Saturday, May 28, 2011

Saying "Au Revoir" to Mod Daeng

On Friday, February 4, 2011 I bid a very fond farewell to Mod Daeng. I flew down to Southern California, where I had first met her, and delivered her to Art Graafmans, our CFA Burmese Breed Council secretary. I have to admit I was quite sad to say goodbye, and that I still miss her. She is an extraordinary cat. I love her affectionate and confident personality, even her grumbles at other cats when they invaded her personal space. Through birthing and raising six babies and beyond, she remained as playful as a young kitten. And her health and strength through all the transition and travel she has been seen in her young life is an inspiration.

My experiences with Mod Daeng were transformative for me in many ways, and will continue to be. I have learned much about the origins of our breed, some of which I’m sharing in this newsletter. I’ve made new friends. And I have raised six beautiful kittens, four of which we hope will add health and hybrid vigor to our gene pool. Mod Daeng’s legacy will last for generations of Burmese if all goes as we plan.

On Saturday, February 5th, Art flew with Mod Daeng to St. Louis, Missouri, and Saturday afternoon delivered her to J.D. Blythin. The next morning, at the CFA Board of Director’s meeting, Mod Daeng was in attendance as the board discussed how to register her and her kittens. Apparently she was quite the guest celebrity!

Sunday, February 6th was a momentous and historic day both for the Burmese breed and for the Cat Fanciers Association. After the meeting, Art Graafmans submitted the following report to the Burmese Breed Council:

The proposal to reduce the number of generations required to bring a cat into CFA from another registry has passed unanimously. We now only require 5 generations.
The ballot proposal to register Mod Daeng (as a sable Burmese) was rejected and replaced with the following:

1. Mod Daeng may be registered in the CATS registry as a native Thai foundation Burmese.

2. Mod Daeng may be bred to CFA registered Burmese and the offspring may be registered a Burmese with the stipulation that they be genetically tested as cbcb (solid color).

3. The offspring which test cbcs (mink pattern) may be registered in the CATS registry as F2, F3, F4...foundation Burmese. These cats may be bred to CFA registered Burmese with the same stipulations as Mod Daeng.

The discussion included the issue of which genetic labs could be used. It was agreed that CFA did not want to specifically endorse any specific lab, so any lab qualified to do the test will be accepted.

This revised proposal was passed with only one no vote. After the vote, the Burmese breed council was commended for being forthcoming regarding Mod Daeng's color and for proposing a forward thinking method for registration. This is the first time CFA will use a genetic test as part of a registration requirement and we were applauded for requesting the test.

Thus Mod Daeng has helped the Burmese breed to once again make history. As the first cat breed developed through genetics, it is most appropriate for it to be the first breed to use genetic testing for registration. This decision will open doors not only for future imports from Thailand, but also sets an example and a precedent for others who might want to use genetic testing to benefit their breeds as well.

After the meeting, Mod Daeng returned to the Chicago area to live with J.D. Blythin and Renee Weinberger. On that same Sunday, February 6th, she was in heat and she was bred to produce more offspring to help with Burmese genetic diversity. They now have a litter of six babies -- this time five girls and a boy, three are sables and three are minks.

My deep gratitude to Renee and J.D. for allowing me to host and breed Mod Daeng. I will continue my blog with the journeys and stories of her offspring.

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