APRIL 2021 Volume 1 No. 10
FEATURES: LONGHAIR – ROMALDKIRK ADMIRAL SHORTHAIR – MISS TOODLES
IDOLS OF THE FANCY – LOIS WESTON - SIMBELAIR
BREED – THE DEVON REX
PURRSONALITY – MR. ENOCH WELBURN - AND MORE!
INTERNATIONAL MAGAZINE FOR LINECHASERS & FANCIERS OF FELINE HISTORY
“Today’s achievements are part of tomorrow’s history”
HARRISON WEIR COLLECTION © A-Cat-Emy Concepts
PUBLISHED BY A-CAT-EMY CONCEPTS for THE HARRISON WEIR COLLECTION
APRIL 2021
EDITOR
VOLUME 1 NUMBER 10
EDITORIAL The Editor outlines topics covered in Issue 10 of Felis Historica!
6
CONTRIBUTING TEAM MEMBERS Gallery of our Team of Columnists, Contributors & Correspondents
8
CHAMPION MISS TOODLES (1903) - by John G. Smithson History of an outstanding Silver Classic Tabby English Shorthair
12
ICONS OF THE CAT FANCY – by Karen Lawrence A Review of the contribution of Lois Weston and her Simbelair Cats
20
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT GENETICS YOU CAN LEARN FROM YOUR CAT! PART 10 - by Dr. Leslie Lyons Straightening the curls! A Gallery of Devon Rex cats and kittens, and their owners!
36 43
(Hong Kong)
THE DEVON REX - Our Feature Breed - An historical overview - by Linda Peterson, Kristin Nowell & Carolyn Jimenez
52
Laura Vocelle
THE DEVON REX LONGHAIR - An introduction - by Di Hobson
70
(Muscat, Oman)
THE CAT – Her Place in Society and Treatment (Harrison Weir Collection)
76
Dr. Keith Hammett (QSM)
BEHIND EVERY FAMOUS PERSON IS A CAT – Cartoon by Graham Harrop
79
CHAMPION ROMALDKIRK ADMIRAL (1896) – by John Smithson The history of a popular 19th century Cream Persian male.
80
DEVONSHIRE TEA PARTY - A Devon Rex Limited Edition
88
TEN CATS – Cartoons by Graham Harrop
89
John G. Smithson editor@felishistorica.com HISTORY PARTNERS The CFA Foundation COLUMNISTS & CONTRIBUTORS
Karen Lawrence (St. Catharines, Canada)
Lorraine Shelton (California, USA)
5
Dr. Leslie Lyons (Missouri, USA)
5
Chloe Chung
(Auckland, NZ)
Valerie Sheldrake Feline Historian (Suffolk, UK)
Jamie Christian (Ohio, USA)
PHOTOGRAPHY & GRAPHICS
Helmi & Ken Flick (Florida, USA)
5
Jack Terry (Florida, USA)
CONTENT All Rights Reserved © A-Cat-Emy Concepts SUBSCRIPTIONS Published Monthly Single Issue $4.00 USD ANNUAL $48.00 USD
CELEBRATING MODERN CATS – IN OUR FEATURED HISTORICAL BREEDS Short-hair Breed Type – Devon Rex Silver Patched Mackerel Tabby & White CFA GC, BWR. NW READY OR NOT SWEET EMOTION 90 Long-hair Breed Type – Cream Persian male FIFe MW, NW, SC DIAPASON SIMBA OF WHITE’R’US DSM 96 MR. ENOCH WELBURN - by John Smithson An historical Purrsonality Portrait of a 19th Century Cat Judge Owner of the ‘Lee’ Cattery, and eclectic lover of many breeds.
102
Editorial ’FELIS HISTORICA’ JOHN G. SMITHSON EDITOR (with Devon Rex)
OUR COVER CAT ‘Comix Wolverine’ DEVON REX bred by Todd and Michelle Richards Photo by HELMI FLICK, August, 2013 COPYRIGHT ISSN: 2744-4430 National Library of New Zealand Te Puna Matauranga o Aotearoa © A-CAT-EMY CONCEPTS / FELIS HISTORICA THE HARRISON WEIR COLLECTION No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, screen capture, or otherwise, without prior written permission. No responsibility is accepted for accuracy of advertisements or information. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED www.felis-historica.com www.harrisonweir.com
The April 2021 edition is an extravaganza for the lovers of the Devon Rex – literally the impish ‘Pixie cat’ of the cat world! And although we cannot go back to the 19th century to find evidence of a similar mutation, in this issue, we have an article dealing with the early foundation of the breed, its subsequent development, its path to recognition and the strides made by breeders to take it to the show heights in the exhibition world. Sincere thanks to the panel of writers Linda Peterson, Kristin Nowell and Carolyn Jimenez. We also include a piece about the newly recognised Devon Rex Longhair, coming from the recessive gene for longer coats that comes via decades of outcrossing to domestics and then latterly to British shorthairs. Remember the roots, all go back to English domestic cats, many of which carried long hair. A Devon gallery gives a glimpse into the Devon Rex at home, the Devon Rex at play, the Devon Rex with young people, the Devon Rex as exhibits and as pets! Dr. Leslie Lyons this month provides insight into how one gene can be associated with multiple curly coat mutations. This month, Karen Lawrence gives our readers another very insightful ‘Idols of the Cat Fancy’ article, this time focusing on a true hero of the White Persian, in the person of Lois Weston of the famous Canadian-based SIMBELAIR cattery. It shows how Lois was gifted with an uncanny ability to choose wisely, and then, to line-breed and outcross for the phenotypical traits she chose to improve on. Lois was not afraid to challenge widely accepted conventions, and by her own aptitude carved a legacy with her lines, that benefited many others, whilst finally bringing her the accolades she so richly deserved. Our history files this month take us on a journey back to late 19th century England and the development of the Silver Classic
April 2021
IN CELEBRATION OF
DEVON REX CATS
Tabby English shorthair, in this case, to the lines behind ‘Miss Toodles’, who was a trail-blazer for the colour variety at the turn of the 19th/20th centuries. Our second history article is about an early Cream Persian, known alternatively in earlier times as ‘Fawns’. Champion Romaldkirk Admiral was one of the earliest Cream champions, one of a duo, known as ‘The Heavenly Twins’. Our third and last history piece, takes a look at the life of Mr. Enoch Welburn, a dog, rabbit, cavie and cat enthusiast who became a much-beloved judge during the latter years of the 19th century, but whose judging career was cut short by his sudden death in 1902. Our article brings to light aspects of his character and his abilities and the respect that he earned in the process. As is our custom, we celebrate the successes of modern contemporaneous cats that match our feature topics, and this issue is no exception. We review the achievements of a highly ranked American-bred Devon Rex, and a superb modern day Cream Persian, born in Europe. In some parts of the world, cat shows are resuming – while this is great news, be mindful to take care of yourselves, while respectfully ensuring the safety of others.
Enjoy!
John EDITOR with Devon Rex photos from DOWNUNDER by Dale Hobson