioned at all!

Many writers launch into a preamble about the Abyssinian, by only mentioning an early pair of Abyssinians owned by Mr Sam Woodiwiss, namely ‘Sedgemere Bottle’ and ‘Sedgemere Peaty’ and claiming in some cases that these were the first Abyssinians in the Register of The National Cat Club.

In fact, they were not. ‘Queen Jumbo’ appears in Volume One of the Register, (NCC: 1561). ‘Sedgemere Bottle’ and ‘Sedgemere Peaty’ appear in Volume Four, as (NCC:2314) and (NCC:2315) respectively.

And even though we do not have a definitive date of birth for ‘Queen Jumbo’, the dates we do have and the show records bear witness to her being born earlier.

‘Sedgemere Bottle’ was born in 1892, and exibited in 1895.

‘Sedgemere Peaty’ was born in October, 1894, and likewise exhibited in 1895. The Register, although not providing a date of birth for ‘Queen Jumbo’, never-the-less confirms a date for her death, given as April, 1893.

But it also records her being exhibited three times in 1892, specifically at Wantage, at Brighton and at Clapham, all in 1892. This was the birth year of ‘Sedgemere Bottle’, which means that she had to have been born at the very latest in 1891, and more probably in 1890 or earlier. ² So ‘Queen Jumbo’ can quite fairly claim to be the earliest recorded Abyssinian to appear in any official register.

The hand-coloured bottom portion of a full-page illustration by Percy Macquoid, featuring some of the prize-winning cats at the second Crystal Palace Cat Show in December 1871. The Abyssinian female ‘Zula’ is featured to the right, seen coming out from under her green blanket.

Illustration by Percy Macquoid, Supplement to ‘Harpers Weekly’, 27th January, 1872.³ Image courtesy of The Harrison Weir Collection.

She was not however, the first to be shown. That distinction goes to a female Abyssinian named ‘Zula’, some 20 years earlier. The first we hear of this cat, is in a report of the Crystal Palace Show of December 16th, 1871.

The article is accompanied by an illustration by Percy Macquoid, (above) which was first published in ‘The Graphic’ (London), in December 1871 and then in a Supplement to ‘Harper’s Weekly’ (New York), on 27th January, 1872. The portion of the article featuring the Abyssinian reads as follows: “The first prize was won by a Persian she cat of rare violet colour, whose portrait is given on this page. The third prize was taken by the Abyssinian cat, shown in the lower right hand corner of the illustration. She was captured in the late Abyssinian war, and was mostly remarkable for her woe-begone appearance, seemingly discontented at her sudden elevation into notoriety, and longing for her barbaric freedom in the good old days of King Theodore.” ³ The author and early cat judge, Dr W. Gordon Stables, provides us with another view of ‘Zula’ in his book ‘The Cat: Their Points and Classification’ (1877), in which he provides a coloured lithograph entitled ‘Abyssinian’, including a notation that the cat is the ‘property of Mrs Captain Barrett Lennard’. Within the book, the cat is identified as ‘Zula’, and ‘bought from Abissinia (sic) at the conclusion of the War.’

‘Zula’, an Abyssinian female owned by Mrs Captain Barrett Lennard.

The first Abyssinian cat to be exhibited competitively, in 1871.

Illustration from: ‘The Cat, Its Points and Classification’ (1874) by Dr W.Gordon Stables ¹⁴ Image courtesy of The Harrison Weir Collection.

PARENTAGE & OWNERSHIP ‘Queen Jumbo’ is the earliest Abyssinian recorded in the Register of The National Cat Club. No date of birth is given, but from her show records, she had to have been born at least by 1891 in order to have taken the adult awards credited to her, in 1892. However, it seems more likely that she would have been moderately older, so we have estimated her date of birth as circa 1890. Her ownership however is not in doubt, as she is listed as the property of Mrs George Herring, (Louisa), whose husband was a cousin of Ann Herring, the first wife of Harrison Weir.

Of particular interest is to note that neither ‘Queen Jumbo’ nor ‘Sedgemere Bottle’ or ‘Sedgemere Peaty’, owned by Mr Sam Woodiwiss are noted as ‘imports’, which indicates that they were possibly all bred in England.

In all three cases, the breeders are not listed. This points to the possibility that there were already several fanciers established in breeding them.

Above left: Mr Harrison William Weir , first President of The National Cat Club, ‘Father of the Cat Fancy’ and author of ‘Our Cats’ published in 1889, by R.Clements & Co. Above right: Mrs. Louisa Herring. Both Harrison and Louisa married into the Herring family.

