Breed Standards Council Overview

  Nov 02 Meeting Discussion Points

  Effect of the Dilute Modifier Gene

  Proceedures Draft

  Acceptance of New Breed Colour Proposal

  Download this Article (61KB Word Document)

The Breed Standards Council will be meeting in November to consider several matters in time for a re-print of the Standards for next show season. Some of the issues we are dealing with at the moment are contentious, and require the input of breeders such as yourself to ensure all viewpoints have been considered before decisions are made.

The items we would like you to consider are:

1.       Existing Standard of Points – Alterations or Additions

Persons wishing to apply for alterations or additions to existing SOP’s must have their application in by 31 October. Applications should include an explanation of why the alt/add is sought.

2.       Ocicat – A proposal has been received to recognise the Classic pattern in Ocicats. A discussion paper is attached with two options for you to consider.

3.       Caramel – A discussion paper is attached which explains the genetics of the Caramel and the BSC’s proposal for dealing with the incorporation of caramel into the Standards of Points.

4.       Silver – A discussion paper is attached which explains the genetics of Silver (inhibitor gene) and also the BSC’s proposal for a change to the Registration Rules to allow for dual registration as we do currently with the caramel gene.

(**Following the closing date for submissions, the appropriate breed section representative will be advised of the outcome, and where necessary, may be asked for further input prior to the BSC meeting.  An update will also be posted on the NZCF website on the BSC page).

Please be aware: that alterations and additions to existing SOP’s can only be considered and/or implemented once a year.  Following the close off date of October 31 2002, further changes cannot be considered until after the 2003 show season.

Submissions on any of the above items should be in writing and can be forwarded either by email to:

delphi@gama.co.nz or by post: Marie Holmes

BSC Secretary
PO Box 71-179
Rosebank,
AUCKLAND

Ph: (09) 810 8224 (between 6pm& 8.00 pmevenings please)

Marie Holmes
BSC Secretary

PROPOSAL RECOGNITION OF CLASSIC PATTERN IN OCICATS

Classic-patterned Ocicats

Aim:

To recognise the classic tabby pattern to allow the classic tabby to become eligible for challenge status, either

(1)   within the Ocicat breed or

(2)   as a separate but intermateable breed

Background:

Classic patterned Ocicats have been around since the breed's origins. The pattern can be seen as an integral part of the breed, because many believe carrying one classic gene causes an improvement in pattern and spot definition in spotted Ocicats. It is thought that because of the presence of the classic gene, spotted Ocicats have the spots arranged in a "whorled" arrangement around a central spot, rather than in vertical rows. Many breeders regard classic patterned cats as valuable for breeding programmes for this reason. It is likely that many of the best spotted Ocicats carry classic, and will therefore produce classic patterned kittens in their litters. These kittens differ from their spotted relatives only in the tabby pattern; type, temperament, and colour of markings and agouti background areas will be identical to the equivalent coloured spotted Ocicats. The classic patterned oci's are equally or even more pleasing to some kitten buyers. There are significant numbers of classic patterned Ocicats in New Zealand. Some examples are regularly gaining top 10 placings in shows, but at present have no colour standard and cannot win challenges.

Considerations:

While providing challenge status for an existing pattern which is already doing well on the show bench in this country may seem straightforward, the Ocicat, by definition, is a spotted breed of cat. Therefore to award challenge status requires alteration to the definition of the breed.

If this proposal is accepted, the New Zealand Cat Fancy would be the first major registration body to recognise classic Ocicats as a variety with full challenge status. Despite the fact that classic patterned kittens are born in Ocicat litters worldwide, and that some breeders throughout the world also use classics in their breeding programmes to good effect, there is likely to be opposition to this recognition, based on the view that the breed, as part of its most fundamental definition, is spotted. However, we do not believe that by recognising this colour pattern for challenge status in this country, we would be doing anything that could damage the breed in other countries in any way. Breeders overseas, both in their own breeding and if choosing to import from New Zealand, could choose to include or exclude classics from their breeding programmes as they already do now.

