A WORK IN PROGRESS

CREATING A NEW BLOOD LINE FOR THE AUSTRALIAN MIST

WHY?

The first question you may well ask is why would I want/need to add a new bloodline to the Australian Mist?
The answer is both very simple, and very complex.

The Simple Answer

Over the last couple of years I have been 'weeding' the existing cats to eliminate as much as possible individuals which I don't consider to have the vigour I would like. After all, a pet cat should live as long and healthy a life as possible. The basis of  good health and longevity is firstly  to 'choose your parents carefully'. I have learnt so much in my 25 years of breeding, that I am now very much better equipped to do this, than I was when I first started out on my breeding program. This weeding has reduced the effective base of the breed to some extent, certainly if I was starting a program knowing what I now know, some of the original Foundation Cats would not have been used. The success of the last line which I introduced (Sprite x Thera Bounty, see Silkia story) illustrates how the addition of a vigorous new line can blossom into many progeny. What I have learnt through her line also underlies the more complex answer.

The Complex Answer.

Drawing on the Silkia line experience, health, teeth ( and I hope longevity) have all been improved. Amongst show characteristics, head type was very good, and consistent, body type and size were pleasing overall, and the line provided a really superb source of marbling.  But ( and yes there always is a BUT !) coat texture is both lacking in fineness, and density, colour is too intense and/or contrast is lacking between markings and background, and probably most serious of all, the warmth due to polygenic rufism was seriously depleted, to the extent that many of the colours were shifted to dark and cold, rather than delicate and warm, and hardly recognisable as fitting within the parameters of the breed standard. Certainly these characteristics are slowly being corrected, as the Silkia line merges more and more with the general population, the most persistent problem being the coldness of the coat.

HOW?

The answer is really pretty obvious - some new cats need to be introduced to both add to the vigour of the breed, and  to correct the coldness of the coats. If, at the same time, some of the minor breed wide inadequacies can also be corrected (eg rarity of a good tail), so much the better.
Rather than start with a 'first cross' as with the Silkia line (Domestic x Burmese), I decided this time to start with an Abyssinian of excellent colour, and a Domestic Spotted Tabby with a super tail, great temperament, beautiful teeth and robust constitution, and to mate each of them to an existing Australian Mist to derive a new First generation.  Both Abyssinian and Domestic are under- represented in the Foundation Stock, so this was an opportunity to widen the gene pool away from the heavy weighting of the Burmese contribution. Using an existing Australian Mist inputs  the characteristics for which selection has already been intense - so that the route  of  reselection for  the requiredbreed standard  should be shorter than if starting from scratch.

SO, WHAT IS THIS PAGE GOING TO BE ALL ABOUT?

This page, and all the pages radiating from it, will provide an opportunity to watch the progress of this new line over the next few years - it will probably take at least 3 years until the first Generation 3 kittens are born, from progeny of which the new line can enter the Full Register population. Along the way all sorts of pretty, unusual (and probably also very usual!) kittens  will be produced - those not needed to advance the project will all need homes - with the usual preparation of vaccination, desexing and microchipping. Amongst them may be the kitten of  your heart's desire, or a loving companion for your existing cat .....  At the same time I would like others to share in witnessing the amazing transformation which each generation brings ..... and to be able to compare, all in one small space, the starting point with the final result .
 
 

THE GENETICS

The genetics of the coat colours of the breed are explained on a separate page, and also my hypothesis concerning the inheritance of tabby patterns is explained .... From previous early generation breeding I made an interesting discovery - I have designed  one of  the starting points of this new line to be another opportunity to gather more data on its validity.

THE CATS

My first 'find' was a superb black spotted tabby male kitten, called Pan. (The name was chosen to fit in with the other tabby founders, Sprite, Elf and Pixie.)
Pan was part of a litter of  'feral'  kittens reared under a house - not caught till about 6 weeks old. While initially he was very scrabbly and wild, within days he was purring as soon as I looked at him, and when I sat down in the evening, he had to climb right to the top of the pile of kittens on my knee so that he could purrr right under my chin .
It has been experimentally demonstrated that good temperament is 50% nature (specifically, having friendly parents) and 50% nurture ( specifically, handling as a baby). I can only say, that for a kitten not handled at all for the first 6 weeks of life, he must have had very friendly parents, he responded so quickly to my handling. He still doesn't like to be picked up in a casual manner, but is quite happy if  he is supported securely - a characteristic not unknown amongst the best bred of cats!
Pan's coat is a bit long for the breed standard, but it is very soft, silky fine and dense. He has a long tail of superb thickness and minimal taper - family members want to steal it to attach to their antennae ... He is going to be a big boy, he has very large feet. His head and body are all in balance, with a firm chin, and good teeth. His eyes are not small, and his ears are of good size. I think he is going to be a real asset - and of course, he has not had a sick day in his life ....
Pan is still immature, so that we are waiting  to choose his future wife - I am hoping that one of my best young ladies will be his first bride, preferably one with a very nice head, and a warm coat, for, of course, his coat lacks warmth, being black markings on a black ticked off white/cream ground. His tummy and chest show some creamy oatmeal tonings, and he has a little rufous toning on his nose.

