Felis Historica December 2021 Volume 2 Number 6

DECEMBER 2021

Volume 2 No.6

FEATURES: FEATURE BREED – THE BENGAL IDOLS OF THE CAT FANCY – NIKKI HORNER LONGHAIR – THE BLUE-EYED WANDERER (BEW) SHORTHAIR – CHAMPION BONHAKI (MANX) …and much more!

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

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

FELIS HISTORICA HARRISON WEIR COLLECTION SUBSCRIPTIONS Published Monthly Single Issue $4.00 USD ANNUALLY $48.00 USD EDITOR

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

Karen Lawrence (St. Catharines, Canada)

Lorraine Shelton (California, USA)

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Dr. Leslie Lyons (Missouri, USA)

DECEMBER 2021 - VOLUME 2 NUMBER 6 PUBLISHED BY A-CAT-EMY CONCEPTS FOR THE HARRISON WEIR COLLECTION Content: All Rights Reserved. © A-Cat-Emy Concepts

IN THIS ISSUE!

DECEMBER 2021 - Volume 2 No.6

EDITORIAL The Editor outlines issues covered in Felis Historia December 2021!

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

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SHORTHAIR HISTORY FEATURE – ‘Champion Bonhaki’ (Silv. Tabby Manx – (b. 1897) – by John Smithson 12

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Chloe Chung (Hong Kong)

Laura Vocelle (Muscat, Oman)

Dr. Victor Zaalov (Acre, Israel)

ICONS OF THE CAT FANCY A tribute to the talented Nikki Horner – by Karen Lawrence EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT GENETICS YOU CAN LEARN FROM YOUR CAT! PART 18 - by Dr. Leslie Lyons Genetics of the Bengal Cat Breed

22 40

OUR BREED FEATURE - THE BENGAL – by Melody Boyd.

Showing Bengals in CFA

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GALLERY - ‘It’s Beginning To Look A lot Like Christmas!’

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(Ohio, USA)

A TEN CATS CHRISTMAS! A year on! – Graham Harrop – Cartoonist

84

Forent Fissot

LONGHAIR HISTORY FEATURE – ‘The Blue-Eyed Wanderer’ (BE White Persian) - by John Smithson

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THE DESCENDANTS OF BASTET – by Karen Lawrence.

New Book release information…

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A PERSIAN RHAPSODY IN BLUE – by John Smithson.

New Book release information…

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CELEBRATING MODERN CATS - OUR FEATURED CAT BREED SH Breed – BOYDSBENGALS BREAKING BAD DM – (B. 2014) CFA’s very first Bengal Distinguished Merit Sire…

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WE WISH YOU A MEOWY CHRISTMAS – Seasonal Greetings from Cat Fanciers around the world…

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Valerie Sheldrake Feline Historian (Suffolk, UK)

Jamie Christian

(Monsegur, France)

PHOTOGRAPHY & GRAPHICS

Helmi & Ken Flick (Florida, USA)

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Jack Terry (Florida, USA)

Editorial ‘FELIS HISTORICA’ JOHN G. SMITHSON EDITOR editor@felis-historica.com

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 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

It seems almost inconceivable to me, that we are now sending out our second Christmas issue of an e-magazine that was born just months into the stark reality of the Covid19 pandemic.

Our first edition dealt with that issue and strived to take the temperature of the effects that the pandemic was already having on the cat fancy as a whole.

One by one, registries around the globe closed shows and ended scoring for their show seasons.

Supplies of cat food, and medical needs were scarce and in some cases almost impossible to obtain. It really was, and to some extent still is for some, reminiscent of war times.

Despite that, the cat fancy is emerging again, and shows are for some countries at least making a come-backback, albeit with mask wearing and an element of social distancing.

Vaccinations have been the priority for many, I personally received both shots in July 2021 and I will now be eligible for a booster shot in January 2022, which does not now seem very far away.

It has been a delight to see reports from Shows around the world again on social media, and while many of us could not show, many could and were still producing exquisite kittens, and for some at least, they are spoiled for choice on what to place on the show bench.

For clubs, exhibitors and judges the main issue is still the ability to travel with safety and to dig through the mandatory mire of quarantine and testing required to even make that possible.

Countries that are far flung from the largest geographic populations are still largely dependent on their local judging fraternity.

IN CELEBRATION OF BENGALS Photo: Helmi Flick Cat Photography

DECEMBER 2021 With our featured breed we celebrate the Bengal, often admired, sometime the subject of contention, and one of newest breeds to be accepted into Championship by the Cat Fancier’s Association. We also peek into that journey and celebrate the first bengal sire to gain his DM, in BoydsBengals Breaking Bad. Karen Lawrence provides us with another article in her ‘Idols of the Cat Fancy’ series, this time taking a look at the wide interests and largely unmatched successes of the multi-talented Nikki Horner. Dr Lyons also provides us with a sage view on the genetics spectrum of Bengals, in her eighteenth lesson on ‘Everything you need to know about Genetics you can learn from your cat!’

Our history articles include a look into Ch. Bonhaki, a silver classic Tabby Manx born in November 1897, and owned by Mrs. H.C. Brooke. Another provides details on the early blue-eyed white Persian, The Blue-Eyed Wanderer, owned

by Mrs. Ellen Harper.

OUR COVER PHOTO Photo courtesy of

Helmi Flick Cat Photography.

RW, SGCA Norcat Lewis of the Silent Planet. A brown mackerel tabby with white Maine Coon Alter. Breeder Noreene Rollins; Owner: Winter Fleur Wiorkowski

accuracy of advertisements or information.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

In this Christmas edition, we have collated a gallery of feline-related Christmas photographs, in ‘It’s beginning to look alike like Christmas!’ and Seasonal greetings from the President of CFA, and feline-related organisations from around the world, in ‘We wish you a Meowy Christmas!’

We cannot thank enough, all the capable and talented photographers, both amateur and professional, who have willingly contributed photographs for this specific issue.

We wish all our readers a safe and happy Christmas, spent with family and friends and most importantly, with beloved pets that continue to bring light and love into our lives!

John EDITOR FELIS HISTORICA

Backgrounds: www.gograph.com

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. VICTOR ZAALOV

HELMI & KEN FLICK

JACK TERRY

CEO – WORLD GOLDEN CAT

HELMI FLICK CAT PHOTOGRAPHY www.helmiflick.com

‘THE RESTORIAN’ Photo & Graphics Specialist Photo Humourist

President of World Organisation of Cats

OUR TEAM OF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENTS

DARRELL NEWKIRK

PAM DELABAR

GAVIN CAO

(CFA, USA)

(CFA, EUROPE)

(CFA, CHINA)

NEVADA, UNITED STATES PRESIDENT CFA

TAMPERE, FINLAND CFA DIRECTOR REGION 9

CHENGDU, CHINA CFA CHINA BUSINESS ADVISOR

JOHN HANSSON

CHERYLE U’REN

ANNELIESE HACKMANN

(GCCF, UK)

(CCC of A, AUSTRALIA)

(WCF, EUROPE)

LONDON, ENGLAND CHAIRMAN GCCF

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA PRESIDENT CCC of A VICE-PRESIDENT WCC

ESSEN, GERMANY PRESIDENT WCF

JOHAN LAMPRECHT

BOB GLEASON

JANE WEBSTER

(SOUTH AFRICA)

(CCA, CANADA)

(NZCF, NEW ZEALAND)

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

LONDON, CANADA CHAIR - CANADIAN CAT ASSOC. LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE

PALMERSTON NORTH, NZ NZCF HISTORIAN

OUR TEAM OF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENTS

JUN KOHNO

RUSSELL LAW

CHATE RUENGRUGLIKIT

(CFA, JAPAN)

(CFA, HONG KONG)

TOKYO, JAPAN SEC: MICINA CAT FANCIERS

HONG KONG SEC: UNITED FELINE ODYSSEY

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

(CFA, THAILAND) BANGKOK, THAILAND SEC: SIAM BLE-EYED CAT FANCIERS

CHAIR: WCF DISCIPLINARY COMMISSION

OUR TEAM OF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENTS

ELLEN CROCKETT

STEVEN MESERVE

LUIZ PAULO FACCIOLI

(TICA, UNITED STATES)

(TICA, EUROPE SOUTH)

(TICA, SOUTH AMERICA)

PORT TOWNSEND, WA, USA TICA DISTINGUISED JUDGE

VILA DE CUCUJAES, PORTUGAL TICA REGIONAL DIRECTOR

PORT ALEGRE, SOUTH BRAZIL TICA REGIONAL DIRECTOR

LIESBETH VAN MULLEM

EVA PORAT

DONATELLA MASTRANGELO

(TICA, EUROPE NORTH)

(FIFe, SWEDEN)

(FIFe, BELGIUM)

UTRECHT, THE NETHERLANDS TICA REGIONAL DIRECTOR

OREBRO, SWEDEN PRESIDENT SVERAK, (FIFe)

ROME, ITALY CHAIR: JUDGES & STANDARDS COMM.

STEVEN JONES

JINSON CHOI

LISBETH FALLING

(FIFe, NORWAY)

(CFA, SOUTH KOREA)

(NRR, NORWAY)

STAVANGER, NORWAY SEC: JUDGES & STANDARDS COMM

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

OSLO, NORWAY PHOTOGRAPHER/EDITOR - ARISTOKATT

CHAMPION BONHAKI Cropped image from a watercolour by Rosa Bebb, from ‘Rabbits, Cats and Cavies (1903) by Charles H. Lane, Published by J.M. Dent & Co. ⁶ Courtesy of The Harrison Weir Collection. Article backgrounds: www.gograph.com

All content © 2021 Felis Historica, The Harrison Weir Collection & The CFA Foundation, Inc.

SHORTHAIR HISTORY FEATURE – ON THE LIFE OF

BY

JOHN SMITHSON

SILVER TABBY MANX MALE – Born November 1897 Adapted from ‘The History Project’ file, by the same author www.cat-o-pedia.org

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND In the 1890’s, breeders of Manx were few, and those that were, were usually extremely dedicated to the breed. Numbered amongst these breeders/owners of Manx in the early 1890’s were Mr. & Mrs. Sam Woodiwiss, Mr. E. Sydney Woodiwiss, Mr. Jungbluth, Mr. & Mrs. H.C. Brooke, and Mrs L. Herring; followed a little later, by Lady Alexander, Miss Samuels, Mrs. Moseley, Mr. Gambier Bolton, Miss Cochran, Lady Marcus Beresford, and Miss Jay.

Bulldog, an Australian Wild Dingo, a Russian grey Wolf, and even a white Siberian Wolf.

It should therefore come as no surprise that their natural cat breed of choice was the unusual tailless specimen, a naturally occurring inhabitant from the Isle of Man; although they were also great supporters of the rare Abyssinian cat, with its uniquely ticked coat, of which Mr. Brooke states “greatly resembles the wild cat of Egypt. (Felis Chaus).” ⁴

Mr. and Mrs. H.C. Brooke, had already developed a wide reputation as connoisseurs of curious pets, with a taste in dogs, wolves, cats, and even rare breeds of rat.

The Brooke’s had already purchased, bred, reared and successfully shown a number of Manx cats, before acquiring ‘Bonhaki’ from fellow Manx breeder, Mr. Jungbluth.

They were especially fond of the foreign dog varieties, and Mr. Brooke, together with Mr. G.R. Krehl, were responsible for introducing the ancient breed of the ‘Dogue du Bordeaux’ into Great Britain. Their cache of foreign dog varieties included the Mexican Hairless, the Esquimax, the Dogue du Bordeaux, the French Toy Bulldog, an Australian Wild Dingo, a Russian grey Wolf, and even a white Siberian Wolf.

Their initial Manx cat stud male, was ‘Kater’ (NCC:3252), born in June 1894, who had also been bred by Mr. Jungbluth, and from ‘Kater’ they had bred their own very show-worthy brown classic tabby Manx male named ‘Katzenjammer’ (NCC:3253), born in April, 1896.

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From left to right: Mrs. H.C. Brooke with her Mexican Hairless dog ‘Oh Susannah!’, Mr. C.G. Hopton, Hon. Sec. of the American Bulldog Club, with ‘Chelsworth Sly’, and Mr. H.C. Brooke, with his Australian Dingo ‘Myall’ and under his arm, a young Russian Wolf.

Photo: Windsor Magazine, (1901) ⁴ Image courtesy of The Harrison Weir Collection

But with his appearance in late 1897 and from his debut show as a kitten in early 1898, the silver classic tabby Manx ‘Bonhaki’ was quickly assessed by those in the know, as being a standard-bearer for his breed. When he died at the tender age of only twenty-seven months in February 1900, he had already claimed five championships and a reputation that was unlikely to be matched within his own variety.

As a kitten, at that milestone Botanic Show of 1898, he instantly attracted the attention of the demure Princess of Wales, (later Queen Alexandra). ‘Bonhaki’ must have made quite an impression, as it is indeed noteworthy, that later, around 1903, her husband, then as His Majesty King Edward VII, actually set about purchasing two breeding pair of Manx cats, possibly to promote this purely English variety.

All content © 2021 Felis Historica, The Harrison Weir Collection & The CFA Foundation, Inc.

PARENTAGE & OWNERSHIP Although we are clearly informed that the breeder of ‘Bonhaki’ was Mr Jungbluth, we have absolutely no information with regard to his parentage, which is listed as ‘unknown’.

The fact that we know he was bred by a fancier, indicates that neither of his parents were registered, but that they were part of a planned breeding program.

This was not uncommon in the case of Manx, many of whom, just like ‘Bonhaki’, were themselves registered, but without any known pedigree.

In numerous cases, where some details were recorded, the description of parents is limited to only their colour.

For example, “by Black Manx, out of Black Manx”. In some cases, even if the cats which were themselves registered, they were duly listed with their gender and as owned by such and such a person, but without even having their own colour or patterns recorded!

‘Bonhaki’ appears in the register of The National Cat Club, under registration number 3258, on page 20 of Volume 5, covering the period 1896 to 1899. His birth date is recorded as ‘November 1897 and his owner is listed as Mrs H. C. Brooke.

