CFA's First Distinguished Merit Cats
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
FEATURES CFA’s First Distinguished Merit Cats by Marianne Clark very year the Almanac celebrates the newest Distinguished Merit (19th Best Cat, 1982) and GC, GP, NW Tufpaws Pepe Le Peu of Cheyenne cats for the past show year. Many breeders consider this the most (9th Best Cat in Premiership, 1984). prestigious of titles and awards bestowed on a cat. I’m fortunate In the Persian divisions, many of the breeders of the first DMs have to have cats who have earned this title. I attribute this luck to the passed away. For example, the breeder, Mrs. V.V. Schuh, and owner, Mr. E and Mrs. S. Weston, of the Solid Color Division’s GC Skyway’s Gai Doll love of showing that so many Japanese Bobtails seem to possess. Distinguished Merit cats have produced cats who love people, love show- of Simbelair, DM, have been gone for several years and we were unable to ing and are not easily intimidated by new situations. I commend all the find information on this cat. breeders who have worked long and hard to improve their breeds and the However, Conni Davis of Catsrealm is still active in the fancy and cats that helped them! relates that CH Le Neux’s Hoot of Docia-Dao, DM produced several black The Distinguished Merit award was conceived in 1987. The list of the smoke Persian grands, the first of which was born a few months before first Distinguished Merit cats includes cats whose awards were given years Conni bought “Hoot.” Conni states, “I had purchased and was showing this after they actually attained their last qualifying offspring. Unfortunately, smoke female kitten at the time Hoot was sold to me. The list of the grands many breed council secretaries and long time breeders were not able to fur- she produced were all were smoke females and all were sired by CH Blu- nish information on some of these “pioneers.” I would invite anyone who Acre Kris of Docia-Dao, a colorbred blue.” At a later date Connie also has knowledge of the cats I was unable to track down, to please let us know acquired “Kris” from the Yoders of Docia-Dao Cattery. Hoot’s grands about these exceptional cats. included GC Docia-Dao’s Bonanza of Catsrealm (1969), GC Catsrealm Alphabetically by breed, the first DM listed is GC, BW, RW Bienquista (1971), GC Catsrealm Berrenda of Nor-Mont (1971), GC Procurlharem Lauren Bacurll, DM, American Curl Longhair. She was bred Catsrealm Balada of Debut (1972) and GC Catsrealm Brocada (1973). and is still owned today by Caroline Scott and Hoot, by the way, was homozygous for the shading gene; Conni did Michael Tucker. Caroline reports “Lauren breed her to a shaded cameo male (he carried a solid gene), but as usual for Bacurll” helps her type on the computer, Hoot, she had a large litter (always 4 to 6) of all shaded/smoke kittens. answer emails and is still producing kittens. The first Parti-Color DM was CH Tao-Lu’s Shalimar of Palmaire, DM, She earned her title March 20, 1999. a blue-cream. According to Persian Breed Council Secretary Susan Cook The very first Exotic DM, GC Bryn Mawr Henry, “Shelly” produced the bulk of her GC offspring when bred to GC Funny Girl, DM, born in 1975, was not con- Bar-B The Wiz of Mystichill, DM. This is a pair behind so many of our con- firmed a DM until this past year. Her DM eli- temporary Persians. gibility was discovered by Helen Listema and The first Turkish Van DM, CH Santir Candy Kiss of Pairodocs, DM, Barb Brush, who have been auditing the older earned her award on February 6, 1999 when she was almost eleven years Yearbooks to make sure we had accurate infor- old. Her owners, Deborah C. Hayes and Karen L. Hooker, are still in the cat mation on all the early Grand Champions. The fancy and, to quote Karen, “…a little older, plumper and grayer” (aren’t dedicated group of Line Chasers (of which many of us!). “Candy” was their very first female Turkish Van. She is still there are many members) are responsible for alive and doing well! They feel that Candy has made quite an impact on the GC, BW, RW Procurlharem identifying almost 20 cats who were eligible Turkish Van breed, not only by being the first DM, but also through her con- Lauren Bacurll, DM for DM status but were not previously recog- tribution towards the dilutes in the breed; her offspring and theirs are in nized. Most of these cats attained eligibility prior to the DM