THE AMERICAN SHORTHAIRS

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HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN SHORTHAIR - Page 3

by Valerie Anne Edwards (Crown E cattery)

 

FROM RICHES TO RAGS
As more breeds were developed and imported, it became necessary to give this breed a new name. Domestic Short-Hair was then selected to mean those strains of European and English originated shorthaired cats that had been developed domestically (in America), since the American version of this breed was usually broader bodied with superior balance, necessary to provide the jumping ability and power prized by American farmers.


The "Domestic" name proved to be a grave mistake. The name was construed to mean everything from native (versus foreign), to household (as in domestic servants), to domesticated (a term which covers any breed or mixbreed). Sharp hustlers took advantage of this confusion to market weedy, poorly bred purebreds and assorted shorthaired cats from accidental mismatings as "domestics". The public quickly became wary of all cats identified as "domestics", whether spelled with a capital or small "D". Kitten prices plummeted accordingly. By 1939, even good quality purebred "Domestic" kittens could be purchased for $5.00 [10]. Despite the reduced market, a few dedicated people continued selectively mating the best true breeding representatives available.


One prominent breeder of special note was Mrs.Frank W. Freudenthal of Darien, Connecticut, who began working with Americans by purchasing Capitol, an AOC ("Any Other Color", a designation for colors not accepted for championship competitition) female, registered in the CFA Kitten Register as a blue tabby, born August 10,1918. With two silver tabby parents, there was a high probability that Capitol was actually an early "blue-silver" tabby, also called"dilute silver tabby" or "pewter tabby", a color which was not granted championship status until nearly the 21st century. Learn about the genetics of the blue and blue-silver tabby colors by requesting articles "A Rainbow of Colors" and "Genetics of the American Shorthair" from the author. Capitol was the daughter of Crown Candy Kid and Ch.Crown Silver Argie. Mrs. Freudenthal first used the Brookside prefix for one of Capitol's daughters, "Brookside Angela", which was exported to Mrs. Pownall in England. Mrs. Freudenthal became well-known for exhibiting winning silver tabby female Americans, beginning with her Ch. Brookside Pollywog (an inbred daughter of Sir Oliver and Westbank Chin San), born in June of 1935 and bred by Mrs. Helen O'Neal-Palmer. Pollywog won "Best Shorthaired Cat" in Danbury, Connecticut in 1938 and "Best of Breed" at the Empire show in 1938 and Atlantic Cat Club show in 1939, a difficult task for a female belonging to a breed with a standard written to favor males. Mrs. Freudenthal's next female star was Gr.Ch. Aztec's Belinda, born May 19,1945, sired by Ch.Aztec and out of Ch.Sweet Sue of Cobourg, who won the CATS Magazine annual cumulative award for "All-Eastern" and "All-American" in the "Best Silver Tabby Female American Shorthair" category, from 1947 through 1952. In 1953, Belinda again won "All-Eastern Best Silver Tabby female American". In 1954, Mrs.Freudenthal won BOTH "Best All-Eastern Silver Tabby Female American" and "Honorable Mention All-Eastern Silver Tabby Female American", as Belinda accepted her final cumulative award (honorable mention) at nine years old, while Mrs. Freudenthal's replacement star, Double Gr.Ch. Benmost Bore's Sheila, who was born May 6, 1952, bred by Mr. & Mrs. James D. MacRae, sired by the inbred Ch.Rosenberg's Silver Prince out of Ch.Semiramus Benmost Bore. Semiramus was sired by Ch.Aztec's Texian, a full-brother to the retiring Gr. Ch.Aztec's Belinda, crossed to an inbred Cobourg line queen to produce Semiramus. Sheila's coefficient of inbreeding was 0.002, indicating a very low level of duplication of ancestors appearing on both sides of her pedigree. Sheila won the CATS Magazine award for "All-Eastern Silver Tabby Female American", "All-Eastern Silver Tabby American" and "American-Honorable-Mention Silver Tabby Female American" for 1954 and 1955. Although Mrs. Freudenthal continued breeding through the sixties, she was seldom seen at shows located more than one hour from her home.