As to the Brookes’ widely acknowledged expertise in regard to the Manx breed, we are left in no doubt by Miss Frances Simpson, who gives us the following anecdote, with the intention of demonstrating that she too was able to recognise a quality Manx kitten when she saw one: -

“A friend of mine living in London took compassion on a little stray black kitten who came crying for food.

“She fed him, and repeatedly tried to find poor pussy’s owner, but in vain.

“I was appealed to, to know what had better be done, and when I saw the little black fellow, I strongly recommended my friend to keep it and exhibit it at the next large show, as I considered he would go in and win easily.

“She followed my advice in the latter respect, but placed too low a figure on ‘Nig,’ as she declared she did not wish to go in for Manx.

“I warned her he would be sold, and sure enough, that clever and astute judge of cats of uncommon breeds, Mrs. H.C. Brooke, snapped him up at catalogue price; and since then he has blossomed forth into a champion, and, as ‘King Clinkie’ has taken highest honours whenever shown.

“It is only just to state that Mrs. Brooke most generously handed over some of her winnings to ‘King Clinkie’s’ former owner.” ¹ (Editor’s note:) ‘King Clinkie’ as it happens, was ultimately destined sometime later, to reside at the Bishopsgate cattery, where he supplemented Lady Marcus Beresford’s new breeding program for Manx cats.

SIBLINGS & SHOWS As the parentage of ‘Bonhaki’ is unknown, there is no method whereby we may verify whether he had either full, or sire, or dam siblings. But of ‘Bonhaki’s’ closeness to the Standard, and subsequent success on the Show bench, we need look no further than to a description given by his very

All content © 2021 Felis Historica, The Harrison Weir Collection & The CFA Foundation, Inc.

Two Manx cats and an Abyssinian, all owned by Mr. & Mrs. H.C. Brooke ‘Katzenjammer’,(left) ‘Champion Bonhaki’ (centre) and ‘Sedgemere Peaty’, (right).

Photo: A. Dresser. ‘The Book of The Cat’ (1903), by Frances Simpson. ¹

Show bench, we need look no further than to a description given by his very proud joint owner, Mr. H. C. Brooke, in Frances Simpson’s ‘The Book of The Cat’ (1903) in which he relates the following: “To illustrate the breed, I may perhaps be accused of egotism in giving a portrait of one of our own cats, but as he is dead it is less invidious than if living specimens were selected, and as they were awarded the very highest prizes by the very greatest authorities they may safely be taken as near perfection.

“The silver tabby ‘Champion and Premier Bonhaki’ was bred by Mr Jungbluth, one of the keepers of the monkey house at the Zoo. He made his debut at the Botanic Gardens as a kitten, when he was much admired by the then Princess of Wales, and Mr Wain awarded him the championship. This success he followed up by winning four others under various judges, and died at the early age of twenty-seven months.” ¹ In an earlier interview with Mr. Brooke recorded in 1901, he had this to say about ‘Bonhaki’, and his early successes:-

All content © 2021 Felis Historica, The Harrison Weir Collection & The CFA Foundation, Inc.

MR. H.C. BROOKE at home, with Manx Kitten (possibly Katzenjammer) on his shoulder, and his pet Russian Wolf, under his arm.

Image: ‘Dog Shows and Doggy People’ (1902) by Charles H. Lane ⁹ © The Harrison Weir Collection

All content © 2021 Felis Historica, The Harrison Weir Collection & The CFA Foundation, Inc.

Of his five Championships, four are recorded in the Register of The National Cat Club as: 1st, Championship, Premier and Specials, Botanic, 1898; 1st, Championship and Premier C.P.,1898; 1st, Championship and Premiership Botanic, 1899; 1st and Championship Brighton N.C.C., 1899. ²

BREEDING & PROGENY ‘Bonhaki’ was successful as a sire, but information on his progeny is sketchy at best.

However, we can find partial records for the following: ‘BONHAKI JUNIOR’ (Silver Tabby Manx male born 24th July, 1899).(aka ‘Bonhaki II).

MRS. H.C. BROOKE at home.

‘Dog Shows and Doggy People’ (1902) ⁹ © The Harrison Weir Collection

‘Bonhaki’, and his early successes: “My wife and I both like cats, and our notable silver tabby (the only silver Manx shown*) was a great pet with us. Then again, the ‘Champion Bonhaki’ won five championships and five firsts, besides specials. Queen Alexandra honoured him with a Royal pat at the N.C.C. Show at the Botanic Gardens in 1898.” ⁴ (*Editors note: ‘Bonhaki’ was the only silver tabby shown up until that time. Others would follow, such as Miss Florence Dresser’s ‘Bonhaki Jnr’ and Mr Gambier Bolton’s ‘Manx Silverwing’).

Sired by ‘Bonhaki’ out of Miss Dresser’s ‘ Belle Malone’. Bred and owned by Miss Florence Dresser. Interestingly, we have confirmation of him from a report on his death, published in the 3rd January 1903 issue of ‘Our Cats’, which reads: “The death of ‘Bonhaki Junior’, a Silver Tabby Manx owned by Miss Dresser, and winner of many prizes, and as far as is known, the only son of the late celebrated Champion and Premier Bonhaki.” ⁷ His wins are recorded as: 3rd, Crystal Palace 1900; 1st Botanic, 1901; 2nd, Crystal Palace 1901, 2nd Victoria Hall, 1902; and 3rd, Botanic, 1902.

‘CHELSWORTH DEEMSTER’ (Black male Manx born 3rd August, 1899).

Sired by ‘Bonhaki’, but with the dam not listed. Breeder/Owner: Mr. & Mrs. H.C. Brooke.

All content © 2021 Felis Historica, The Harrison Weir Collection & The CFA Foundation, Inc.

‘BONHAKI JUNIOR’ a son of ‘CH. BONHAKI’ bred and owned by Miss Dresser, Featured on the cover of OUR CATS Magazine, December 22, 1900. ⁵ Image © The Harrison Weir Collection.

All content © 2021 Felis Historica, The Harrison Weir Collection & The CFA Foundation, Inc.

CHAMPION BONHAKI Full watercolour by Rosa Bebb, commissioned for ‘Rabbits, Cats and Cavies (1903) by Charles H. Lane. ⁶ Image © The Harrison Weir Collection.

‘DACHSHASE’ (Black female Manx born December 1899). (Our Cats: 1900) Her name also appears as ‘Dachhase’ in the CCR, and as ‘Dach Hase’ in NCC.v6.

Sired by ‘Bonhaki’ the dam is simply listed as a daughter of ‘Katzenjammer’.

The breeder is Miss Elliott, and owners are Mr. & Mrs. H.C. Brooke. So, on the surface of it, it would appear that the Brooke’s sold a Manx daughter of their homebred male ‘Katzenjammer’ to Miss Elliott, then allowed her to be bred to ‘Bonhaki’ with a kitten from the breeding returning to Mr & Mrs Brooke.

IN SUMMARY It is a sad fact but true, that some earthly treasures are at best only loaned to us for a very short time.

If we are fortunate enough to recognise them while we have them, we learn to love them and appreciate their beauty, and all the while they teach us about the seemingly limitless possibilities that are open to us.

It is only when, like wisps they are gone, that we truly begin to realise the immensity of their value, and how fortunate was our experience, in having them in our lives. should teach us, not to take any gift for granted, and to continually reassess our opportunities.

All content © 2021 Felis Historica, The Harrison Weir Collection & The CFA Foundation, Inc.

A VERY RARE PHOTOGRAPH OF ‘CHAMPION BONHAKI’ From ‘Our Cats’ Magazine. ⁸ Photographer likely to be A. Dresser, see photo of Katzenjammer, Bonhaki & Peaty.

Image © The Harrison Weir Collection

It should teach us, not to take any gift for granted, and to continually reassess our opportunities. ‘Bonhaki’ was like a number of valuable cats, that fall into our sphere of influence.

He shone like a star from the beginning, and like a meteor, he blazed a short but bright trail and was gone.

In the time he was with Mr. and Mrs. Brooke, he set a new high standard for the Manx, and demonstrated that a Manx cat could hold its own in the show ring, against any other breed.

REFERENCES: 1. ‘The Book of The Cat’ (1903) by Frances Simpson 2. ‘The National Cat Club Stud-Book & Register’ (Vols 1-6) 3. ‘The Cat Club Stud-Book & Register’ (Vols 1-5) 4. ‘Windsor Magazine’ (1901) 5. ‘Our Cats’ Magazine, December 22, 1900 6. ‘Rabbits, Cats & Cavies’ (1903) by Charles H. Lane.

7. ‘Our Cats’ Magazine, January 1903.

8. ‘Our Cats’ Magazine, February 14, 1900.

9. ‘Dog Shows and Doggy People’ (1902) 10. Photos and quotations as per credits noted.

All content © 2021 Felis Historica, The Harrison Weir Collection & The CFA Foundation, Inc.

NIKKI HORNER with GC SHAWNEE MOONLIGHT (CEW) CFA CAT OF THE YEAR – 1960, 1961 & 1964 Photo: Cats Magazine, September 1960 Courtesy of The CFA Foundation, Inc. Article graphics: www.gograph.com

BY KAREN LAWRENCE

NECOLIA WILLOUGHBY SLOBODIAN HORNER SHUTTLEWORTH Shawnee Cattery This article is a compilation of text and data taken from the research files of Valerie Edwards, Crown E American Shorthairs, with additional research and addition of photos by Karen Lawrence.

The assistance of Barbara French with both ancestry.com and newspapers.com research is much appreciated.

“A Louisville girl the age of 5 started collecting alley cats.

Now she is one – and probably at the top of the nation’s exhibitors of show felines …”

January 13, 1963. The Courier-Journal, Louisville, KY

Nikki is a well-established icon of the cat fancy, described as a “most gracious lady,” but she was also a rebel and an over-achiever … no other words are suitable to portray her. Her multiple marriages, life as a runway model and beauty queen, contestant on “To Tell the Truth”, plus a fierce competitor at cat shows were all part and parcel of Necolia Willoughby Slobodian Horner Shuttleworth. She said that “Shawnee cats were never campaigned for Cat of the Year”, but she certainly took more than her fair share of prizes over the years. She admitted that “she stopped counting at 100 CFA Grand Champions and lost track of Best-inShow wins at around 500.”

Nikki was the daughter of Elzie Homer Willoughby and his wife, Ollie B. Yates. Born in Kentucky in 1925, she spent the majority of her life in that state, with short forays into Indiana and Pennsylvania Nikki’s collection of cats began as a child as she brought home every stray she could catch.

Her parents encouraged her interest, but also left windows open in their home so some of the cats Nikki collected could escape and help keep the numbers down. A purebred white Longhair was a gift from her mother on her 16th birthday. Nikki registered the cattery prefix, Shawnee, with CFA in 1946.

All content © 2021 Felis Historica, The Harrison Weir Collection & The CFA Foundation, Inc.

In 1943, she married Alex Slobodian, a member of the U.S. Army stationed at Bowman Field, Kentucky.

As early as 1857, one had to be 21 years of age to marry in Kentucky without parental consent. Her new husband was 6 years older than Nikki, so his age wasn’t an issue, but Nikki lied on her marriage license application, claiming she was 21 when she was, in fact, only 18.

In a 1954 newspaper article it was explained that, “although always interested in cats, Mrs. Horner turned to breeding in a sort of desperation. Dr. John W. Taylor, former President of the University of Louisville, brought her a pet Siamese which he obtained from a Baroness in England.

When the cat’s calling time came she ‘had to do something about it’ or else she never would have gotten any sleep.”

The first Shawnee advertisement we can find – Nikki introduces herself as a Siamese breeder in the March 1948 issue of All-Pets magazine.

PHOTO: 1948 Mar-All-Pets Magazine.

Nikki’s Siamese were, of course, ultimately award-winning cats, taking a 1947 AllAmerican award for Best Seal Point Siamese male with CH Knight’s Peter Piper who was born in 1946.

The dam of the kittens shown in Nikki’s advertisement, Kyaac of Valhalla, was born in 1944; the sire, Tremunth Montgomery, was born in 1943.

Numerous other Siamese litters followed, and in 1949 she had All-American Best Siamese Female of the Year. Registration records indicate that Nikki continued to breed Siamese until about 1957.

Nikki was helping to organize cat clubs and shows in Kentucky as early as 1948, when she was elected President of the newly formed Kentucky Cat Club. She helped advertise the new club by radio appearances on the local WAVE radio station.

Siamese, Shawnee Miosa with owner Nikki Horner, BEST KITTEN at the Kentucky Cat Club show in 1952.

Photo: The Courier-Journal, January 7, 1952.

A photo of Nikki in the July 1949 issue of Cats Magazine announced her move from Kentucky to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. While married to Alex Slobodian, Nikki added Persians to her cattery and would eventually excel at breeding those as well

All content © 2021 Felis Historica, The Harrison Weir Collection & The CFA Foundation, Inc.

A groomed Shawnee Copper Lustre Photo: Cats Magazine August 1951

Nikki and Alex Slobodian filed for a divorce in late 1950, with the final decree filed as of June 1, 1951.

Nikki wasted no time jumping into a second marriage, circa July 25, 1951 to Scoville Stephen Horner of Evansville, Indiana.

Horner was a pre-med student, who eventually earned a living as a pharmaceutical representative, which was fitting as his father owned the Evansville business, Horner’s CutRate Drugs.

Nikki with Shawnee Copper Lustre Photo: All-Pets Magazine, March 1950.

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Mrs. Scoville S. Horner Jnr modelling. Photo: Robert Steiner, Courier Journal, October 1953.

A CAREER IN MODELLING In a 1963 newspaper article, Nikki said that “she went to work as a model to earn money to support her cats,” explaining that she had always had between 15 and 100 cats at her home since the age of 17.

Nikki took up modeling for Saks Fifth Avenue and capitalized on that notoriety in publicity for the shows she entered. As the Knoxville News Sentinel referred to “the beauteous Saks Fifth Avenue model Nikki Horner”, she would eventually become a last-minute entrant in the 1954 Miss Kentucky contest – which she won.

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Entrance to the Shawnee Cattery – Showing By Appointment Image: All-Pets Magazine, April 1959.

In an interview she revealed that she was celebrating her third wedding anniversary while competing at the Miss Kentucky pageant.

