History of the Siamese Cat, 1940s and 1950s, Part 2
by Carlon Boren
In 1949, the point scale was raised to qualify a cat for the section win, and the scale was also doubled to place a cat in the All American. In this year, the All American had stimulated the interest of the exhibitors and breeders all over the United States, to such an extent that the greatest array of cats were competing for the chance to become Best In Show.
Each year the competition for the Siamese grew, but the long haired cat seemed to be the popular choice for the Best In Show of the judges. Many Siamese breeders were discouraged, and there was a movement underway to segregate the judging of Siamese from that of the Long Hair breeds. Many breeders believed that a Best Long Hair, and Opposite Sex, and a Best Short Hair, and Opposite Sex, should be chosen in the All Breed shows.
1949-50:
Much interest was centered in the Cat of the Year for 1949, for during that year competition was terrific between the Long Hair Blue and the popular Siamese. The top cat of each section was a female and the nominees were: Vee Roi’s Dream Girl, a Seal Point female, representing the Midwest; Dixi-Land’s Felice of Normont, a Blue owned by Mrs. Merald E. Hoag, representing the South; Doneraile Druisilla of Braintree, Mass, representing the East; and Lanite, a Seal Point Siamese owned by Mrs. June Williams of Temple City, CA, representing the West. Could it be that for the first time, a Siamese would capture Cat of the Year? When the award was published, the Cat of the Year was the Blue Persian of Mrs. Merald C. Hoag, and Opposite sex was CH Dixi-Land’s White Historian II, an Orange-Eyed White Persian owned by Mrs. John Revington.
In 1949, the All American Siamese had to be chosen from:
the Midwest winners of Vee Roi, who had won both the male and female wins of the Seal and Blue Siamese;
the Eastern wins the fine Siamese from the leading catteries of Newton, Doneraile (Mrs. S. Nelson of Braintree, MA), Claire Y. O’Bryon Katischa, and Rasna’s Ilo, bred by Mrs. A. Penney of Scardale, NY.
The All Western wins had to be chosen from the catteries of Lamar, June Williams and Dorothea Simmons.
And because of the increase in points, the South had only been represented by a Blue Point male, Cuthpa Dhympo, bred by Mrs. R.M. Cuthbertson.
The Northwest had been scored and Tai Tai of Tang Wong, owned by Mr. and Mrs. M.G. Stevens of Seattle, WA, had won there. Siamese were not plentiful as yet in Washington or Canada.
From these, the All American for the year were:
Seal Point male, Newton’s Ping Wei of Millbrook, Mr. and Mrs. W.R. Roose, Hamden, CT.
Seal Point female was Vee Roi’ Dream Girl, Mrs. R.H. Hecht.
Blue Point male was Vee Roi’s Blue Knight.
Blue Point female was the famous Vee Roi’s Lantara Gene.
1950-51:
In 1950, Mrs. R.H. Hecht won once more Best Cat of the Year, Opposite Sex, again with GC Vee Roi’s Lantara Gene, the first Grand Champion Siamese.
The All American wins had gone to:
Seal Point male – H.R.H. of Ebon Mask, owned by Mrs. Sven Nelson, of Braintree, MA.
Seal Point female - Chindwin’s Charm of Millbrook, owned by Mr. and Mrs. W.R. Roose, Hamden, CT.
Blue Point male - Dbl CH Chatterbox’s Garuda, owned by Amelia Roberts, Harriburg, PA.
Blue Point female - CH Telot Cable, owned by Mr. and Mrs. R.A. Cable of Blawnox, PA.
The All Western 1950 wins were made by
the Seal Point male, CH Quinn’s Gallant Leader, owned and bred by Elsie L. Quinn, San Gabriel, California.
Seal Point female was CH Hollywood’s Tondelaya, Mrs. Frank Bjerring, North Hollywood, California.
Blue Point male, Dbl CH Hollywood’s Phar Lap of Nor’cliff, owned by Mrs. J. H. Clifton, San Francisco, CA
Blue Point female, CH Blue Belle de Casa Gatos, Mrs. Roberta K. Knight, Oswego, Oregon.
