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When I first began breeding chocolates back in 1998, I knew about the cinnamon gene that was at the same locus as well, and the thought did cross my mind " I wonder what a cinnamon Persian or Exotic would look like?" But at that stage I was fully committed to my chocolates, still learning about them and still trying to get some reasonable type into my cats. I knew I didn't have either the energy or the room for the extra cats that would be needed for another colour programme.
In 2003 however, I did write a breeding programme for them, in anticipation of one day , some day, having a go at it. Then a couple of years later several things happened that would bring the programme forward.
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2005 saw the advent of feline DNA testing, firstly for PKD and then quickly followed by several coat colour tests as well. In 2006, it became possible to DNA test for the three alleles of the black gene. And in November 2006, a little cinnamon kitten was born.
Atacat Ustinov was a cinnamon Mandalay, which in our New Zealand registry is a solid colour (non pointed) Burmese. It was the first time I had really gotten close up to the cinnamon colour and just like my ongoing love affair with chocolates, it was again love at first sight.
The time was right to make a start.
Early in 2007, I applied to the NZCF for approval for an experimental breeding programme to produce Cinnamon Exotics and Persians, and once approval came through, I was lucky enough to be able to buy this boy whom I named"Sinbad"
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Mother Rose (cinnamon) and baby Sinbad
We were underway!
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Showing all the colours in the Mandalay litter - a blue, a cinnamon,(Mother Rose), a chocolate, and an ebony ticked tabby.
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Sinbad as a young adult cat - a bright cinnamon gold in colour.
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THE FIRST GENERATION. October 2007
In the Spring of 2007, Sinbad was mated to two different girls of completely different pedigrees. Sinbad carried Cb, the Burmese pointing gene, which I wanted to "lose' as quickly as possible, so DNA testing was a major factor in selecting the next generaton.
The first mating was to my solid chocolate Persian, Ch Rosimorn Apple Tart ( Abby) and in October 2007, Abby had six babies, - all shorthairs, five chocolates and one colourpoint. ( mink - CsCb)
Cs=Siamese/Himi colourpoint , Cb= Burmese colourpoint
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I DNA tested the 3 chocolate girls for the CP gene and I was lucky that one girl carried neither the Cs or the Cb gene. I named her Rosimorn Lulubelle. ( Lulu)
Click HERE to see other photos of this litter
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Sinbad's second mating was to a girl with a totally different pedigree. Furrallover Imogene Cocoa was a stunning brown classic tabby persian girl with enormous copper eyes. She had four babies in January 2008. - 3 ticked tabbies, ( 2 girls & 1 boy) and a black boy. I would have preferred to keep a girl, but one girl was quite obviously CsCb and DNA testing showed the other carried the Cb gene, which I wanted to "lose" as quckly as possible.
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So I kept the black boy and named him Rosimorn Usama ( Sam.) He carries Cs, but not Cb. Click HERE to see other photos of this litter.
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