CATS AND THE CAT FANCY IN NORTH AMERICA 1960s - 1970s
TEXAS BLUE CATS ARE A NEW HYBRID. The Marshall News Messenger, 5th July 1960
Marshall's only cattery, The Texas Blue Cattery, registered with the American Cat Fancier's Association, specializes in the breeding of a new hybrid strain of shorthaired blue cats in addition to Frost Point Siamese and Domestic Shorthairs [American Shorthair]. The cattery also takes orders for all types of pet supplies, clever cards and seals, collars, leashes, imprint stationery and subscriptions to Cats Magazie.
The owners, Rebecca M. Cameron and Donald I. Cameron, are raising three types of cats: Texas Blues, Frost Point Siamese and domestic short hairs. The Texas Blue is a hybrid cat being developed. The cats are very similar to the rare and expensive Russian Blue and have some characteristics of the oriental breeds. The breed originated in Marshall and all cats of this variety are registered in the Texas Blue Cattery books and have pending registration with the ACFA. Registration papers on these cats are pending with the American Cat Fanciers Association and will be issued as soon as a decision on classification can be made.
There are many blue cats of the Domestic Shorthair variety, originally called Maltese, but the Texas Blue is characterized by a distinctive oriental body shape, prominent ears and pointed face - somewhat like the Siamese and Burmese cats. The coat is quite thick and smooth, except about the neck, and the hairs are silver tipped giving a slightly bluer coloring than either the Russian Blue or the Domestic Short-Hair Blue (Maltese). The eye color of the males is usually green and of the females yellow or amber. The legs are slim and silvery and the tails slim and tapering. In disposition the Texas Blue is very lively, slightly less vocal than the Siamese, and clever. The coat color is a dark storm cloud bluish gray with silvery cast on the legs, feet and face. In kittenhood the coats appear to have a slight pattern which disappears with maturity, much as the rings on the tails of Siamese. The skin is blue. The cats have a thick undercoat. The nose leather is black and the footpads are dark.
The Texas Blue Cattery sells no kittens under 10 weeks of age as kittens are seldom. Housebroken before that age and few are ready to go to new homes earlier. The kittens are healthy and the domestic shorthairs come from a good mousing strain. Frostpoint Siamese kits will not be ready until next year. Texas Blues are available from time to time.
One of the Texas Blues won a first place blue ribbon at the Shreve Cat Show last December in the kitten class, and will be entered as a Novice along with two others in the East Texas Cat Show in November.
In recent years the cat has begun to come back as a household pet, largely because they take to apartment living much better than dogs. Many prefer them because cats are very clean and seldom bother neighbors. A cat is probably the most independent of all domestic animals and is particular about the home he chooses to live in and the people he chooses to live with. A cat will accept human friends as equals, but not as bosses, and if a cat takes up with you he respects you and generally is obedient to your wishes - but never slavishly. Any home blessed with a cat is never annoyed with rats or mice.
There s a lot of literature on cats and cats have been the companions of many of the world s greatest people, who have found them devoted and worthy pets.
NEWBURGH, IND., CAT BREEDER STUMPS PANEL. Courier Journal, 20th February 1961
Nikki Horner, Newburgh, Ind., cat breeder, stumped the panel of To Tell The Truth on the segment to be seen on CBS, Monday at 6:30. The show will not be seen here, at least not today, as its spot is pre-empted by the Indiana-Ohio State basketball game. The program was taped last week. Miss Horner was in New York, showing her grand-champion white cat, Moonflight. The cat also appears on the program. None of the panellists voted for Miss Horner during the questioning which was designed to discover which of three people was the real Nikki Horner.
TOP CAT MAY RETIRE TO SHOW OFF KITTENS. The Courier Journal, 20th August 1961
You've heard of top dog - Well, the top dog in the cat-show world is thinking about retiring when this year's round of shows is over. Moonflight may settle down and raise families. That s the future being planned for him by his owner, Mrs. Nikki Horner, formerly of Louisville, now living in Newburgh, Ind. Mrs. Horner still is a member of the Kentuckiana Cat Club and will show Moonflight at the club s show September 9 and 10 at the Fairground s stadium.