Mr Weir’s portrait, engraved by R.Taylor, from a photograph by G.Glanville; ‘Our Cats’ (1889) USA Edition.⁶ Mrs Herring’s portrait. Photo by Morice, St.Johns; ‘The Lady’s Realm’ (1900) ⁷

Yet despite a lack of evidence in the Register to support importation, and although Mr. Harrison Weir himself mentions that a hybrid between the English Wild Cat and the domestic resembles it, in 1889 he further unequivocably states:“still several have been imported from Abyssinia all of which were precisely similar, and it is stated that this is the origin of the Egyptian cat that was worshipped so many centuries ago. The mummies of the cats I have seen in no case had any hair left, so that it was impossible to determine what colour they were. The imported cats are of stouter build than the English and less marked. These bred with an English tabby often give a result of a nearly black, the black band extending very much down the sides, and the brown ticks almost disappearing, which gives a very rich and beautiful colouring.” ⁶ From the above statement we can draw some conclusions. If Mr Weir states that several have been imported from Abyssinia, then it is information that can be relied upon, as he was meticulous in his research.

His reference to the ‘imported cats being less marked’ is the result of pure and honest ‘observation’, for which he was renown! This also implies that the pure strain of imports showed less barring than the English and hybrid cats.

In describing the colours of the Abyssinian he gives us the following descriptions: -

Mrs Herring’s Blue Small-Banded Tabby, drawn by Harrison Weir. ‘Our Cats’ (1889) ⁶ Image courtesy of The Harrison Weir Collection

“I now come to the last variety of tabby cat, and this can scarcely be called a tabby proper, as it is nearly destitute of markings, excepting sometimes on the legs and a broad black band along the back. It is of a deep brown, ticked with black, sometimes resembling the back of a wild (only not so gray) rabbit. Along the centre of the back, from the nape of the neck to the tip of the tail, there is a band of black, very slightly interspersed with dark brown hairs. The inner side of the legs and belly are more of a rufous-orange tint than the body, and are marked in some cases, with a few dark patches; but they are best without these marks and in the exhibition pens it is a point lost. The eyes are deep yellow tinted with green; nose dark red, black edged; ears rather small, dark brown, with black edges and tips; the pads of the feet are black. Altogether it is a very pretty and interesting variety.”

“I find there is yet another tint or colour of the tabby proper which I have not mentioned, - that is to say, a cat marked with wavy lines, and an exceedingly pretty one it is. It is very rare; in fact, so much so that it has never had a class appropriated to it, and therefore is only admissible to or likely to win in the class ‘For Any Other Colour,’ in which class usually a number of very beautiful varieties are to be found, some of which I shall have occasion to notice further on. The colour however, that I now refer to is often called the silver tabby, for want of a better name. It is this, The whole of the ground colour is of a most delicate silver-gray, clear and firm in tone, slightly blue if anything apart from the gray, and the markings thereon are but a little darker, with a tinge of lilac in them making the fur to look like an evening sky, rayed with light clouds.

Mr & Mrs H.C. Brooke’s ‘Indischer Furst’, an imported ‘red’ Indian Cat. Photo: ‘Cat Gossip’ April 1927. ⁵ Image courtesy of The CFA Foundation

“The nose is red, edged with a lilac tint, and the pads of the feet and claws are black, or nearly so. The hair is generally very fine, short, and soft. Altogether it is most lovely, and well worthy of attention, forming, as it does, a beautiful contrast to the red, the yellow, or even the brown tabby.” ⁶ ‘Queen Jumbo’ was registered as a ‘Silver Abyssinian’. Of her owner, Mrs Herring, we find that she was one of several very influential and active breeders of both long and shorthaired cats, and a member of the Committee of the National Cat Club. Among the breeds registered by her we find, Persians, (in a wide variety of colours and patterns), Siamese, English Shorthairs, Manx, Russian and Abyssinian. In fact, we find sixty-four cats in the first five volumes of the Register, either owned or bred by Mrs Herring. She was well known for her Silver Tabby English Shorthair, ‘Champion Jimmy’ and was one of the early stalwarts of Blue Persian.

Given that Mr Weir acknowledges that at least in some cases Abyssinians were bred to English shorthairs, we can only come to the conclusion that some hybridisation took place and the resultant progeny put back into the gene pool of the developing breed. And it seems reasonable to assume that Mrs Herring may also have experimented in this way. A drawing by Harrison Weir, of Mrs Herring’s Blue small-banded tabby features in the Chapter on Abyssinians in his book to illustrate what he described as a wave-banded tabby.

No records exist for any siblings or progeny of ‘Queen Jumbo’. Her show wins were all gained in 1892, a ‘First’ at Wantage, a ‘First’ at Brighton, and another ‘First’ at Clapham. ²

Abyssinian & Indian Cats (Indian illustration based on Indischer Furst) From a painting by W.Luker Jnr, ‘The Book of The Cat’ (1903) by Frances Simpson ¹² Image courtesy of The Harrison Weir Collection

BREEDING & PROGENY There are no progeny of record, but this may be an opportune time to consider what options were open to breeders of Abyssinians in these early years. Even acknowledging Mr Weir’s statement that “several have been imported from Abyssinia” we can speculate that the number of direct imports would have been small compared to the demand to breed the ‘ticked’ varieties.