Other prominent breeders of the 1930's included Mrs. Clement Gerson (Tipsan) of Chicago, Illinois, Mrs. Martin Metcalfe (Djer-Kits) of Detroit, Michigan, Mrs. Daye Remington (Abingdon & Kingsdown)of New York City, New York, Mr. Edward C. Mayer,Jr and future wife, Jessie James Mayer (Go-Seek-Us)of Martztown,Pennsylvania, Mrs. Ralph A. Wilkinson of Stamford, Connecticut, Mr. J. W. James of Toronto, Canada, and Mrs. H. L. West [24] Mr. W. L. Wallace of Bronx, New York, Mrs. S.E. Gerard of Brooklyn, New York and Harriet Flint of Long Island, New York, concentrated on producing winning red tabbies from the mid-twenties until World War II.

 

The Westbank prefix of Mrs. Francis O. Pratt of Rye, New York, was common on both silver and brown tabby American Shorthairs, most unfortunately sporting a very plain looking head with weak muzzle, close set, somewhat almond shaped eyes, offset by a striking pattern, clear color, and typey body. One exception to the poor heads from this line can be seen on Ch. Westbank Chief Yonkers.22 Mrs. Pratt wrote an article in the December 1936 THE CAT GAZETTE, about the history of the Westbank cats, reporting that she obtained the cat she named "Westbank Chief Yonkers" from a farm in upstate New York, owned by her husband's parents, further claiming that Mr. Pratt's father purchased "Greenwich Buzzing Stripes" (Ch.The Buzzing Silver, Imp., out of the silver tabby queen, Silvia, Imp.), nicknamed Buzzy Jr. and bred her with his best brown tabby Shorthair stud, an inbred descendant of the family line of purebred hunting barn cats, selectively bred for intelligence, hunting talent, athleticism, health, striking color and loyalty to the family, since the early 1800s. Later, Mr. Pratt purchased "Pratt's Silver Boy" (Ch.Silver Stripes, Imp. X Ch.Dame Fortune II, Imp.) from Miss Jane Cathcart, to serve as his stud at a second barn, built in 1916, mating this cat with Buzzy Jr.'s daughters and grand-daughters, creating an inbred line with type, color and pattern similar to duplicated ancestor, Eng. Ch. James II. Rather than pay for registering the fifteen years of pedigree that would be necessary to connect "Westbank Chief Yonkers" with ancestors, "Pratt's Silver Boy" and "Greenwich Buzzing Stripes", Mrs. Pratt registered Chief Yonkers using an affadavit of purebreeding and showed him to his championship title in CFA, CFF and ACA, which the cat fancy accepted as proof of pure breeding at the time. Fortunately, Ch.Westbank Chief Yonkers crossed well with Mrs. Pratt's selection of mates for him.


Dr. Frances L. MacCraken of Detroit, Michigan (who began in 1930 and registered her Torchlight cats mostly in the UCCA association she founded) and using the Mosque as her cattery name in CFA. The Torchlight/Mosque cats came closest to retaining the lovely heads and strong muscular bodies of the early American Shorthairs, although one male had such extreme ticking/tipping that he benefitted Mrs. C.F. Kunkler's Springbrook cattery, as she worked to gain CFA championship status for chinchilla and shaded silver Americans, by proving that these colors could be produced consistently, utilizing colors natural to the American Shorthair breed, but with no hybrid outcrossing to silver Longhairs, Abyssinians or Siamese. CFA Championship status was finally granted to chinchilla and shaded silver Americans in 1951,eleven years after the birth of her foundation queen, Snooti of Springbrook, a shaded silver bred by Mrs. Orville Stewart of Arlington cattery, from the cross of Arlington Twinkle, a green-eyed white son of a Torchlight silver tabby and a gold-eyed white, mated with Arlington Tippy, a green-eyed blue and white bicolor daughter of a black and white bicolor bred to an imported blue British Shorthair queen, imported as companion and foster mother for kittens from a Persian queen Mrs. Stewart imported at the same time. Mrs. Kunkler's breeding program was based on intensive inbreeding back to Snooti of Springbroook, a queen whose pedigree delivered a variety of bloodlines so unrelated that the coefficient of inbreeding for the pedigree was 0.002, which made an ideal foundation for selecting,developing and setting desired new features. Mrs. Kunkler did outcross to a green-eyed black stud, named Pete, a silver tabby stud, named Ch.Benmost Bore's Conan of Springbrook and one white stud, who was the least successful option for her. Robbi of Springbrook, shaded silver son of Pete and Snooti, was one of Mrs.Kunkler's favorite studs. Other Torchlight/Mosque Americans contributed strongly to restoring the beautiful heads and massive, powerful bodies that attracted owners and artists to their beauty back to the eighteenth century (see two paintings mentioned in the early part of this history, since they show off breed type prior to the invention of photography.


