“ANY OTHER COLOUR” PERSIANS.
In the early days of the fancy all sorts and conditions of cats
were entered in this class. Blacks, whites, and tabbies were
considered important enough to have classes assigned to them; then
the rest were all huddled and muddled together in the “any other
variety” class. Even in these days it is no easy matter to place
the awards in a mixed class; but formerly the judge must have felt
puzzled over the prizes, and probably finally gave the highest
awards to the breed of cat which he most admired. I do not mean
anything personal; but, as I write, I recollect a very large class
in 1887 at the Crystal Palace, two years before a class for blues
was instituted. Mr. A. A. Clarke was judging, and a female blue,
“Fanny,” which I had given to Mrs. W. M. Hunt as a birthday
present, was awarded first. She was a beautiful specimen, and but
for her green eyes would have been a remarkable cat even in these
up-to-date days of the fancy. Whereas, therefore, for many years
this “any other variety” class was the largest in the show, it has
gradually become beautifully less—and rightly so, for by degrees
the various breeds have been improved, and the number of specimens
have increased, and the executives of shows have gone with the
times and provided separate classes for each breed as occasion
seemed to arise. So orange and cream cats are no longer relegated
to what we now call the “any other colour” class, and
tortoiseshells and tortoiseshell-and-whites are separately dealt
with; therefore it is only tabby-and-whites, nondescript smokes,
blue tabbies, and black-and-whites that are received into the fold
of the somewhat despised “any other colour” class. Blues and
blacks with white spots used to be entered in this class, but of
recent years both cat clubs have wisely decided that such cats
must be entered in their own classes, for a blue is a blue and a
black a black, and having a blemish does not alter their breed,
but takes so many points away from them; and, of course, their
chances of success even with every other quality is small indeed
when in competition with pure self-coloured cats.
[Illustration:
A GROTESQUELY MARKED KITTEN.
(_Photo: E. Landor, Ealing._)
]
I am of opinion that ere long the “any other colour” class, at least
at our principal shows, will cease to exist, and mismarked cats,
white-spotted cats, and doubtful smokes will no longer be considered
worth entering, and fanciers owning such specimens will make up their
minds to keep their pets at home.
For instance, Mrs. Boutcher, a silver breeder, owned a magnificent
cat, a son of “Lord Argent.” He was a superbly shaped and grandly
coated animal, and was neither a silver nor a smoke—in fact, what
might be termed a silver smoke. His face was dark, and tail and paws,
and his body was a pale silver grey, shaded to almost white at the
roots. His owner entered him in the “any other colour” class one year,
and he was disqualified by the judge; then he was next located in the
smoke class, but as a different judge was making the awards he was
again marked “wrong class.” This noble “Lord Sylvester” was the cause
of much correspondence in the cat papers, and discussion ran high as
to what manner of cat he was. One of our ablest judges—now, alas! no
longer in our midst—wrote thus in _Our Cats_ of December, 1900:—
SIR,—In your issue of the 24th I notice at the meeting of the Silver
Society Mr. Boutcher asked the opinion _re_ the decision of myself
at the Palace as against that of Mr. House at Brighton. In defence
of my own award, I unhesitatingly say that, in the same
classification as at the Palace, “Lord Sylvester’s” class was the
A.O.C., in which I fearlessly awarded him first prize. Of course,
Mr. House has just as much right to his opinion as I have to mine;
but, whether right or wrong, _I do know “Lord Sylvester” is not a
smoke_, both on my own knowledge of colour and of that set forth in
the standards.—I am, yours truly,
E. WELBURN.
Surely this is the common-sense view to take. A year later “Lord
Sylvester” was purchased by Mrs. Champion, and travelled out with her
to America, where, no doubt, this splendid animal receives all the
admiration he deserves, in whatever class he is entered on the other
side of the herring pond.
Since writing these lines I have read an article in _Field and Fancy_
on the New York Cat Show of January, 1903, and the following mention
is made: “In the ‘any other colour’ ‘Lord Sylvester’ was to the front,
looking splendid.”
As regards the advisability of doing away with the “any other colour”
class, I will quote from a letter written by that well-known fancier
Mr. W. R. Hawkins:—“Why should one class in a show be given up to the
bad specimens or mismarked cats of each colour? Surely the intended
use of the ‘any other colour’ class was that when any definite colour
had no class of its own it should not be excluded from the show, but
take refuge in the ‘any other colour’ class; for instance, at the
Brighton show (1900) we had no class for cream, orange, or
tortoiseshell. They were, therefore, shown in the ‘any other colour’
class, and being good cats of definite breeds were a credit to the
class, and in no way a disgrace. But what do we often see? A blue with
a white spot or some other freak winning. I say this is absolutely
wrong, and that a blue with a white spot is in reality a bad blue, and
should not be encouraged. In the same way, a tabby-and-white is a bad
tabby, and ought not to go to a show at all, but even if shown has no
right in the ‘any other colour’ class, according to my ideas.”