Mr. H.C. Brooke was an ardent fancier, as was Mr Heslop and Mr Sam Woodiwiss. Other devotees included Mrs Constance Carew Cox, Mrs E.A. Clark, Sir Claud Alexander, and Mr C.A. House.

The fact that some early of the early specimens were hybrids is alluded to again in a short history of the Abyssinian Cat written by Mr Brooke, in which he states:“About thirty years ago, some very good Abyssinians were shown by the late Mr Heslop of Darlington.” (could some of these, have been the imported cats referred to by Mr. Harrison Weir?) “Mrs. Alice Pitkin also exhibited some fair specimens, many of hers however, being too dark and ‘British Ticks’ in type. Later Mrs. Clark of Bath possessed many excellent specimens.” ¹³ Certainly, by the turn of the new century the classification of Shorthaired Varieties for registration included both ‘Ticks’ and ‘Abyssinian’. This at least allowed for the separation of the British style ‘Ticked’ shorthaired cats from the more foreign and refined ‘Abyssinians’ which could be registered and shown separately.

Mr & Mrs H.C. Brooke’s ‘Egyptian’ or ‘African Wild Cat’ Photo: ‘Cat Gossip’ January 1927 ⁴ Image courtesy of The CFA Foundation.

Mr H. C. Brooke in particular studied the possible early origins, and as an importer and fancier of foreign varieties in both cats and dogs was in a prime position to offer an experienced view on the subject. He was the importer of a ‘Red’ Indian Cat, named ‘Indischer Furst’, which sported a bright red ticked tabby coat with some considerable barring on the legs, head and tail and which, when it was shown at the Crystal Palace in 1901, caused quite a sensation.

He also imported what was described as an ‘Egyptian’ or ‘African’ wild cat, whose image is given here, and whose resemblance to the basic features of the Abyssinian we know today, appears unmistakeable.

From a newsy note published in ‘Our Cats’ on 7th November 1903, we discover a further importation of Indian Cats: FOREIGN CATS “Mrs H.C. Brooke informs us that she has now four Indian cats of the same breed as ‘Indischer Furst’, who created such a sensation when he came out at the Palace two years ago, and whose portrait, (albeit justice is not done to him) appears in Cassell’s ‘Book of The Cat’. The new specimens are quite red all over, not having white throats and forepaws like the original, but have not such short coats as he has.” ⁸ In ‘The Book of The Cat’, Mr Brooke elaborates more on possible origins: -

Advertisement in ‘Our Cats’ March 1903, to rehome the pregnant Abyssinian queen, ‘TSANA’, owned by Mrs W.R. Temple. ⁸ Image courtesy of The Harrison Weir Collection

“It is usually assumed that the Egyptian or Caffre cat is the progenitor of the majority of domestic cats. This is the variety which was domesticated, revered, and embalmed by the ancient Egyptians. It is found over the whole of Africa, and it is quite easy to understand how, with its eminently tameable disposition, it gradually spread over Europe. Our so-called Abyssinian cats, to which reference will be made to later on, bear a very striking resemblance to his handsome variety of cat.” ¹² Although the detail of the establishment and rise of the early Abyssinian breed is somewhat clouded due to lack of definitive information on the number of imports and a lack of verifiable data through non-registration, we get to find glimpses of activity within the breed. The below advertisement appeared in ‘Our Cats’ magazine in March 1903.

The cat ‘TSANA’ named here, is not to be confused with another Abyssinian queen named ‘Tsana of Bath’ (born considerably later, in 1908). From this advertisement, we find a well-known breeder of Siamese, Mrs W.R. Temple, was equally engaged in breeding Abyssinians!

And from this one advertisement we are made aware of four named cats, a Abyssinian male named ‘Young Menelik’, another Abyssinian male named ‘Exhail’ and then two Abyssinian females, ‘Tsana’ and ‘Greek Maiden’ respectively.

Photograph of a Silver Ticked shorthaired cat, taken in India, circa 1870 Photo: by A. Baldwin, Photographer, Dinapore, India ¹¹ Image courtesy of The Harrison Weir Collection

In the article ‘Child of the Gods’ written by Helen and Sidney Denham in 1951, we find a reference to ‘Greek Maiden’, who was apparently exhibited at The Crystal Palace show of 1902, by her then owner and breeder Mrs C. Heslop. The names of her sire and dam are also provided as ‘Old Greek’ and ‘Greek Maid’ respectively. Given that the show is usually held in mid to late October or early November, we must presume that ‘Greek Maiden’ was then quickly on-sold to Mrs Temple.