The NZCF for more than 25 years has had a sensible, genetic-based registration system, which recognises type as paramount in defining breeds, and which of them should be able to be inter-mated. There can be no doubt that under these criteria, spotted and classic patterned Ocicats are colour varieties of a single breed, and recognition of completely separate breeds would be inappropriate.

However, there are precedents where breeds which differ by only a single colour gene have different breed names and breed numbers, but are fully intermateable - Siamese and Orientals, and Burmese and Mandalays. In these breeds, colour as well as type were considered so fundamental that cats not showing the affects of the colour gene which helped define the breed were given a different breed name.  An alternative to recognising the classic pattern within the Ociciat breed is to recognise a separate but fully intermateable breed - the Classicat. The standard for this breed would be identical in all respects to that for the Ocicat except for specific references to spotting in the general sections of the standard, and for the pattern standard, which describes the classic rather than the spotted pattern.

We already allow classic Ocicats to be registered and bred from, and even shown (as 21z). Surely it is only logical that they can also have a standard to be judged against, and be recognised as champions if of sufficient merit?

The standard we propose describes the classic pattern as seen in British and Persians. Some classic Ocicats conform closely to this standard, but in others the pattern is somewhat modified by the same genes which produce a spotted rather than mackerel pattern in spotted Ocicats. We consider the most correct pattern for the classic Ocicat should be that produced by the best spotted parents. In due course it may be necessary to amend the standard slightly or provide more leeway on the details of the pattern, but we believe the proposed standard is an adequate starting point.

Rod Hitchmough

Breed Standards Council

Example of classics in an Ocicat cattery:

Julie Boyd, Tacosa/Optispot Ocicats

I began with a gen 1 oci/aby hybrid 'Hotspotz Tickles'. My first classic was Tacosa Thumbelina 21z (gen 2), the mother of Ch Tacosa Stormy 21b/1 (gen 3), and

Ch Tacosa Spanish Rose 21b (gen 3).

The classic patterned Halifax Night Hawk (imp Sweden), frequently placed in the Top 10's, has also produced Optispot Flamenco (Supreme S/H Entire Exhibit " Famous Five Show').

BSC Recommendation 1:

Please indicate whether you would prefer:

(1)   Recognition of classic as an alternative pattern within the Ocicat breed

(2)   Recognition of classic patterned cats derived from Ocicats as a separate breed fully intermateable with the Ocicat breed, and differing only in pattern.

PROPOSAL INCORPORATION of CARAMEL into STANDARDS of POINTS

BLUE-BASED, LILAC-BASED, FAWN-BASED CARAMELS & APRICOTS

By looking at a cat's pedigree we will get a good idea of the cat's "genotype". We can also predict what colour kittens to expect from a mating between cats.

The outward appearance of a cat is known as the Phenotype. The internally coded, inheritable information is known as the Genotype. So, while a Seal Point Siamese has the gene for Seal Point colouration, it may also carry a gene for "Blue Point".

We know that Blue is a dilute of Seal/Black & that Lilac/Lavender is a dilute of Chocolate and so on. Dilution is recessive to non-dilution. The dilution gene is represented by the letter "d". The mutant form of dilution is Dm (dilute modifier). This is dominant to the dilute gene. Dm only works where there is already a dilute colour.

Caramel is a dominant gene, so one gene is sufficient to let the colour show up, provided two genes for blue are also there.
Two genes for blue exist in blue cats, lilac cats, fawn cats and cream cats.
When a blue, a lilac or a fawn cat also has 1 Dm gene for caramel, the colour is changed to caramel.

The blue-based caramel is the darkest colour, the lilac-based is paler and warmer in colour and the fawn-based is the warmest colour of the three.
In cream or tortie, with the red gene, the cream changes into apricot.
In a tortie you can see apricot and caramel. Of course a true lilac, blue, fawn or cream cat cannot give caramels, but the fact exists that some cats are registered as lilac, blue or cream, without being that colour. They are in fact caramels.

Below is a table, which shows the effects of the Dilute & Dilute Modifier genes on the dense colours. (To the best of my ability with regards to shadings of colours- refer to the NZCF website for the colour version)

Realistically cats have been wrongly registered in the past due to their breeders not being aware of these colours. One important marker of the caramel set of shades is the constantly changing colour in the kittens, which alerts you to the fact that you are dealing with a different colour. This specific factor of the caramels can continue to confuse the breeder/owner until the cat reaches adulthood. Because of this many kittens that are registered early may turn out to be incorrectly registered, particularly with breeders who are unfamiliar with the idiosyncrasies of caramel.

