Duffy of Beverly-Serrano, shaded silver Persian male

CH DUFFY OF BEVERLY-SERRANO, a shaded silver male, was named Best in Show at the American Silver Fanciers Specialty show which was part of the Southern California Cat Club show held on January 14, 1945 in Los Angeles.

In this photo, Duffy is held by Miss Olive Borden, a silent film actress in the 1920's.

DUFFY was born October 7,1941 and was owned by Mrs. Jessie Hazlett.

Photo from the Los Angeles Times, January 15, 1945

Black Cats and Hallowe'en

BLACK CATS have been associated with Hallowe'en since the days of pilgrims, who thought witches could transform themselves into black cats, and back to human form again.

Of course, we all know that's impossible ... but the wariness of black cats on Halloween still exists to this day.

For the health and safety of your cat, it's wise and responsible for cat owners to be sure that their cats are indoors during Hallowe'en.

Maneki Neko

THE MANEKI NEKO is more easily recognizable as the "welcoming cat" in restaurants and shops. While the exact origins are uncertain, numerous interesting legends and folklore tales surround the Maneki Neko’s early days.

Today, the Maneki Neko  comes in a variety of colors and mediums, yet all retain the same philosophy ... welcoming good fortune, health, and wealth to their admirers.

The Feline Historical Museum in Alliance, Ohio, has a room dedicated to their collection of Maneki Nekos.

Read more about the Maneki Neko here:  http://felinehistoricalfoundation.org/article-maneki-neko.html

Richard H. Gebhardt

RICHARD H. GEBHARDT
(1931-2018)

Richard Gebhardt had a long and distinguished career with The Cat Fanciers' Association, Inc. (CFA).  He acquired his first cat at the age of 14, and by the age of 22 was elected President of the Garden State Cat Club of New Jersey, serving in that capacity from 1953 to 1967.

Learning from his mentors, his achievements in the show ring were many, including CFA's 1959 Best Cat (GC Vel-Vene VooDoo of Silva-Wyte, a black Persian male); an achievement he repeated in 1969 (GC Silva-Wyte Trafari of J.B, another black Persian male).

A prolific writer, Dick's articles and books shared his view of the cat fancy and the various breeds with breeders and exhibitors worldwide. His wonderful drawings of the Persian and the Siamese set the "ideal" standard for years to come.

As a CFA Judge (1953-2008), Dick firmly believed that the judging ring should be entertainment, not some clinical procedure. Following along with that line of thought, he became known for his stylish and colorful sports jackets when judging, and was the epitome of a "handler" in the judging ring.

As President of CFA (1968-1980), Dick contributed immensely to the cat fancy; his vision for the association was light years ahead of other people. 

You can read more about Dick's life and achievements here ... http://www.cat-o-pedia.org/people-RichardGebhardt.html

Featured Cat - Cosey

COSEY
Maine (Coon) Cat
born August, 1893

This story is about a not-so-little cat, born in August 1893, who became famous by winning the class for Best Long-haired Cat at the Madison Square Garden, New York Cat Show, in 1895. In the process, this cat took home a handsome silver collar, and a National Cat Show medallion. The cat, of course, was "Cosey" owned by Mrs. Frederick Brown of Long Island, NY.

Colloquial history tells us that this cat was one of our earliest winning Maine Cats, and the story of 'Cosey' is the story of Cosey is quite amazing. Be prepared however, for a surprise or two, as previously assumptions have been made and endured with regard to this exhibits breed, color, and gender.

The win by Cosey was a historic one, and we are very lucky today to have the actual collar and medal won by this cat, on permanent display at the CFA Foundation's Feline Historical Museum (Alliance, OH), and an original official catalogue, also obtained by The Harrison Weir Collection and donated to the museum for display alongside the trophy.

Read Cosey's full story here: http://www.cat-o-pedia.org/cosey.html

Caticons at SFX

If you are passing through the International Terminal at San Francisco Airport, make sure you don't miss the CATICONS display ... an exhibition of a few select items from the book, "CATICONS", by Sandy Lerner.

International Terminal

Departures - Level 3 - Pre-Security

July 21, 2018 - April 21, 2019



More Info:

https://www.flysfo.com/museum/exhibitions/caticons-cat-art?fbclid=IwAR0sIOr2yuddJqAF3XVnaFOp_jjhWa43NICe9eQm5k2hnQZw12Ae1BmL6r4

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Karen & John

Featured Cat - Sally Cat

SALLY CAT
Black Persian
Born July 2, 1921

'Sally Cat' was the spoiled favourite of both Cyril and Gretta Yeates, and her life spans that period during which Mr. & Mrs. Yeates solidified their activity within the Fancy, in their joint involvement with the Black and White Cat Club, and Cyril's capacity as Hon.Secretary of the National Cat Club (1923).

It was in fact, through the forebears of 'Sally Cat' or 'Cara' as she was affectionately known, that Cyril Yeates was first introduced to the then Miss Gretta Wright, at the home of Sally's breeder, Mrs Fisher White.

 Cyril was an exceptional organizer, and this is best exemplified by his achievements in 1923 alone, during which, while also Secretary of the National Cat Club, he edited Volume II of the Studbook and the Supplement to Volume I, which covered the period of the Great War, during which no Stud Book had been issued. In 1922 he had, jointly with Miss Frances Simpson, run the first Kensington Show, following this in 1923, with both the Southern Counties Cat Club Show and the Crystal Palace Show. In fact, he ran every Crystal Palace Show from 1923 through to 1936, the year in which the tragic fire destroyed the Crystal Palace on the night before the Show, causing a sudden and unexpected transference of venue!

Read all about 'Champion Sally Cat' at http://www.cat-o-pedia.org/sally-cat.html

Welcome!

Welcome to the blog of The Feline History Project!

Through this medium, the co-editors and writers of The History Project – Karen Lawrence and John Smithson – will bring you regular updates, articles, and items of interest directly related to our work creating the THP site. This will include interesting facts about cats and cat fanciers, cat clubs, and related societies, images, facts, poems, feline related artifacts, documents, art and literature.

Feel free to subscribe to our blog if you love anything relative to cats, or cat breeds, or their owners from the near and far-distant past.

We look forward to informing and entertaining you! Please feel free to leave comments on, or ask questions about, any of the articles we post. 

Karen & John

Cat Show, New York City, 1895

One of the first organized cat shows in North America was held at Madison Square Garden in New York City on May 8-11, 1895.  Cosey, a Maine Cat, won a silver collar and medal which is now on display at the Feline Historical Museum in Alliance, Ohio.