In fact, ‘Greek Maiden’ produced her first litter for Mrs Temple on 8 th January 1903, as an Abyssinian male from that litter named ‘John Bunyan’, was sold as a future stud to Lady Alexander. The sire was similarly ‘Exhail.’⁹ IN SUMMARY: Although we know next to nothing about the life of ‘Queen Jumbo’, the fact that she was a silver Abyssinian female bred around 1890, owned by a prominent breeder, exhibited successfully in 1892 and that she was one of the few to be recorded at a time when the Abyssinian was seemingly struggling for survival and for recognition, places her almost at the epicentre of a period akin to the ‘dark ages’ for the Abyssinian breed.

But it is clear that a number of British breeders were experimenting during this time with ticked tabby shorthairs, and that some imports did come to British shores, whether they were from Abyssinia or Egypt or India or all three, we may never know.

In the not-too-distant future, with the help of gene mapping and DNA research, our scientists may be able to and recognise specific mark gene sequences within a breed, and then track the movement of gene pools between continents and between regions.

Until then, we should defer to this very common-sense conclusion from the pen of Karen Lawrence, (CFA Judge & Historian) who wrote: “Ethiopia, a country historically known as Abyssinia, can thus logically be determined to be the source of the first acknowledged and recognised cat of the Abyssinian breed.

“If we concede that Ethiopia is indeed the ‘logical’ origin of the Abyssinian breed, as we know it, it is not too far of a stretch to also believe numerous sources when they quote that the Abyssinian ‘resembles the paintings and sculptures of ancient Egyptian cats’. The close proximity of the two countries – both in north-eastern Africa with early inhabitants belonging to nomadic tribes – could easily sustain a theory that the cats so revered in ancient Egypt migrated South to Ethiopia at some point, were taken to England and there became the basis of the Abyssinian breed.

“In simple fact – we just don’t know the origins of the Abyssinian breed and, while we can speculate as much as we want, we will probably never be able to accurately document the beginnings of the breed. Regardless of the proof in the theories put forth, or lack thereof, we recognise that the Abyssinian cats of today are stunning examples of the diligence of the early British breeders and it is they who have earned the credit for the beginnings and early evolution of the breed.” ¹⁰ References: 1. ‘Rabbits, Cats and Cavies’ (1903) by Charles H. Lane.

2. ‘The National Cat Club Stud-Book and Register (Vols 1-5) 3. ‘Harpers Weekly’ 27th January, 1872 4. ‘Cat Gossip’ January 1927 5. ‘Cat Gossip’ April, 1927 6. ‘Our Cats’ (1889) by Harrison Weir.

7. ‘The Lady’s Realm’ (1900) 8. ‘Our Cats Magazine’ March, 1903 9. ‘Child of the Gods’ (1951) by Helen & Sidney Denham.

10. ‘The Abyssinian Cat’ by Karen Lawrence.

11. ‘Photographic Postcard’ by A.Baldwin, Dinapore, India.

12. ‘The Book of The Cat’ (1903) by Frances Simpson 13. ‘The Abyssinian Cat’ (1929) by H.C. Brooke.

14. ‘The Cat: Its Points and Classification’ (1874) Dr Gordon Stables

Historical ITEMS from the HARRISON WEIR COLLECTION

CAT CLUB DE PARIS – RECTANGULAR BRASS MEDALLION – LE MANS 1936 Representing one of two Cat Club de Paris Cups, this one awared to Mle Tzaut, at Le Mans, in 1936 Designed by T. Ravel. Read the story about it at: http://www.cat-o-pedia.org/medal-CatClubDeParis.html

The first Virtual Museum of the Cat! – online now at: www.cat-o-pedia.org

FIFe NW. NSW. GIC.WHITE’R’US IZON JUNIOR JW. DSM FACTFILE Pet Name:

IZON

Date of Birth:

September 12, 2018

Achievements/Titles FIFe JUNIOR WINNER (Kitten)

Sire: MW18 NW17 SC DIAPASON SIMBA OF WHITE ‘R’ US DSM

FIFe NATIONAL WINNER 2019

Dam: VITAS LITTLE ZZ TOP OF WHITE ‘R’ US

FIFE Grand International Champion

Breeder/Owner:

DSM – Distinguised Show Merit

Jose Manuel Monteiro Dias

FIFe NORTH SEA WINNER 2019

Above photo: ‘Izon’ at 5 months & 4 days.

Our beautiful Red Persian male, ‘Izon Junior’ was bred in the White ’R’ Us cattery, born September 12, 2018. At 89 grams, he arrived full of energy, liveliness and a will to live and win.

His sire was our Cream Persian male, Supreme Champion Diapason Simba of White ‘R’ Us DSM (Distinguished Show Merit), who was himself a Mediterranean Winner in 2018, and a National Winner in 2017 and 2018. His dam, was our Tortie Persian queen, Supreme Champion White ‘R’ Us Finally DVM (Distinguished Variety Merit), and his maternal grand-dam was the Black Smoke Persian queen WW08 SC Smoke Gets In Your Eyes d’Aquarelle of White ‘R’ Us, who was a Supreme Champion and World Winner in 2008.