A 1960 article in The Asbury Press, promoting the Garden State Cat Club and Sand ‘n Surf Cat Club’s show reported, “A former Miss Universe contestant, Mrs. Nikki Horner of Newburgh, Ind., exhibited her copper-eyed, grand champion, longhair, white male, Shawnee Moonflight.”

In 1953, Nikki co-sponsored a fashion show, using her cats as accessories for the runway models.

The late-1950s to the mid-1960s were really to be Nikki’s era of both winning Persians and Domestic Shorthairs. By 1959, “Shawnee” had become a household name to cat fanciers, and Nikki had a huge sign outside her home welcoming people to Shawnee Cattery.

Registration records for Shawnee cattery show that by the mid-1950s, Nikki had also begun working with the Burmese breed.

It’s interesting that the cat pictured on the Shawnee sign remained a Siamese, despite her huge wins at shows with Domestic Shorthairs and Persians.

Nikki had become well known for her numerous entries at shows, with her cats always shown on yellow cage curtains and her cattery staff, wearing yellow smocks, assisting to run the entries from ring to ring. Nikki usually entered a large number of cats, so her rows of yellow benching cages made quite an impression.

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Nikki Horner with a litter of nine Persian kittens. Holding sire, CH Glad-Low Red Coach of Shawnee.

Photo: Cats Magazine, August 1951 All content © 2021 Felis Historica, The Harrison Weir Collection & The CFA Foundation, Inc.

Full page Shawnee Cattery advertisement showing Nikki’s array of Show cats.

Image: All-Pets Magazine, April 1959.

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NIKKI HORNER with CFA CAT OF THE YEAR ‘GC SHAWNEE MOONFLIGHT’ Photo: ‘Cats Magazine’ September 1960.

As her Persian breeding program developed, she began combining lines from Klinkhammer, Dixi-Land and Rosedere, and produced a stunning white in 1958 that she named Shawnee Moonflight.

By the 1959-1960 show season, Moonflight had developed into a magnificent, heavily boned cat with oodles of coat, and he literally cleaned up at shows with over 105 Best-in-Show wins, eventually being named CFA’s Hydon-Goodwin All-Star Awards Cat of the Year. His littermate, a white female named GC Shawnee Soap Suds was CFA’s Best Opposite Sex Cat the same year – quite an accomplishment for littermates!

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GC. SHAWNEE MOONFLIGHT - COY and GC. SHAWNEE SOAP SUDS – BOX Photo: ‘Cats Magazine’ September 1960.

Achieving Best Cat is a thrill, but when a littermate to the Best Cat is selected as the Best Opposite Sex Cat it is a wonderful accomplishment. Nikki did just that with Best Cat, GC Shawnee Moonflight, and his litter sister, GC Shawnee Soap Suds.

Moonflight continued his winning ways for several years, being shown in four associations, and was CFA’s Cat of the Year again in 1961, and repeated that same win again in 1964.

In February of 1961, Nikki was a guest on the television show To Tell the Truth. The purpose of the show being to determine which of three people claiming to be a “cat fancier and breeder” was the ‘real’ Nikki Horner. Moonflight even makes an appearance! You can find this episode on YouTube, and Nikki’s appearance starts at the 8:28 minute mark - (105) To Tell the Truth - Last show with Polly Bergen; PANEL: Faye Emerson (Feb 20, 1961) - YouTube (https://bit.ly/3aBi8Lf) All content © 2021 Felis Historica, The Harrison Weir Collection & The CFA Foundation, Inc.

Over the years, numerous Shawnee Persians accomplished end-of-season wins in both CFA and the All-American Awards, including: •

•

•

• • • • • •

GC Shawnee Moon Flower o 1958 All Southern Honorable Mention o 1959 All-American copper-eyed white female GC Shawnee White Wash – copper-eyed white female, nicknamed “Dubby”, was the highest winning female in the cat fancy at the time o 1962-1963 5th Best All-American Cat o 1963-1964 2nd Best All-American Cat; Best Opposite Sex Cat (to Persian, GC Shawnee Moonflight) o 1964-1965 All-American Opposite Sex Cat of the Year (to Domestic Shorthair, GC Shawnee Trademark) o 1965-1966 4th Best Longhair Female, CFA’s Hydon-Goodwin All-Star Awards o 1966-1967 2nd Best Longhair Female, CFA’s Hydon-Goodwin All-Star Awards; All-Southern Cat of the Year GC Shawnee Anti-Septic – copper-eyed white male o 1964 All-American Honorable Mention o 1965 All-Southern Honorable Mention o 1965-1966 All-Southern and All-American Copper-eyed white male o 1965-1966 2nd Best Longhair Male, CFA’s Hydon-Goodwin All-Star Awards GC Shawnee Painted Pink o 1969 All-Eastern Cream Persian female GC Shawnee Bertha of Ivyridge o 1969 All-Eastern Honorable Mention Copper-eyed White Persian Female CH Shawnee Sebastian o 1969 All-Eastern Honorable Mention Blue Persian Male CH, ACA GC Shawnee Royal Caprice o 1969 All-Western Copper-eyed White Persian Male CH, ACFA GC Shawnee Red Brave of Deb D o 1969 All-Southern Red MacTabby Persian Male GC Shawnee Painting the Town Red o 1969 Best Opposite Sex Red Persian (female), CFA Hydon-Goodwin All-Star Awards; Best Red Persian, CFA Southern Region

Nikki even tried her hand at breeding Himalayans in the early 1970s. While they didn’t achieve as much success in the judging ring as did her Persians, she did brag that “In our first year of Himalayan exhibition, the top-scoring Himalayan was from a Shawnee-bred dam. Top Himalayan in the South was Champion Shawnee Knubia, Best Cat Allbreed, Savannah, December 1972. Judge: Boris Teron.”

DOMESTIC (AMERICAN) SHORTHAIRS Nikki began her illustrious venture into Domestic Shorthairs with the purchase of Katnip Corner Romeo, a silver tabby that she renamed Shawnee Startler and by doing so, removed all reference to his ‘real’ breeder. Startler was destined to become the first silver tabby male Domestic Shorthair to earn the CFA Grand Champion title. Nikki then searched the country to select the best female silver tabbies with the best pedigrees she could find, as outcross mates for him.

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By 1959, while married to Stephen Horner and living in Newburg, Indiana, Nikki had bred a stunning silver tabby male, named Shawnee Marksman.

Marksman traced his line back to numerous wellknown silver tabbies— Ramayana Jenna of Gray Horse Farm, Lavender Silver Stripes and Lavender Silver Goblin—on his sire’s side.

His dam’s side traced back to “unregistered pure silver tabby shorthair Kentucky farm cats” in the third generation.

Regardless of his heritage, it was a breeding that clicked. Marksman was a double Grand Champion and won Best Domestic Shorthair in Cats Magazine’s All-American Awards and 3rd Best All-Midwest Cat in 1961.

Late 1961 and early 1962 seems to have been a time of upheaval for Nikki, as she divorced Stephen Horner and married Dr. William Wallace Shuttleworth Jr.

WOLFGANG LA ROSA, the dam of Shawnee Trademark.

From ‘The Minneapolis Star’, October 21, 1965

For the first time in several years, no Shawnee cats shown by Nikki were included in the 1962 AllAmerican winners.

She did, however, bounce back with a vengeance in the following years.

In 1964, Nikki had All-American Kitten of the Year with Shawnee Sixth Son, who was “six generations of Shawnee silver tabby out-breeding.”

Sixth Son accumulated every one of his All-American points at shows organized by ACFA, CFA and CFF clubs. Nikki had a habit of listing a cat’s “wins and losses” in her advertisements in Cats Magazine – that is, she basically considered anything other than Best Cat to be a loss. She often had an expression in her advertisements – “If a cat is shown by SHAWNEE – It is a Best-in-Show All-American Quality Cat!” When Marksman was bred to Wolfgang La Rosa, a female that traced back to important Domestic Shorthair cats such as Aztec, the breeding clicked. A magnificent kitten, with an almost perfect classic tabby pattern, was born and named Shawnee Trademark.

For his owners, Nikki & Bill Shuttleworth, Shawnee Trademark was a dream come true. He had an illustrious show career over the four years that he was shown and was a consistent winner no matter in which association he was shown.

Today, GC Shawnee Trademark is recognized as one of the greatest Domestic (American) Shorthairs of all time. For four years, Trademark dominated the silver tabby Domestic Shorthair awards, especially in the Cats Magazine All-American Awards. The highlight was being named Best Cat both in the All-American Awards as well as in CFA’s Hydon-Goodwin All-Star Awards in 1965.

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Mrs. Nikki Shuttleworth with her silver tabby GC Shawnee Trademark, named Best Cat in CFA’s Hydon-Goodwin All-Star Awards in 1965, as well as Best All-American Cat in the Cats Magazine All-American Awards. Also pictured is the black male, GC Shawnee Anthracite, ACFA Southern Region’s Best Kitten in 1963.

Photo: ‘Cats Magazine’, September, 1963.

Over the years, Shawnee Trademark’s awards include: • 1963 - All-Southern, All Honorable Mention Domestic Shorthair male, ACFA • 1964 - All-Southern, Best Domestic Shorthair, 10th Best All-American Awards • 1965 - Best Domestic Shorthair, Best Cat All-American Awards; Best Cat, CFA Hydon-Goodwin All-Star Awards • 1966 - All-Southern, All American Silver Tabby; CFA’s 4th Best Shorthair Male All content © 2021 Felis Historica, The Harrison Weir Collection & The CFA Foundation, Inc.

Along with working with her silver tabbies, Nikki also concentrated on solid black Domestic Shorthairs. When a gorgeous solid black female appeared in a 1960 litter by GC Shawnee Marksman out of Shawnee Matilda, Nikki recognized that she had bred the beginnings of her “line”. She named the kitten Shawnee Black Bon Bon and mated her with the top winning black American of that year, GC Karabee Dark Nite, producing GC Shawnee Anthracite who was born in 1963.

From there, the blacks were mated full-sister to full-brother for several generations, until Kenneth David of Lexington, Kentucky requested stud service to Anthracite for his black and white bicolor, Pampas After Six, who was a total outcross for Nikki’s lines.

One of Six’s qualities was an exceptionally hard coat texture that was ideal for the breed – and for her newly developing Bombay breed. Nikki recognized this and chose to take GC David Copperfield of Shawnee (born August 19, 1966 from the mating of Six’s daughter, CH David’s Black Onyx to GC Shawnee Shot in the Dark) instead of her normal cash stud fee. She also obtained GC Esquire Escapade of Shawnee (born May 26, 1967 from the mating of CH David’s Black Onyx to Shotsie’s son, GC Shawnee Dancing in the Dark) as a kitten back. The last litter of the Shawnee American Shorthairs was registered in 1975.

BURMESE Not much is known about the background of Nikki’s Burmese breeding program, other than it was extensive, and the fact that she bred forty-one Burmese Grand Champions, two of which were National Winners -- and that she crossed her Burmese to black Domestic Shorthairs as early as the mid-1950s.

As was to be expected, several of her Burmese were season-end winners, including: • • • • •

GC Hill House Daniella of Shawnee, All-American Burmese female, 1965 GC Shawnee Cassius Clay, All-Southern Honorable Mention Burmese Male, 1965 GC, NW Shawnee Sweet Georgia Brown, CFA 9th Best Cat, 1971-1972 GC, NW Shawnee On The Road Again, CFA 10th Best Cat, 1988-1989 GC, RW Shawnee Hannah Mae, CFA Gulf Shore Region, 11th Best Cat in Premiership, 1994-1995

GC Shawnee Cassius Clay – Burmese, born Oct 6, 1962.

Photo: ‘Cats Magazine’, August 1965.

GC Hill House Daniella of Shawnee – Burmese Photo: ‘Cats Magazine’, September 1965.

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BOMBAY While it was in 1958 that the first Bombay cat made its appearance at Nikki’s cattery, she had continued her development of this new breed over the years. As part of her continued outcross program, Nikki eventually used two amazing ‘kitten back’ black American Shorthairs bred to Burmese to help her improve her new breed - the Bombay, “the patent leather kids with new penny eyes”, for which she will always be remembered.

SHAWNEE MOZAMBIQUE OF KEJO, male Bombay born 1973.

Photo: CFA Yearbook, 1991.

Suzanne Zwecker wrote in the March 1999 Cat Fanciers’ Almanac, “Nikki’s first attempts to create this “mini-panther” took place in the late 1950s. She experimented with crossing her Burmese with some black Domestic Shorthairs, but the results were mostly unsatisfactory so the effort was abandoned after just a few litters.”

In the mid-1960s, Nikki decided to take another stab at creating her “mini panther”, using five black American Shorthairs bred to her sable Burmese. Nikki herself wrote, “Tracing the development of the breed reads much like a list of biblical ‘begats,’ but it all started with carefully selected animals.

One of the Burmese used was a magnificent sable male, GC Shawnee Cassius Clay. GC Shawnee Little Brown Jug and his son, GC Shawnee Colonel Casey were two other Burmese used extensively in the early breeding of Bombays. The black Americans used to supply coat texture and eye color were males GC David Copperfield of Shawnee and GC Shawnee Shot in the Dark. American females used include GC Esquire Escapade of Shawnee, CH David’s Black Onyx and Shawnee Obsidian.”

Shawnee Mozambique, born September 28, 1973, traces back to American Shorthair and Burmese ancestors, as well as the first CFA registered male and female Bombays.

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Nikki noted in a 1965 Cats Magazine advertisement that “We are applying to CFA to name our new breed Bombay Shorthairs. The breed originates from black American Shorthairs bred to Burmese.” She also said, “In the prechampionship days. I resorted to giving Bombays to people who promised to exhibit them and promote their popularity.”

But it would be 1970 before CFA was ready to accept Nikki’s new breed for registration and would take another six years for the Bombay to be advanced to Championship status in 1976.

GC SHAWNEE AI AI OF SANKACHI – Bombay Photo: CFA Yearbook, 1991.

In her 1999 article about the Bombay, Suzanne Zwecker wrote, “Within a month of this accomplishment, Nikki retired from breeding and showing, and sold out her cattery,” Phil Maggitti, in his 1990-1991 CFA Yearbook article on the Bombay had said the same thing, that “For Nikki Horner, however, it was the end.”