In 1934, a silver tabby American Shorthair stud caused a stir by winning "Second Best Cat" in the largest Allbreed show in New York, the Empire cat show.[26] Although Americans often won "Best Shorthaired Cat" in show, placing Best or Second Best Cat in an allbreed show, against the huge classes of Persian Longhairs, was unexpected. That particular winner was named "Ch. Prince Mickey of Cobourg", a son of Ch.Prince Charming of the Mosque (A.K.A. Ch. "Prince Charming of Torchlight" in ACA and UCCA) and CFA Ch. Lady Mickey, born December 14,1930, bred in partnership by Mrs. H. J. Loftus-Price of Toronto, Canada, her nephew-in-law, Mr. Price Cross (Mao and Texian catteries), a serious breed mentor who moved around Texas, from Dallas to San Antonio to Houston to Fort Worth, etc., Mrs. S. Grace Hinchcliffe, of Toronto, Canada (Cobourg cattery name), who competed with Mrs. Loftus-Price until they partnered for Prince Mickey of Cobourg. Mr. Roy Hilyar, a Texan who enjoyed winning at cat shows, purchased parnership in various of the Cobourg cats, and handled their show careers in the United States,while Miss Hinchcliffe and Mrs. Loftus-Price showed them in Canada. Price Cross and Miss Hinchcliffe primarily concentrated on breeding and raising kittens,including rating their show potential.


We have the pedigree of Ch. Lady Mickey today thanks to Price Cross and Dr. MacCraken convincing Mrs. Loftus-Price to provide a full four generation pedigree for UCCA registration and publication in ALL-PETS MAGAZINE. Since Lady Mickey's parents were both ACA registered, Mrs. Loftus-Price did not list them on her CFA registration application for Lady Mickey, providing a blank for linechasers searching CFA studbooks, unless following very old breeder-pedigrees, from another linechaser's prized collection.


THE FOUNDATION OF MODERN BLOODLINES
Anyone attempting to trace the ancestry of many American Shorthair bloodlines from the late twenties through the early forties, will need to visit a library for The UCCA STUDBOOKS, as published in ALL-PETS Magazine.[25] This registry was a short-lived Association of rebels which eventually merged back into ACA, from which it originally split, under the guidance of American Shorthair breeder, Dr. Frances MacCraken.. Dr. MacCraken also convinced farms with pure hunting bloodlines to register their best breeding stock. At the same time, she told show breeders about the best farm lines she discovered, so that show bloodlines could recover the broad heads with square muzzles and massive bodies that disrtinguished the breed for many decades before the cat fancy incorrectly assumed that type was so solidly set that they could focus on color and pattern, without losing type.


The first CFA grand champion American Shorthair was the blue-eyed white ASH female, Nor-Mont's Angelique, born April 19, 1948. She was sired by Ch. My White King out of his own dam, Ch. My Easter Lilly.[28] Angelique was bred and owned by Mrs. Merald E. Hoag, who lived in Rockville, Maryland.


Major silver tabby winners in the 1940's were Dr. C.W.Faulk's Ch.Aztec, Mrs. Frank W. Freudenthal's Ch.Brookside Pollywog, Mrs. S. Grace Hinchcliffe & Roy Hilyars' Ch. My Laddy Boy of Cobourg and Mrs. Merald Hoag Gr.Ch. H.M.S. Mystical of Cobourg.


Mrs. La Verne Chapman of Plymouth, Michigan was well noticed at shows, when she exhibited her black stud, Ch.Ebony Mike, her blue-eyed white stud, Ch.Margot's Snow King, and her silver tabby queen, Gr.Ch.Lavender Silver Belle, one of the first CFA grand champion Americans. Mrs. Chapman also bred and exhibited two of Mike's black daughters, Ch. Panella Punkins and Ch. Nola Bab, both out of Ch.Ebon Lady Julia,who was bred by Miss Mildred Avery of Philadelphia, PA. Julia was sired by J.Wellington Wimpy II, out of Mt. Vernon's Little Sheena. Mrs. Chapman's willingness to share her studs, via stud service, benefitted the spread of their genes through the American Shorthair gene pool.  Snow King sired offspring out of six queens, none owned by Mrs.Chapman, while Ebony Mike sired offspring out of four queens, two of them owned by Mrs.Chapman, herself.

