The Exotic Shorthair - Kyina & Talisker Cats Breeders of Russian ...

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The practice of crossing Persian to Domestic Shorthair was quiteprevalent in the 1950's and continues to this day. At that time, theDomestic Shorthair, later called American Shorthair, was neither ashorthair nor did it resemble the hardcoated, sleek, hearthside cat of our homes.The naivete of novice as well as experiencedbreeder was taxed considerably forthese very beautiful cats received greatacclaim in the show ring as AmericanShorthairs. As in the Emperors NewClothes, judges, breeders and the fancyturned blind eyes toward these cats andeither refused to see or could not admitwhat they truly saw. The questioningsPensylva full face; showing shortmuzzle and blaze.and murmurings of the unindoctrinatedwere muffled for a time. There were those,who at the beginning, thought that thesecats were, indeed, true American Shorthairs fancified to exceptionalbeauty. Yet those breeders, who could in no way reconcile what theysaw with what they believed to be true, began seeking answers. Becauseof their integrity, certain breeders frankly admitted the practiceof hybridizing. Much credit is due them for the amazing catsthey produced. It is a difficult feat in the Persian-American Shorthaircross to achieve proper coat and tabby pattern in the same cat.Interestingly enough, other breeders were unaware of the heritage oftheir cats. They accepted pedigrees at face value and felt that silverwas a natural shorthair color. The practice of crossing Persian toshorthair continued and was soon to become legitimate.In 1966 Mrs. Jane Martinke suggested a program for hybrid recognition,one part of which provided a place for chinchilla and shadedsilver American Shorthairs. This new "breed" was to be called SterlingShorthairs. (1) In spite of the honorable intentions of this programGrayfire's Cheyenne — Owner: Doris Walkingstick404 C.F.A.
to set things straight, it was not met with unbridled enthusiasm.Why should breeders of these cats suddenly transfer them to a hybridclass ? For years the judges had obviously sanctioned their catsas American Shorthairs.The matter was pursued by Mrs. Martinke, and in September, 1966,through Mrs. Jean Rose, she suggested that "a hybrid class for Domesticsof mixed Persian and American Shorthair parentage" beestablished to be called "Exotic Shorthairs". A new standard basedon the Persian Standard was to be written for Exotic Shorthairs,and they were to be given Championship classification. The ExoticShorthair breed thus came into being., 2 , Although the minutes ofthat CFA Board meeting reflect that the class was designated forPersian-American Shorthair crosses, it was later more broadly interpretedto include all shorthairs. A standard was established which,for all practical purposes, described a shorthaired Persian. Onestriking difference was the absence of a nosebreak in the ExoticShorthair. This was done in an effort to avoid difficulties with noseand mouth malformations that have occurred in some overly typedPersians.After the standard was accepted, those breeders who wished totransfer their American Shorthairs of the "exotic" type to the newbreed were given the opportunity. The numbers doing so were notoverwhelming.Much credit is due Jane Martinke for envisioning and championingthe program. For with the recognition of the Exotic Shorthair, twosignificant events occurred. The first of these was the founding ofan honest place in the show ring for a breed that ultimately will bethe ideal one in the fancy. Second, and equally important, the trueAmerican Shorthair once again could be judged properly by its correctstandard.With the 1967-1968 show season the new breed was placed in competition.As this is being written, the Exotic Shorthair has a history offive years in the show ring, and approximately 350 cats have beenregistered. For a breed so new, acceptance by most of the judges andthe fancy has been an unusual if not an extraordinary accomplishment.What has been most exciting to breeders is the acclaim of thepublic. These cats are striking in appearance, and they attract agreat deal of attention from cat lovers who are more interested in asweet faced, beautiful cat than its pedigree.Aby — SH Silver Cross, 8 weeks old. (Stripes fade with age.)Year Book, 1972 405
Page 1: THE EXOTIC SHORTHAIRRosemonde S. Pe
Page 5 and 6: Gr. Ch. Dacia Dao's Patricia. Owner
Page 7 and 8: cannot help but wonder if this is h
Page 9 and 10: British B'ue Male. Pensylva Carrini

The Exotic Shorthair - Kyina & Talisker Cats Breeders of Russian ...

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