“She stopped going to shows, and eventually phased out her several breeding programs. Horner attended her last cat show – Roses for Felines, Louisville, Kentucky – in 1976.”

While she may have taken a break from breeding, Nikki certainly didn’t stop completely.

Nikki resumed showing at the point where the Bombay breed was just beginning to show signs of growing popularity. In 1988 Nikki showed the Best of Breed Bombay, GC, BW Road to Fame Return to Shawnee bred by Herb & Suzanne Zwecker, who was also Second Best of Breed in 1989. She also had CFA’s 10th Best Cat in 1988-1989 with a Burmese, GC, NW Shawnee On The Road Again.

GC Shawnee Ai Ai of Sankachi, born September 8, 1976, was out of two generations of Bombay, but still with Burmese and American Shorthair on the pedigree.

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CFA’s registration records show that Nikki had added Judy Scruggs’ name as a Shawnee cattery co-owner. Judy was officially Nikki’s cattery manager. With the addition of another person to the cattery name, it looks like Nikki continued to breed Burmese right up until the year she died but it may have been Judy Scruggs doing the breeding and registering litters as Nikki was quite ill in her later years.

Nikki died in Jefferson County, Kentucky on April 11, 1995. The legacy she left behind is amazing, considering it spans fantastic achievements across numerous breeds over several decades, plus the creation of an entirely new breed that has turned out to be extremely popular at CFA shows.

Several Shawnee Burmese and Bombay litters were registered for a few years following Nikki’s death, presumably bred and registered by Judy Scruggs, her cattery manager.

NOTE: Some of the information contained in this article will become part of a new, as yet unnamed book being put together about the American Shorthair breed history. The overall basis for the book is multiple articles and a great deal of research, over decades, by Valerie Edwards. Her material is being edited, reviewed, and enhanced by Karen Lawrence who also has plans to add a multitude of early Shorthair photos to the finished book. Publication date is not yet known, but we will be pleased to start a listing of people interested in a copy when it is published.

REFERENCES: 1.

The Courier-Journal, January 13, 1963

2.

Cat Fanciers’ Almanac, July 1995

3.

Cats Magazine, August 1973

4.

Ancestry.com

5.

The Courier-Journal, January 13, 1963

6.

The Courier-Journal, November 21, 1954

7.

The Courier-Journal, January 25, 1948

8.

The Courier-Journal, February 12, 1948

9.

The Courier-Journal, December 13, 1950

10.

The Courier-Journal, January 13, 1963

11.

Cats Magazine, August 1973

12.

Cats Magazine, March 1964

13.

Cats Magazine, August 1965

14.

‘Meet the Bombay’, by Patricia C. Taylor, Cat World, May-June 1978

15.

Cat Fanciers’ Almanac, November 1991

16.

Cats Magazine, September 1965

17.

Cat Fanciers’ Almanac, November 1991

18.

Cat Fanciers’ Almanac, March 1999

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A very Merry Christmas everyone! …and from our cats to yours!

THE CFA FOUNDATION, PO Box 2155, Alliance, OH 44601 330-680-4444 www.FelineHistoricalFoundation.org

Everything you need to know about Genetics…

You can learn from your Cat! PART EIGHTEEN

BY

DR. LESLIE LYONS

College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Missouri

Genetics of the Bengal Cat Breed The Bengal cat breed was created by mating domestic cats with the Asian leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis, Felis bengalensis).

The domestic cat, which is usually the female, has been represented by a variety of breeds, including random bred cats from India, and most commonly, the Abyssinian and Egyptian Mau breeds. The most successful breedings have occurred when a young male leopard cat has been raised with female domestic cats.

Asian leopard cats historically were demarcated into a variety of subspecies1, including P. bengalensis borneoensis on Borneo, P. b. heaneyi on Palawan Island (Philippines), P. b. javenensis on Java and Bali, P. b. rabori on Negros, Cebu and Panay islands (Philippines) and P. b. sumatranus occurring on Sumatra and the offshore island of Tebingtinggi.

On the mainland, distinct subspecies included P. b. bengalensis and P. b. euptilurus (Amur leopard cat) on the Korean Peninsula, the Russian Far East and northeastern China were described.

EDITOR: This is the Eighteenth article in a series based on feline genetics

by Dr Leslie Lyons being published in FELIS HISTORICA during the 2020/2022 period

Article graphics: www.gograph.com

However, more recently, genetic, morphological, and biogeographical data has suggested the consolidation into three subspecies, namely, the continental leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis) inhabiting Asia from Pakistan to South East Asia, and China and P. b. euptilurus in Manchuria, Russian Far East, Taiwan, Iriomote Island and Tsushima Island.

The Sunda leopard cat (Prionailurus javanensis) occurring on Java, Bali, Borneo, Sumatra, Palawan, Negros, Cebu, Panay, Philippines and possibly Malay Peninsula, is the suggested third subspecies.

Regardless of the subspecies designations, the Bengal breed was mainly developed from the more vibrantly colored and shorthaired varieties of leopard cats from the more tropical regions, hence, mainly not the P. b. euptilurus subspecies1.

The estimated evolutionary time between the domestic cat and leopard cat species, i.e., time to common ancestor, is estimated at ~6.2 million years ago, which just shy of the evolutionary time between humans and chimpanzees2.

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

Fig 1. (a) Brown Charcoal Bengal Photo: Helmi Flick Cat Photography

The genetic contributions from different domestic cats and different breeds, the potentially different subspecies of leopard cat and the variety of acceptable patterns and colorations has led to a breed with strong genetic diversity3,4.

However, like any cat breed, health problems are recognized within the breed that need to be monitored by breeders and owners. The evolutionary time between the two species leads to more and unique genetic variants that are not commonly seen in other non-hybrid cats.

The first filial (F1 - the generation or generations after the parental generation) males are sterile, which is a well - recognized concept and is termed Haldane’s rule, which states “when in the offspring of two different animal races one sex is absent, rare, or sterile, that sex is the heterozygous (heterogametic) sex”, which is the male sex in mammals5.

Thus, a true F2 generation can not be produced when crossing these felid species, i.e., an F1 male breeding to an F1 female is not possible. Although Bengal breeders use the terminology of F1, F2, F3…, more accurately, Bengal matings should be termed backcrosses, where the F1 male is crossed back to a parental type cat, namely a domestic, thereby producing a second-generation cat, known as a backcross 1 (BC1), which has 25% genetic contribution from the leopard cat and 75% from the domestic cat lineages. The male hybrid offspring are completely sterile or have reduced fertility for a few generations and potentially, females may have reduced fertility as well.

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College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Missouri

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

Fig 1. (b) Brown Charcoal Bengal Photo: Helmi Flick Cat Photography All content © 2021 Felis Historica, The Harrison Weir Collection & The CFA Foundation, Inc.

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT GENETICS – YOU CAN LEARN FROM YOUR CAT! Haldane’s Rule is one of the main concepts for speciation, hence, reduced fertility in the breed should always be expected. In later generations, and because the F1 cats are now either produced or propagated with lower generation Bengal cats and not pure domestic cats, the percentage of leopard cat genetic contribution can be difficult to predict. Some breeders have good selection for leopard cat traits, such as coloration, spotting patterns, and facial and body structures, which therefore retain leopard cat genetics.

The Agouti gene variants are an example of leopard cat gene retention.

The genetic sequence of the normal Agouti gene is different between the leopard cat and domestic cat. Breeders have been able to select for cats with the leopard cat gene sequence (allele) and can thereby produce marvelous colorations and spotting patterns in their Bengals.

EDITOR: This is the Eighteenth article in a series based on feline genetics

by Dr Leslie Lyons being published in FELIS HISTORICA during the 2020/2022 period

When an individual Bengal cat retains the domestic cat non-agouti allele (a) and one copy of the normal leopard cat allele (A Pbe), the interesting coloration of charcoal is produced and the cat has the alleles a/A Pbe (Figure 1 (a) & (b))6.

Thus, if this phenomenon can happen for the Agouti gene, the same could happen for most any other gene in a Bengal. In some cases, the two alleles may not be compatible, leading to fertility issues and potentially other health concerns, such as developmental concerns.

Bengals have a high incidence of pectus excavatum, “swimmer’s chest”, i.e., flat-chested kittens. Although the genetics of this condition have not been realized, the higher frequency in Bengals suggest an incompatibility with some growth and development genes.

But fun genetics come from the leopard cat as well! Leopard cats defecate in water and tend to be more tolerant of water, thus, many Bengals may jump in the bath with you! Leopard cats do not respond to catnip, thus, more Bengals may not respond as well.

Besides health concerns due to hybridization, Bengal cats can have the normal concerns of health problems due to inbreeding. A retinal degeneration leading to blindness has been identified in Bengal cats and is thought to come from the domestic cat lineages. This progressive retinal atrophy (PRA) is autosomal recessive, taking two copies of the altered DNA variant in the gene called KIF3B to cause blindness7. This blindness has a moderate speed of onset, with cats going blind from about 4 months – 2 years of age. The vision loss can be noticed by the cat having intense eye-shine (tapetal hyper-reflectivity) and dilated pupils. A cat going blind may tend to meow more in darkness and may seem shy.

Because Bengals were produced by breedings with Abyssinians and Egyptian Maus, the genetics of these two breeds also influence Bengals.

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

BOYDSBENGALS BREAKING BAD, DM Photo: Helmi Flick Cat Photography

Bengal breeders should monitor the known genetic variants in Abyssinians, especially the Abyssinian PRA caused by the CEP290 gene8 and pyruvate kinase deficiency caused by variants in the gene PKLR 9.

Bengals have not been reported to have a high incidence of amyloidosis as were Abyssinians from decades ago. With the addition of the snow Bengals (points, cscs) and the Burmese alleles (cb), which had to come from other breeds or Asian-derived random bred cats, other diseases come to Asian cats, such as gangliosidoses, may need to be monitored as well10.

College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Missouri

Confounding factors of breeding and owning hybrid cats include international regulations regarding the ownership and transport of endangered species. The leopard cat is included on Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Appendix II, which implies the species may become threatened with extinction unless trade is closely controlled, and leopard cat populations in Bangladesh, India and Thailand are included in Appendix I (as Prionailurus bengalensis bengalensis), implying a species threatened with extinction and CITES prohibits international trade in specimens of these species except when the purpose of the import is not commercial11.

The leopard cat is protected across parts of its range but is generally classified as “Least Concern” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species (IUCN Red List), but certain populations are listed as Critically Endangered and Vulnerable as well.

All content © 2021 Felis Historica, The Harrison Weir Collection & The CFA Foundation, Inc.

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT GENETICS – YOU CAN LEARN FROM YOUR CAT! Thus, the origins of the leopard cat need to be documented and proper permits need to be ascertained for trade.

A hybrid between a CITES species (leopard cat) and a non-CITES species (domestic cat) may be exempt from CITES document requirements if there are no purebred CITES species in the previous four generations of the specimen’s ancestry (direct line of descent)12. Thus, F1, F2, and F3 Bengals fall under CITES trade restrictions, thereby limiting their movement around the world. Many Bengal owners do not realize these restrictions and complications and should be aware of the legal constraints with the production of the Bengal and other hybrid breeds.

Different governing authorities have also banned or limited Bengal cat importation and ownership based on less scientific considerations. Some have considered Bengals more aggressive, and perhaps less “domesticated” thus, having more aggressive hunting instincts.Countries such as Australia, where feral cats are a huge detriment to the natural fauna, have suggested Bengals would be even more detrimental to their wildlife.

EDITOR: This is the Eighteenth article in a series based on feline genetics

by Dr Leslie Lyons being published in FELIS HISTORICA during the 2020/2022 period

Some authorities have also banned Bengals based on the requirement for rabies vaccinations for domestic cats. Because the rabies vaccines were not tested nor develop for leopard cats, their efficacy in the hybrid Bengal cats have come under scrutiny. However, many groups have demonstrated that Bengals do raise protect antibodies to rabies after vaccination.

Overall, the cats produced from hybridization have fascinating behaviors, colors, and patterning. Bengals are well entrenched in the cat fancy and make interesting and loving pets. Like all breeds, inherited diseases need to be monitored and slowly eradicated. However, the hybrid breed does have some added complications for ownership and registration, which can be easily and properly documented with DNA testing and parentage documentation using genetics.

Kitchener et al., Cat News Special Issue 11, 80 pp.

Johnson et al., Science. 2006 Jan 6;311(5757):73-7.

Kurushima et al., Anim Genet. 2013 Jun;44(3):311-24.

Lipinski et al., Genomics. 2008 Jan;91(1):12-21.

Haldane, J.B.S. (1922). Sex ratio and unisexual sterility in hybrid animals. J Genet. 12 (2): 101–109.

6. Gershony et al., Anim Genet. 2014 Dec;45(6):893-7.

7. Cogné et al., Am J Hum Genet. 2020 Jun 4;106(6):893-904.

8. Menotti-Raymond et al., Vet J. 2010 Oct;186(1):32-8.

9. Grahn et al., BMC Vet Res. 2012 Oct 30;8:207.

10. Bradbury et al., Mol Genet Metab. 2009 May;97(1):53-9.

11. IUCN 2021. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2021 https://www.iucnredlist.org. Accessed 28 November 2021.

12. https://cites.org/eng/res/10/10-17R14.php (Accessed 28 November 2021) 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

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Melody Boyd cradling ‘GP, BoydsBengals Ground Breaker at the New Vision Show, November 17, 2019.

Photo: Sandi Bailey All content © 2021 Felis Historica, The Harrison Weir Collection & The CFA Foundation, Inc.

OUR BREED FEATURE

BY MELODY BOYD Before Bengals were accepted in CFA in 2016, I was what I would describe as a “social” cat exhibitor.

I would try and go to at least two TICA shows a year, to meet up with other breeders, to see what the “latest and greatest” thing was with Bengals and mainly to keep in touch other exhibitors. I was at that time, definitely not actively campaigning or going for titles, I was just there to socialize.

When Marianne Byrne and Rich Nolte of Wildstyle Bengals asked me to get involved in drafting the Bengal standard for presentation to the Board, I was flattered and agreed.