Mrs. R. R. Hecht of Normandy, Missouri and her Vee-Roi cattery snagged a proportion of allbreed finals wins with their silver tabbies, Ch. Silver Ace of Vee-Roi and his son, Ch.Silver Czar of Vee-Roi, while competing with their foundation red tabby stud, Ch. Vee-Roi's Red Robin, whose offspring obtained serious notice in the next decade. Mrs. Bryan Shine's blue-eyed whites World War II slowed up cat breeding and showing along with most activities usually considered hobbies.

 

 

Mrs. Helen Picciano (Pussy Willow) of Maspeth, New York was one of the most persistent forties fanciers. Her CFA & CFF Ch. Silver Boy Brutus, bred by Holly and Joe Crow was registered in CFF and CFA without listing his parents' names, so the final UCCA studbook again provides additional information for Brutus and his litter-sister, ACFA Ch.Silver Boy Baale of Gray Horse Farm, identifying their sire as Torchlight's Don Silver and their dam as Silver Boy Cora. Silver Boy Cora was sired by Edward C. Mayer, Jr.'s Silver Cloud, out of Ch.Westbank Chinley. The author once had a photograph of Ch. Silver Boy Brutus and there was no mistaking his correct breed identity, necessary for any cat to win several allbreed Best-in-Show wins, as Brutus did.


During the 1950's, prominent catteries on the west coast included Gilmore, Sunset Hills, Thel-Wards, Renee/Reene. On the east coast, Shawnee, Vikiri, Rockridge, Clover Ridge, Lavender, Chirn Sai-Hai, Rockhaven, Barlyn, Samdur, Clover Ridge and McKnight were catteries that produced winners. In the midwest,Karabee, Missouri,Silver Quest, Bam-Bee Acres and Solon were noted for a variety of colors. The Southwest was represented by Re-Ru, Benmost Bore, Navajo, Ramayana, Gray Horse Farm and Biru.


Particularly influential were Charles Wellington's CH.Gryffn and Price Cross' Mao silver tabbies. Mr. Cross believed that breeding silver tabbies to a black smokes (with green eyes) every few generations would deepen the black of the silver tabbies. Frank & Myra Lockery's My-Lo cats combined the Aztec, Gryffn and Cobourg lines in Texas. [31]


The first American to win CFA Cat of the Year (1957) was Gr.Ch., NW, Ebony Queen of Nor-Mont, a gorgeous gold-eyed solid black female born April 13, 1956. sired by Sir Ebony (Austen Acres Farm and Mt.Vernon lines) and out of CH. White Lily, a gold-eyed white daughter of Mrs. Hoag's CH.My White King, a blue-eyed white mated with the gold-eyed tortoiseshell, CH.Pentagon Chitter Chat. Ebony Queen and her littersister, "White Water Lilly" (owned by Mrs.Jackie Millard of F.L.E.I.G. cattery), were bred by Mrs. Paul Cox.

GC,NW,COTY EBONY QUEEN OF NOR-MONT, BLACK black female genuine American Shorthair cat

GC.NW Ebony Queen of Nor-Mont

GC,NW, COTY Ebony Queen of Nor-Mont was owned and expertly campaigned by Mrs. Merald E. (Maurine) Hoag, who then sold her to Mrs. Norma Barts of Barlyn cattery, later buying her grand-daughter, Gr.Ch. Barlyn's Ebony Duchess of Nor-Mont, daughter of Ch.Stoneybrook Mr. Claws and Ch. Barlyn's Miss Mandy, enhibiting that queen to Best of Breed in 1959-60. Soon after that Mrs. Hoag phased out her American Shorthair breeding to focus on Persians and boarding until she died in 1987.


Ch.Barlyn Black Empress, littersister to GC Barlyn's Ebony Duchess of Nor-Mont, was sold to Mr. & Mrs. Wilfred James, who leased her to Anne Burton, for whom she produced Ch. Anne's Black Opal of Rugby, prominent in modern pedigrees descending through Bili-Basha to Cyma, Satin Song, Bushome, Jamas and then through Janessa, Tabbytin, P urr-Bastet, Sol-Mer and too many to mention. 


Mrs. Cox leased CH White Lily to the Bjerkengs, who produced Gr.Ch. Karabee Lilly Belle and Karabee Lilly Star from her, in 1954, returning her to Mrs. Cox, for whom she produced both Gr.Ch.,NW Ebony Queen of Nor-Mont and White Water Lilly in 1956. All twenty-first century American Shorthairs can trace through Karabee cattery to CH White Lily, adding one more connection to the bloodlines mentioned in the previous paragraph. GC Karabee Lilly Belle can be found in pedigrees descending from Shawnee, Esquire, Playmates, Rococo,Bushome, Sol-Mer and their descendants.


