January 2008 Newsletter - United Burmese Cat Fanciers
January 2008 Newsletter - United Burmese Cat Fanciers
January 2008 Newsletter - United Burmese Cat Fanciers
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
How I Met My First <strong>Burmese</strong><br />
I was twelve years old when I saw an article in National<br />
Geographic about cat breeds. I couldn’t take my eyes off<br />
the sable <strong>Burmese</strong> in the picture. I looked at the beautiful<br />
rich brown coloration and the deep gold eyes of the mother<br />
<strong>Burmese</strong> pictured and thought, “One day I will own a cat<br />
like this!” I still have that National Geographic.<br />
In 1979 I got my opportunity. I was living and working<br />
in the Houston area and saw an ad for <strong>Burmese</strong> kittens in<br />
the newspaper. The cattery was Springcrest, and I immediately<br />
went there and met Carol Cummings, who showed<br />
me GRC Senshu’s De-Fender and Springcrest Seaport, and<br />
I chose a girl from a litter of 3 boys and a girl, much to<br />
Carol’s dismay. She tried her best to talk me into a boy,<br />
but I was stubborn. I didn’t know why then, but now, of<br />
course, I understand totally -- she wanted that girl and<br />
always maintained she was the best that cat ever produced.<br />
I named the kitten Mai Tai, and I just wanted her for a pet.<br />
Carol told me that if I decided I wanted the papers to breed<br />
her, just to send $85 extra dollars and she would provide<br />
them.<br />
Mai Tai was a fabulous retriever that made most dogs<br />
hang their heads in shame. She could catch the ball in<br />
midair, when it was banked off a wall, and go after it if<br />
I bounced it. She hunkered down like a dog when I was<br />
holding the ball, and she would bring it to me constantly<br />
to entice me to play with her. If I ignored her, she could<br />
chip the ball with her paw from the floor onto my lap as<br />
I sat on the couch. She never missed. She putted better<br />
than Arnold Palmer. I sent the money for the papers, and<br />
that was the beginning of my love affair with <strong>Burmese</strong>. I<br />
started breeding in 1980.<br />
During the 80’s I had the good luck to see many beautiful<br />
cats from catteries that no longer exist, and I got to talk<br />
to many old time breeders about their experiences. I had<br />
long discussions with Brook Anderson (Summersage) and<br />
<strong>Burmese</strong> queen and kittens from the April 1964<br />
issue of National Geographic Magazine that<br />
inspired Shirley Storey:<br />
“The <strong>Cat</strong>s in our Lives -- Mother and kittens<br />
reveal the <strong>Burmese</strong> to be compact and muscular.<br />
The three appear to be smiling gravely, an<br />
illusion created by upturned mouths set in full<br />
faces. Their eyes glow with deep gold . . . The<br />
unique and wonderful color of the <strong>Burmese</strong><br />
is a ‘rich, warm sable brown.’ Coat is short,<br />
lies close, has a glossy sheen and satiny texture.<br />
Fastest growing in popularity among the<br />
Shorthairs, the Burm commands a handsome<br />
price.”<br />
acquired Summersage Kirby from him. I talked often with<br />
Mary Tichenor, and managed to acquire Brandolion’s Cozette<br />
from her, and “Cozy” was a grand old cat with a chest<br />
like Mae West and was a great foundation for my cattery<br />
along with my nine pound Springcrest Mai Tai. Cozy had<br />
seven kittens at age eight by c-section, was spayed, and on<br />
her feet, and nursing (or at least trying) a day later. What<br />
an Iron Maiden! I bred her to GRC Jade Orchid Jaguar<br />
twice and had a long distance friendship with Jane Billings,<br />
who was a lovely person who played the harp in concerts<br />
and was a court transcriptionist. My hoped for litter from<br />
Jaggie was born four days early, and I raised the two surviving<br />
kittens on a tomcat catheter. My vet said they were<br />
my miracle kittens.<br />
Red Barn’s Jess Godiper was acquired from Red Barn<br />
cattery in Roanoke, Virginia, from Diane Bollinger, who I<br />
recently sold three pets to (for both her and her family).<br />
I lived in Virginia a while and regularly showed against<br />
Diane’s lovely Sweet Sioux, as well as Randy Madden’s<br />
gorgeous Sau-Nee Azure Dee of Leia. I saw the majestic<br />
KoKo King Mr Fantastic both at Randy’s and later at<br />
Diane’s. Diane told me, “He doesn’t like me. He always<br />
belonged to men, and when he sees my husband he comes<br />
running and is all over him.” I wish I had taken his picture<br />
as he had a head like a dinner plate. He lived to be 14+<br />
years and made his way to Ishta cattery in Las Vegas. I<br />
also had cats from Ishta cattery, and Sandy Maher proved<br />
to be one of the most interesting people I have yet to meet.<br />
In the mid-eighties I met Linda Jeske at the now defunct<br />
Empire <strong>Cat</strong> Club Show in NYC. She was showing a drop<br />
dead gorgeous blue spay who so impressed me that I pestered<br />
Linda for every detail about this cat and she obliged,<br />
of course. Unfortunately her blue girl had no offspring, but<br />
Linda, as we all know, produced many, many other fantastic<br />
show cats. At this show I also met Zelda Markowitz of<br />
Page 10 UBCF <strong>January</strong> <strong>2008</strong>