My second 'Find'  is a real treat - and priveledge. I have been allowed, by his proud owner, to use the top Abyssinian Stud, Triple CCCAGd Ch Gold Db Gd Ch Nile Oberon, belonging to Wendy Mc Donald.
Oberon, as his admirers will know, is not only a top show winner, but also the most outgoing, friendly people centered cat you could ever wish to meet. He is a superb example of the Abyssinian breed, beautiful  balance, superb head and ears, a lovely long tail, very short, dense fine, resilient coat - AND colour and clarity to die for.  This boy is my source of rufism - I hope to derive from him a good dose of the polygenic rufism enhancing genes to help to correct the coldness creeping into some parts of the breed. I am also hoping that his superbly even ticking, and short resilient coat will help to improve the clarity and texture of our coats.
And of course, in this case this gentleman has 'done his bit' already, and the litter is on the way - to a peach marbled girl.

Nintu Marmor Eunomia was chosen because she is a young lady who has already raised a successful litter to a stud from a rare blood line, from which I have kept 2 ( very good type) male kittens. Her own type is good, her health and teeth are good, her coat is very richly coloured,  her temperament gentle and friendly (I don't want the kittens to be too 'over the top' !) and she is recessive in all coat colour and pattern genes, so that the progeny will definitely carry a lot of  useful and interesting genes. This is also the type of cross necessary to test my tabby inheritance hypothesis...

The kittens are due in Mid July, and Eunomia is in 'full bloom' - I am hoping for 4, at least one of each sex, so that I can keep at least two to use with a whole range of different blood lines.

Watch this space for updates!
17/7/00
OYEZ, OYEZ!!
ANNOUNCING THE ARRIVAL OF
WAIT --------- FOR----------------- IT
8 KITTENS

7 GIRLS AND ONE BOY
SUPER DUPER COLOUR RANGING FROM CLEAR COATED DELICATELY BLACK TICKED TABBY, TO VERY DARK, AND HEAVILY BANDED AND NECKLACED BLACK TICKED TABBY. ALL WITH RICH HAZEL RUFISM IN THE RIGHT PLACES.
So far 5 are spoken for - the boy and a girl for me, 2 girls to go to others to be bred from, and one girl as a pet.
Mother and babies doing very well.

PAN X NINTU MARMOR ORANA
LITTER DUE VERY SOON.
Orana is an exquisite delicate pinkish lilac marbled girl (also descended from Silkia) She has a superb head, beautiful nature, is currently competing with me for who will rest themselves upon my feather pillow! She lived most amicably with Pan until 7 weeks pregnant. I am hoping to find out whether he carries the classic/marbled gene, and/or blue dilute by doing this mating - and I do hope that there are some nice tails amongst the  kittens ....

WHAT A BONUS !!
ON 8 FEBRUARY ORANA PRESENTED ME WITH
2 MALES; 2 FEMALES
2 CLASSIC/MARBLED/2 SPOTTED
2 BLACK; 2 BLUE PATTERNED TABBIES

I am keeping the beautifully marked black marbled boy, and blue marbled girl, the spotted black tabby boy has been snapped up as a pet, and the blue spotted girl is going to a friend to 'have one litter for fun' ( which he has done before, much to his enjoyment.

BETTER THAN A WISH !!
ON  11 MAY 2001 ANOTHER BONAZA OF PAN BABIES
QUELEA, BLUE MARBLED, PRESENTED ME WITH AN ALL MARBLED LITTER, ONE BLACK GIRL (I AM KEEPING HER) ONE BLUE GIRL AND 2 BLUE BOYS.

Another very robust, lively litter from Pan, though rather darker than the Orana babies, and without such clear markings dopwn their spines. The black girl  is not only the best marked, but also the one that chose me ..... The blue girl is spoken for, and one blue boy is under consideration - just one to go ... ready at the ens of July.

??And you might be wondering about the progress of  the first litter of Ticked Tabbies from Oberon ??

- well all are full grown now, and so far four of the 5 girls have called in June/July (only one called in autumn), and at least 2 of these are destined to be mated on their next call - so we are coming closer to answering our genetics question ....the fellow should be allowed to try his skills as soon as I recommence  matings  -  I hope  about mid to late September....
April 2002 update - one more girl has been desexed without breeding - and there is still one more to go ....

THE GENERATION 2 'TEST '  LITTERS ARE HERE - NO SPOTS!
Ariadne x Roundel (Chocolate Marbled)                - 5 - 2 Black Classic Tabbies,
1 Chocolate Ticked Mist - and the only girl - is  a Brown Marbled Mist!
Atalanta x Trebizond (Brown Marbled)                        - 4 - 1 Black Ticked Mist,
1 Chocolate Ticked Mist, and 2 Brown Marbled Mists - a boy and a girl.
Andromeda x Faramir (Blue Marbled) - 5- 1 blue ticked tabby, 1 black ticked tabby, 2 Peach ticked Mists, and 1 gold marbled boy ----- the 'house mother' of this litter kept on looking to see whether he might have changed into a girl ---- but she is so enthusiastic, she is running him on, and having a second litter from Andromeda - in search of a wife for him.....

OTHER  GENERATION 2  LITTERS:
Silkia x Amyntor - 1 brown marbled girl, and a lovely lilac ticked mist, a lavender and a black spotted tabby
Byblis x Amyntor - a blue and a brown Spotted Australian Mist, a blue ticked mist and a blue spotted tabby ( Byblis is from Pan x Orana) This is the first litter combining the 2 new founder cats, Pan and Oberon.

Note: The 'spinoff' kittens will sell for around $300, and will, as always be vaccinated x 2, microchipped and desexed .

If  you want to check out  the genetics, see the cats etc, here are the links:
 
Australian Mist Coat Colour Genetics
Inheritance of Tabby Pattern Hypothesis
Pictures of the 'Foundation' Cats for this new bloodline
Eunomia, Oberon, Pan, 
The Progeny : Gen 1, Gen 2, Gen 3, Full Register
Silkia Story - a successful new blood line 
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