The 3-year-old cat's record is as overwhelming as is his exquisite, snow-white, fairy-tale appearance. He has chalked up 63 best-in-show awards. For the past two years he has been named cat of the year, which means he is the top show cat in this country and Canada. He has some 1,500 rosettes for various recognitions; he has won 20 silver trays and six silver tea sets. His record of wins is three times that of any other cat shown in the country, according to his owner.
His complete name is Quadruple Grand Champion Shawnee Moonflight. He weighs 12 pounds, has orange eyes, and is long-haired. Long-haired - for those not hep to cat nomenclature - means the animal is a mixture of Angora and Persian. Moonflight s attitude swings from a colossal indifference to overpowering affection. He often surprises strangers he takes a fancy to when he leaps onto their shoulders and snuggles and purrs.
The cat has a regular natural diet like people should have, his mistress said. She grinds up his meat and vegetables and tosses in some vitamins. He eats better than I do - and doesn t drink or smoke, she added. Moonflight's drink is distilled water. _ Also his face is washed with distilled water after every meal, then it is powdered. Moonflight is a messy eater, Mrs. Horner said. His toys, all of white yarn, are made to order by a Minneapolis firm. Every precaution is taken to prevent dirt or dyes from staining his delicate fur and skin.
Mrs. Horner, in Louisville yesterday on show business, has 39 other cats at home. These include Moonflight s sister, who has won an impressive list of awards, and his brother, who is tarrying on the family line. So far Moonflight has shown no interest in other cats, Mrs. Horner regretted. Once he is away from the show circuit, the crowds, the acclaim, and the limelight of news and television cameras, he may settle down to domesticity - Mrs. Horner hopes.
CATS AND FRESHMAN ENGLISH INTRIGUE RETIRED TEACHER Wisconsin State Journal, 5th November 1961
Milton Junction - Miss Rachel Salisbury, Milton Junction, is just about convinced that she received her Ph.D. degree in the wrong field! A well known Wisconsin educator, Miss Salisbury taught English at Wisconsin State College, Platteville; was head of the education department at Milton College; and was director of freshmen English at Wisconsin State College, Milwaukee, for five years. Miss Salisbury, who retired in 1954, is the author of five college textbooks for freshmen English - but on a nation-wide basis, she is equally famed as "the cat lady."
The affable woman educator has received wide acclaim for her development of a new color of Persian cats, known as "cameo." "I received my Ph.D. in educational psychology from the University of Wisconsin in 1934, but I'm beginning to think I should have gotten it in biology," she says with a chuckle. A cat lover since her chiidhood days in Maine, Miss Salisbury found her interest in the breeding of a new Persian type began when she retired from teaching and moved into a 117-year-old white frame house with green shutters in Milton Junction.
"I established a cattery name "Wanaki," the Winnebago Indian name: for peace, in the woodshed of my home. I used the best Persian stock and made an original cross, finally achieving a stabilized peachy-colored type. The cameo color was recognized by the American Cat Fanciers Assn. in 1959 and is now accepted by all cat associations for championship competition," she says with pride. "Last year was the first year that cameos were being bred throughout the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. Two of my cameos were All-American champions in 1960 and 1961," she adds.
Miss Salisbury is looking forward to entering some of her cameos in the Madison Cat club's show, Nov. 11 and 12 at the Dane county fairgrounds. The show will be held from 10 a. m. to 8 p. m. each day. "More than 200 of the best cats in the country will be entered," says Miss Salisbury happily.
Miss Salisbury, who had about 40 cats while she was breeding for the true cameo color, has reduced the number to 18 now that she has achieved a stabilized hue. Although she is proud of her pedigreed cameo cats, Miss Salisbury makes it clear that she's "equally fond of strays." She is currently vice-president of the Rock County Humane society, which she helped to found. She organized the Cameo Cat Club of America in 1959. Although Miss Salisbury finds her cats an "absorbing and gratifying hobby,' she admits that she is still "pretty academically minded."' She is an active member of the Rock County Historical Society and says that "Wisconsin history is one of my great loves." Miss Salisbury spent a year in Chile as a language-arts specialist for the State department, and she has lectured extensively on Latin American affairs. She finds nothing tiresome or tedious in her ‘‘retirement." "I'm so busy with my cats, writing, and other hobbies that the days just aren't long enough," she says.