Izon’s first competitive show was as a kitten, in Oporto, where he won his first two Best in Show awards and he has never really looked back since then. He has competed in Portugal, Spain, Germany and Holland.

To date he has accumulated 22 Best in Show wins, 8 of those as a Kitten/Junior Class, resulting in his Junior Winner title (JW). Since then he has added another 14 Best in Shows as an adult, successfully gaining his Distinguished Dhow Merit status as a male. In the 2019 show season, Izon gained his National Winner title in Portugal, then went on to win a North Sea Winner accolade with his win in Holland. That same year, he became a National Champion, International Champion and Grand International Champion. He will continue to be exhibited until he gains his Supreme Champion title. All of the aforementioned titles are now part of his full name NW19 NSW19 GIC WHITE ‘R’ US IZON JUNIOR JW DSM. In nature, ‘Izon’ is a very affable cat, that enjoys participating in the shows, which although are competitive, for him they are akin to playing. He is therefore appreciated by breeders, judges and event visitors alike. He especially enjoys human interaction, particularly with children. He also really enjoys travelling by car and plane and whenever he arrives at a new hotel bedroom, Izon is a big fan of what I call doing the ‘inspection,’ which involves sniffing everything inside it and finding for himself, the best place to sleep. In October this year, he became the proud sire of a beautiful Blue-Cream Persian.

The FIFe registered White ‘R’ Us cattery is the property of Jose Manuel Monteiro Dias, who has had a lasting passion for breeding solid and smoke coloured Persians for 30 years, with a very special interest for White Persians with blue eyes (W61), copper (W62), and odd eyes (W63).

Jose Dias

Photos: Top to Bottom: - Izon at 2.5 months, at 1 year 3 months when Best Cat at Madrid, and 1 year 5 months at Valladolid as Best Male in Show. All images courtesy Jose Dias.

GC, BW, NW ZEHNDER’S BBC LATE NIGHT FACTFILE Pet Name:

BB

DOB:

March 22, 2005

2005-2006 12th Best Kitten, CFA Great Lakes Region 2006-2007 Best of Breed Abyssinian, CFA 10th Best Cat, CFA Best of Breed Abyssinian, CFA Great Lakes Region 2nd Best Cat, CFA Great Lakes Region Sire: GC, BW, NW Purssynian So Graham Norton Dam: GC Devande’s Starlight Express, DM Breeder:

M Zehnder – S-J Vande Sande

Owners:

M Zehnder – S Vande Sande

BB’s Story - As told by Monica Zehnder:

BB was unusual from the very beginning. I remember her sitting with her Mom, Starlight, in the kitten room watching her littermates demolish the toys. She sat with her leg extended and her head held regally. It foretold her attitude at the shows. She did not play! Judges bounced toys off her head to no avail. She just sat grandly on the table like a queen.

The only thing that got her attention was the popping of a baby food jar lid at a show.

Once, I remember she was in a final and on the judges’ table when she heard the noise of a jar being offered to a Persian an aisle away.

She quietly left the table and strolled over to the Persian’s bench…only to be caught just in time by yours truly.

She was third runner up at Cats New York show at Madison Square Garden, and missed a TV special the next morning with “Regis and Kelly” because my airline had a possible upcoming strike with its’ flight attendants and if I missed my flight, a flight taking pets might be two weeks later…so we missed our 15 minutes of TV fame.

In California at the CFA International Cat Show, she was awarded three Best Cats and ended up as second highest scoring shorthair, and thus in the best of the best. The show, sponsored by the TV Entertainment Network, had all the finalists in a line of long cages and camera men were on booms that lowered silently from the ceiling. I am sure that every cat imagined a giant snake coming across the floor … there was bedlam among the cats, except for Mary Ann Sweeters’ Chartreux kitten who played merrily throughout the whole thing.

A very memorable show was at the Aby show in St. Louis, where Darrell Newkirk made her best Aby in show and said she was “perfection”. If Beth and Darrell and so many other Aby breeders had not been so generous with their lines, I never would have had the blues I had. Really, these gorgeous cats of ours are the result of the combined efforts of so many over the years. Beth and Darrell allowed us to breed Starlight to their National Winner Purssynian So Graham Norton, a gorgeous red, who was BB’s dad.

BB had a wonderful warm undercoat, but she had a short coat. I started bathing her the morning of the show with a volumizing shampoo to make her coat as thick as possible. BB had no marks or bars, totally clear as well. Sadly, she had a case of mastitis with her litter and I decided to spay her after treating it for many weeks. She lived here as my pet and succumbed to breast cancer eventually.

An added challenge for me has always been one of distance. I live in Northern Michigan on Lake Superior. My closest show is 5 hours away. I always felt if the cat was good enough, I could get away with two shows a month, if the judges and count were on my side. It proved to be fairly accurate throughout the years. I also couldn’t justify spending thousands of dollars on a campaign. My partners, Jim and Sue Van Sande, were my midway hotel for so many shows and Jim’s science background and genetic advice really helped top anchor our breeding program to feature, health, disposition and type in that order.

