All
of my breeding cats are direct descendants of the lovely
Ch Mezeto Chantelle
(1971 - pictured left)
Chantelle figured prominently in the pedigrees of
‘Grand and International’ title winners
under GFFC, FIFe, and CFA.
|
.
sire: Ch Parka Kingsley
dam: Wynterburne Silver Sue |
Chantelle's
daughter
Champion Morninglory Blue Phaedra
was a key foundation queen of
the Morninglory line
Alcmund
Jerard x Ch Mezeto Chantelle 1977
|
Early
Morninglory exports included Phaedra's litter brother
International
Champion Morninglory Blue Phantom
the first Morninglory International Champion (Norway)
followed
by Phaedra's son:
International Champion
Morninglory Blue Cupid
(Sweden)
|
All
the Morninglory Pure Blue title holders are direct descendents of
Champion Morninglory Blue Phaedra and her litter sister Morninglory
Blue Papillion.
All the Blues, Creams, Bluecreams and Whites at Morninglory can
also trace their pedigrees back to these lovely girls and all the
Morninglory Whites are progeny of Champion Alcmund Igor. Igor won
Best LH Exhibit and 2 Grands in the days when the Grand class was
mixed male / female and included all Self, Non-Self Persians as
well as Birmans and Turkish which are not in the Semi-Longhair section.
 |
So
now what about me?
I
have specialised in Pure Blue, Cream, Blue Cream and White
Self Longhairs for over 30 years. Although probably better
known for my association with Blues, the Bluecreams and Creams
were my first love. In 1969, after moving to the UK from the
USA, I bought my first Persian kitten, a Cream female,
Ch Honeymist Cream Poppy, and I showed her to Championship.
Poppy was reluctant to produce babies but was instrumental
in introducing me to Marlene Howes of the Honeymist prefix
and to Marion Halls (Alcmund). During one of my trips with
Poppy to stud at Marion's I fell in love with one of Marion's
White kittens, Ch Alcmund Igor, and he was later joined by
the lovely Ch Mezeto Chantelle. Because I was fortunate enough
to be given good advice and to purchase quality cats. I am
still breeding from cats which can be traced back to these
original lines.
I
began my breeding lines with a small number of quality cats
(3) and took my queens to studs selected to bring in the qualities
I wanted to incorporate into my lines. Under the Morninglory
prefix, I have bred Grand winners in each of the colours I
breed, Blue International Champions and numerous Best in Show
winners. I hold the breeder record for winning 6 consecutive
Best in Show wins with different Morninglory Neuters at the
Blue Persian Cat Society show. And I am proud to have bred
one of the few White LH Imperial Grand Premiers: Imperial
Grand Premier Morninglory Zeus. |
It
has been my breeding ethos to produce healthy, quality cats of good
temperment. Believing that it is not possible to do everything well,
I chose to specialise in Pure Blues, Creams, Bluecreams and White
Selfs. Like the breeders of the past who did so much to produce
cats that were the envy of the Cat Fancy the world over, I feel
that concentrating on producing the best coat and colour in diulte
breeds means limiting the colours in the pedigree and focusing on
selecting the best features of those colours to pass on to the next
generation. Considering that colour is the distinguishing feature
of many of the Persian breeds, I echo the words of a prominent judge
of the past who pointed out that a cat cannot be considered a good
example of the breed if it is a bad colour.
During
my years in the Cat Fancy I have been actively involved in club
and committee work. I was elected to the Committee of the Blue Persian
Cat Society in 1988 and served as its Honorary Secretary from 1995
until my resignation in August 2007, making me one of the Society's
longest serving Honorary Secretaries. During my time on the BPCS
Committee I also served as the Society's GCCF Delegate and BAC representative.
I have played an active role in other sectors of the Cat Fancy:
as Vice Chairman and Acting Chairman of the LH Cream and Blue
Cream Cat Association and its representative in the early days of
the Self LH BAC, Honorary Secretary of the LH Tabby BAC, Vice Chairman
and Chairman of the Self LH BAC, Committee member of the Cambria
Cat Club, Founder Member and first Chairman of the Celtic LH Cat
Society. After an apprenticeship of over 19 years stewarding
for a wide range of breeds and eminent judges such as: Dorrie Brice
Webb, Will Lamb, Mollie Turney and Ivor Raleigh, I became a GCCF
judge of Self Persians.
In
addition to my interest in pedigree cats, in the US, I was
involved in in competitive show jumping and I have always
been a dog lover. Over the years I have owned a number of
both non pedigree rescue and pedigree dogs - strangely enough
all 'heavily coated' dogs so Persian cats were a natural choice.
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|
Over
the years, my canine companions have included a Toy Poodle,
a Keeshond, 2 Afghans (photo right of my lad Mirsamir Odin,
a Junior warrant winner, with his sire Ch Mirsamir the Druid)
and (left) my darling Peke 'Sophie'. Sophie was in charge
of 'all things kitten'. She was nursemaid, nanny and guardian,
even delivering a kitten.
(You
can see photos of how my dogs interacted with their feline
companions on the Persians
Don't page of my website.) |
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 |
My
Persian family now share their home with 'Daisy Mae', a black
& white American Cocker (left) and for many years had
the company of a Tonkinese cross Tabby called Pyewacket who
was part of a very unpleasant rescue involving a large number
of pregnant Tonkinese & Tonk-cross girls, 4 Tonk males
and 18 kittens. |
My
Tabby Tonkinese cross girl as a baby with her rescued mum |
| In
my life outside the Cat Fancy, I am a university Course Co-ordinator
dealing with English Language Support for International Students
on an academic course. I have been actively involved in course
development and teacher training, Teaching English as a Foreign
Language, English for Academic Purposes and English for Special
Purposes having taught both here in the UK and abroad.
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