The All Midwestern wins were:
Seal Point male, CH Vee Roi’s Cyrano II, Mrs. Hecht.
Seal Point female, CH Vee Roi’s Ban Shee, Dr. J. S. Caldwell, Cincinnati, Ohio.
Blue Point male, Dbl CH Vee Roi’s Blue Knight, Mrs. Hecht.
Blue Point female, GC Vee Roi’s Lantara Gene.
The All Southern wins were:
Seal Point male, Dbl CH Cha Wa Chirn Sai-Hai, Mrs. R. L. O’Donovan, South Miami, Florida.
Seal Point female, CH Chirn Sai-Hai Hansa, Beth O’Donovan.
Blue Point male, CH Bamberyling of Vanar, Mrs. L.S. Van Riper, Rockville, Maryland.
Blue Point female, CH Rosebank Crysanta Royalist, Mrs. Edward Voke, Norfolk, Virginia.
The 1950 All-American cats had been
H.R.H. of Ebon Mask (Amdos Yankee x CH Doneraile Drusilla), Mr. and Mrs. Sven S. Nelson.
CH Vee Roi’s Ban Shee (CH Newton’s Winkipoo of Cyama x Vee Roi’s Zanobia), Dr. and Mrs. J.S. Caldwell.
CH Bambeyling of Vanar (Nor-Mont Rama Sura x Nor-Mont Meling of Vanar), Mr. and Mrs. Van Riper.
And again to GC Vee Roi’s Lantara Gene.
1951-52:
In July 1951, the ownership and editorship of Cats Magazine changed from Charles A. Kenny to Mr. Raymond D. Smith. However, Cats Magazine continued the same type of features, news, articles, and the All American awards, as it had before.
For the season of 1951-52, “new headlines for the old bloodlines continued”.
In the East,
Seal Point male, CH Millbrook’s Ping Pong of Purrfection, Mrs. W. Ball.
Seal Point female, GC Newton’s Jay Tee, Mrs. Arthur Cobb.
Blue Point male, Dbl CH Symond’s Lord Essex of Sherwood, Mrs. Florence S. Kanoffe.
Blue Point female, Dbl CH Vee Roi’s Violet Lady, Mrs. Alice S. Dugan.
In the All Western wins, a few new breeders were winning.
Seal Point male, Dbl CH Palos Verdes Tam-A-Shee, Capt. and Mrs. B.K. Culver, Palos Verdes, California.
Seal Point female, Lamar’s Chinkee Lou, Mrs. Charles Jones.
Blue Point male, Dbl CH Anna’s Blue Mon-Dee, Mr. and Mrs. Earnest McCracken, Paramont, California.
Blue Point female, CH Hollywood’s Blue Velvet, Mr. E.W. Krampert, Casper, Wyoming.
All Midwestern again won in all the Seal and Blue classes by the Vee Roi cattery. This time it was
Vee Roi’s Play Boy (seal point male),
Vee Roi’s Ban Shee (seal point female),
Vee Roi’s Blue Knight (blue point male),
Vee Roi’s Dainty Girl (blue point female).
The All Southern did not place a Seal Point male this year.
Seal Point female was Ti-Tone Hu Shi of Hu-Ling, Major Bolton S. Pierce, Lakeland, Florida.
Blue Point male, CH Chirn Sa-Hai Nahranoda, Mrs. Richard O’Donovan.
Blue Point female, CH Rosebank Chrysanta Royalist, Mrs. C. Edward Voke, Norfolk, Virginia.
The All American cats were:
Seal Point male, CH Vee Roi’s Playboy, Hecht.
Seal Point female, Vee Roi’s Ban Shee, Dr. and Mrs. Caldwell, Cincinnati, Ohio.
Blue Point male, Anna’s Blue Mon-Dee, Mr. and Mrs. E. McCracken.
Blue Point female, Dbl CH Vee Roi’s Violet Lady, Mrs. Alice S. Sugan, Hartsdale, New York.