Then, after my cat, BoydsBengals Breaking Bad, DM was chosen for the poster cat for the presentation, I felt like I should do whatever was needed to help get Bengals accepted into championship.

The first show where Bengals could be exhibited in the Miscellaneous class, was during the first weekend of May 2016. The club was Rebel Rousers in Duluth, GA. I was fully expecting several Bengal breeders to be there. But, because that was Mother’s Day weekend, I (the “social” cat show exhibitor) was the only Bengal breeder who showed up. So, it was just me and my brown charcoal Bengal, BoydsBengals Night Fury.

I look back on that weekend with much humor because I did not even think about bringing a traditional brown Bengal to the first CFA show for Bengals.

Much to my surprise and delight, the CFA exhibitors welcomed me very warmly.

I had been warned that many CFA exhibitors were against Bengals being accepted into CFA and I should be wary of them. But this was not the case at all.

When Night Fury was called into his first ring, I took him up, and sat and watched.

But then, much to my surprise, I was asked to go up to the ring, stand next to the judge and explain what qualities we looked for in Bengals.

A crowd gathered around me and I was generally in awe that people in CFA were really interested about Bengals.

I will say that part of me was silently cussing out Marianne and Rich for throwing me into the lion’s den for my very first CFA show!

After this show, more and more Bengal breeders started to bring their Bengals out to shows during the first two years we were in the Miscellaneous class. I personally enjoyed the open discussion with the judges about the standard and the cats.

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Left: BoydsBengals Night Fury, (Brown Charcoal) the first to be exhibited by Melody Boyd in CFA. Right: Koppiekatz Custom Image (aka CJ) aged 14 years, showing developmental changes within the breed.

Photos: Helmi Flick Cat Photography

I also enjoyed the fact that CFA spectators loved seeing the Bengals since they had not seen them before.

September 2017 Ocicats show, to allow ribbons to be awarded to cats in the Miscellaneous class.

Our Bengal benching area was filled with spectators and most of us would end up with hoarse voices after discussing our cats with interested spectators and exhibitors.

That was a big treat for us, and for me, it felt like the Board recognized that the Bengal breeders were doing their best to bring out as many Bengals as possible for judges to see while we were in the Miscellaneous class.

At the Cotton States show in November 2017, we had seventeen Bengals entered.

Marianne Byrne and Rich Nolte formed the New Vision Cat Club, CFA’s first Bengal Club end of 2016 and we were requested by the Rebel Rousers Club to co-host their May 2017 show.

This was very exciting for us. Bengals were well represented and I brought my 10 years old Bengal, Koppiekatz Custom Image, Jr. to the show, so that judges could see what a cutting edge Bengal from 10 years ago looked like in comparison to the Bengals of today.

After two years in the Miscellaneous, the CFA Board voted to advance Bengals directly to Championship.

We were all over the moon with this development because the Board chose to skip having Bengals shown in Provisional class.

I’ve heard that not everyone was happy with this decision, but regardless, by the second show of the 2018/2019 season, in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Bengals had their first Grand Champion, Wildstyle Smooth Jazz aka “Leo”.

Leo granded in just two shows.

I personally felt it was fitting that Marianne Byrne, who spearheaded Bengals being accepted into CFA, bred the first Bengal to grand in CFA.

One of the highlights for me during our time in the Miscellaneous class, was when the CFA Board decided, just before the September That was a big treat for us, and for me, it felt like the Board All content © 2021recognized Felis Historica,that The Harrison Weir Collection & The CFA Foundation, Inc. the Bengal breeders were doing their best to

CFA’S FIRST BENGAL GRAND CHAMPION. GC, WILDSTYLE SMOOTH JAZZ (aka ‘Leo) bred by Marianne Byrne, seen here with CFA Judge Rachel Anger and Joshua Farnsworth.

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Bengal exhibitors at the Cotton States Cat Club Show, November 4, 2017. From left to right.

Top row: Joshua Farnsworth, Lori Winans, Tarry Smith, Jill Smith, and Rui Rodrigo Trafaria Fernandes Bottom row: Michelle Farnsworth, Melody Boyd, Kelsi Poteet, and Elizabeth Nolte.

Photo: Stephen Embry

The highlight of that season for me was the joint New Vision / Ocicats Cat Club show in September 2018.

I ended up giving Sharon a Breaking Bad son, BoydsBengals Chain Breaker, in November 2018 at the Cotton States Show.

I was cradling one of my adult male Bengals in my arms when an elegant, immaculately groomed older lady approached me and said “I want a Bengal just like that, and I will campaign him for you and get you a Regional Win.”

Little did I know then, that Sharon was going through chemotherapy at that time. Yet, she still made sure she took “Bear” to all his kitten shows, getting him a Regional Win as a kitten, and then she granded him in two shows that same show season as an adult.

When I asked how much I would have to pay for her to campaign him, she said “Nothing.

I will pay for all the expenses, take him as far as he can go, and give him back to you.”

Well! I thought I had won the lottery then and there! This woman turned out to be Sharon Rogers, an active exhibitor in CFA for over 40 years.

Sharon was an angel sent from heaven to me.

After Bear granded, she asked me how much I wanted for him, as she wanted to buy him. I told her that was ridiculous. He was hers.

He loved her and she loved him – it was obvious every time she carried him up to the rings. She would sing to him “Bengal Bear, Bengal Bear, who’s my little Bengal Bear” as All content © 2021 Felis Historica, The Harrisonthey Weir Collection CFArings.

Foundation, Inc. went up&toThethe

Sharon Rogers, cradling her beloved GC, BWR, RW. BoydsBengals Chain Breaker.

Photo: Melody Boyd

Bengal Bear, who’s my little Bengal Bear” as they went up to the rings. It was really sweet seeing an older, elegant woman bring an almost

almost 15 pound Bengal to the rings, with the Bengal perfectly comfortable nestled in her arms.

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Bengal exhibitors James Lubbad (left) of PaintedCats Bengals (Wisconsin) and Marlon Azada (right) of AloraBengals (Texas) with their cats, at the Houston Cat Show, January 9th, 2021 Photo: Melody Boyd All content © 2021 Felis Historica, The Harrison Weir Collection & The CFA Foundation, Inc.

Bengal exhibitors Melissa Dorko (left) of Lots Of Spots Bengals and Melody Boyd (right) of BoydsBengals at the Huntsville Cat Show, in Texas, February 6th, 2021 with CFA Judge Karen Godwin and two new Bengal Grand Champions on the day.

Sharon Rogers sadly passed in January 2020.

At that time, GC, RW BoydsBengals Chain Breaker was in 2nd position for the Breed win.

Rich Nolte and I took it upon ourselves to finish what Sharon had started, and we took Bear to as many shows as possible for him to get the Breed Win. Rich flew to California to get him and show him at the Water Bowl in San Diego.

Due to COVID, the 2019/2020 season ended early but Rich Nolte and I were able to get the Breed Win for Bear, in Sharon’s honor.

There was a lot of uncertainty during the third year Bengals were in championship.

Due to COVID, there were no shows in the beginning of the show season. I (and I am sure many other breeders) were growing our potential show cats with no shows for them to go.

My first show in 2020/2021 was a TICA Show

in Florida in July 2020 followed by another show in Florida in September 2020. CFA’s first cat show for the 2020/2021 season was the Cotton States show in November 2021.

Spectators were not allowed but I could see that many exhibitors were happy to start showing again.

After November, shows slowly but surely started up again. Masks were mandatory at most shows and exhibitors complied.

One of the best shows for me was in Huntsville, Texas when Judge Karen Godwin granded two Bengals in the last final of the day.

That was very special. Despite the short 2020/2021 season, our club, the New Vision Cat Club was able to hold one of the final CFA shows for the 2020 / 2021 season. It was bittersweet end to the 2020/2021 season.

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Above: BoydsBengals Inkspot (Melanistic Black) bred by Melody Boyd.

Below: Bengaluxe Silver Charm (Melanistic Silver) bred by Louis Ducois.

Photos: Melody Boyd

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GC Viola Alba Persey of WildStyle, (aka Gator) One of the first ‘clouded’ pattern Bengals to Grand in CFA. Photo: Helmi Flick Cat Photography

Sharon Rogers passed the year before and Marianne Byrne passed away suddenly in February 2021. The CFA Bengal community had suffered another loss. But, in their honor, we had sponsors for perpetual trophies in memory of both Marianne Byrne and of Sharon Rogers.

Now, we are in the fourth year of Championship and it is wonderful to see so many beautiful Bengals being shown in CFA. My pet project now, is to snow charcoals and smokes in CFA so that judges could at least see them. I have shown a melanistic Bengal (BoydsBengals Ink Spot) and a smoke Bengal (Bengaluxe Silver Charm) in AOV in CFA this year and they were well received by the judges.

I am currently showing a seal mink charcoal kitten. Next season I plan on showing her seal sepia charcoal brother in CFA. I also hope to see ‘cashmeres’ shown in CFA soon.

Even more interesting is that a Bengal with a “clouded” pattern, Viola Alba Persey of WildStyle (aka Gator), granded at the New Vision show in September 2021.

Additionally, a Bengal is currently in second position for kittens Nationally and there are currently two Bengals in the top 25 cats Nationally. So, the future looks bright, and it will continue to be exciting to see what the future holds for Bengals exhibited in CFA. Melody Boyd (BoydsBengals)

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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?”

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A VERY WELL-BEHAVED NORWEGIAN FOREST CAT GETS TO TELL SANTA WHAT HE WOULD LIKE FOR CHRISTMAS… ‘FEATHERLAND DICKIE’ – Bred by Michael & Lorraine Shelton.

Owned by Janet Nunn. Photo by Kris Shelton.

WELCOME! to our celebratory Christmas 2021 Gallery!

We have brought together for your enjoyment, a collection of Christmas-themed images of cats from all over the world; both pedigreed and non-pedigreed, of many different colours and patterns.

We sincerely thank all the photographers and cat fanciers, who gave their permission for use of these amazing images and hope that you will enjoy this ‘parade of felines’ some of them carefully posed, and some caught unexpectedly or in the act of expressing natural feline curiosity!

On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me…

Ch.Fl*Dirlandan Ruby My Love – Maija Mavrakis (Finland) Photo: Marika Lahti All content © 2021 Felis Historica, The Harrison Weir Collection & The CFA Foundation, Inc.

On the second day of Christmas my true love gave to me…

Fl*Dirlandan Ruby My Love & Fl*Dirlandan Rhapsody In Blue – Maija Mavrakis (Finland) Photo: Marika Lahti

On the third day of Christmas my true love gave to me…

Fl*Dirlandan Ruby My Love (centre) with Fl*Dirlandan Radio Ga Ga & Fl*Dirlandan Rhapsody In Blue Photo: Marika Lahti All content © 2021 Felis Historica, The Harrison Weir Collection & The CFA Foundation, Inc.

Fl*Dirlandan With Love & Fl*Dirlandan White Lie – Maija Mavrakis (Finland) Photo: Marika Lahti

Ayser’s Aurora Borealis & Ayser’s Andromeda - Maarit Lindholm-Teravainen (Finland) Photo: Marika Lahti All content © 2021 Felis Historica, The Harrison Weir Collection & The CFA Foundation, Inc.

TICA Judge Lorraine Shelton with RW, QGC. Smaragdtempl Utopia of Missionhill at the Abbotsford, British Columbia Show. Photo: Munira Murrey.

Highest scoring kittens, Khao Manee, Premiership and Championship.

‘Catmas Isn’t X’mas’ Show, Siam Blue-eyed Cat Fanciers. (Nonthaburi, Thailand) Photo: Pattama Weeranon.

All content © 2021 Felis Historica, The Harrison Weir Collection & The CFA Foundation, Inc.

First stage cat inspections of the Christmas Tree at Missionhill cattery. (Canada) Photo: Munira Murrey

Second stage cat inspections under the Christmas Tree at Missionhill cattery. (Canada) Photo: Munira Murrey All content © 2021 Felis Historica, The Harrison Weir Collection & The CFA Foundation, Inc.

Kai with Rachel Anger (CFA)

Left: Beaubell’s Brogue and right: his son, Beaubell’s Firecracker.

A Travelling Christmas option, outdoors with lighted Christmas Tree.

Photo: Colin and Lyn Bayliss. (Tropical Palms, Orlando, Florida,USA) All content © 2021 Felis Historica, The Harrison Weir Collection & The CFA Foundation, Inc.

A ‘Beaubell’ caravan crew, three cats and a dog!

Ch. Beaubell’s Bacchus on the countertop!

A Travelling Christmas option, indoors with seasonal Christmas decorations.

Photo: Colin and Lyn Bayliss. (Tropical Palms, Orlando, Florida,USA) All content © 2021 Felis Historica, The Harrison Weir Collection & The CFA Foundation, Inc.

Ayser’s Iwanka – Maarit Lindholm-Teravainen (Finland) Photo: Marika Lahti

Fl*Nipsu Nappulan WhatsAp & Fl*Nipsu Nappulan Virtuoso – Niina Kokki (Finland) Photo: Marika Lahti All content © 2021 Felis Historica, The Harrison Weir Collection & The CFA Foundation, Inc.

FL*Mau-Miun Indigo Flash – Tia Heinonen (Finland) Photo: Marika Lahti

Top-Level The Name of The Game (female) – Iina Ylapihlajajarvi (Finland) Photo: Marika Lahti All content © 2021 Felis Historica, The Harrison Weir Collection & The CFA Foundation, Inc.

‘DRESSED FOR THE OCCASION!’ – Robandi Make My Cocoa Photo: Marilyn Dixon (Palmerston North) New Zealand.

All content © 2021 Felis Historica, The Harrison Weir Collection & The CFA Foundation, Inc.

‘I SPHYNX IT MUST BE CHRISTMAS!’ – Gr.Ch. Fuzzoff Myrtle Turtle Photo: Sharyn van Aalst, (Auckland) New Zealand.

All content © 2021 Felis Historica, The Harrison Weir Collection & The CFA Foundation, Inc.

