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Home Page | 1975 | 1976 | Back to Genesis

Early Somali Breed History

The 1970's

With only a handful of pioneering Somalis and even fewer humans to assist them these are the cats, the people and the events that launched a breed and with it a worldwide phenomenon.

For the breed's origins see

"GENESIS"


In 1974 the
Somali Cat Club of America
printed its first newsletter

Our first newsletter is dedicated to all the devoted members of the Club who are working for the recognition of the Somali...
Please save for your records.

MEET YOUR OFFICERS

President        Mrs Harry Mague (Evelyn)
                 Gillette, NJ 07933
                 Lynn-Lee Cattery

Vice-President Mrs Aimee Green Milford, CT 06460 Aim-Su Cattery

Secretary Mrs Bob Burke (Anne) So. Charleston, W.Va. 25309 Satin Song Cattery

Treasurer Mrs Margery Hoff Cranford, NJ 07016 Margus Cattery

REGIONAL DIRECTORS

Eastern Mrs Harry Mague

Southern Mrs Bob Burke

Central Mrs Charles Kalil (Pat) Detroit, MI 48202 Chapaka Cattery

Canada Mr Don Richings Ontario, Canada Don-Al Cattery

Members in Good Standing
Mrs Susan Jenner
London, Ontario, Canada
Mr & Mrs j. Gerbino (Rosalie)
Linden, NJ 07036
Mr & Mrs Stephen Negrycz (June)
Brooklyn, NY
Mr & Mrs M. Rauch (Ina)
Floral Park, NY
Ms Dorothy J. Drake
Villa Park, IL
Lollirand Cattery
Ms. Mara Senkevics
Thorndale, Ontario, Canada
Honorary Members
Mrs John Nicholas (Mary Ellen)
Columbia, MD
Mary Ellen has been working on an article for us to be published in Cats Magazine and will be the owner of a Female Somali kitten shortly.
Mr James Forsyth
Sault Ste. Marie, Canada
Jiama Siamese Cattery
Jim has been working very hard in Canada to help us with our Canadian battle for recognition. Although he does not own a Somali personally, he does have two girls (twins) in his cattery who have a Female Somali.

Bulletin ICF recognized the Somali for Championship status as of June 1974.
As you already know, NCFA recognized the Somali for Champion 1973.


It is to these earliest pioneers as well as those whose names have eluded the pages of history and faded from memory that this site is dedicated.

Without the efforts of these people who gave so freely of their time, money and love to the Somali there would be no such breed today.

It is our hope to honor our dear friends and other early fellow Somali breeders by preserving that history and their names within the confines of this site. This is our memorial to the events, people and history of more than three decades ago.


Home Page | Back to Genesis

1975 | 1976

1974 Newsletter # 2
Somali Cat Club of America

Let's Meet The Stars!
Lynn-Lee's Pollyanna
ruddy female
Br/Ow Mr & Mrs Harry Mague

Lynn-Lee's Petunia
ruddy female
Br/Ow. Mr & Mrs Harry Mague

Golden Boise of Lynn-Lee
ruddy male
Br. Miss L. Des-Porch
Ow. Mr & Mrs Harry Mague

Du-Ro-Al's Samson of Lynn-Lee
ruddy male
Br. Alma Cowell
Ow. Mr & Mrs Harry Mague

Don-Al's Trish of Lynn-Lee
red female
Br. Mr Don Richings
Ow. Mr & Mrs Harry Mague

Saffrons Falstaf of Lynn-Lee
red male
Br. Mara Senkevics
Ow. Mr & Mrs Harry Mague

Araby's Pansy of Aim-Su
ruddy female
Br. Mr. Ronald Moberg
Ow. Ms. Aimee Green

Saika-Sham's Black Rose
ruddy female
Br. Ms. Lori McClain
Ow. Mrs. Bob Burke

Mei-Len's Sunflower of Margus
ruddy female
Br.L. Giarraputa
Ow. Mrs. Margery Hoff
1st Champion Somali in the U.S. (NCFA)

June's Dancing Moon
ruddy male
BR/Ow. Mr & Mrs Stephen Negrycz
Photo used on newletter cover to represent
breed (logo)


Margus Ulysses of Chapaka
ruddy male
Br. Mrs. Margery Hoff
Ow. Mrs. Pat Kalil

Penelope of Chapaka
ruddy female
Br. Mr & Mrs Stephen Negrycz
Ow. Mrs Pat Kalil

Don-Al's Flashette
ruddy female
Br/Ow Mr. Don Richings

Don-Al's Leroy
ruddy male
Br/Ow Mr. Don Richings

Don-Al's Deliala
ruddy female
Br/Ow Mr. Don Richings

Don-Al Rivka
red female
Br. Don Richings
Ow. Mrs. Susan Jenner

Margus Tafne
ruddy female
Br. Mrs. Margery Hoff
Ow. Mr & Mrs J. Gerbino

Peck's Pepper
ruddy female
Br. Ms. Alice Peckham
Ow.Mr & Mrs Gerbino

Saffron's Caprice of L'air de Rauch
ruddy female
Br. Mara Senkevics
Ow. Mr & Mrs M. Rauch
1st BEST Kitten Championship Award, NCFA

Holiday Hills Tafi-Babi
ruddy female
Br. Lila Rippy
Ow. Dorothy Drake

Alvi's Chimo of Lollirand
ruddy male
Br. Alf Turner
Ow. Dorothy Drake

Lets Welcome New Members!