There is one cat that is fast vanishing from our midst. I mean the
black-and-white Persian, and yet I confess an evenly marked specimen
is a handsome animal. By black and white I mean the ground should be
black, dense and glossy; the feet, chest, and nose white, with a blaze
of white coming to a point up the centre of the face. The eyes of such
a cat should be orange.
Another type is the white and black cat, but unless the black patches
are evenly balanced, especially in the face, the effect is not
pleasing (see illustration, page 232). Harrison Weir gives particulars
of some curiously marked cats coming under his notice—“one entirely
white with black ears; another white with a black tail only; another
had the two front feet black, all else being white.”
I cannot say I have any leaning towards tabby-and-white cats, or
orange-and-white, these being the least attractive of any in the
fancy. Blue-and-whites are seldom seen, but the photos on pp. 234–5
represent some sweetly pretty kittens of this variety. Their sire was
“Yani,” a noted blue owned by Miss E. Goddard, and their mother a
black-and-white. Blue tabbies, so common fifteen or twenty years ago,
are no longer to be seen, at least only here and there at shows, and
they have really no value beyond being pretty pets. A cat that has
done some winning and has sired some lovely kittens, but must,
strictly speaking, be considered an “any other colour” cat, is “Blue
Robin,” formerly the property of Miss H. Cochran, and now in the
possession of Mr. C. W. Witt. This is a blue cat with a tabby-marked
head. He was bred from blues and silvers, and his chin, ear tufts, and
eyebrows are silver, and his nose pink. As will be seen from his
picture, on page 236, he has a grand head and beautiful expression. I
am indebted to Miss Hester Cochran for the following notes on “any
other coloured” cats:—
“The cats known as ‘A.O.C.’s’ or ‘any other colour,’ because they are
of a colour for which no class is provided, are hard to write about,
because they have no history. They are not bred from A.O.C.’s, and
A.O.C.’s are not bred from them. They are either pedigreeless or, more
commonly, the result of indiscreet crossing of two definite colours,
as, for example, when the owner of a white queen wishes to breed a
litter of blue kittens. More rarely they result from a cross which has
been resorted to to fix some special point, as when a white and a blue
with particularly massive heads or wonderful orange eyes have been
mated with a view to producing a strain noted for their eyes. Years
ago the classes were interesting, as they introduced all new colours.
[Illustration:
“LOCKHAVEN COLBURN.”
A GOOD EXAMPLE OF PERFECT BLACK-AND-WHITE MARKINGS.
(_Photo: Koehne & Bretzman, Chicago._)
]
“I remember an A.O.C. class at the Crystal Palace not many years ago
containing seven entries, all good smokes; soon after smoke classes
were given, and then chinchillas began to appear in this class. These
cats being specially provided for, creams were the most noticeable
A.O.C.’s; but now the blue tabbies and broken-coloured cats—that is,
some colour and white—usually occupy the A.O.C. class. Notable
instances of cats with white spots were ‘Cain,’ ‘Nankipoo,’ and
‘Kingfisher,’ all grand blues with this blemish.
“In 1892 Mrs. Pattison’s exquisitely shaped and coated
orange-and-white ‘Chicot’ (pedigreeless), then shown as tabby with or
without white, established a record by winning as best in show at the
Crystal Palace. Other tabby-and-white cats have done well. Miss Malony
used to show some good ones; the best, ‘Lindfield Sweet William,’ was
a blue tabby-and-white, very massive and heavily coated, son of the
smoke ‘Lindfield Bogie.’ Mrs. Pearce, of New Barnet, also used to win
with tabby-and-white cats, and Mr. Law’s ‘Buffer’ was a celebrity in
his day, but whether he was a brown tabby or an A.O.C. is doubtful; he
was later known as ‘Leopold.’ The Hon. Mrs. McLaren Morrison had a
really good silver tabby with white feet in ‘Kepwick Silver King’; and
later Miss Snell’s grand-headed ‘Wonderland’ made a small sensation.
“Another good cat which won in an A.O.C. class is Lady Maitland’s
‘Cheeky Blue,’ a lovely blue with a sprinkling of white hairs on her
body. Blue and smoke tortoiseshells are freaks, and not really
exhibition cats at all, but are by some people considered useful for
breeding. Personally, I do not think they are capable of producing
anything which a definitely coloured cat of proper ancestry cannot
produce as well or better. When cream queens were unavailable they had
to be used, but now they are becoming unnecessary. Perhaps the best is
Miss W. Beal’s ‘R. Fluffie.’ Mrs. D’Arcy Hildyard’s ‘Sengo of the
Durhams’ was another. Miss Taylor’s ‘Tawney’ began life as a blue with
a few yellow marks, and wound up as a good tortoiseshell, though a
trifle too red. Mrs. Cunliffe Lee’s ‘Tiger,’ a kind of yellow-brown,
more ticked than marked, and principally distinguished by his great
coat, made his mark in the A.O.C. classes.