Tuitui Saga Boom of Preciousice – Marika Lahti & Pauli Huhtaniemi (Finland) Photo: Marika Lahti

Preciousice One Wish – Marika Lahti & Pauli Huhtaniemi (Finland) Photo: Marika Lahti All content © 2021 Felis Historica, The Harrison Weir Collection & The CFA Foundation, Inc.

Fl*Honeydew Queen Of My Dreams – Leena Laakso (Finland) Photo: Marika Lahti

Left: CFA GC, GP, RW & FIFe SP IC Fl*Whispers Ophelia DSM (Persian) Right: FIFe BW, SC, CFA GC, TICA RW, SGC, WCF GIC Fl*Whispers Oxana (Exotic) Breeder: Saaro Matero (Finland) Photo: Marika Lahti All content © 2021 Felis Historica, The Harrison Weir Collection & The CFA Foundation, Inc.

A NEW STYLE OF CHRISTMAS TREE – WITH LIVE DECORATIONS! Photo: Colin & Lyn Bayliss (Ocala, Florida, USA) All content © 2021 Felis Historica, The Harrison Weir Collection & The CFA Foundation, Inc.

JINGLE MY BELLS PLEASE! Beaubell’s Brogue Photo: Colin & Lyn Bayliss, (Disney Forest, Wilderness, Florida, USA)

THE BEAUBELL CREW. ‘CAN YOU SEE SANTA UP THERE??’

Photo: Colin & Lyn Bayliss (Ocala, Florida, USA) All content © 2021 Felis Historica, The Harrison Weir Collection & The CFA Foundation, Inc.

PRECIOUSICE ONE WISH – Marika Lahti & Pauli Huhtaniemi (Finland) Photo: Marika Lahti All content © 2021 Felis Historica, The Harrison Weir Collection & The CFA Foundation, Inc.

A litter of ‘Beaubell’s’ by GC Beaubell’s Boston T Party ex Ch. Beaubell’s Bolero Photo: Colin & Lyn Bayliss (Orlando, Florida, USA)

CH. Ayser’s Galaxy - Maarit Lindholm-Teravainen (Finland) Photo: Marika Lahti All content © 2021 Felis Historica, The Harrison Weir Collection & The CFA Foundation, Inc.

Ayser’s litter – bred by Maarit Lindholm-Teravainen (Finland) Photo: Marika Lahti

A MANX / CYMRIC CHRISTMAS – CFA GC, FIFe GIC, Fl*Touchant Flirt de la Vie – Tia Lehtonen (Finland) Photo: Marika Lahti All content © 2021 Felis Historica, The Harrison Weir Collection & The CFA Foundation, Inc.

FIFe NW, GIC, Fl*Timanfaya Diamond Rose JW – Tuija Hafid (Finland) Photo: Marika Lahti

A NORWEGIAN CHRISTMAS – IT*Eryn Galen Gwyndor – Niina Kokki (Finland) Photo: Marika Lahti All content © 2021 Felis Historica, The Harrison Weir Collection & The CFA Foundation, Inc.

All content © 2021 Felis Historica, The Harrison Weir Collection & The CFA Foundation, Inc.

GC, RW. BoydsBengals Breaking Bad with CFA Judge Jacqui Bennett at the Cotton States Show, November 2021 Photo: Melody Boyd

We wish you a Purr-fect Christmas!

All photos on these two pages Courtesy of Melody Boyd.

All content © 2021 Felis Historica, The Harrison Weir Collection & The CFA Foundation, Inc.

A TRADITIONAL BRITISH CHRISTMAS Photos: Annie An (Sichuan, China) All content © 2021 Felis Historica, The Harrison Weir Collection & The CFA Foundation, Inc.

CHRISTMAS WITH FAITH GRANTLEY & ‘KAI’ – (Palmerston North, New Zealand) Photos: Catherine Holmes All content © 2021 Felis Historica, The Harrison Weir Collection & The CFA Foundation, Inc.

SILVER THREADS AMONG THE GOLD – ARE THE PRESENTS FOR ME?

MISSIONHILL DIVA Photos: Munira Murrey (British Columbia, Canada) All content © 2021 Felis Historica, The Harrison Weir Collection & The CFA Foundation, Inc.

READY FOR THE MAINE EVENT – Vladimir Tumbleweed (aka Roley) Photo: Vicki Walls (Rangiora, North Canterbury, New Zealand)

IS THIS FOR ME? – ‘Valentina’ Photo: Lily LeMasters, Los Angeles, California, USA) All content © 2021 Felis Historica, The Harrison Weir Collection & The CFA Foundation, Inc.

Graham Harrop Cartoonist - at work in his studio For well over a year now, Felis Historica has been simply delighted to introduce to its readers, the work of the talented cartoonist, Graham Harrop, whose amazing cat character cartoons, have brought us some light-hearted fun, and whose skilfully humorous work we plan to bring to our cat-loving readers for as long as we are able!

Graham hails originally from Liverpool and now lives and works in North Vancouver. He has worked as a Vancouver Sun editorial cartoonist and for about 25 years his comic ‘Backbench’ appeared daily in The Globe and Mail. His work has appeared in the Readers Digest, the National Post and as greeting cards for Recycled Paper Greetings.

His cartoon collections are published by Gryndstone and Fusspot Press and by Ronsdale Press. He is the creator of the Ten Cats daily online comic strip, from which has been developed several e-books. Among his best known titles, are included ‘Behind Every Great Person There Was A Cat’ – ‘The Chesney Chronicles’ – and ‘Oliver, my own ..um Book’. Thank you Graham for your much valued contribution and continued support of our feline fanciers magazine!

THE BLUE-EYED WANDERER Portrait cropped from the cover page of ‘Our Cats’ Magazine, April 20, 1901 © 2021. Scanned from the original in The Harrison Weir Collection. Article graphics: www.gograph.com

All content © 2021 Felis Historica, The Harrison Weir Collection & The CFA Foundation, Inc.

LONGHAIR HISTORY FEATURE – ON THE LIFE OF

BY

JOHN SMITHSON

BLUE-EYED WHITE LONGHAIR (PERSIAN) MALE – Born 1899 Adapted from ‘The History Project’ file, by the same author at www.cat-o-pedia.org

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND In the world of White Longhairs at the turn of the twentieth century, there were three White Persian males who played a dominant role in the breeding of blue-eyed whites, in what was essentially, a veritable triumvirate.

Chief amongst these was Mrs. Champion’s ‘White Friar’, who had been rehomed with Mrs. Finnie Young in the north, whose lines, when combined with those of ‘Ch. Crystal’ produced some of the finest white Persians coming out of England at that time.

Second, in this triumvirate, was Mrs. WhiteAtkins’s ‘White Knight’, (aka The White Knight of the Midlands), a massive, broad-skulled male who was seen by many as an appealing alternative. In a number of cases, he was used as an effective outcross for queens from ‘White Friar’ lines.

south; the prime progenitor of a dynasty of other ‘Pearls’ to come from this cattery.

Among his best known progeny were the likes of the lovely ‘Piquante Pearl’ and ‘Beautiful Pearl’.

This model however, changed, when viewed from a show perspective; with Miss Ellen Harper’s ‘Blue-Eyed Wanderer’ often replacing Mrs. Pettit’s ‘King of the Pearls’ in this triumvirate.

‘Blue-Eyed Wanderer’ was a successful show cat, of impressive structure and he offered yet another alternative outcross for those wishing to specialise in the highly-competitive arena of the blue-eyed white longhair.

Ever since Mr. A.A. Clarke had exhibited his ‘Tim’ and ‘Miss Whitey’ in the 1880s, the White Longhair had enjoyed a pre-eminence in the show ring.

From a purely breeding perspective, the third Mrs. Cunliffe Lee’s unforgettable ‘The male from this triumvirate, was Mrs. Pettit’s Masher’, known for his size and magnificent ‘King of the Pearls’, who was based in the coat had left a lasting impression on south; the prime progenitor of a dynasty of exhibitors, when he took the cat world by storm at the Crystal Palace Show of 1890. other ‘Pearls’ to come from this cattery.

Among his best known progeny were the likes of the lovely ‘Piquante Pearl’ and ‘Beautiful All content © 2021 Felis Historica, The Harrison Weir Collection & The CFA Foundation, Inc. Pearl’.

THREE CONTEMPORANIOUS BLUE-EYED WHITES OF ‘THE BLUE-EYED WANDERER’ – From left: Miss White Atkins ‘Ch. White Knight’ (1897); ‘The Cat Manual’, 1902.²⁵ Mrs. Pettit’s ‘King of Pearls’ (Imported) c. late 1890’s; ‘Our Cats’ Magazine, February 14, 1900.²⁴ Mrs. Finnie Young & Miss Hunt’s ‘Ch. White Friar’ c. late 1890’s: ‘Our Cats’ Magazine, March 15, 1902.²³ Images courtesy of The Harrison Weir Collection

exhibitors, when he took the cat world by storm at the Crystal Palace Show of 1890. An enthusiastic fancier, Mrs. Lee had paid £21 for this remarkable cat, which also had the grandest of blue eyes. The die had been cast, and there was no shortage of fanciers who wanted to follow along a similar path.

PARENTAGE AND OWNERSHIP Although the parentage of ‘The Blue-Eyed Wanderer’ is unknown, we do have a record of his first owner, who may or may not have been his breeder. That is Mrs. Marion Grey, who is listed as his owner in both the Cat Club Register⁷ and in the National Cat Club registration listings published in Our Cats on December 8th, 1900.² In a brief but revealing snippet written by Miss Frances Simpson in her chapter on Whites from ‘The Book of The Cat’, she gives a short account of the well-known prize-winners among White Persian stud cats of the day:

Whites from ‘The Book of The Cat’, she gives a short account of the well-known prizewinners among White Persian stud cats of the day: “Miss Harper’s ‘Blue-eyed Wanderer’ has great quality and lovely texture of coat. He was in truth a wanderer in the streets of a London suburb, and, although labelled ‘breeder and pedigree unknown,’ he has almost always held his own in the white classes at our largest shows.”¹² Evidence of his subsequent transfer to his new owner Miss Ellen Harper is found in the December 22nd, 1900 edition of ‘Our Cats’, which reports: “Miss Harper has bought The Blue-Eyed Wanderer, that superb white, from Mrs. Grey. He is healthy and in good fettle just now, and his present owner having placed him at stud in our columns, is looking forward to A1 kittens, with balls of snow and sapphire eyes.”⁴

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now, and his present owner having placed him at stud in our columns, is looking forward to A1 kittens, with balls of snow and sapphire eyes.”⁴ Miss Ellen Harper, was already renown and well-established in the cat world before she took on White Persians.

She began around 1891 and had previously taken a specialty interest in white shorthairs with blue eyes, and had carried off numerous prizes with these from the Crystal Palace with charming specimens of that variety. She then broadened her horizons and took on longhairs, again specialising in mainly whites.

From a ‘Who’s Who in the Cat World’ listing published in May 1901, we find a list of some of the well-known cats she had bred, which included: - ‘Pharoah II’, ‘III’, and ‘V’; ‘White Bundle’, ‘Syringa’, ‘Crystal Chat Blanc’, ‘Cherub Queenie’, ‘Pansy Khedive’, ‘Blue Waterloo II’, and ‘III’ (all White!).¹³

Miss Ellen Harper Photo: ‘Our Cats’ Magazine, November 10, 1900³

One of her earlier stud males with a high profile as a third-tier foundation cat was her Blue, ‘Waterloo’ who was never shown due to having an injury to his ear.

Having formerly resided in Brighton, she had moved to Hayward’s Heath where she was the philanthropic proprietor of a Home for Cats.

Her intense sympathy with cats, and her lengthy experiences of their ways and their ailments, made her Cat’s Home extremely popular among the fanciers and owners of cats in the south.

SIBLINGS AND SHOWS Due to his ‘unknown’ parentage, there are no siblings of record for ‘The Blue-Eyed Wanderer’.

Miss Harper’s Blue Persian ‘Waterloo’ A key progenitor of early Blue Persian lines.

Photo: ‘Our Cats’ Magazine, December 6, 1902

However, he was shown very successfully as indicated by Miss Simpson. Known wins include: 1st, at the Crystal Palace, 1900; 1st, at Harrogate, 1901; and 1st, at Midland Counties Cat Club, 1902. But, there were many more.

All content © 2021 Felis Historica, The Harrison Weir Collection & The CFA Foundation, Inc.

Side view of one of the cat houses at Miss Harper’s Cattery, Briarlea, Hayward’s Heath.

The white longhair in the outdoor run may well be ‘The Blue-Eyed Wanderer’ Photo: Miss Ellen Harper. ‘The Book of The Cat’ (1903) by Frances Simpson¹²

The following are extracts taken from a number of show reports in the latter part of 1900.

Brighton Show: - held at the Aquarium on November 14th and 15th, 1900. Judge for the class was Miss Hester Cochran: “Longhaired Black or White male or female (11). 1st,two Specials and Medal, Miss White Atkins ‘White Knight’, very large cat, beautiful head and eyes, not in full coat; 2nd, Mr. M Grey’s ‘Blue-eyed Wanderer’, very good eyes and coat, nice cobby shape, fails to winner in head; 3rd, Mrs. Herring’s ‘Prince Zangi’ fine cat, nice eyes and coat.”¹⁹

The Cat Club Show: - held at St. Stephens Hall, Westminster,on January 15th and 16th, 1901.

Judge for the class was Mr. Enoch Welburn.

This show saw a reversal of the previous placements: “White Males (7 entries). Colour pure white, eyes blue – 1st, Mrs. Harper’s ‘Blue-Eyed Wanderer, with a grand head, frill, and coat was shown in spotless condition. He is a good all-round cat, and won the Special for the Best White in the Show. 2nd, Miss White Atkins, ‘White Knight’. Large with an especially good head, lovely deep blue eyes, but fails in nose, and a trifle out of coat. Suffering from deceased mouth. Had before the show closed to be taken away by the vet.

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Another view of Miss Harper’s Briarlea catteries, Hayward’s Heath.

