RECOMMENDED
BREEDING PROGRAMS
The amazement of both judges and breeders on how quickly the
Oriental had reached its standard has been heard over and over. Certainly
this was not due to an easy or deficient standard. The difficult Siamese
standard was followed and even exceeded. What probably surprises these
observers the most is that American Shorthairs are allowed as a possible
parent in Oriental matings. However, what is not understood is that the
ASHs are only used to introduce a new color or pattern, and once obtained,
usually in the first generation mating, ASHs are never used again in that
program. Most of this first generation work has been done for us by
English breeders over 30 years ago!
The
OSH
breeding advisors continually stress the importance of only using the
highest quality Siamese for Oriental matings. Such lines as Shoreham,
Da-Glo, Felitan, Webb-Barr, Thaibok, Sand ‘N Sea, Tap-Toe, Petmark,
Kalyan, Catana, Che’
Ree, SiaMews, Faro, Dahin, etc., to name a few are behind our present day
Orientals.
The delightful disposition of
the Orientals was achieved by careful selection of the ancestors. A cat
with a timid or hostile attitude cannot be shown or placed in a pet home,
and therefore contributes nothing whatsoever towards his breed except
discontent and adverse criticism.
Most
OSH
breeders find no personality differences between Orientals and their
Siamese. However, the female appear to be in season less frequently than
their Siamese cousins. The
OSH
voice is usually less raucous: to paraphrase Mrs. Hargreaves, they use
Oriental for ordinary conversation, and Siamese for matrimonial purposes.
Breeders interested in embarking
in an
OSH
breeding program are encouraged to obtain the Oriental Express for
guidance. This publication gives detailed breeding programs and genetic
advice for the Oriental breed.
FUTURE
PLANS FOR THE BREED
Many new color programs are presently being developed which include
a wider range of silver colors, i.e. silver with chestnut, or blue, etc.
tippings. Torbie and torbie smokes are already in existence and should
appear on the show bench shortly. Also, several cats with a new solid
color, Caramel, (a butterscotch color), will be presented this coming
year. Again, since the Oriental is defined only by its highly stylized
type, no color should be excluded.
In the next few years OSI will
be preoccupied by the proper description and classification of the new
colors as they appear. Further investigation will be carried out for the
bi-colors, the calicos, and the odd-eyed whites, which were initially
excluded on the basis of present day genetic speculation. New colors, once
classified, should be easy to incorporate in the Oriental breed, as they
do not obtain cheap awards by having a minority color, but rather increase
the competition within their division.
Ticked Tabby Orientals have
given us greater insight into the various tabby patterns carried by their
Siamese parents. The research into ghost tabby markings started by Barbara
Harr should provide important information to the solid color Orientals, as
well as for Siamese programs. Knowing the tabby patterns carried by the
Siamese could eventually eliminate the problems of “shadow bars”.
As mentioned earlier, Siamese
can be produced in Oriental matings. Under CFA registration procedures
these Siamese are referred to AOV Orientals. These cats have proven
valuable in the Oriental breeding program, and breeders have been
encouraged to register them and show them in the AOV class. Their quality
has already been noticed by the judges, and I suspect that a greater
number of these AOVs will appear on the show bench in years to come. Some
of these AOVs have been exported to
Europe
, where they must be registered as Siamese, and where they have won major
honors.
A computerized record keeping
facility is presently being developed and will be made available to all
OSI members. The chief uses of the computer in the present planning will
be to collect data in the areas of color inheritance, genetic problems
that may arise in the breed, stud cat productivity, as well as show
results. Periodically, these records will be published in the Oriental
Express for all to read.
Much work has been done, but
more is still needed to continue the performance of our first years.
IN CLOSING
This story would have been incomplete without the inspired
photography of Ted and Suzanne Allen, and Larry Levy. Special
acknowledgment is also due to Jane Cox, current president of OSI, who has
devotedly edited the Oriental Express since its inception. Doug Cox has
helped all of us keep a proper perspective with his humorous cartoons.
No single individual and no
single cat could have brought about the present day success story of the
Orientals. It is the entire membership of OSI, it is all of the lines
behind our OSHs, it is the numerous judges that befriended our cats, it is
our overseas correspondents who were willing to share their experiences,
it is those CFA Board Members with foresight and breed knowledge who made
this story possible. Thank you, everyone.
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