CH White Lily had a gold-eyed white littersister, named CH Lily-Leo, who is behind modern smokes, solid colors and mackerel tabbies, desceded through Gray Horse Farm. Bur-Mur Farm, Aberdeen, Ran- Win and Jolly Rogers lines.


Then came Jenna...Ramayana Jenna of Gray Horse Farm, the fourth American Shorthair (second silver tabby) to earn her CFA Grand Championship and a very special cat. In 1958 this spectacular silver tabby female, bred by Mrs. J. D. Elliott, owned by Mrs. Whitney Abt, was awarded the CATS MAGAZINE award All-Southern Cat over all other breeds competing in the Southern Region of the United States (covering competition in CFA, ACA,CFF, ACFA and all other American registries in existence at the time).[35] Prior to Jenna's win, CATS MAGAZINE leading regional cat title had been held by either a Persian or a Siamese. Her dam was a full sister to the 1960 CFA Gr. Ch. Lavender Silver Pattern. Jenna was also a great-granddaughter of Ch. Silver Boy Brutus. In a conversation with the author in June of 1987, Mrs. Abt reported that she rejected an offer of $2,000., tended in 1958, for Jenna.


A group of West Coast breeders and fanciers had become so fed up with the confusion surrounding the name Domestic that, in 1961, they formed an unaffiliated club, titled The American Shorthair Cat Association for the express purpose of convincing all of the registry organizations to rename the breed American Shorthair. Time and patience were required, but these tenacious people kept at it. Today, all registry organizations finally do call the breed "American Shorthair" and most books have eliminated false trivia about the breed being recognized for championship showing within a few years of the specific book's publication date, from the 1930's to the mid 1950's, all equally incorrect.


When British imports were allowed, they had to submit a GCCF certified 3 generation pedigree, revealing no Persians mixed into the lines. Jezreel was the last purebreeding line in England, utilizing heavy inbreeding to avoid cross-breeding, while producing cats that more closely matched the American standard than the British, so these wonderful individuals were considered "pet quality" in their own country. The final four British legally imported as American SH by June Brown of Juno cattery in the 1970s included CFA GC Jezreel Tango, CH. Jezreel Taurus of Red Spice, CFA GC Jezreel Mortimor of Codel and CH. Jezreel Jandorina of Juno. Before these four,(GC) Jezreel John Joseph, (GC) Jezreel Black Mamba and Ch. Jezreel Julysia created the Si-Purr line of blacks and solid blues, descending through Chateaux Du Roi and Bundash to Fenton, Ars Nova and Romany, and through Spring Mountain to White Whale and Ankara forward to modern lines.


Nikki Horner (at that time Mrs. William Shuttleworth) began her illustrious venture into Americans with the purchase of "Katnip Korner Romeo", a silver tabby male that she renamed "Shawnee Startler", destined to become the first silver tabby male American to earn the title CFA grand champion. She then searched the country for his mates, selecting the best female silver tabbies from the best pedigrees she could find. She later ventured into solid blacks, using a black female who popped up in one of her silver tabby litters, mating her with GC Karabee Dark Nite, founding the Shawnee blacks. Nikki Horner's efforts to promote this breed had more impact than any single breeder since Miss Jane R. Cathcart, of Black's Shorthaired Cattery, at the turn of the century.


When Nikki Horner campaigned the gloriously patterned silver tabby male kitten, NW Shawnee Sixth Son, to the CATS Magazine award 1964 Kitten of the Year(31), she rocked the cat fancy. "A Domestic tabby? You can't be serious!" was the common reaction. Sired by Mr. G. H. F. Muggins (a grandson of Gr. Ch. Ramayana Jenna of Gray Horse Farm), Sixth Son's dam was Shawnee Jentle Touch, (a granddaughter of both Gr. Ch. Shawnee Startler and Gr. Ch. Lavender Silver Pattern). This reaction surprised only American breeders around long enough to remember Ebony Queen of Nor-Mont.