Laura and Lois Saker
Ontario, Canada

Saffron's Tanga of Falconsview
ruddy female
Br. Mara Senkevics
Ow. Laura and Lois Saker


A short club meeting was held at the Toronto CCA Cat Show 8/17/74. The Following members were present: Evelyn Mague, June & Steve Negrycz, Pat Kalil, Susan & Doug Jenner, Laura & Lois Saker, Mara Senkevics and a new member Beverly Reilly. The drawing for the ceramic plate was presented and approved.

Thought you'd enjoy knowing 6 SOMALIS were entered, which to the best of our knowledge is the most entered in any one show. By the way there were only 5 Abys!


IMPORTANT

All the associations have recognized the name SOMALI with the exception of two (CFA & ACFA). CFA hasn't recognized the name because their requirements haven't been met as of yet, but why hasn't ACFA accepted it? It would be helpful as SOMALI owners to request a name change from Longhaired Abyssinian to SOMALI. Please write a note to the ACFA BULLETIN asking them to be consistent with the other associations.

IMPORTANT

We are now in the process of applying to CCA for RECOGNITION and need your help!

OWNERS: For those of you who have not registered your cats CCA please do so immediately.

BREEDERS: If your female has produced kittens you are classified a breeder! We need 6 breeders as members of CCA to apply for recognition. Please fill out the enclosed membership blank and send it in. Once you have done so inform E. Mague so we can proceed.


Back to Genesis

Somali Cat Club of America
Excerpts - Newsletter # 3

For the record - Pollyanna made the finals in two rings at the NCFA show.

Birth Announcements -
Tanga: 3 ruddy somalis born 8/22/74 Caprice: 2 ruddy male somalis born 9/30/74 (Caprice is now CFA registered)

Miss Bev Reilly
Toronto Canada
Taffita of Mem-Marti
Ruddy female
Br. Miss L. Des-Porch

Mrs. Lyn Pierce
North Kingstown, RI
Don-Al's Amaniti Spreta of KenLyn
Br. Mr. Don Richings

Mr. John Forsyth
Saika-Shams Black Bart
Br. Miss Lori McClain
Mrs. Lillian Mitchell
Sarnia Ontario
Don-Al's Deliala
Ruddy female
Br. Mr. Don Richings

Special Note
Mrs. Mitchell (Lilli-Pet Cattery) has a shorthair red Abyssinian that carries the longhair gene:
Ch. Lili-Pet Rufus
Red male Abyssinian

Mara Senkevic has a new kitten:
Daila's Tangle-weed of Saffron, ruddy female
Br. Miss L. Des-Porch

The remainder of this newletter consists of a reprint of the SCCA by-laws.

Home Page | Genesis

Somali Cat Club of America
Excerpts - Newsletter # 4
Winter 1974

CCA

As some of you already know---request for recognition in Championship status with CCA was denied. The requirements were met (20 registered cats and 6 member breeders), but the Board of Directors were able to find a technicality to prevent recognition. It is stipulated in CCA's rules that any new breed applying for recognition must present to the Board of Directors the twenty pedigrees for the twenty registered cats. Of course the CCA recorder has these pedigrees, they were supplied when the cats were registered.

Our club was informed that recognition was denied because the twenty pedigrees were not presented at the meeting, we were also told that never before had the Board requested pedigrees (no other breeds were required to submit them). It is quite obvious that CCA is playing dirty, with two sets of rules (one for Somalis and the other for ALL OTHER BREEDS).

So now we must try even harder to achieve recognition next year. This means everyone must cooperate (power in numbers). Those of you who are members of CCA must renew membership, those who never became members must join in 1975 (under the Somali breed section).

CCA would like us to quit in disgust, let's surprise them and fight "fire with fire".


CROWN

As of November 1974 CROWN recognized the Somali for Championship status.

New Members

Miss Becky Eister
Denver Colorado
No name given
ruddy male
Br. Mrs. Margery Hoff

Miss Sheila Bos
Scarsboro Ontario
Don-Al's Segeema of Dekater
red female
Br. Mr. Don Richings

Mrs. N. Kalski
Detroit Michigan
Dalia's Tangle-weed of Saffron
ruddy female
Br. Miss L. Des-Porch

Mr. Mark Scott
New York, NY
L'Air De Rauch's Clark Tai-Foon
ruddy male
Br. Mr. and Mrs. M. Rauch

Mrs. Kathleen Jones
Lincoln, NE
Falconsview's Ezekiel of J.R.R.
ruddy male
Br. Laura and Lois Saker


Back to Genesis

Somali Cat Club of America
Excerpts - Newsletter # 5
December 1974

The last newsletter of 1974 contained:

the 1975 SCCA Officers and Regional Directors and the 1974-75 membership list. The list contained 21 voting members and 31 Somalis. Most members owned one cat except for Evelyn Mague who in 1974 listed six Somalis in her cattery. These were Lynn-Lee's Pollyanna and Petunia, Golden Bosie of Lynn-Lee, Du-Ro-Al's Samson of Lynn-Lee, Don-Al's Trish of Lynn-Lee, and Saffron's Falstaf of Lynn-Lee.

In December of 1974 the CFF Recorder informed the SCCA that we were only 10 registrations away from Championship status. CFF required litter registrations before individual registrations. All SCCA members were asked to fill out those litter registrations and mail them as soon as possible.

Home Page | 1975 | 1976


Walter and Karen Del Pellegrino, E-mail

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