Excerpts from the 1964 CFA Yearbook, Part 4: A Family Tree

A (Cameo) Family Tree

By Barbara Brukner

I. INTRODUCTION

“Where is the pink cat?”. Frequently you can hear this question asked at our shows by the inquiring public. “How do I breed to get a Cameo?”. Fanciers are still asking this question.

The Cameo is becoming more and more popular, and more and more numerous at our shows. This young new color of longhair has no past but a brilliant future. Breeders that are using and crossing the best lines are, right now, writing “the past” for Cameos. Somewhere a young male Cameo kitten is growing up who will long be remembered as a famous sire – leaving his particular characteristic stamp on the Cameo color. Somewhere a breeder is planning after careful study of pedigrees, a breeding that could produce a famous Cameo, even Cat of the Year.

At Wanaki Cattery in Milton Junction, Wisconsin, Dr. Rachael Salisbury had noticed “pink” male kittens appearing in various litters more many years; but it was not until 1954 that she worked deliberately to develop the Cameo. Dr. Salisbury has two articles printed in Cats Magazine on Cameo’s (Feb 1961 and Oct 1963), and in March 1959, she found the Cameo Cat Club of America for the purpose of promoting the development of the Cameo cat.

In 1961, CFA recognized the Cameo: Shell, Shaded, Smoke, and Tabby Cameo. The Shell has a whitish-cream (off-white) undercoat and is tipped on back, flanks, head and tail with red. The Shaded is the same as the Shell only the fur is shaded with red, producing a redder effect. The Smoke, a deep reddish color, has a whitish-cream undercoat and neck ruff. The Tabby, has the same whitish-cream as a ground color with red tabby markings. All Cameos have copper eyes and rose leather (nose, foot pads).

With the advent of Cameos, how does a novice begin?

II STARTING FROM SCRATCH (Genetics)

Genetics is concerned with the science of heredity; from the study of it we may develop established colors/breeds as well as develop new colors/breeds by the crossing of already established ones. Contained within the sperm cell of the sire and the egg of the dam is the entire heritage of the kitten. Pairs of genes determine each hereditary characteristic. Genes for into lines called chromosomes which are also in pairs. The total amount of chromosomes required for a kitten is carried equally by sire and dam – the sire giving half and the dam giving half of the total amount. Thus a kitten has inherited half of each of his parents characteristics. For a kitten to appear as a ‘carbon copy’ of one of the parents denotes the fact that certain genes are dominant and certain are recessive. The dominants being able to completely ‘black-out’ the recessive genes in generation one.

It is imperative for the Cameo breeder to have a working knowledge of the dominant and recessive gene structure of the cats to be used in the Cameo breedings. Keeping records is a must. A record of the past breedings is an invaluable aid to future decisions, a means to an end, and aid in studying gene structure, an aid in building your line, quicker, surer.

In the first quarterly issue in 1964 of “The Journal of Cat Genetics”, there appears an article by Mary Batten of Queensland, Australia, called “A Short History of The Queensland Society of Cat Genetics”. She states that in July1963, this society was formed “for the study of basic cat genetics, the encouragement of the development of new colours and varieties through planned experimental breeding and the improvements through a thorough knowledge of the subject of already existing breeds and colours. At the moment our society consists of about thirty very enthusiastic members who attend lectures every fortnight and our experimental projects under development are the Lynx Points, Red Points, Chestnut Brown Foreigns and Cameo Persians”.

III APPLICATION

To anticipate establishing a Cameo line of merit within a couple of generations is a lovely but false dream. There are always, however, exceptions wherein one “winner” is bred in one of the early Cameo generations. One should not expect, within only a few generations, to breed their own line capable of producing many winners, nor expect these cats themselves to be potential parents of “winners”. A breeder, especially, must have patience! Wanting to establish a Cameo line of your own takes many, many years, but when starting with cats of excellent heredity, the good points possessed far outweigh the faults; therefore, you will be able to reach your objective of good Cameos much sooner.

Visualize the structure, then carefully build. As there are two factors necessary to produce a Cameo, i.e., the two genes (shading gene and red gene); there are two factors necessary to produce good (“Good” as pertaining to the show standard) Cameo’s: top quality foundation stock, and the ability to be selective. Without planning these four necessary factors you probably will produce ordinary Cameos.

