History of the Siamese Cat, Part 1
by Carlon Boren
As the different Cat Societies had promoted the Siamese, the early books and magazines that were published about cats also promoted them.
In 1912, one of the earliest magazines about cats was published. This magazine, the Cat Courier, served the cat Fancy for twenty-six years without interruption. In 1938, it was consolidated with Cat Gazette, which was the official organ of the Cat Fanciers’ Association, Inc., and which was first edited in 1934. Cat Gazette published the early CFA Stud books.
Another publication of this era was the magazine Our Cats, published in December 1938, by Alice Graydon Phillips. In October 1949, it merged with Cats Magazine, which had made its initial appearance into the cat world in January, 1945, owned and edited by Mr. Charles A. Kenny. The Cat Digest with its “Hall of Fame” was first published in 1940, but it did not continue for more than a few years. The English Cats and Kittens was first published in 1937, but it too was discontinued, and in January 1949, Our Cats became the leading magazine published in England. Today it is widely read here in America.
All these early cat magazines and the cat books, which I have previously mentioned, kept alive the interest in the Siamese and in all breeds of cats. We owe a great debt of gratitude to the publishers and editors of these early publications, for they became the greatest source of our permanent records about cats. Today they have become collectors’ items.
The consolidation with Our Cats in 1949, made Cats Magazine the only periodical of its kind in America, and after seventeen years, it continues to be published exclusively for cats. It published the results of cat shows, the show calendars, news of cats and kittens, and interesting articles pertaining to cats. Mr. Charles A. Kenny sent out an appeal through his magazine to all cat lovers to acquire literary accumulations of the past history of cats all over America, prior to 1945. Data was gleaned from out-of-print books and periodicals, and a library of information was fashioned by Cats Magazine – and they were able to present unusual articles of vital interest and study and give to the Cat world historical data that might have been lost forever.
In December 1946, Cats Magazine announced the establishment of the All American ratings, by a point system, for all breeds of cats recognized by all associations. For the cat breeder and exhibitor, this was one of Mr. Kenny’s greatest achievements. His All Sectional and All American method of ratings met a pressing need for a national, impersonal method of nation-wide rankings for cats of all breeds. The final win of Cat of the Year, and Cat of the Year, Opposite Sex was also to be selected and won by the cat winning the greatest number of points. The feature of the All American was based on the performances and showings from the session 1946-1947 inclusive. The All Sectional awards were to be given to cats from the Eastern, Southern, Mid-Western and Western parts of the United States, and from these wins the All American cats were to be chosen for the National rankings of all breeds and colors. Thus All American cats would mean the finest in the entire country. True, there would be many fine cats who would not get the awards, but a cat could not stay home and win!
Since the Seal Point and the Blue Point Siamese were the only two colors of Siamese cats that were recognized by the Cat associations at this time, they therefore were the only ones in competition. I would like to record here the names of these cats and their owners.
All Eastern – 1946-47
Seal Point male – CH Newton’s Yan Tana of Chindwin, breeder, Mrs. Virginia Cobb, owner, Mr. Everett M. Battey, Framington, MA.
Seal Point female – CH Chindwin’s Lantana, breeder/owner, Mr. and Mrs. Battey.
Blue Point male – CH Rasna’s Huios of Thornwood, owner, Mrs. Alexander Pinney of Scardale, NY.
Blue Point female – CH Wan Tut Sawan, breeder/owner, Miss Elsa Wunderlich, Tarrytown, NY.
All Mid-Western
Seal Point male – Vee Roi’s Krisadon, Mrs. R.H. Hecht.
Seal Point female – Vee Roi’s Katisha, Mrs. Hecht.
Blue Point male – Vee Roi’s Blue Knight.
Blue Point female – Dbl CH Vee Roi’s Lantara Gene, Mrs. R.H. Hecht, Normandy, MO.
All Southern
Seal Point male – Siamee of Pinelawn, breeder/owner, G.A. Dobyns.
Seal Point female – Angelin of Mao, breeder, Mr. Price Cross, owner, Mrs. R.M. Cuthbertson, Lufkin, TX.
Blue Point male – CH Rosebank Kwang Tung II, owner, Mrs. Lucille A. Purnell, Salisbury, MD.
Blue Point female – Mao Blue Adelaide, breeder/owner, Mr. Price Cross, Houston, TX.
All Western
Seal Point male – Knight’s Peter Piper, breeder, Mrs. J.E. Davis, owner, Mr. and Mrs. Charles A. Knight, Oswego, OR.