1964 also heralded the first American Shorthair to earn her Grand Premiership in CFA. Named Muriel's Heidi, this blue eyed white spay was bred and owned by Mrs. Muriel Slodden (Mayflower Cattery) in Williston Park, Long Island, New York.[32]


If Sixth Son's win surprised many, the announcement in 1965 that Tr. Gr. Ch, NW. Shawnee Trademark had, the following year, captured the highest honor in catdom, that coveted title Cat of the Year (awarded by both C.F.A. and CATS Magazine) - was the shock of the century.[32] Even though Ebony Queen of Nor-Mont earned CFA Cat of the year in 1956-57. she did NOT earn Cats Magazine "Cat of the Year", a title which included points won in all associations, CFA, ACFA, ACA, CFF and NCFA. This stunning silver tabby stud, also bred and owned by Dr. & Mrs. William Shuttleworth, was a linebred grandson and great-grandson of Gr. Ch. Ramayana Jenna of Gray Horse Farm. Trademark won consistently (at least 10 Best in Show awards) in the largest shows in the country against the best cats of all breeds, as did his sire, Gr. Ch. Shawnee Marksman. (The author must confess that she preferred Marksman for both type and pattern, but Trademark had a blacker pattern, better coat texture and that special style possessed by the truly great show competitors.). Trademark retained his title as leading American Shorthair in the country until 1967. Trademark died of a bladder obstruction in 1968 soon after he was sold to another breeder.


FASHIONABLE AGAIN
American Shorthair catteries sprang up like daisies when people realized that this affectionate, sturdy, useful, and healthy breed was also capable of REAL show wins. Modern pedigrees reflect the influence of Le Sabre, Fongin, Spring Mountain, Bam-Bee Acres, Crown E, Fenton, The Rising Sun, Mayflower, Ormai, Scioto, Wila-Blite, Madali, Aberdeen, Casmar, Wayona, Purple Sage, Biru, Rendara, Rococo, Serendip, Navajo, Si-Purr, Adam's Rib, Saren-Del, Esquire, Horizon, Chanthaburi, White Whale, Ankara, Saren-Del etc. Many of these catteries began with other breeds before they were charmed by the American during the 60's.


"Backmassing" is a term that describes repetition of a specific ancestor or closely related group of ancestors, found only beyond the typical five generation pedigree handed out with breeder-quality kittens. By backmassing the prominent winners from the 1950s and 1960's, modern lines display a higher degree of uniformity than would be expected from an initial examination of a five generation pedigree, especially if using calculations for the coefficient of inbreeding, which is normally calculated from the closest five generations.The author prepared a pedigree database tracing back to the 1880's to allow modern breeders of American Shorthairs to trace lines to discover valuable backmassing and also to discover the source of serious health problems that should be eliminated from the gene pool by anyone truly serious about preserving the American Shorthair as the wonderful breed appreaciated long before the cat fancy began.


By the 1970's, there were too many American Shorthair breeders for even the most prominent ones to be listed here. You can follow the most prominent lines by viewing the list of CFA Grand Champions (Chapter 2) and the NASC annual breed club winners (Chapter 3).


A combination of the inbred East Coast Tantallon and Aberdeen lines with the Midwest-Western (Le Sabre, Gray Horse Farm, Bam-Bee Acres) lines produced Gr. Ch. Joelwyn Columbyan, the 1972 CATS Magazine "Cat of the Year" award winner for breeder-owner Mrs. Joann E. Sneed (now Landers). This silver tabby male from Yorba Linda, California had a profound effect on modern American Shorthairs of many colors. [34]


The first American to win 'Best-of-the-Best" twice at the Empire Cat Show in New York City was Gr. Ch., NW Apache Chief Mateo, a silver tabby male. Shown longer than most cats, Mateo won a large spectator following. Possessed of a loving temperament and a ladylike owner in school teacher, Miss Alayne Poeltl, Mateo played a large role in the promotion of the breed in the seventies. He was CFA National Awards "Best Shorthair Male Kitten" in 1972, CFA National Awards "Third Best Cat" 1973, CFA National Awards "Sixth Best Cat" 1974, and CFA National Awards "2nd Best Cat" 1975. Mateo was sired by Ch. Apache Chief Lobo out of Ch. Apache Peta D.M., both offspring of Gr. Ch. Le Sabre Good Fortune of Apache.[35]


Continuing the popularity of the Shawnee and Lavender lines, Ch. and Gr.Pr.Fongin A-Three, a silver classic tabby mother-son inbred neuter struck the high note of CFA National "4th Best Cat in Premiership" for breeder-owners, Florence Miller and CFA Allbreed judge Virginia Wolfe. The Fongin cats are heavily represented in the pedigrees of the Apache, Litter Inn, Belvoir, Fensline, Kamarly, Kit-Kan, Katea, Crown E, Vibrant, Kim-Teish, Karol, Saren-Del, Hi-Camp, Hasul, Jeannel, Sandef, and Wayona catteries.

 Additional history 4

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