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Author of " The Book of the Cat" and " Cats for Pleasure and Profit"
Popularity of Silver Tabby Persians - A Perfect Specimen Difficult to Breed - Colour and Markings - How to Select a Good Kitten - Brown Tabby Persians - A Breed once Neglected, now Returning to Favour - Points and Hints on Breeding
There is no question but that a perfectly marked silver tabby will carry off the palm even from the exquisite unmarked chinchillas.
Competent judges agree that to breed a really good specimen of this handsome variety is a difficult undertaking. Twenty years ago we had a number of silver tabbies, but in the endeavour to produce pale silvers, the markings of the tabby have been sacrificed.
There are two distinct kinds of tabbies, the blotched and the pencilled. The former is the type required for the show-pen.
The ground coat from tip to tail should be pale pure silver. The markings ought to be in striking contrast, a clear and dense black. Two spine lines hardly as wide as the ground colour, should reach from the shoulders to the base of the tail. On each side of the body should appear what may be called the horseshoe, both sides matching exactly. The head should be beautifully pencilled, and the cheeks have double swirls. On the forehead the lines form a complete triangle.
More or less conspicuous will be the dark rings round the chest known as the "mayor's chain." When the cat, however, is in full frill these disappear. The hindquarters and forelegs should be evenly barred, each in symmetrical correspondence with the other down to the feet. The tail should be slightly ringed with a dark shaded line to the tip.
The question of eye colour is never of so much importance in marked cats as in the self-coloured breeds. Formerly silver tabbies were bred and exhibited with hazel or orange eyes; but of late years there has been a decided move towards obtaining bright green eyes, though it is quite a matter of opinion amongst judges and fanciers as to which is the correct colour. In the standard of points drawn up by the Silver Society, orange or green eyes are allowed. A broad head and short face are most desirable points in silver tabbies, and, judging by the speci-mens exhibited, seem very difficult to obtain.
Mrs. Slingsby's beautiful silver tabby Persian, Champion Don Pedro of Thorps, a noted winner at principal shows. Good specimens of this breed are exceedingly rare
In judging silver tabbies the most points are given for markings. Those who have had experience in breeding these beautiful cats know that purity of pedigree on both sides is of great importance. If there is a trace of chinchilla or brown tabby blood in the ancestry it is certain sooner 0r later to manifest itself. Even with both parents of undoubted silver tabby pedigree, breeders will be disappointed if they expect a whole litter of correctly marked kittens.
The blacker the kittens are at birth the better. At about a month old the light markings should show up, and develop gradually till the kittens are three or four months old. Exposure to the sun considerably injures the purity of colour in silver tabbies, often producing an undesirable brown tinge.
There are not many breeders of this handsome variety. Mrs. Slingsby has bred some of the best specimens. Lady Aberdeen is an enthusiastic admirer of this variety, and has owned some fine silver tabbies.
There is something very homely about the brown tabbies, and it is certain that with the "mere man" they stand out as the favourite breed. There is much more expression in the face of a well-marked brown tabby than in any other breed.
These cats are perhaps the strongest of any of the long-haired varieties. They should be massive in limb, with plenty of bone and great width of head, In colour the groundwork of the coat should be of a bright tawny shade, and the markings a very dark seal brown - almost black. The term "tiger cat" well describes the true type of a brown tabby.
The foregoing remarks as to the markings in silver tabbies apply equally to the brown tabbies. There is, however, one point in which they differ, and that is as regards the upper lip and chin, which in the brown tabbies are almost invariably white.
Some keen fanciers of this breed are striving to get rid of what they consider a blemish, but it is certain that Nature intended this variety to be possessed of these points, and therefore the coloured chins may be regarded rather as freaks of fancy, and the white will doubtless continue to crop up even when both parents have sound coloured chins. Of course, any white en the chest or stomach is a decided blemish in a brown tabby.
No kittens are more fascinating in ap-rance than the "brownies." They have such intelligent and expressive faces, and have coats of softest texture.
Until quite lately brown tabbies have been deliberately placed in the background, and regarded in the show world with an indifference which has proved a great stumbling-block to the improvement of this particular breed. Fanciers used to complain they could not get any sale for their brown tabby kittens, and the classifi-cation given at shows for this breed was generally a poor one. During the last three years, however, this truly handsome variety has received a great impetus by the founding of a Specialist Club, and now classes are guaranteed and prizes offered, and good prices paid for really fine specimens.
It has been chiefly through the energy of Miss Rosamund Whitney, of Dublin, that fanciers have been encouraged to interest themselves in this hitherto much neglected breed. Miss Whitney's superb male, Champion Brayfort Victory, bids fair to become as noted as the writer's well-known Persimmon, from whom most of the present-day winners are descended.
It is best not to cross brown tabbies with any other breed, and to be careful to get an even balance of bright groundwork and dense markings. Too much dark back or saddle colour is a serious fault in brown tabbies.
As regards eyes, golden or orange are vastly preferable to yellow or green, and tone much better with the brown and tawny coat.
A superb specimen of a brown tabby Persian, Miss Rosamund Whitney's Champion Brayfort Tip-topper
Photo, W. Lawrence
The brown tabby is supposed to be the common ancestor of all our cats. There seems little doubt that the ancient and much beloved cat of the Egyptians was a barred or brindled animal answering, to some extent, to the decription of our homely brown tabby.
 
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