| History, Genetic and Description of Testmatings | ||
| By
Dr. Frank W. Langewische and Christa Utescheny (Photos) |
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Kittens
were born in the cattery Wildwood´s in Sweden in 1992, whose colors could
not be explained genetically by their parents, Wildwood´s Imer (pedigree
number (S)SVERAK 87869 K) and Wildwood´s Iros (pedigree number (S)SVERAK
87868 K). There were also kittens with a weird color born in the cattery av Tageskog
in Germany in 1994, for example Bedellin av Takeskog (pedigree number (D)DEKZV
205042). Two common ancestors Kløfterhagen´s Babuschka (pedigree
number (N)NRR K 50751) and Niro´s Dunder (pedigree number (N)NRR K 51300)
of these two litters could be found. Kløfterhagen´s Babuschka goes
straightly back to Pan´s Truls, the progenitor of nearly all Norwegian Forest
Cats. |
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|
| 1. "Sacred Norwegian" | ||
| Babys | ||
 |
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| 2. Kalahari v. Arlesbrunnen | ||
First
of all, breeders thought, that these colors would be chocolate resp. lilac. In
the middle of the 90´s breeders started to name these colors as cinnamon
resp. fawn. The colors were named as x-colors according to the EMS-code, because all the above mentioned colors had not been recognized in the breed of NFO within the FIFe. A recognition failed among other things, because relevant NFO breeders and judges had the opinion, that these colors could only be a result of crossbreeding with other breeds (e. g. Somali). |
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This
was a thesis, which always seemed to be questionable in a breed, where novices
can be found even in pedigrees of actual breeding cats. Anyway, there was fear,
caused by the assumed Somali crossbreeding, to get their predisposition for inherited
diseases (e. g. PRA, patella luxation) into the NFO population. After that, a
testmating was performed in Sweden between a Somali male in fawn (S*Walkabout´s
Gibson Hot, SOM p) and a Norwegian Forest cat in so called cinnamon tabby spotted
(S*Kattbossens Ludmilla, in the pedigree still registered as NFO xb 24, pedigree
number (S)SVERAK 139759). A black and a blue ticked girl were born, only. Although
it was quite clear by the ticking of the kittens, that the Somali male was the
father, this mating was mistrusted by some people. Some clubs in Scandinavia and
the Netherlands started then, to solve the problem of the recognition in another
way. They registered the cats as golden, which is recognized in the breed of the
NFO within the FIFe. |
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| 3. "Sacred Norwegian" | ||
| 4 weeks old | ||
 |
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| 4. "Sacred Norwegian" | ||
| 3 month odt | ||
This procedure is not comprehensible, because the new colors in the NFO were still
known in combinations with silver. It cannot totally be excluded, that some NFO
in the new colors are additionally golden, but it cannot be the actual color due
to genetical reasons. To prevent all these rumors, the breeding commission of the 1. DEKZV e.V. allowed Mrs. Christa Utescheny (cattery v. Arlesbrunnen) to perform a testmating between a Sacred Birman male in chocolate point (Orlando vom Dürrleberg, SBI-b, pedigree number (D)DEKZV LO 264480) and a so called Norwegian Forest Cat in cinnamon tabby spotted (Kalahari v. Arlesbrunnen, NFO-xo-24, pedigree number (D)DEKZV RX 265955, see Fig. 1) after consultation of Dr. Werner Hecht of the Justus-Liebig-University Gießen, and Dr. Frank Langewische, head of the health and welfare commission of the 1. DEKZV e.V. Only black and blue tabby mackerel and classic kittens were born (see Fig. 2, 3, and 4). Therefore, this testmating excluded de?nitely (see Tab. 1), that the new colors of the NFO are caused by the re-cessive B-alleles (chocolate, lilac, cinnamon, fawn). Kittens in the new colors look totally different (see Fig. 5, Pialotta v. Arlesbrunnen). |
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Assumptions and results of the 1st testmating: |
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| Assumption 1: | ||
Parents: |
Orlando
vom Dürrleberg |
Kalahari
v. Arlesbrunnen |
| Colour: | chocolate point | cinnamon
spotted (assumed) |
| Allele of group B: | bb | blbl |
| Offspring: | bbl (phenotypic chocolate resp. lilac) | |
| Assumption 2: | ||
| Parents: | Orlando
vom Dürrleberg male |
Kalahari
v. Arlesbrunnen female |
| Colour: | chocolate point | chocolate
spotted (assumed) |
| Allele of group B: | bb | bb |
| Offspring: | bb (phenotypic chocolate resp. lilac) | |
| Really found constellation: | ||
| Parents: | Orlando
vom Dürrleberg male |
Kalahari
v. Arlesbrunnen female |
| Colour: | chocolate point | chocolate
getupft (assumed) |
| Allele of group B: | bb | B |
| Offspring: | bB (phenotypic black resp. blue) | |
Furthermore,
it could be excluded with high feasibility by this litter, that the new colors
are a result of a recessive carried cs-allele (mask factor). This fact was rather
before nearly clear, because otherwise we should have seen Norwegian Forest Cats
with masks during the numerous matings among Norwegian Forest Cats in the new
colors. Now it became evident: The Norwegian Forest Cat “Kalahari v. Arlesbrunnen”
is genetically black (B_). |
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|
| 5. Pialotta v. Arlesbrunnen | ||
To
examine the interaction of the b-allele (chocolate), of the cs-allele (mask factor),
and of the allele of the new color, Mrs. Christa Utescheny was permitted to perform
a further testmating. For this purpose, the full siblings Orlandos´B v.
Arlesbrunnen (see Fig. 4), male, XLH-n-22, pedigree number (D)DEKZV RX 285134,
and O.´S Tibeth v. Arlesbrunnen, female, XLH-n-22, pedigree number (D)DEKZV
RX 285136, from the above mentioned testmating (see Tab. 1) were mated. Five kittens
were born out of this mating (see Tab. 2, Fig. 6-7):