“Of blue tabby cats which have won well (mostly bred from blues and
silver tabbies) there is a long list. They became common through the
craze for blues, as silver queens were sent to blue toms. Later the
desire for chinchillas started them afresh, as blue queens were sent
to chinchilla toms.
[Illustration:
THE CONQUEST OF THE AIR.
(_Photo: E. Landor, Ealing._)
]
“Mrs. Herring’s ‘Braemar’ was a son of ‘Cœruleus’ by ‘Turko’; ‘Upwood
Dew’ and ‘Camera’ are from the ‘Timkins’ strain; Miss Jebb’s ‘Julius
Cæsar,’ Miss Rae’s ‘Romanoff,’ Miss Nicholay’s ‘Sacho,’ and Miss Jay’s
‘Holmwood Skittles’ were all celebrated cats. Some of these have
thrown beautiful kittens, both blues and chinchillas; and as a
makeshift, when a correctly coloured cat of the required pedigree is
unavailable, they may, when judiciously mated, be found useful; but
good breeders will part with all mismarked kittens for pets. The best
and most definitely coloured A.O.C. I ever saw was Mrs. Davies’ ‘Sin
Li,’ a deep self-coloured chocolate-brown cat. He was supposed to be
one of three Swiss mountain cats imported to this country, and he was
a most handsome and interesting animal. Unfortunately, he died young,
leaving no progeny. Another interesting A.O.C. cat I have seen was a
short-haired neuter, red, with black stripes and white paws and chest.
In the future I hope to see a variety of strange cats in the A.O.C.
classes, but at present they are very uninteresting. Good suggestions
for future colours are red, orange, blue, or white with black stripes,
chestnut-brown self-coloured, and black with white tips to the fur. So
far as I can see, it should be possible by crossing with various
foreign breeds to produce in a few years’ time cats of all these
colours.”
[Illustration:
SILVER TABBY AND ORANGE-AND-WHITE PERSIANS.
(_From a Painting by Miss F. Marks._)
]
One of the finest “any other colour” cats of the present day is now in
the possession of Miss Moxon, of Ilfracombe. “Cinder” was purchased
from Mrs. Davies, who has a rare faculty of picking up
uncommon-looking cats. Miss Moxon writes:—“I am sending you a detailed
description of ‘Cinder,’ who is a difficult cat to describe, and is
quite the handsomest cat I have ever seen. By ‘handsome’ I mean
striking, as she attracts everyone’s attention, and very often
visitors to our well-filled cattery have not a glance to spare for our
other specimens.” The following is the description of this very
uncommon long-haired cat:—
“‘Tors Side Cinder,’ winner of many prizes, including second Brighton
A.O.C. kitten class, 1899; first A.O.C. kitten, medal, and two
specials, Westminster, 1900; first and special for best cat in show,
Maidstone, etc.
[Illustration:
GRACE BEFORE MEAT.
(_Photo: E. Landor, Ealing._)
]
“‘Cinder’ was described to me by the lady from whom I bought her in
1901 as ‘a very peculiar colour—a kind of tortoiseshell creamy smoke.’
She has a dark seal-brown mask and ears, except for one creamy orange
(tortoiseshell) splash above left eye, and another under chin. These
give great expression to her face. Head exceptionally fine,
considerable breadth of skull, small tufted ears, short broad face,
very sweet expression. Round orange eyes, for which she has won more
than one special. Fine outstanding frill of a creamy smoke colour; fur
on chest very long and feathery, of a creamy, bluish smoke shade, with
a pale cream knot in centre. Seal spine line, splashed with creamy
brown, shading gradually lighter to shoulder knots and side puffs,
which are of a rather darker tint than the frill. Paws and legs of a
dark seal-brown; waistcoat and knickers of a bluish cream. Splendid
thick brush—upperside to match spine line, under-side of a bluish
cream shade. Slightly bluish tint all over, _distinct_ under-coat of
palest cream shading to soft creamy blue.”
[Illustration:
“MARCUS SUPERBUS,” A SILVER SMOKE.
OWNED BY MISS SHAW.
(_Photo: Moffat, Edinburgh._)
]
American fanciers have always shown a partiality for broken-coloured
cats, and orange-and-white and blue-and-white cats have
classifications given for them at the leading shows. In England there
is a marked antipathy to these cats, chiefly because they have little
or no value for breeding, though they undoubtedly make pretty pets. As
a sign of the times, I may mention that at the Westminster show in
1903 the three “any other colour” classes for males, females, and
kittens had to be cancelled, no entries having been made.
Speculative, but, I must add, persevering fanciers might derive
interest and amusement from trying to breed out-of-the-common
specimens. A black-and-white, spotted like a Dalmatian hound, or a cat
marked with zebra stripes, could doubtless be produced in time by
careful and judicious selection.
[Illustration:
“BLUE ROBIN.”
(_Photo: Witcomb & Son, Salisbury._)
]