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Breeding - Oopseeidee Orientals and Siamese Specialising in Classic
Tabbies |
My love for the Siamese breed stems from a childhood filled with these beautiful
cats, and with such early exposure to their powerful personalities
and loving ways - what chance did I have? My first cats were seal points of the 1960s with their rather rounder heads than we are used to today,
but with the same mischievous ways and strident voices.
When I bought my founder queens in 1995 I just wanted to breed Siamese, just healthy pets. I had no show ambitions and absolutely no
direction. I was very fortunate to meet some wonderfully kind breeders who answered my countless questions, provided me with reading material
and lots of practical help. I have in common with every other breeder discovered that it "aint as easy as it looks".
I wrestled with the rules on the inheritance of coat colour and pattern, and climbed (or rather am still climbing) t he steep learning curve of cat
midwifery and hand rearing. I have always been fortunate in being able to produce almost fearless kittens, this has been accomplished by the
input of three noisy young boys, crazy Labrador dogs, a washing machine which is constantly "on", and a front doorbell and telephone on
"constant".
Whilst attending the odd show I was deeply impressed by the beautiful cinnamon colour, then in it's infancy. It was not possible to buy a cinnamon
breeding queen at the time, I was told to take my Havana queen to cinnamon and then take a resulting daughter back to cinnamon again. It was
this experience of not being able to have what I wanted immediately and having to work for a future goal that awaken my interest in experimental
breeding. I did get my cinnamon breeding queen and ten years later I am still as in love with the colour as I ever was. However, in the meantime
there was to be a twist in the story: I sent my little Havana queen carrying cinnamon to a glorious stud, Silkpaws Renegade owned by Glenda
Worthy. I took her in to him as both parents were cinnamon carriers and I felt that I just had to put up with the fact that he was a tabby. Then I my
big surprise - TWO types of tabby spotty (the one I was expecting) and classic (the one I was not).
I thought that this was the most beautiful tabby I had ever seen and have been striving to breed good, sound clear classic tabby patterns ever
since. I hadn't realised that so few people were breeding them and how difficult it would be to find carriers let alone classics. Again dear friends
helped in every way they could, they allowed me to keep boys (an enormous ask), advised on genetics, researched classic lines for me, and even
put their queens to classic carriers to provide breeding queens and studs for me. I am amazed at the help that has been freely offered to me and
the general good will that has been extended to me since I have been following this path.
I would so love to produce good patterns in cinnamon and fawn, but with my dear Stuart (Grand Champion Oopseeidee Cirquedusoleil) being a
caramel the production of classic fawns has proved somewhat difficult. I have found it necessary, as there are no outcross classic studs, to use
Siamese lines carrying classic. This has had the effect of reducing the number of classic tabbies in a litter, this is further reduced by having to use
carriers (selfs carrying classic, or other coat patterns carrying classic) and the fact that classic is recessive to all the other cat patterns. Still who
said I ever wanted it easy.
At present I am beginning to produce more classics per litter for example the two litters I have at present have three out of six (classic to classic)
and two out of six (Siamese to classic). Their coat patterns are pretty good and I am hopeful for the future. However, to progress it is necessary to
work with other breeders who are prepared to work on the breed without necessarily having immediate show success. This is because it is very
much a work in progress - there is no point in expecting a "show quality breeding queen" as I haven't even addressed the issue of type yet.
Having said that show success is not possible, the more experienced judges seem happy to give full credit to cats produced in this quest for good
pattern in classic cats and the writer is grateful for this encouragement.
I am hoping that more classic lines can be brought into the programme whilst maintaining the quality of the pattern and to improve the somewhat
moderate type I have at present and also improving the eye colour........................ I can dream can't I?
and loving ways - what chance did I have? My first cats were seal points of the 1960s with their rather rounder heads than we are used to today,
but with the same mischievous ways and strident voices.
When I bought my founder queens in 1995 I just wanted to breed Siamese, just healthy pets. I had no show ambitions and absolutely no
direction. I was very fortunate to meet some wonderfully kind breeders who answered my countless questions, provided me with reading material
and lots of practical help. I have in common with every other breeder discovered that it "aint as easy as it looks".
I wrestled with the rules on the inheritance of coat colour and pattern, and climbed (or rather am still climbing) t he steep learning curve of cat
midwifery and hand rearing. I have always been fortunate in being able to produce almost fearless kittens, this has been accomplished by the
input of three noisy young boys, crazy Labrador dogs, a washing machine which is constantly "on", and a front doorbell and telephone on
"constant".
Whilst attending the odd show I was deeply impressed by the beautiful cinnamon colour, then in it's infancy. It was not possible to buy a cinnamon
breeding queen at the time, I was told to take my Havana queen to cinnamon and then take a resulting daughter back to cinnamon again. It was
this experience of not being able to have what I wanted immediately and having to work for a future goal that awaken my interest in experimental
breeding. I did get my cinnamon breeding queen and ten years later I am still as in love with the colour as I ever was. However, in the meantime
there was to be a twist in the story: I sent my little Havana queen carrying cinnamon to a glorious stud, Silkpaws Renegade owned by Glenda
Worthy. I took her in to him as both parents were cinnamon carriers and I felt that I just had to put up with the fact that he was a tabby. Then I my
big surprise - TWO types of tabby spotty (the one I was expecting) and classic (the one I was not).
I thought that this was the most beautiful tabby I had ever seen and have been striving to breed good, sound clear classic tabby patterns ever
since. I hadn't realised that so few people were breeding them and how difficult it would be to find carriers let alone classics. Again dear friends
helped in every way they could, they allowed me to keep boys (an enormous ask), advised on genetics, researched classic lines for me, and even
put their queens to classic carriers to provide breeding queens and studs for me. I am amazed at the help that has been freely offered to me and
the general good will that has been extended to me since I have been following this path.
I would so love to produce good patterns in cinnamon and fawn, but with my dear Stuart (Grand Champion Oopseeidee Cirquedusoleil) being a
caramel the production of classic fawns has proved somewhat difficult. I have found it necessary, as there are no outcross classic studs, to use
Siamese lines carrying classic. This has had the effect of reducing the number of classic tabbies in a litter, this is further reduced by having to use
carriers (selfs carrying classic, or other coat patterns carrying classic) and the fact that classic is recessive to all the other cat patterns. Still who
said I ever wanted it easy.
At present I am beginning to produce more classics per litter for example the two litters I have at present have three out of six (classic to classic)
and two out of six (Siamese to classic). Their coat patterns are pretty good and I am hopeful for the future. However, to progress it is necessary to
work with other breeders who are prepared to work on the breed without necessarily having immediate show success. This is because it is very
much a work in progress - there is no point in expecting a "show quality breeding queen" as I haven't even addressed the issue of type yet.
Having said that show success is not possible, the more experienced judges seem happy to give full credit to cats produced in this quest for good
pattern in classic cats and the writer is grateful for this encouragement.
I am hoping that more classic lines can be brought into the programme whilst maintaining the quality of the pattern and to improve the somewhat
moderate type I have at present and also improving the eye colour........................ I can dream can't I?
Martlets Cattery
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