I have now passed my lines to some young breeders who will hopefully build on that program and I look forward to seeing cats in the show hall who have that benefit. BB did make history, too! While not the first blue Abyssinian to achieve a Best of Breed award in CFA (that honor went to GC, BW, RW Zehnder’s Nakomis in 2000-2001), BB was the Best of Breed in a year that was an historic first for CFA – when all three breed awards went to Blue Abyssinians! BB was such a regal girl, a pleasure to show...posing on the table, really, once in a lifetime. Oh, and she was a treasured pet for many years.

MRS. LOUISA HERRING OF LEE, with her English Shorthair ‘SWEET PHILLIS’ Photo: ‘Our Cats’ (1904) Courtesy of The Harrison Weir Collection

Mrs Louisa Herring The Cattery at ‘Lestock House’ EXTRAORDINARY EARLY CAT FANCIER, BREEDER & STALWART OF THE NATIONAL CAT CLUB BY

JOHN G. SMITHSON

Composite Selections from ‘Rhapsody in Blue’ by the same author

It is apropos on this occasion that the subject of this month’s historic cat fancier ‘purrsonality’ profile, is none other than Mrs. Louisa Herring, given that she was also the owner of the Silver Abyssinian female, ‘Queen Jumbo’ who is our featured short-haired cat!

Mrs Louisa Herring, who lived at ‘Lestock House’, Lee, in Kent; figured prominently in the early era of the cat fancy for over 30 years, remaining a stalwart of her all-consuming hobby as a major breeder and exhibitor, right up into the early 20th century.

increasing until now I have about fifty cats and kittens here.”

She was in fact, an active member of The National Cat Club from its inception in 1887, and is listed as a member of its Committee, in its first published Stud Book, which dates from 1893.

In this publication we can find her earliest registered Silver Tabby short-hair, a neuter named ‘Chic’ (NCC:1103) who was born in 1876.

In an interview in 1895, she was asked “Have you shown cats many years?” to which she replied:

She was a relative by marriage to Harrison William Weir, (1824-1906), both being married into the ‘Herring’ family. Louisa married Charles Herring, a nephew of the famous Horse Painter, John Frederick Herring Snr; (the son of his younger brother Charles); while Harrison Weir’s first wife, Ann Herring, was the painter’s eldest daughter. Ann Herring and Charles Herring were therefore second cousins, which meant that the children of Harrison Weir and Louisa Herring, were third cousins.

“In 1877 I exhibited ‘Chin’, a lovely silver-grey Chinchilla, and was so successful that at the next cat show I sent a pair, and since then, I have gone on

Through her association with Harrison Weir, she would have been introduced to the ‘hobby’ in the first formative years of cat shows.

She had a very eclectic and varied taste in cats, and owned or bred Persians in many colours, including Blues, Whites, Reds, Brown Tabbies, Silver Tabbies and Chinchillas; while in Shorthairs she bred Siamese, Russian Short-hairs, English Short-hairs, Abyssinians, and Manx. She was particularly wellknown for her winning Long-hairs and Silver Tabby patterned English Short-hairs.

AT LEFT: MRS. HERRING’S ‘KING DAVID’ (1897) A GRANDSON OF ‘BLUE JACK’ (AT RIGHT) Photos: ‘The Sketch’ September 18, 1895. ‘Our Cats’ Magazine, November 30, 1901. The Harrison Weir Collection

As a breeder/exhibitor, she would have ranked as a much older contemporary of an extremely young Miss Frances Simpson, the early Siamese breeders, Mrs. Cunliffe Lee and Mr. Maxwell, and would have competed alongside such famous early fanciers as Mrs Vallance, Mrs Davies, the Hon. Mrs. McLaren Morrison and Mr. A.A. Clarke, in Long-hairs, while in Shorthairs her competitors would have again included the likes of Mrs. Constance Carew Cox, the Hon. Mrs. McLaren Morrison, (with whom she also competed in dogs!) and the likes of Mr. Charles Lane (Laurel cattery), Mr. Thomas Sugden, and Mr. Young, of Harrogate.

In an article on ‘The Cult of the Cat’ written by W.M. Elkington, for ‘The Lady’s Realm’ in 1900, we glean a more detailed insight: -

“For many years the name of Mrs Herring has figured prominently in the cat world. Indeed, Mrs Herring’s catteries are so extensive that one might be tempted to term the place a farm, if one did not remember that all the beautiful creatures to be seen are pets. There are blues, silvers, browns, oranges, blacks, whites, tabbies and almost all the sub-varieties of the most popular breeds. And the remarkable fact is that Mrs Herring is able to recite the name and pedigree of each and every one of her numerous family, and to relate with just pride their achievements in the exhibition world….