Photo: Miss Ellen Harper. ‘The Book of The Cat’ (1903) by Frances Simpson¹² Images courtesy of The Harrison Weir Collection.

deceased mouth. Had before the show closed to be taken away by the vet. 3rd, Mrs. Pettit’s ‘Ch. King of Pearls’. Intensely blue eyes, nice ears, a trifle long in face, and out of frill. Have seen him looking better.” ²⁰ BREEDING AND PROGENY Most of the registrations of progeny sired by ‘The Blue-Eyed Wanderer’ appear to have been between 1901 and 1906. However, the records that are available are clearly incomplete, which is often the case.

The following are some of his identifiable progeny from various queens:

‘WHITE LILY’ In a litter born 1st April,1901; a blue- eyed white female bred by Miss Harper, registered as ‘Adisham White Clematis’, who was later sold to a Miss Lawford.⁸ ‘SNOW QUEEN’ In a litter born September 11,

1902; a blue-eyed white female bred by Miss Harper and registered as ‘Swinton Birthday Gift’, and later owned by Mrs. Clive Behrens.⁹ ‘WATER LILY’ In a litter born 3rd January, 1903; a blue-eyed white male bred by Miss Harper, registered as ‘White Jumbo’, who was sold to Mrs. Clarke.¹⁰ In a litter born 25th April, 1903; a blue-eyed white female bred by Miss Harper, registered as ‘Heath Lily’, and sold to Mr. Godfrey Shaw.

All content © 2021 Felis Historica, The Harrison Weir Collection & The CFA Foundation, Inc.

‘The White Cherub’, bred by Miss Ellen Harper. By ‘The Blue-Eyed Wanderer’, out of ‘Water Lily’ Breeders Postcard: Miss Ellen Harper. © Archives of The Harrison Weir Collection¹¹

white female bred by Miss Harper, registered as ‘Heath Lily’, and sold to Mr. Godfrey Shaw.

Another blue-eyed white kitten out of ‘Water Lily’, with date of birth unknown, was ‘White Cherub’ who is shown in the image above.

This appears on a breeder’s postcard, in the archives of The Harrison Weir Collection and in Miss Harper’s own handwriting on the reverse. The kitten is clearly identified as ‘White Cherub’, by ‘Blue-Eyed Wanderer’ out of ‘Water Lily’.

‘LUNA’ In a litter born 19th February, 1903; a blue-eyed white female, bred by Mary Wilson, registered as ‘Lady Edith’, who was sold to Mrs. W.J. Field.¹⁴ ‘WHITE CLOVER’ In a litter born 26th March, 1903; a blue-eyed white female, bred by Mrs. Watson, registered as ‘Wandering Babs’, sold to Mrs. B.A. Huchan.¹⁵ ‘BLUE-EYED KITTY’ In a litter born 4th April, 1905; a blue-eyed white female, bred and retained by Miss Harper, registered as ‘Swansdown’.¹⁶

All content © 2021 Felis Historica, The Harrison Weir Collection & The CFA Foundation, Inc.

Miss Harper’s celebrated white, ‘The Blue-Eyed Wanderer’ Photo: Strand Co., ‘Our Cats’ 20th April, 1901.¹ © Image courtesy of The Harrison Weir Collection.

Blue-Eyed Kitty is also shown as the dam of ‘Blue-Eyed Coral’ (CFA 57 v1)¹⁷ a blue-eyed white female bred by Miss Harper and exported to Mrs. H.G. Dykhouse, of Grand Rapids in the United States.

‘Blue-Eyed Coral’ was born March 5th, 1906, and her sire was ‘White Hyacinth’, (NCC:4872) a blue-eyed white son of ‘Blue-Eyed Wanderer’ and ‘Putey Putey’.

All content © 2021 Felis Historica, The Harrison Weir Collection & The CFA Foundation, Inc.

Blue-Eyed Wanderer Detail from Interpretative sketch by Louis Wain.

From ‘Black and White’ Magazine, 25th January, 1902.⁶ © Image courtesy of The Harrison Weir Collection.

‘ESSEX MOW QUEEN’ In a litter born 9th April, 1905; a blue-eyed white female, bred and retained by Miss S. Houblon, registered as ‘Essex Jewel’.¹⁷

sired by Mrs. Pettit’s ‘King of Pearls’ ex ‘Peerless Pearl’ showing the perceived and actual desirability of combining the lines of two highly valued white males.

Other progeny include a blue-eyed white male named ‘Crusader’, who was by ‘BlueEyed Wanderer’ and out of ‘Buckingham Pearl’. This combination is only recorded behind the registration of a cat found in Volume 4 of the Studbook of the Cat Fanciers Association. His dam ‘Pearl’ was of course,

No records have been found in English records however, as to his date of birth, breeder or owner.¹⁸ Yet another is a blueeyed white female, registered as ‘Timfy’, who was by ‘Blue-Eyed Wanderer’ out of a queen named ‘Fifine’. ‘Timfy’ was bred and retained by A. Vaughan Williams.²¹

All content © 2021 Felis Historica, The Harrison Weir Collection & The CFA Foundation, Inc.

Stud advertisement for Miss Harper’s ‘The Blue-Eyed Wanderer’ ‘Our Cats’ Magazine, 29th December, 1900.⁵ © Image courtesy of The Harrison Weir Collection.

The foregoing list is not exhaustive, but it does give an indication of Wanderer’s popularity as a stud, and his ability to consistently produce blue-eyed whites to order!

IN SUMMARY We must surely admire the tenacity and studious progress of Miss Ellen Harper in venturing into the world of the blue-eyed White longhair and achieving considerable success against what must have seemed at times, to be almost insurmountable odds.

No doubt her prior experience as a breeder of blue-eyed white shorthairs, gave her a good grounding, and in running a Cat’s Home, she would have gained valuable insights into feline ailments through careful observation.

Through this she would have built up a wealth of knowledge, allowing her to detect and/or diagnose any potential risks early on, thereby giving an opportunity to intervene before they could take hold.

wealth of knowledge, allowing her to detect and/or diagnose any potential risks early on, thereby giving an opportunity to intervene before they could take hold. In short, after hard work and study in one breed, she transferred her knowledge to another and executed a successful campaign, which resulted in consistent wins with numerous cats.

This reinforces two valuable lessons in breeding. One, that it pays dividends to study first and gain knowledge before diving into a breed; and two, that you need to be both ready and able to recognise and take up a valuable opportunity when it arrives, possibly unexpectedly.

Lastly, we gain a clearer insight into Miss Ellen Harper’s character, from an ‘Opinion’ which is quoted at the bottom of her entry into the Cat World’s Who’s Who. It reads:

All content © 2021 Felis Historica, The Harrison Weir Collection & The CFA Foundation, Inc.

Cover Page, featuring Miss Harper’s celebrated White, ‘The Blue-Eyed Wanderer’ ‘Our Cats’ Magazine, 20th April, 1901.¹ © Image courtesy of The Harrison Weir Collection.

All content © 2021 Felis Historica, The Harrison Weir Collection & The CFA Foundation, Inc.

“I should like to see the surplus proceeds from the various cat shows devoted to the humane purposes of aiding the different Homes for Stray Cats, as is done already in America.”

Such a comment would have no doubt gladdened the heart of Harrison Weir upon reading it, and it is easy to imagine him responding with a resounding “Hear hear!”

J.G. Smithson References: 1.

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‘Our Cats’ Magazine, 20th April, 1901 ‘Our Cats’ Magazine, 8th December, 1900 ‘Our Cats’ Magazine, 10th November, 1900 ‘Our Cats’ Magazine, 22nd December, 1900 ‘Our Cats’ Magazine, 29th December, 1900 ‘Black and White’ Magazine, 25th January, 1902 The Cat Club Register’, Vols 1-5 ‘Our Cats’ Magazine, 16th July, 1904 ‘Our Cats’ Magazine, 3rd June, 1905 ‘Our Cats’ Magazine, 19th August, 1905 ‘Breeders Postcard’, c1903 ‘The Book of The Cat’, by Frances Simpson, 1903 ‘Our Cats’ Magazine, 4th May, 1901 ‘Our Cats’ Magazine, 29th May, 1903 ‘Our Cats’ Magazine, 25th June, 1904 ‘Our Cats’ Magazine, 14th October, 1905 ‘Stud Book & Register of the Cat Fanciers Association’ , Vol 1 ‘Stud Book & Register of the Cat Fanciers Association’, Vol 4 ‘Our Cats’ Magazine, 17th November, 1900 ‘Our Cats’ Magazine, 19th January, 1901 ‘Our Cats’ Magazine, 29th April, 1911 ‘Our Cats’ Magazine, 6th December, 1902 ‘Our Cats’ Magazine, 15th March, 1902 ‘Our Cats’ Magazine, 14th February, 1900 ‘The Cat Manual’ (1902) Photos and Quotations as per credits noted

All content © 2021 Felis Historica, The Harrison Weir Collection & The CFA Foundation, Inc.

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

‘The Descendants of Bastet’ gives a complete overview of the first century of the Abyssinian breed, from the first mention of the breed in the early 1870s through until circa 1970. Additionally, chapters on the later development of the colors red, blue, and fawn ar included – plus the longhair version of the breed is discussed in a chapter on the origins of the Somali.

The book is 8 1/2 x 11. Pre-index, it is 265 pages chock full of historical information for Abyssinian lovers! It includes a great deal of registration information, pedigrees, progeny reports and photos of cats important to the breed history.

Preview of the introductory pages here – http://bit.ly/3aBqFys Contact Karen (catfanrep@gmail.com) for pre-order form.

No payment is due at this time; you will be contacted when the book is available for mailing.

A word from the Author…

The origins of the Abyssinian breed are unknown, and are likely to stay that way. While anecdotal stories tell of cats being imported from Abyssinia (now Somalia), geneticists have expounded theories that the breed originated in countries bordering on the Indian Ocean.

Records relate the early importation of cats, but from where is never specified.

Breeders have told stories of cats resembling the Abyssinian being found in Abyssinia, but they are hearsay and cannot be positively confirmed. So while origins will remain guesswork, and are explored in-depth herein, the unknown bits are most likely to remain guesswork forever.

The Descendants of Bastet weaves together what we do know and what can be confirmed regarding the history of the breed growth, in intimate detail, using pedigrees, progeny reports and historical records, starting with that first mention of Zula, on to Queen Jumbo who was the first registered Abyssinian. While we don’t know Queen Jumbo’s birthdate, we do know that she died in 1893. Other Abys of her era included Sedgemere Peaty and Sedgemere Bottle, both produced from unknown heritage; both, however, important to the early development of the breed and pedigrees.

This book is the exciting culmination of years of research, studying of pedigrees, scanning of photos and scrupulous reading of many old magazines in search of tidbits to include and expand upon. The first print run was limited to 175 copies, and there are a small number of copies still available for purchase. If you are interested, please contact Karen Lawrence at catfanrep@gmail.com.

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

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

Preview of the introductory pages is found at – http://bit.ly/3gOMM8b Contact John (nutrenz57@yahoo.com.au) for pre-order booking form.

A word from the Author…

What a long and amazing journey it has been, to collate, collect, curate and document the amazingly complex journey of the Blue Persian cat, from its genetic ancestral home in the mountainous regions of Khorasan province, to its establishment in Western Europe, and in particular, its strong foothold in the British Isles – a journey that took the best part of 260 years before it was finally recognised by a dedicated handful of English and Scottish breeders, as unique and full of beauty.

From relative obscurity in the mid 1880’s a small but growing band of faithful adherents to its cause, did the faithful groundwork behind this colour variety, which would see it rise to prominence in the world of cats, the formation of the largest specialty club in the world for a time, and an absolutely phenomenal period of expansion of its influence that mirrored the expansion of influence of the then British Empire.

The Blue Persian became the recognised ‘Prince’ of the Persian breed, the pinnacle of what could be achieved by any colour, if the same level of love and dedication was poured into new programs as the founders of the colour-bred Blue had poured into what had become, the cornerstone colour of the modern breed.

This writing of this first volume of the history of the Blue Persian has likewise allowed me to develop those necessary skills to tackle similar feline histories with a dedication that is all pervading. It is a privilege and a joy to embrace the detective work and pedigree research involved. I recognise the unique opportunity it has afforded me to meet and work with some amazingly talented and special like-minded individuals around the world, who share a similar or same passion. For that I am especially grateful.

BOYDSBENGALS BREAKING BAD, DM All content © 2021 Felis Historica, The Harrison Weir Collection & The CFA Foundation, Inc.

FACTFILE Pet name: ‘BREAKER’ Breed: Bengal (Male)

Colour/Pattern: Brown Rosetted / Spotted Tabby Date of Birth: October 10, 2014

Sire: Drinkwater Cloud Reflection

Dam: BoydsBengals Tequila Sunrise

Breeder/Owner: Melody Boyd Awards: First Bengal to earn the title of Distinguished Merit in CFA, 2020/2021

BREAKER’S STORY

By Melody Boyd I would like to say that Breaker came about through well-calculated, planned breeding, but it was also due to sheer luck and the kindness of the Bengal gods.

Breaker’s sire is Drinkwater Cloud Reflection, who I had only leased for about a year from Drinkwater Bengals. I had long admired Cloud Reflection’s mother, Dazzledots Vanilla Accents and when the opportunity came for me to lease him, I jumped on it.

Breaker’s mom, BoydsBengals Tequila Sunrise, is my home-grown girl. I would say that Breaker came about due to luck, because when it came down to picking between Tequila Sunrise and another female in the litter, I picked Tequila Sunrise. The other female I sold as a breeder, and she never produced.

When Breaker was born, I knew he was special. I remember when he was four weeks old, I had my good friend James Lubbad of PaintedCats Bengals visiting my house.

We always joke about the “Lubbad Luck” because Jim would always win prizes at the raffles. I asked Jim to collect swabs from Breaker to send to UC Davis for color testing. Sure enough, when the tests came back, he carried seal lynx point and melanistic.

Breaker himself is a shy boy and showing was never in the cards for him.

Jim Lubbad and I took him to his one and only cat show in Waco, Texas when he was about 10 months old. He didn’t get any finals, but what he did get, was a fantastic sitting with acclaimed cat photographer Helmi Flick.

In my humble opinion, Breaker’s stalking photo will go down in history as one of the best photos of a Bengal ever taken.

When Marianne Byrne saw Breaker’s photos, she asked me if she could use him as the “poster cat” for Bengals in CFA. Naturally, I could not refuse.

