1985 drawing by Cathy Rokaw
GRC NW Mae West, CH. Made in the U.S.A., GRC NW Boomerrang
1985 drawing by Cathy Rokaw
GRC NW Mae West, CH. Made in the U.S.A., GRC NW Boomerrang
Going to school and travel had kept me somewhat limited from dog showing and judging. While still attending shows I was no longer showing dogs. The cats happened; quite by accident. One day I found a stray calico kitten roaming the front yard, so I brought her in and found myself liking this "cat" thing. Until then I had never thought of, or ever wanted a cat; I was of the thought they carried fleas, messed in the flower beds and belonged in the barn. We did not have a barn. Anyway my opinion changed and I decided to place this kitten with a neighbor and to go in search of a pedigreed cat; aka "show cat".
Well, Ken liked cats so talking him into this was no problem.
Carrie, as she was called, was way ahead of her time, as far as head type went. She accumulated several big wins as a kitten but maturity came early for her and constant seasoning and loss of weight prevented her from finishing her Grand with 198 points to her credit. Carrie’s worth was in the kittening box having produce several Grand Champions and earning the title of D.M. with 7 grands in her few litters.
Fanatically we researched pedigrees and pictures and came up with a common background and a look we wanted. The common denominator was Zoda which proved to work successfully for us producing cats like Grc’s Agonistes Mae West, Marilyn Monroe, Gangbuster, Boomerang, Garbo, Lulu, Madonna and a host of others. All "Persians With that Certain Look". Today Bolo and Cattrax blood has been added to make up and maintain the look we call, Agonistes.
We also dabbled in Exotics but on a very limited basis. We are a very small cattery,
maintaining only a few breeding cats and having only a limited number of kittens.
Agonistes was featured in the 1983 CFA yearbook article on Whites, in a 1990 interview in the Persian Quarterly, in another CFA Yearbook article on Blacks and one, way back on Catteries.
In 1988 we were invited to Japan to show cats, an invitation that has been extend almost annually since that time. Our first hosts being Mr and Mrs Aida, subsequently followed by hosts Kunio and Hatsue Mori, Mr Suehiro Tanaka, and long time friend Kayoko Koizumi.
A litter mate to NWGRC Agonistes Commotion, CFA’s Cat of the Year, went on to become one of the top cats in Japan, Grc Agonistes Axel Foley.
The cats have been a great and wonderful experience. Let us share a few of the cats that made it all possible.
Off to a cat show, money in pocket, plenty of cats there but none for sale; none that is to novices . Week after week this happened. Finally I settled for a breeder, a red cat with no cattery name, just named and registered as Ginger. Not really much of a cat to speak of, Ginger, was now ready to be bred. Off in search of a stud, again not an easy task but another red cat was found. So it was that Ginger and Casey bred and the offspring, one kitten, Ch. Agonistes Carrot Top of Village Inn D.M. came to be.
Our Fascination with Himmies led to the purchase of Grc Kitclass Zippidiy Do Da of Agonistes, a big winner of his day and again a Himmy way ahead of his time. The Himmies were a small part of our breeding program with our concentration on the Persians. Back then they were two different breeds. Regional winners in this breed followed among them a blue point male Grc. Agonistes Kenjo of Plata Kats who did his winning both here in the US and overseas. Partnerships, using Agonistes stock as the foundation, with Kirkhan, Hollydaze, and Scrimshaw has also produced Regional and National winning Himalayans and Persians under these three cattery names.
"The ideal Persian should present an impression of a heavily boned, well balanced cat with a sweet expression and soft, round lines. The large round eyes set wide apart in a large round head contribute to the overall look and expression. The long thick coat softens the lines of the cat and accentuates the roundness in appearance."
"The Cat Fanciers Association Breed Statement
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