IV ONCE STARTED – HOW TO IMPROVE (Selectivity)

To be selective is to use only the right mates as indicated by pedigree (heredity), appearance, and progeny. To be selective is to be ruthless about eliminating from your breeding program any cat with any undesirable dominant quality. The result of this will be satisfaction according to the qualities which are desired to be fixed in the Cameo line. In breeding for Cameos, generally the pedigree is more important than the external features of the cat. First, the pedigree, not the cat, will tell you whether or not these cats, if mated, will produce Cameos.

All cats have good and bad traits. Lay your foundation with one or two pairs of the best possible breeding quality cats, of the proper gene structure to produce Cameos. Of your first generation Cameos be selective in choosing which kittens to carry on with your proposed Cameo line. You will note in the first and section generation kitten of Cameo breedings, some kittens appear as “silver-cream” (very slightly resembling a silver but with pinkish splotches and copper eyes) and “smoke-torties” (appearing to have tortie markings on tip of fur but undercoated like a smoke), and quite a few other color combinations. These kittens, thought not Cameos, and certainly not Silvers (as in the “silver-cream” kitten), carry the Cameo genes and if bred properly will produce Cameos.

It should be recognized that since opinions differ in everything, they will also differ in Cameo breeding procedures. Fanciers everywhere are working on the Cameo color, each having an idea, maybe slightly different, as to the best breeding procedure to follow. Keeping in mind the four necessary factors mentioned earlier, there can be, I imagine, many different paths to follow to establish a Cameo family tree.

V A CAMEO FAMILY TREE

Instead of generalizing on different Cameo breedings, and what might be produced, I have selected arbitrarily a Cameo Family Tree, one that shows color heredity, to illustrate specifically what has been produced.

KEY TO THE CAMEO FAMILY TREE

This is a brief immediate color heredity on the major cats in the Family Tree. Owners are listed at the time of this particular breeding.

1. LAS MONTANAS BENJIE DE REGALE, bred by Mrs. Mell Russell, owned by the author, is a first generation Cameo male, out of a peke face red sire, of predominate red background; and a chinchilla dam, of chinchilla and shaded silver background only.

2. CASTILIA CUPID OF CHATEAU CHAT, bred by Mrs. Marcena Myers, lessee, Mr. Vaughn W. Barber, Jr., is a blue-cream of a blue and cream background.

3. BRIARGATE’S PEACHES N’ CREAM, bred by Mrs. Matil Rotter, owned by the author, is a Smoke Cameo female, out of two red parents with smoke, tortie, blue, and a good percent of red in her background.

4. LAS MONTANAS SILVER FLAME, bred by Mrs. Mell Russell, owned by the author, is a first generation Cameo female, out of a cream sire of predominate cream background; and a chinchilla dam, of chinchilla and shaded silver background only.

5. LES MEW’S SURPRISE, bred and owned by Mr. Vaughn W. Barber, Jr., is a Shaded Cameo male, out of Benjie (#1) x Cupid (#2).

6. WOODMAN FUNNY FACE, bred by Mrs. Barbara Woolman; lessee Mr. Vaughn W. Barber, Jr., is a blue-cream of a blue and cream background.

7. SHR-PY BON-BON OF LES MEWS, bred by Mrs. Shirley Pyle, and owned by Mr. Vaughn W. Barber, Jr., is a Shaded Cameo female out of a Shaded Cameo sire, de Regale Martini (Benjie (#1) x Flame (#4)) and a cream dam of predominately cream background.

8. DE REGALE TOUJOURS CHAMPAGNE, bred and owned by the author, is a Shell Cameo male out of Benjie (#1) and Flame (#4).

9. DE REGALE SPARKLING BURGUNDY, bred and owned by the author, is a Shell Cameo male, out of Champagne (#8) x Peaches (#3).

10. DE REGALE SHERRI, bred by the author and owned by Robert Moore, is a second generation Cameo, out of Benjie (#1) x Peaches (#3).

IV A LOOK INTO THE FUTURE

In Houston, Texas, a young novice Cameo breeder contemplates his future success in the Cameo color. Robert Moore, age 17, is starting his Cameo line with a smoke-tortie female, Sherri, a second generation Cameo (see Cameo Tree). At the last Houston Show, February 1964, Sherri was shown as an AOC kitten and won much praise from one of our judges, Lynne Vanderpoel, on her type, heavy bone, and excellent conformation. It would seem that Robert has a good start upon which to base his future Cameos.