Miss Rachel Salisbury, Milton Junction, retired college English and education teacher, is shown with two of her favorite kittens, Bright Shadow, left, and Gold Pigeon, right. Gold Pigeon is one of Miss Salisbury's cameo cats, a new color of Persians which she started to breed in 1954. The gray cat was one used to evolve the "peachy" color of the cameo. Miss Salisbury will enter some of her cameos in the Madison Cat club's show next Saturday and Sunday at the Dane county fairgrounds.
COLOR DEVELOPED BY DR. RACHEL SALISBURY. AUTHOR'S PINK PERSIAN KITTEN STARTS NEW LINE OF CAMEO CATS By JANET M. SCHLATTER The Capital Times, Madison, Wisconsin, 7th November 1966
Among the dozen scholarly texts which Dr. Rachel Salisbury, Milton Junction, has authored, one sticks out like a lone white flower in a bed of blue petunias. Its title is "Your Pet Kitten." A small pink kitten not only inspired the book, but led Dr. Salisbury into a whole new field of endeavor. Prof. Salisbury, after a career teaching English and its ramifications at Platteville State Teachers College, Milton College, the University of Wisconsin at Madison, and the U.W. Milwaukee, officially retired in 1956 to her Milton Junction home. Here she writes, gardens, teaches when needed, busies herself with the Rock County Humane Society and Rock County Historical Society, and generally centers her activities on what were once mere interests.
Cats Is one. Dr. Salisbury is now known far and wide among cat fanciers for the highly successful ending to her quest of the cameo cat. "I've always had a cat," she says. Back home in Maine her pets were the Maine coon cats, those unique animals thought to be a cross between a Persian and a bobcat. Supposedly they date back to the days when the old New England ship captains brought home exotic long-haired Persians from Persia and Angoras from the province of Angora. The imports mated with Maine's native bobcats. According to Dr. Salisbury, the coon cat can amuse like a Siamese, yet it shows the gentleness of a Persian and wears the Persian's long silky coat. Its tail isn't bobbed, and its ears may or may not have tufts. Dr. Salisbury has always promoted Maine coon cats, but she feels they belong to Maine.
Here in Wisconsin some 20. years ago her pets were two Persians, a black and red tortoise shell female, and a shaded silver male. Inevitably they produced kittens, and time after time one of the litter was definitely pink. Dr. Salisbury has an inquiring mind, and these pink kittens took her fancy. They had thick fuzzy coats, white next to the skin, and the hairs were tipped with the soft pink and red of sea shells and coral. She decided to try her luck at producing pink kittens on demand. "Cameo" was the name she chose for the new color, since she liked that precious stone with its two colored layers like her kittens' fur. Figuring "If you're going to do controlled breeding, you have to keep your animals under control," she converted an old woodshed into a cattery and furnished it with indoor cages and screened outdoor runs. Then she registered her "Wanaki Cattery" with the American Cat Fanciers' Association to validate her scientific results. Wanaki is the Algonquin spelling for "peace," and Dr. Salisbury envisioned a peaceful cattery full of soft pink kittens. She keeps a basic stock of 20 to 40 cats.
An authority on English is not necessarily an authority on genetics, and male cats don't produce litters by themselves. Dr. Salisbury had her problems trying to get a pink female kitten. Her Persians produced plenty of the pink males but no. females. What she'd never thought of doing was mating the mother tortoise shell with its pink progeny. However, leave it to cats! One week she went to a teachers' convention and her cats took over. The result was her long sought pink female. Dr. Salisbury was then in business and began her study of genetics in earnest.
She officially registered the new color. As she has developed it, the cameo cat has a shaded coat, each hair of two colors like that of her first pink kitten, white tipped with red. If its tipping is short and light, it's a shell cameo. If medium, it's a shaded cameo. If the white undercoat is short and the red tipping long, it's a cameo smoke. These classifications correspond to similar ones in the silver Persian, which has a white undercoat tipped with black.