All content © 2021 Felis Historica, The Harrison Weir Collection & The CFA Foundation, Inc.

DRINKWATER CLOUD REFLECTION – Bred by Doreen Boilieu Sire of ‘BOYDSBENGALS BREAKING BAD’ Photos: Melody Boyd. Composite graphic: Mara Summers.

BOYDSBENGALS TEQUILA SUNRISE – Bred and owned by Melody Boyd.

Dam of ‘BOYDSBENGALS BREAKING BAD’ Photo: Melody Boyd All content © 2021 Felis Historica, The Harrison Weir Collection & The CFA Foundation, Inc.

CAT PHOTOGRAPHER HELMI FLICK’S FAMOUS STALKING POSTER SHOT OF ‘BREAKING BAD’ Chosen by the late Marianne Byrne as the ‘Breed Poster’ for Bengals in CFA. Photo: Courtesy of Helmi Flick Cat Photography.

I remember the day when retired CFA judge Rhett Bockman (who made the presentation to the CFA Board back on February 7, 2016 to have Bengals accepted into CFA), visited my home and my cattery.

Rhett was a close friend of Marianne Byrne of WildStyle Bengals, who spearheaded the acceptance of Bengals in CFA. Rhett looked at my females, my kittens, and then he looked at my studs.

When he saw Breaking Bad or “Breaker” as I called him, he said to me, in no uncertain terms, “Melody, that boy will be the first Bengal to earn the title of Distinguished Merit in CFA”.

At that time, Bengals had just been accepted into CFA and could be exhibited in the Miscellaneous class, starting May 1, 2016. I was a new exhibitor in CFA, and exhibited once or twice a year in TICA. I asked Rhett what the “Distinguished Merit” award meant.

He told me that for a male to earn the title of Distinguished Merit, he needed to sire 15 offspring that earned the title of Grand Champion or Grand Premier.

I gaped at Rhett, mouth open with incredulity, then laughed, shook my head and said “yeah, okay …” But Rhett said “mark my words, he will be the first Bengal DM.” All content © 2021 Felis Historica, The Harrison Weir Collection & The CFA Foundation, Inc.

BOYDSBENGALS BREAKING BAD DM in a ‘Beauty shot’ Photo: Courtesy of Helmi Flick Cat Potography All content © 2021 Felis Historica, The Harrison Weir Collection & The CFA Foundation, Inc.

BOYDSBENGALS BREAKING BAD DM Reclining, showing his well-defined rosettes on a contrasted ground colour.

Photo: Courtesy of Helmi Flick Cat Photography

Now, fast forward to the 2021/2022 season, four years after Bengals were accepted into championship. BoydsBengals not only has the first male Bengal DM, but we also have the first female Bengal DM – BoydsBengals Hearts Desire.

What makes this achievement for Breaker even more meaningful today is that at the October 2021 Board meeting, the CFA Board reduced the number of offspring for a male cat to achieve the title of Distinguished Merit from 15 to 10. This was due to years of lobbying by many CFA exhibitors claimed it was difficult, if not impossible for a male to achieve this title with 15 offspring.

Yet, the Breaker did it in the first 3 years of championship. How was this impossible task done? Through sheer stubbornness and resourcefulness. I recruited pet owners who had show quality Breaker cats, and they kindly let me show their pets in the Premier class, or they went to shows themselves to show their Breaker offspring.

Thankfully, most of the Breaker offspring had good temperaments and tolerated being shown, even though they had never been shown to a cat show (let alone out of their homes) beforehand.

All content © 2021 Felis Historica, The Harrison Weir Collection & The CFA Foundation, Inc.

BOYDSBENGALS HEARTS DESIRE DM CFA’s first Bengal female Distinguished Merit winner.

Photo: Courtesy of Helmi Flick Cat Photography.

I also had several breeders show their Breaker offspring in Championship. So, through the help of pet and breeder clients we were able to Grand five Breaker offspring in the first year in Championship, and then another five in the second year of Championship.

That’s when it dawned on me that Rhett’s prediction might actually come to pass, and Breaker could be the first Bengal DM in CFA.During the 2020/2021 COVID show season, I took it upon myself to show the last 5 Breaker offspring so Breaker could get this title. I kept back 5 show quality offspring and took them on the road as soon as shows started again, so that I could get the elusive DM title for Breaker.

Thankfully, the first four offspring Granded very quickly (they each granded in two or three shows). But it was number 15 that was the challenge. Number 15 happened to be BoydsBengals Storm Breaker, a silver charcoal rosetted Bengal. Probably the first silver charcoal shown in CFA in the U.S. I remember that Stormy did not get any finals or purples in his first two shows, and I was disconsolate.

But my friends kept encouraging me, and the tide turned at his third and fourth shows, since more and more judges had seen him and come to appreciate the beauty of a silver charcoal.

All content © 2021 Felis Historica, The Harrison Weir Collection & The CFA Foundation, Inc.

GC, BOYDSBENGALS STORM BREAKER -CFA’S FIRST SILVER CHARCOAL ROSETTED BENGAL GRAND CHAMPION Sired by BoydsBengals Breaking Bad DM. Bred by Melody Boyd. Co-Owned with Yanko and Iliana Gonzalez.

Photo: Courtesy of Helmi Flick Cat Photography.

All content © 2021 Felis Historica, The Harrison Weir Collection & The CFA Foundation, Inc.

The First Seventeen Grands sired by

BOYDSBENGALS BREAKING BAD DM

At his fifth show Stormy granded, history was made and Rhett Bockman’s prediction came true!

Breaker was essentially the swiss army knife of Bengals because of the many colors of kittens he could produce with the right female, and he did not disappoint.

Breaker sired the first brown charcoal Bengal to grand (GP, RW BoydsBengals Breakers Odell Beckham), the first snow charcoal Bengal to grand (GP BoydsBengals Snow Breaker), the first silver Bengal to grand (GC BoydsBengals Sterling Star) and the first silver charcoal Bengal to grand in CFA (GC BoydsBengals Storm Breaker).

Breaker also sired the Breed Winner for the 2019/2020 Show Season, GC, BWR, RW BoydsBengals Chain Breaker. Breaker is truly a producer of champions.

All content © 2021 Felis Historica, The Harrison Weir Collection & The CFA Foundation, Inc.

The first set of 5 of the Grands to make up ‘Breaker’s’ Distinguished Merit title.

Photos by Helmi Flick and Chanan respectively, as shown.

On this and the next two pages, we show all fifteen of Breaker’s Granded progeny, that contributed to his DM title, their registered pedigree names, and titles: Top left: GP BoydsBengals Prince Charming Top centre: GC BoydsBengals Damsel in Suede Top right: GC Jensayla’s Breaker of Hearts Bottom left: GC, BWR, RW BoydsBengals Chain Breaker Bottom right: GP Breaker’s Odell Beckham All content © 2021 Felis Historica, The Harrison Weir Collection & The CFA Foundation, Inc.

The second set of 5 of the Grands to make up ‘Breaker’s’ Distinguished Merit title.

Photos by Helmi Flick Cat Photography.

Top: GP BoydsBengals Ground Breaker Middle left: GP BoydsBengals Princess Cleopatra (blue background) Middle right: GP Jensayla’s Coach Cal (snow on orange background) Bottom left: GP BoydsBengals Breaker’s Kentucky Blue (teal green background) Bottom right: GP BoydsBengals Winter Flurry All content © 2021 Felis Historica, The Harrison Weir Collection & The CFA Foundation, Inc.

The third set of 5 of the Grands to make up ‘Breaker’s’ Distinguished Merit title.

Photos by Helmi Flick Cat Photography and Melody Boyd (where shown).

Top left: GC BoydsBengals Storm Breaker (silver charcoal on blue. Photo: Helmi Flick) Top right: GP BoydsBengals Break of Day (Photo: Melody Boyd) Bottom left: GC, RW BoydsBengals Breaking News (olive green background. Photo: Helmi Flick) Middle right: GP BoydsBengals Snow Breaker (Photo: Helmi Flick) Bottom right: GP BoydsBengals Day Break (Photo: Melody Boyd) All content © 2021 Felis Historica, The Harrison Weir Collection & The CFA Foundation, Inc.

GP, BOYDSBENGALS SNOW BREAKER

GC, BOYSBENGALS STERLING SILVER

GC, RW BOYDSBENGALS BREAKING NEWS Photos: Courtesy of Helmi Flick Cat Photography.

All content © 2021 Felis Historica, The Harrison Weir Collection & The CFA Foundation, Inc.

BOYDSBENGALS ASPEN ROSE

BOYDSBENGALS ON CLOUD 9

Kitten photos

by Melody Boyd

BOYDSBENGALS GOLIATH

I am now enjoying exhibiting ‘Breaker’ grandchildren, among them BoydsBengals Aspen Rose, BoydsBengals Goliath, and BoydsBengals On Cloud 9, (all shown above). I am proud that they are ‘Breaker’ grandkids. It is fitting that the poster cat for Bengals in CFA is now the first Bengal DM in CFA. Marianne Byrne passed away in February 2021 and she did not get to see Breaker get his DM. However, I am sure she is in heaven smiling and saying to other cat fanciers there with her “See, I picked the right poster cat for Bengals in CFA.” Melody Boyd All content © 2021 Felis Historica, The Harrison Weir Collection & The CFA Foundation, Inc.

HARRISON WILLIAM WEIR

OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF

FATHER OF THE CAT FANCY

THE HARRISON WEIR COLLECTION

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

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HARRISON WILLIAM WEIR

An International Monthly Magazine

FATHER OF THE CAT FANCY

Dedicated to Domestic and Fancy Cats

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

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We Wish You A ‘Tis the season to be jolly!!

Cat fanciers around the world celebrate many different Holidays. Even though we have a wide variety of Holidays around the world, the cat unites us all.

Unfortunately, some families will be celebrating a first Holiday without a loved one due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For those that have suffered the grief of losing a loved one, my heart goes out to you and your families.

COVID-19 has had a major detrimental effect on our associations around the world. We, in CFA, were forced to stop our show production for about 8 months. This had the untoward effect of not being able to award our beautiful cats the national wins that so many of our breeders and exhibits vie for every year. Many precautions were taken to ensure that the environment was safe for our show personnel, the exhibitors, and the judges.

DARRELL NEWKIRK PRESIDENT The Cat Fanciers’ Association

Additionally, we allowed two trainees progressing the judging program to train during the show.

Measures were taken to comply with minimal guidelines for social distancing at the show.

We just passed the one year anniversary of that show. It was a much different look this year. Cages were not spaced 6 feet apart. Many of our exhibitors are now fully vaccinated and some have even gotten the booster shots that have been offered to the fully vaccinated. COVID-19 continues to be an issue, but the numbers seem to be subsiding! That is good news.

However, no one should let down their guard as some people that are fully vaccinated have become infected with the virus. Hopefully, in the near future, we will be at a place where masks will be a part of our history!

Meowy Christmas!

Being of the Christian faith, my celebration will center around Christmas and the celebration of the birth of Christ.

I understand that many of you have other religious faiths and there are similar celebrations around those beliefs. Whichever faith and related Holiday you celebrate, please enjoy those celebrations with your family and friends.

The celebrations that accompany the Holidays should be a time of giving, a time of loving, and a time of sharing. Even though we have many organizations around the world that are the registering bodies of the cat fancy, many of those offspring are shared between the breeders between those registering bodies.

The sharing of those lines makes for strong bonds between friends from all around the world.

It often creates some genetic diversity in those breeds. We don’t need a Holiday to share valuable information between breeders around the world. We also need to provide assistance and education to those that have developed a fondness for a particular breed.

Those that start this new venture will have a great many questions about the correct behavior to advance the quality and type of the breed. It requires patience to work with a protégé to make sure they are working toward the same goal.

As the President of the Cat Fanciers’ Association, Inc., I would like to wish everyone health and happiness during this Holiday Season. May all your wishes come to fruition during the next year.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year my friends!

Darrell Newkirk CFA President

The Harrison Weir Collection Above: Just one of several original paintings

by Harrison William Weir, acquired for the Collection during 2021.

‘Duck swimming with ducklings’ (1880)

Wishing all our visitors and readers a joyous and

Blessed Christmas with family, friends and beloved pets, and a

Happy New Year!

Page graphics: www.gograph.com

www.felis-historica.com ‘Felis Historica’ takes this opportunity to gratefully acknowledge our loyal subscribers for their support over the first eighteen months of our venture to provide an online magazine devoted to all things cat related.

Wishing you all a joyous Christmas spent with your family and beloved pets

Love * Joy * Peace Page graphic: www.gograph.com

‘Home for the Holidays’ – a half page wood-block engraving from a design by Harrison Weir, depicting a boy being delivered by coach from London to Lewes, to the gate of the family homestead for Christmas.

www.gograph.com

www.gograph.com

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IN OUR UPCOMING ISSUES – HAPPY NEW YEAR ! – 2022 !

HISTORIC CATS

MODERN DAY CATS

HIRAJA (Siamese) DOB: Apr. 18, 1907

GC, NW, DW, BW. VENEZIA REDSILVER SURFER OF TIGGERLAND

THE MARQUIS OF DINGLEY (LH) DOB: Mar 24, 1901

GC, BWR, NW. KASANOVAKATZ REYNAH (Burmilla LH)

FULMER ROY (Blue Persian) DOB: Aug. 26, 1896

SDGC. CHERJON RICARDO (Burmilla SH)

GOLFSTICKS (Black Manx) DOB: July, 1900

SDGC. CHERJON SHOGUN (Burmilla SH)

GALLERIES

BREED FEATURES

GENETICS & GALLERY OF MAINE COONS

THE MAINE ANGORA (Maine Coon)

GENETICS & GALLERY OF BURMILLAS & ASIAN SHS

THE BURMILLA (The Burmilla SH and LH)

CFAF ARTICLES

TOPICAL ARTICLES

THE CATS TEA PARTY – CAT FANCIER STYLE!

TUNDRA (Maine Coon) – His week from hell!

…and much more!!!

LUNA – (Burmilla/Companion Cat) – Our Blue-eyed Girl!

Photo: courtesy of Catherine Holmes Photography