On September 19, 2009, GC Laureden Magically Delicious, DM earned her Distinguished Merit title, making CFA history as the first ever colorpoint Exotic to DM. Nick-named “Favorite”, this is her story.
Background
When the Himalayan breed was merged with the Persian breed in 1984, it opened the door for the breeding and showing of Color Point Exotics in CFA. Breeding and showing the colorpoint Exotics presented some interesting challenges for those breeders working with the color and pattern. First, the colorpoint gene is recessive, so introducing the gene requires waiting at least a couple of generations to get the pointed pattern. Second, due to the temperature sensitive nature of the pointed gene, and the short coat of an exotic, body shading becomes a much larger issue than in the comparable long-coated cat. Finally, ear size in Zots is often an issue — the shorter coat makes a typical-sized ear appear much larger than it would on a Persian. The color point Exotics have an additional challenge, because they “paint” the ear a different color.
The Beginning Of Our Pointed Exotics
Favorite’s mother, GC Hims-N-Purrs Beary Special, came to us first by way of Jerry Kithcart & Steve Oster of JKZoo. They had let Leann Alexander have an Exotic and were offered one back. With their own hidden desire to produce pointed Exotics, but nothing to breed them to, they asked Leann if she could go to Laureden to create their vision. Leann replyed, “That is where I would have offered her, if you guys didn’t want her”, so, GC Him-n-Purrs Beary Special came to bless us with pointed Exotics. Beary had exceptional head type and eye expression — and she produced it in her kittens. Always wondering where the head type came from, a friend commented to me, “In Beary Special’s pedigree, the Persian that I have always thought had the best head type I had ever felt was GC, GP, NW Wiccacat’s Krystalle Lynne. She is a Be-Hi Black Jack granddaughter. Well the Exotic I think has the best head type ever is Abby Lynn. (followed closely by Wilbur!) Beary Special goes back to Be-Hi Inkspot of Beaubell, who is Black Jack’s full brother!”
Then came her father, GC, NW Grovewood Corbin Copy, a seal lynx point Himalayan Persian, with huge expressive eyes. Bred by Danielle Griggs & Carolyn Baker, our dear friends, they allowed us to show him and use him unconditionally. Well, of course, he was the perfect suitor for Beary.
Favorite Arrives
Favorite ArrivesNovember 15, 2005, our “Favorite” was born. Eden gave her the name Magically Delicious, for she gives that really good feeling that you got when you ate Lucky Charms as a child. She has certainly become a lucky charm for pointed Exotics…
After she was weaned, her feet barely hit the floor, because she was so often carried around. Hope would embrace her, calling her “her favorite”, and Lauren would insist she was her favorite, ever. When she went to her first show at just four months, many other exhibitors wanted to take her home. Well, of course, Hope told them, “No, she’s my favorite”. One particular very successful Persian breeder, cried all weekend, ” I want that kitten”. It was when Hilary Helmrich used her in her final that weekend, she asked, “what do you call her?” Never really thinking about what her call-name would be, Hope said, “Favorite”. The name stuck, so she is called “Favorite” and will stay with the Gonano’s.
Favorite’s First Babies
When Favorite was ready to breed, her first litter was with our GC, BW, NW Artemis Stardust Memory, bred by our forever friend Jim Warden, who generously allowed his services. Born of that breeding were ywo lovely brown patched tabby Exotic girls, one a Classic tabby, the other a Mackerel tabby. The Mackerel girl, GC, RW Laureden Strike A Pose of Artemis, was 9th Best Kitten in the Great Lakes Region for the 2007-08 show season. The Classic girl, GC, RW Laureden Inspiration of Purrpals, went to California, and was 17th Best Kitten in the Northwest Region in the 2007-08 show season.
For Favorite’s second litter, our friend Carolyn Baker allowed us to breed her with a gorgeous Flame Lynx Point Himalayan male named GC, RW Sandypaws Red Hot Copy. From this litter came grand #3 — a Flame Lynx Point Exotic male, GC, RW Laureden Dexter. Dexter was 16th Best Kitten in the Great Lakes Region for the 2007-08 show season, just a few places behind his half sister!
GC, NW Laureden Abby Lynn of JKZoo
One spring, we had been showing two Compri pointed Exotics for titles, and their breeder, Jay Langlois, allowed us to take pick of his kittens. Our boy, GC Compri Augustine of Laureden, is a homozygous Cream Lynx Point Exotic, and when bred to Favorite, produced GC, NW Laureden Abby Lynn of JKZoo, a blue-cream lynx point Exotic. Abby was 19th Best Kitten in CFA for the 2008-09 show season, and was our first homebred national winning Exotic, and only the 2nd pointed Exotic to ever earn a National Win.
Favorite now had 4 grands, with 3 of them Regional Winners, and 1 National Winner.
Grand #5
For her next litter, our flame lynx point Exotic boy, GC, RW Laureden Murtaugh Street was leaving soon to go to Amsterdam. We decided to try him with Favorite before he left…. Murtaugh Street had been named after the place he was born, and so it seemed fitting to do the same with his kitten. We make a trek down to the beach for a couple of months each winter, and Favorite waited to deliver in our home at the shore. Wilbur By The Sea is a small community south of Daytona Beach — and so, Favorite’s 5th grand was a flame point Exotic named GP Laureden By The Sea of Kemage, or “Wilbur”.
Our Beloved Favorite
Favorite has been averaging two litters a year, & believe me she is spoiled with all the best nutrition. She gets regular spa treatments (baths) & lives with the family when she isn’t birthing & caring for her kittens. Then she is in a 6′ x 6′ x 3′ double tiered condo at the bottom of the kitchen steps, in Eden’s game room, except when she delivers at the beach or the lake house, there she has her own bedroom.
She insists on attention, as she sits on the barstool in the kitchen & when you walk by, unaware, she reaches out to paw you if you ignore her. In the evening, she goes to Eddie’s couch & paws him to pick her up, where she nestles with him, knowing he is the one providing for us all.
Yes, she has more little future grand champions running around (sired by CH Grovewood Neon) and more to deliver (sired by GC, NW Jetset Tennessee Walker of Purrpals). We feel she is happy to produce these little treasures for the pointed Exotic world & we are thankful for her blessing.
As I finish this, I have to tell you, I am amazed every time I look at her, and overwhelmed by God’s goodness.