The cameo cat is typically Persian - longhaired and built like a boxcar. Its tail is short, its head is round, and its face is flat. The small round ears are far apart, and the nose is wide, its length equalling the distance between the insides of the eyes. With an exception or two, the Persian has round copper eyes. Those of the cameo cat are red copper. The cameo cat has pink nose leather. So far this cameo color is acknowledged only in Persian cats. Dr. Salisbury emphasizes that the cameo is a new color, not a new breed. New breeds like the long haired Himalayan claim attention too. Before a new cat color can be officially recognized, it must breed true for seven generations. This guarantees the color will he produced in ‘enough quantity for show purposes, and that a buyer will get the color kittens he wants. Dealers took for color bred lines, and a good cameo cat will sell for $50 to $100.
Appropriately enough, Wisconsin is the place of origin of the cameo cat, the Madison Cat Club was the first to show one at its own initial show in 1960. Ever since then cameos have entered shows and won prizes all over the country. Word has spread, and cameo cats are now produced in New Zealand, England, Australia, Holland, and France. There's even a Cameo Cat Club of America. This year it will offer for the first time a brass obelisque to the cameo cat in the U.S. or Canada with the highest average score achieved in at least two cat shows. The name of this prize is the ‘Salisbury Trophy."
Dr. Salisbury's work is never done. Cameo color firmly established. she's now breeding for cats of good companionship disposition. Too, alerted by her cats to the fascination of genetics, she's now working on different colors for day lilies, obtaining pink, green and yellow variations of the common orange flower. She chose the day lily because, "Once you plant, them you don't have to do another thing."
Her latest text, fresh off the Scott Foresman press, is "Better Work Habits." It's a subject on which she's an expert, whether she's working with students, flowers or pink kittens. Cameo cats will be on display at the Madison Cat Club cat show from 10 am, to 8 p.m. next Saturday and 9:30, to 8 Sunday, in the Youth Building of the Dane County Fairgrounds. There is a small admission charge. Among the cats will be Dr. Salisbury's own favorite, Wanaki Daffodil.
THE CAT S MEOW. The Courier Journal, 5th November 1967
CATS HAVE SURVIVED deification in ancient Egypt, extermination as witches in the Dark Ages, and attempted overfeeding in the 20th century, when Americans are said to spend more than $300,000,000 annually on the care and feeding of cat pets. Superstitions about cats are as abundant as well, kittens. So are strong feelings for or against. Napoleon hated cats; Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and Winston Churchill loved cats as they loved liberty. It is fitting that this nation salute its 27 million (or 50 million, or 150 million) cats. Nobody knows for sure how many cats there are in the United States, but this is Cat Week, declared by the American Feline Society, for free-lance felines as well as fireside tabbies.
They all value freedom. There have been cats who left cream and cushions... for the hard liberty of alleys, writes Margaret Cooper Gay, an authority on these animals. In general, she adds, men understand cats better than women do ... the trouble is that few men are independent enough to admit it... .
One of the best known comic-strip creations was Felix the Cat, the name simply anglicized from Felis catus, Latin for the domestic cat. There was Krazy Kat, too, a black and raunchy creature.
Cats of far greater elegance and dignity are the well-furred felines pictured here, owned by Mrs. Nikki Shuttleworth of Jeffersontown, the former beauty contest winner (Miss Kentucky, 1954) who got interested in cat-breeding while still a girl in high school. She has won a host of trophies and ribbons for outstanding entries, including a three-time winner of the Cat of the Year title and a history-making best-in-show winner at the 1964 International Cat Show in Madison Square Garden. Mrs. Shuttleworth is the wife of Dr. W. W. Shuttleworth, a veterinarian. Some 100 cats and kittens reside in their Shawnee Cattery, one of the country s largest, most diverse catteries. F. W. Woolsey
A cat can look at a king? Grand Champion Shawnee Trade Mark, a boldly striped silver tabby, seems to think roles should be reversed. He won the 1964 International Cat Show.
THE ARISTOCRATIC LOVABLE PERSIANS OF MARIE LANIER. The Progress Index, 12th March 1972
Mrs. Winfield W. Lanier of Petersburg, loves cats. She and her husband are the owners of. the Mar-Ree Cattery for Persians, 410 Hillside Drive, Walnut Hill Gardens. Her mother, Mrs. C. F. Faison, says, When Marie was a little girl she said she was going to have a yardful. She always loved all kinds of cats.