Seal Point female – CH Fairchild’s Fan Tan, breeder/owner, Mrs. Helen Fairchild, Carlsbad, CA.
Blue Point male – CH Lom Dym de Casa Gatos, breeder, V. Dewey, owner, Mrs. Blanche Warren, Bellflower, CA.
Blue Point female – Undine of the Dark Gauntlets, Mrs. Frederick Hokin, Los Angeles, CA.
From the above wins, the All American Siamese were chosen:
Seal Point male – Knight’s Peter Piper.
Seal Point female – CH Fairchild’s Fan Tan.
Blue Point male – CH Lom Dym de Casa Gatos.
Blue Point female - Dbl CH Vee Roi’s Lantara Gene.
The Cat of the Year went to a Blue Persian male – CH Wimauma Masterpiece of Chalsu, owned by Mr. Charles G. Victor, North Hollywood, and bred by Mrs. Avid Ohlin. Cat of the Year, Opp. Sex, was won by Dbl CH Vee Roi’s Lantara Gene, the Blue Point Siamese owned by Mrs. R.H. Hecht. Lantara Gene had rocked the cat fancy in 1946 when she was named Best Cat in the All Breed show, at the Greater St. Louis show. This was the first time that a Siamese had won such an astounding prize!
In the fifty-four year history of the American Cat Fancy, only fifteen Siamese had won the title of Best Cat in an All Breed sanctioned exhibition! Of the fifteen known Best Cat awards annexed by Siamese in sanctioned All Breed exhibitions between 1895 and 1949, Mrs. Dykhouse won two. Her first success took place in Minneapolis in January 1912, when Romeo Blue Bell won at the first annual show of the Minneapolis Cat Club. Her second award was achieved in January 1916 at South Bend, Indiana, where Romeo Me Yome, a female, was judged Best at the South Bend Cat Club show.
In 1913 at the January show at New York City, held by the Atlantic Cat Club, with Mr. H.J. Vidal judging, Mrs. Mathis scored the first of her two wins for Best Cat in an All Breed show. CH Lady Sonia was placed against the cream of the Long Haired cats in the East and Midwest. Little thought was given that Sonia would have a chance, great surprise occurred when the judge dramatically placed the Best Cat award on the cage displaying this lovely female. Again in 1915, Mrs. Mathis won a second time with Sonitska, another female Siamese, at the Greenwich Connecticut show, Mrs. Elizabeth Brace was judging.
In 1915 at Aurora, Illinois, Mrs. B.E. Watson won Best Cat with Hjalmar of Salina, a Seal Point male, bred by Gertrude Taylor.
Previous to the above win, in 1914 at Columbus, Ohio, the first annual show of the Ohio State Cat Club, Mrs. Elizabeth L. Brace judging, Wee Jitsa, a Siamese female, owned by Mrs. F.L. Norton of Casanovia, NY, won Best in show.
At Detroit in September 1925, Siamese Star Adamina, a Seal Point female owned by Mrs. H.E. Naatz, won Best in the All Breed, judging was by Mrs. F.G. Mathis.
In Canada in August 1925, at Vancouver, BC, Mon Dek Lik, a Seal Point male owned by a Mrs. Schwartze was judged Best by Mrs. B.E. Watson.
Three Bests occurred at the El Paso, TX show, when Mrs. C.C. Strange of El Paso won with her famous CH Valhalla’s Mahatma M.K. Gandhi, Seal Point male Siamese. Mahatma won the award in 1935 and 1939, while in 1936 Valhalla’s Kawngtung, a Blue Point male, turned the trick.
Mrs. Hecht was well-known throughout the Midwest show circles with her Blue and Seal Point Siamese, as well as Domestic Short Hair tabbies. Lantara Gene was born May 6, 1945. She was sired by Vee Roi’s Blue Gene, out of CH Lantara of the Dark Gauntlets. She was 1947 and 1949 All American Blue Point. Her win as Best Opp. Sex Cat of the Year for 1947, had made her climb to heights no other Siamese cat had ever ascended thus far in the history of the Siamese. In 1948, Mrs. Hecht won again Best Opposite Sex Cat of the Year, this time with a Seal Point female Dbl CH Vee Roi’s Katisha. She was out of Siam’s stock on both sides.
In 1948 the All Americans were:
Seal Point male - Knight’s Peter Piper.
Seal Point female – Dbl CH Vee Roi’s Katisha.
Blue Point male – Dbl CH Vee Roi’s Blue Knight.
Blue Point female – CH Lamar’s Kuan Yin, owned and bred by Lieut. And Mrs. Charles Jones of Coronado, CA.