I would recommendThe registration rules have been amended last December to allow that these cats/kittens should to be reclassified into their true colour, without loss of awards and titles, on the proviso that they remain within the same base colour.

Deb Armishaw

Breed Standards Council BSC

Recommendation 2:

It is also my recommendation that it is made mandatory for the cats to be registered to their full colour extent ie rather than register a cat as a caramel or apricot, it should be a blue based caramel. registered to reflect the underlying base colour e.g.
Blue Based Caramel
Lilac Based Caramel
Lavender Based Caramel
Fawn Based Caramel
Apricot

PROPOSAL to ALLOW DUAL REGISTRATION of SILVER

Silver Gene Discussion Paper

Silver is a dominant gene that has the responsibility of inhibiting the release of red pigment into the hair shaft. This has the effect of producing a hair that has dense coloured pigment (Black, blue, chocolate, lilac, cinnamon or fawn) at the tip of the shaft and reduced amounts of colour further down the length of the hair, interspersed with areas devoid of any colour. In red and cream cats the inhibitor gene works on the areas that have less dense pigment leaving a similar effect as in other colours.

Silver has varying degree of expression (polygenic) as part of its intrigue and that is why dual registration is such a valuable registration tool for the breeders. Dedicated silver breeders constantly select for better visibility of the silver, or inhibiting factor in their progeny. This generally means clearer pattens in tabbies and a more startling contrast in smokes, an effect that is widely achieved by producing wider and sharper colour bands on each hair. The Chinchilla is an example of the wideband syndrome and many excellent silver tabbies owe their clarity to this breed. Smokes (non agouti cats) should have a uniformly clear area at the base of each hair to about one third of the hair length. They should ideally look like a solid coated cat until they move and as the hair cracks open the white undercoat is displayed. Many very high-grade smokes display a strong ghost marking but this is undesirable.

Due to the polygenic nature of the silver cat, many genetically silver cats will be sound to their roots and show no indication of inhibition of colour but will breed equally, if not better examples of silver in the next generation. The best areas to search for clues of silver are around the eyes, under the throat and behind the ears, under the arms and at the base of the tail, but in low-grade silvers even these areas will give few if any clues.

Different breeds of cats will experience varying expression in their silver cats, dependant on other factors in the genetic make-up. Longer hair is the clearest example of any hair length, and breeders of shorter haired breeds will have varying degrees of difficulty in recognising the presence of silver purely because of the lack of hair length involved. Cats in the range of breeds from the colour restriction groups will always be more difficult because apart from the fact there is less area of colouration where the inhibitor gene is seen to be active, the colour restriction genes**** (cs and cb) will cause a lighter version of the base colour, and therefore less contrast to play up the silver component.

Denser colours of coat will always provide the Breeder and the Judge with a greater chance of recognising the silver factor than the paler shades of coat, but due to the polygenic nature of silver there are no hard and fast rules and even the most experienced person will be hard pushed at times to identify an example of silver presented for positive classification.

Dual registration of silver was adopted as a policy, in this country, to cover this unique range of colours. Silver is a dominant gene so it cannot be carried but it can travel for generations incognito, as a low grade, unable to be detected by the human eye. This system of registration simply means that a cat incorrectly registered as either silver or non-silver can be amended to its correct status at a later date, simply by recognition of its family tree and the possibilities inherent with that particular scenario.

Unfortunately at this time the system is flawed by an oversight. Due to existing rules all cats that apply for a colour change need to be reclassified with loss of all show awards and titles. In the case of silver cats, many are not recognisable as their true genetic make-up until they have been bred with, and this after a season of exhibition. Realistically silver cats should fall into the same category as caramels, which can be reclassified into their true colour, without loss of awards and titles, on the proviso that they remain within the same base colour.

Avon Aspden

Breed Standards Council BSC

Recommendation 4: That the Registration Rules are amended to allow for reclassification of Silvers without loss of title and awards.