“Mrs Herring’s house is full of trophies, cups, medals, and special prizes won by her cats; and no wonder! Such care and attention was never expended upon dumb animals as Mrs Herring

MRS. HERRING’S FAMOUS ‘CHAMPION JIMMY’ A SILVER TABBY ENGLISH SHORT-HAIR Left: A drawing by Rosa Bebb, for ‘Rabbits, Cats & Cavies’ by C.H. Lane. Right: Photo by VANDYCKE, West Croydon for ‘The Sketch,’ October 1896. Images from The Harrison Weir Collection

lavishes upon her pets. Her fame has even spread as far as Turkey, and the Sultan has purchased direct, a beautiful brown tiger tabby, with which he has expressed the greatest pleasure, and declares that he admires it greatly.

“Mrs Herring is on the committee of the National Cat Club, and is, I believe, a relation of Mr Harrison Weir. She tells me that none of her cats leave home for any show unless she accompanies them. Such is Mrs Herring’s devotion, and it finds ample reciprocation in the love of her pets.”

The reference to Mrs. Herrings exportation of a tabby short-haired cat to the Sultan of Turkey is verified in an article written a decade earlier, to be found in ‘Fur and Feather’ published on June 12th, 1890, which reads:

“It may not be generally known that Mrs. Herring, so noted for her many beautiful cats, and the great interest she takes in all that appertains to our feline friends, some short time back sent to his Majesty the Sultan of Turkey a grand specimen of our English cat, together with a kitten. We understand that his Majesty is very fond of cats, and is deeply interested in their appearance, keeping, and intelligence.”

From an earlier writer who paid her a visit in 1895 we get a more detailed and revealing description and the above photograph: “Mrs Herring’s beautiful animals have long been known to me from the show benches, but until this day I had no idea how complete in everything conducing to their comfort, pleasure,

MRS. LOUISA HERRING AND HER PETS, IN 1895.

Photo: PERCIVAL TURNER, Adam St, W.C. from ‘The Sketch’ September 18, 1895. The Harrison Weir Collection

and general well-being their home life has been made by their devoted mistress.

“On an emerald lawn some splendid full-grown cats lay basking in the sun, while the fluffy kittens amused themselves tumbling one another over with all the natural grace and true poetry of motion inherent to most young animals.

“There was the beautiful ‘Champion Jimmy’, and the graceful Chinchilla ‘Irene’; the stately English tabbies, ‘Sir Peter Teazle’ and ‘Tommy Dodd’; the magnificent orange ‘King Harry’, and an exquisite pure-blue kitten with topaz eyes, the offspring of ‘Queen Nita’ and ‘Blue Jack’, with many others, most of them the winners of numberless firsts, specials, team, brace, and challenge prizes….Mrs.

Herring, though a most evident object of adoration to her dogs, confesses that her cats are nearer her heart, and asserts positively that, if properly treated, they are the equal of dogs in intelligence and affection.”

There can be little doubt that as a breeder, Mrs. Herring was at the forefront in alongside some of the most notable of early short-haired breeders.

Her Silver classic tabby English short-hair male, ‘Champion Jimmy’ (born in 1890), was a multiaward-winning specimen that pre-dates the unmatched and outstanding brown classic tabby ‘Champion Xenophon’. Writing about ‘Jimmy’ for the ‘Windsor’ magazine in 1899, Mrs. E. Leuty Collins provides us with the following anecdote: -

LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON! Left: Mrs. Herring’s ‘CH. JIMMY’, a drawing from ‘The Daily Graphic’ October 1891.

Right: Mrs. Collingwood’s ‘CH. JAMES II’ Photo: ‘Fur and Feather’from ‘Cats: Show and Pet’ (1903) by C.A. House.

Images: The Harrison Weir Collection.

“Champion Jimmy, the property of Mrs Herring, the veteran pioneer of lady fanciers, always holds his own. He revels now under the titles of ‘Champion’ and ‘Premier’, and has gained for his mistress over fifty first and special prizes, with silver cups and medals. He is a magnificent English silver tabby, with perfect markings, and, having captured so many coveted honours, considers himself beyond the average professional.

“Of course, Mrs Herring exhibits her other famous beauties, both Persian and other foreign scions of the cat tribe; and I was much amused lately to see them all gambolling over the lawn at ‘Lestock’, in the company with six or seven beautiful King Charles spaniels.”

A full sibling to ‘Ch. Jimmy’ was the silver classic tabby female ‘Laurel Queen’ owned by Mr. Charles Lane, who similarly had a relatively stellar career on the show bench.

Speaking of her brother, Mr. Lane declares: “Her brother was a very handsome cat, took numerous prizes, and was the only cat I remember taking the Gold Medal of the National Cat Club, at the Crystal Palace Show, as ‘Best Cat, Long or Shorthaired,’ in the show.