Mrs. Lanier grew up in Petersburg, attended Petersburg High School, and was Miss Petersburg in 1939. In 1947 she won the title of Miss Fort Lee." She also has the distinction of being the first majorette at Petersburg High School [. . . ]
For many years Mrs. Lanier had wanted a long haired cat. She called veterinarians and pet shops but they could not help, so she bought two pet Persians. Shortly after, she started taking the Cats and Cat Fancy magazines. She saw an ad by Mrs. Marie Groot of Gladstone, Ore., from whom she purchased Groot s Angel Wings of Mar-Ree, a white copper-eyed female for a breeder. Angel Wings was shown twice and made champion the second time.
Mrs. Lanier had been looking for a black male and female for over five years when she found an ad by Silva-Wyte Cattery, Richard H, Gebhardt, and J. B. Cattery, Danville, N. J. After much conversation and correspondence and very expensive telephone bills, she was able to purchase Grand Champion J. B. Black Star of Silva-Wyte. Black Star is black in color with copper eyes. His grandfather is Grand Champion Vel-Vene Voo Doo of Silva-Wyte, 1959 Cat of the Year and sire of nearly 200 champions and countless grands and European internationals. He is known as the greatest sire of all time.
His mother was Grand Champion Silva-Wyte Trafari of J. B., a VooDoo daughter and CFA cat of the year 1967. She was 75 times best in show of which 40 were in one show season.
When Black Star was eight months old, he had been shown six times and made his grand championship in three shows. Since then he has taken many honors. He has not sired yet but Mrs. Lanier has advance reservations on his litters.
Her next purchase was a black female, Jemima, from Dr. and Mrs. Keith Pevey of Houston. It took four shows to get her championship. She is being retired to become a mother. At present she is in Milwaukee, Wis. being mated to Grand Champion J. B. Cezanne of Silva-Wyte. This will be her first litter.
Mata-Blu- Blackstone of Mar-Ree was purchased in January 1972 from Mr. Barnaby. He is now four months old. Mrs. Lanier will wait until he is eight months old and then he will be considered an adult. At that time he will be shown.
Pet Persians owned by the Laniers are Shir-Ree Cindy Lou of Mar-Ree; Shir-Ree Pretty Boy of Mar-Ree; Mar-Ree Bonnie Blu and there are now six baby kittens. Mrs. Lanier says, We love our pet Persians. They are like our children. We could not part with them.
When a litter of kittens is born, it is registered with Cat Fanciers Association, Inc. in New Jersey. Eight weeks later, when they are sold, they are registered individually by the new owners. A form for this purpose is given, plus the pedigree, health record (shots), and instructions for feeding and care. Mrs. Lanier asks the new owners to keep in touch and let her know if they have any trouble whatsoever with the kittens. She guarantees her kittens to be healthy when they are bought but urges the new owners to take the kittens to their own vets for a check-up.
Persian cats are sometimes referred to as Luscious Longhairs and give the impression they are dressed to attend an affair for the socially elite. Their fur coats seem to connote a prestige rank in the world of cats and their aristocratic mien lends elegance to whatever surroundings they grace. Besides having an appearance of high quality, his manher is dignified and gracious with just a hint of restraint to discourage undue familiarity on the part of strangers. A Persian may give the impression that he is slow moving, but he can surprise you with his speed when the occasion demands.
The Persian is not a fragile animal. He has a sturdy compact body under his fancy dress. He can keep in trim by little more exercise than a few daily stretches. This makes him an ideal house pet. Persians are usually gentle and quietly affectionate in temperament. Many of them are very dependent upon and desirous of human companionship.
Whether you choose a male or female will make no difference in your enjoyment of a Persian. Both sexes are equally lovable in their own special way. Males usually are larger, more impressive in appearance and more boisterous, Females are more delicate in their beauty and have female ways. However, some males are less aggressive than might be expected; likewise some females are tomboys.
In a cattery, black is probably the most valuable asset to the breeding program as it is a color that can be used with just about any other color. The Black Persian of today is a tribute to the breeding skill of those who are devoted to this color.