title being insti- breeding programs across the world. “We are very proud of her and her con- tuted in 1987. tributions,” states Karen. GC Bryn Mawr Funny Girl, DM, born July 18, 1975, was bred by The first American Shorthair DM is a rarity in this elite group, a male! Werner, Irene and Mike Kachel. “Funny Girl” was second generation from He was GC Sandef’s Robt. E. Lee, DM, bred by Earl and Jo Ann Sandefur one of the shorthair crosses that brought the shorthaired gene to the Exotic (Jo Ann is CFA Judge Jo Ann Cummings). Although CH Apache Peta, DM, breed. Her father was GC Ol-Ray La Beau of Bryn Mawr and her mother bred and owned by Alayne Poeltl, actually was CH Jeannel Sassafrass, a first-generation Exotic resulting from the accumulated her qualifying offspring before marriage between GC, NW Jeannel Old Spice, a blue Persian and Adam’s Robt. E. Lee, she was not confirmed until Rib Moonfire, a cream tabby American Shorthair. Funny Girl was granded recently. Robt. E. Lee was the first American by the Kachels and then sold to Dr. and Mrs. Matthew K. Becker after being Shorthair confirmed with this title in CFA, so bred to CH Bryn Mawr Le Baron. This litter, born in 1978, resulted in three he stands as the “first.” grand offspring. Her next two litters bred to GC Prim-Pet Brandy Wine of Sandef’s Robt. E. Lee was a very prepotent Jama Kats, DM produced one grand offspring in each litter. boy who produced incredible kittens for the Irene Kachel, Funny Girl’s breeder, was surprised when Funny Girl was Sandef Cattery. He was later sold to Margot confirmed a DM. As the DM title was not in effect at that time, no one real- Mellies (Miribu Cattery), who also used him in ly paid that much attention to how many grands a cat had produced. her extensive breeding program. John Philpot The first Maine Coon DM is CH Sundar Tiffany of Tufpaws, DM. Her (Jo-Ni Cattery) credits Sandef’s Robt. E. Lee breeders were Mr. and Mrs. Ted Voth, now deceased. The owners of as one of the most important foundation males “Tiffany” were Mark and Fran Bejcek who are responsible for making her of American Shorthair history. GC Sandef’s Robt. E. Lee, DM a DM, but they are no longer in the cat fancy. They stopped breeding in Sandef’s Robt. E. Lee’s mother, CH 1986 when they divorced. Tiffany produced the first two CFA national win- Sandef’s Ghost, was a gorgeous girl. In “Ghost’s” last litter there were three ning Maine Coon kitties. She was the mother of GC, NW Tufpaws Rosette outstanding kittens: CH Miribu’s Molly Pitcher, Sandef’s Ulysses S. Grant Cat Fanciers’Almanac 38 December 2005/January 2006 and Sandef’s Robt. E. Lee. All three kittens developed dramatically. same sweet disposition. She was spayed at the “Ulysses” was shown by Susie Brown in premiership where he granded. age of five and is retired and living the good life Robt. E. Lee and his brother Ulysses, both large males, weighed in at about as a beloved pet with another retired lady in a 15 pounds. Robt. E. Lee produced silvers, of course, but he also gave the cat small town in Oregon. fancy dynamic browns and blues of outstanding quality. He produced 18 GC Jena Tu-Thai, DM, a female, was CFA’s grands to earn his well-deserved DM. If you dig back in pedigrees, Sandef’s Second Best Korat in 1980. She was bred and Robt. E. Lee’s name can be found as a contributing factor to so many of owned by Jean Soich, who is now retired from today’s successes.1 cats and living in Palm Springs. “Tu Thai’s” According to breeder and owner CFA Judge Bob Molino, the first seal- DM was achieved in 1985. Her other achieve- lynx Colorpoint Shorthair DM, GC Sanlino Prima Linca, DM, has a pedi- ments include Best of Breed in the Midwest gree that is very similar to GC, NW Sanlino GC Jena Tu-Thai, DM Region in 1979-1980 and 1980-1981. Tu-Thai Mary Queen of Scots, a beautiful seal point is found in many, many Korat pedigrees. Siamese who was the first to win a NW as both Lupracan Mus Tillie of Nufurs, DM was a full (not docked) tailed girl a kitten and as an adult in the same show sea- bred by Mary Stewart but owned by Susan and William Nuffer. Susan son. They were both out of Bob’s outstanding states, “She was a blending of many seal point boy, CH Alasmar Drusus of Sanlino, lines. I bred “Tillie” as I bred all my a UK import who is behind many of the finest cats – to enjoy and, if possible, Siamese, Colorpoint and Oriental lines in the show.