Morninglory Persians - the beginning

Fashions change - quality remains

All of my breeding cats are direct descendants of the lovely
Ch Mezeto Chantelle
(1971 - pictured left)

Chantelle figured prominently in the pedigrees of
‘Grand and International’ title winners
under GFFC, FIFe, and CFA.

sire: Ch Parka Kingsley
dam: Wynterburne Silver Sue

Chantelle's daughter
Champion Morninglory Blue Phaedra
was a key foundation queen of the Morninglory line

Best Blue Female Kitten GCCF Supreme Show 1977
Alcmund Jerard x Ch Mezeto Chantelle 1977

Early Morninglory exports included Phaedra's litter brother

International Champion
Morninglory Blue Phantom

the first Morninglory International Champion (Norway)

followed by Phaedra's son:

International Champion
Morninglory Blue Cupid

who gained his title in Sweden

All the Morninglory Pure Blue title holders are direct descendents of Champion Morninglory Blue Phaedra and her litter sister Morninglory Blue Papillion. All the Blues, Creams, Bluecreams and Whites at Morninglory can trace their pedigrees back to these lovely girls.

So now what about me?

I have specialised in Pure Blue, Cream, Blue Cream and White Self Longhairs for over 30 years. Although probably better known for my association with Blues, the Bluecreams and Creams were my first love. In 1969, after moving to the UK from the USA, I bought my first Persian kitten, a Cream female, Honeymist Cream Poppy, and I showed her to Championship. Poppy was reluctant to produce babies but was instrumental in introducing me to Marlene Howes of the Honeymist prefix and to to Marion Halls (Alcmund). During one of my trips with Poppy to stud at Marion's I fell in love with one of Marion's White kittens, Ch Alcmund Igor, and he was later joined by the lovely Ch Mezeto Chantelle. Because I was fortunate enough to be given good advice and to purchace quality cats I am still breeding from cats which can be traced back to these original lines. All of my Whites are descendants of Ch Alcmund Igor and Ch Mezeto Chantelle formed the foundation of the Morninglory Pure Blues. All Morninglorys can now be traced back to this wonderful girl. Under the Morninglory prefix, I have bred Grand winners in each of the colours I breed, Blue International Champions and numerous Best in Show winners. I hold the breeder record for winning 6 consecutive Best in Show wins with different Morninglory Neuters at the Blue Persian Cat Society show.

It has been my breeding ethos to produce healthy, quality cats of good temperment. Believing that it is not possible to do everything well, I chose to specialise in Pure Blues, Creams, Bluecreams and White Selfs. Like the breeders of the past who did so much to produce cats that were the envy of the Cat Fancy the world over, I feel that concentrating on producing the best coat and colour in diulte breeds means limiting the colours in the pedigree and focusing on selecting the best features of those colours to pass on to the next generation. Considering that colour is the distinguishing feature of many of the Persian breeds, I echo the words of a prominent judge of the past who pointed that a cat cannot be considered a good example of the breed if it is a bad colour.

During my years in the Cat Fancy I have been actively involved in club and committee work. I was elected to the Committee of the Blue Persian Cat Society in 1988 and served as its Honorary Secretary from 1995 until my resignation in August 2007, making me one of the Society's longest serving Honorary Secretaries. During my time on the BPCS Committee I also served as the Society's GCCF Delegate and BAC representative. I have played an active role in other sectors of the Cat Fancy: as Vice Chairman and Acting Chairman of the LH Cream and Blue Cream Cat Association and its representative in the early days of the Self LH BAC, Honorary Secretary of the LH Tabby BAC, Vice Chairman and Chairman of the Self LH BAC, Committee member of the Cambria Cat Club, Founder Member and first Chairman of the Celtic LH Cat Society. After an apprenticeship of over 19 years stewarding for a wide range of breeds and eminent judges such as: Dorrie Brice Webb, Will Lamb, Mollie Turney and Ivor Raleigh, I became a GCCF judge of Self Persians.

In addition to my interest in pedigree cats, in the US, I was involved in in competitive show jumping and I have always been a dog lover. Over the years I have owned a number of both non pedigree rescue and pedigree dogs- strangely enough all 'heavily coated' dogs so Persian cats were a natural choice.

My canine companions have included 2 Afghans (photo right of my lad Mirsamir Odin, a Junior warrant winner, with his sire Ch Mirsamir the Druid) and (below) my darling Peke 'Sophie'. Sophie was in charge of 'all things kitten'. She was nursemaid, nanny and guardian, even delivering a kitten. My feline family now share their home with 'Daisy Mae', a black & white American Cocker.

In my life outside the Cat Fancy, I am a university Course Co-ordinator dealing with English Language Support for International Students on an academic course. I have been actively involved in course development and teacher training, Teaching English as a Foreign Language, English for Academic Purposes and English for Special Purposes having taught both here in the UK and abroad.