A cat in show condition should have good weight. The cat s body should feel good to the hands of the judge and the cat s various parts should be in proportion to each other. The Persian head should be strong and massive with small, well-rounded ears. The mouth line should be as wide as the top of the head. The nose should be as wide as the width between the eyes. The eyes are large and round and should be expressive without being buggy." Good temperament is important for the show cat.
Mrs. Lanier has ordered four more top show females, 2 blacks, 1 white and 1 red. She hopes to receive them within 2 to 3 years. With good Persians, you have to keep them 3 or 4 months until the type can be determined. There are 3 different types, Pet, Breeder and Show.
Mrs. Lanier says, I am trying for one of the best Catteries in the States. Unless you are breeding animals that homes can be found for readily, the kindest thing to do is to have your pets altered. Also, if you decide you don t want your pet, please take it to the SPCA and they will try to find a loving home for it. It is cruel to drop pets off in the country or strange places where more than likely they will starve to death or meet a fate worse than death. We cat breeders are very selective when we sell kittens. We want to make sure our kittens are loved and well taken care of.
Mrs. Lanier has one room in which her cats are quartered. It is long and narrow, large and airy; heated in the winter and air conditioned in the summer. The cages are located along one wall, a good 3 feet off the floor. Food and fresh water are put in each cage daily. Windows cover the other side of the room and are covered with white shades, decorated with cat decals. At one end of the room is a resting area with lounge and chair and a table holding trophies won by Black Star. The wall is covered with ribbons won by him. In the middle of the room is a huge scratching post which the cats love. Beside the post is a table for grooming, complete with scales to record their weight.
For grooming, Mrs. Lanier uses a comb on her blacks as a brush creates static electricity. She does not use powders but shampoos them in Johnson s Baby Shampoo. Some of the cats have hair knots; others do not. She shampoos her cats before each show to make them fluffy.
It is necessary to vacuum every day and go over the floor with a mop and germ killer twice a week. The cats are not confined to cages. Adjacent to their room is a screened-in-porch where they run and play.
The Laniers have attended shows in Warrenton, Woodbridge, Richmond and Norfolk; Gaithersburg, Md. and Columbia, S. C. They have just returned from a Cat Show in Washington, D. C. Black Star came home with 7 trophies, 7 rosettes and 8 ribbons. In March ana April they will go to York, Pa., Charleston, W. Va. and Charlotte, N. C.
At the cat shows, Mrs. Lanier puts her cats in a wire cage, resplendent with rug flooring and lovely cage covers made from leopard, zebra and cat-figured material. Mrs. Lanier makes these herself in her sewing room. However, when the cats are taken into the judging ring, they are in a plain cage.
While they are away, Mrs. Lanier s mother, Mrs. Faison, will cat-sit for them. If she is not available, Mrs. Lanier s sister-in-law or son will fill in. Mrs. Lanier says she and her husband gave up nearly all social activities to take care of their cats. Watching Mrs. Lanier with her cats, and their reactions to her, makes you know she indeed loves them.
NIKKI HORNER DIES; WAS MISS KENTUCKY, TOP CAT BREEDER. 12th April 1995
Necolia W. Nikki Horner, an internationally known cat breeder and former Miss Kentucky, died of cancer yesterday at her home. Horner, who started raising cats when she was 16, developed the Bombay breed, which was introduced at the annual meeting of the Cat Fanciers Association in Toronto in 1970. Hers was the first domestic short-haired cat to be named Cat of the Year.
Horner had operated the Shawnee Cattery, which was well-known in the world of cats, and her entries had won numerous grand champion titles and were named best of show in hundreds of national and international cat shows. Horner was a member of the Cat Fanciers Association and had been manager of local shows sponsored by the Greater Louisville Cat Breeders Inc.
She was the former Necolia Willoughby and was named Miss Kentucky in 1954 after she entered the contest on the spur of the moment. Survivors include a brother, Thurston Willoughby of Bowling Green; and a friend, Judy Scruggs, who cared for her. The funeral will be at 1 p.m. to-morrow at Ratterman s, 3711 Lexington Road, with burial in Cave Hill Cemetery. Visitation will be at the funeral home from 3 to 5 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. today. Memorial gifts can be made to the Humane Society.