Accompanying a photo of ‘Champion Jimmy’ that appeared in the 28th October 1896 issue of ‘The Sketch’, is this short biographical note by an unnamed author:

Mrs Collingwood. Records on his origins are slim, other than a handwritten note suggesting that his dam was ‘Rose’ owned by Mrs Newland. The only official record of a transfer is that moving him from the ownership of Mrs Leuty Collins to Mrs Collingwood.

‘James II’ himself went on to sire such famous cats as Miss Cathcart’s ‘Silver Stripes’, (the sire of ‘Ch. Genesee Valley Jane’), Mrs J. C. Mitchelson’s ‘The Buzzing Silver’, as well as ‘Holmefield Silver Tabby Boy’ and ‘Dame Fortune’.

But ‘Champion Jimmy’ was certainly not the only example of Mrs. Herring’s forerunners across a variety of breeds. Another cat, who could have been described as the ‘forgotten queen’, is the early silver Abyssinian female, ‘Queen Jumbo’ (NCC:1561), the earliest Abyssinian to appear in the register of the National Cat Club.

MRS. HERRING’S ‘QUEEN JUMBO’ (Circa 1890) Illustration by ROSA BEBB ‘Rabbits, Cats & Cavies’ (1903) by Charles H. Lane.

“Cats always strike me as rather haughty creatures, and a prize cat beats everything. Such a one is Mrs Herring’s Champion Jimmy, an exquisitely marked silver tabby, bred by Mr Young from ‘King of the Fancy’ and ‘Tibbie’. Jimmy is now about six years old, and has taken firsts and special prizes galore. He is one of his mistress’s most valued pets, and his catalogue price is £2,000.”

However, the ultimate and very real contribution of ‘Ch. Jimmy’ to the Fancy, was not in his many wins, but in his ability as a sire, and the progeny he left to continue the successful march of the English shorthair. Certainly, the most influential and successful of all ‘Ch. Jimmy’s’ progeny, was his strikingly marked son, ‘Ch. James II’, (born September 21 1894), later owned and very successfully shown by

BLUE LONGHAIRS

Although Mrs. Herrings tastes were clearly eclectic, in Long-hairs, she was principally a breeder of Blues, Silvers (Chinchillas) and Whites.

When Miss Frances Simpson finally decided to part with her memorable early Blue winner, ‘Champion Beauty Boy’, (NCC:1031); the only noted son of the matriarchal queen ‘Mater’; it was to Mrs. Herring that he was duly entrusted.

Besides being one of the first blue males to win a first when the classes were finally divided between the sexes in 1890, ‘Beauty Boy’ went on to sire a plethora of fine blues, incorporated into many other strains.

His best-known sons included such cats as Miss Bray’s ‘Tomato’ (NCC:1214), the sire of ‘Ulysses’ (NCC:1911); ‘Richmond Bounce’ (NCC:1620), originally retained by Miss Simpson; and ‘King David’ (NCC:3046), the latter bred by Mr. Allsides, g.

‘Ch. Beauty Boy’ is also to be found behind the famous ‘Fawe’ strain of Blacks, established via his daughter ‘Lady Bruin’ (NCC: 3023) bred by Mr. & Mrs. R. Little; a cat that had a significant influence on lines early Blacks in the United States, being the foundation behind Mrs S. Hazen-Bond’s Persians in

EXHIBITORS ASSEMBLING OUTDOORS FOR THE ‘RING’ CLASS’ AT THE ‘BOTANIC’ SHOW, HELD IN LONDON IN 1900.

Second from right, may be seen an elderly Mrs. Herring with a dark cat on a lead.

Photo: Living London, (1901) Image courtesy of The Harrison Weir Collection.

and purchased by Mrs. Herring. ‘Ch. Beauty Boy’ is also to be found behind the famous ‘Fawe’ strain of Blacks, established via his daughter ‘Lady Bruin’ (NCC: 3023) bred by Mr. & Mrs. R. Little; a cat that had a significant influence on lines early Blacks in the United States, being the foundation behind Mrs S. Hazen-Bond’s Persians in Washington DC. and also behind the ‘Backwell’ strain of Smoke Persians, as the grandsire of ‘Backwell Jill’, the dam of the immensely popular black smoke, ‘Ch. Backwell Jogram’.

It is only fitting, that Mrs. Herring be counted among the earliest pre-registry breeders of blues,

other than Mr. A.A. Clarke, Miss Simpson and Miss Jay; especially as the owner of three of the early Blue male Champions, ‘Blue Jack’, later ‘Beauty Boy; and ‘King David’ respectively.

As an active and enthusiastic member of the Committee of the National Cat Club, she was clearly a courageous and early trendsetter, across several challenging breed disciplines. She was a lively and hard-working contributor to the new and growing realm that was rapidly becoming well known worldwide, as that intriguing, beguiling and at once captivating social hobby called ‘the cat fancy’.

JGS

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