My husband and I moved during the late1960's from Perth, Australia, where we had a sealpoint Siamese as a pet. Initially, we lived in Houston, Texas and moved to Calgary late in 1969. Once our oldest child was six, we decided to have another Siamese kitten. I was fortunate enough to buy, as a pet to be neutered, an ACFA registered redpoint Siamese kitten which I chose because he was an exotic color. That was the beginning of a love affair with the unusual colors. About a year later, while at a local ACFA show, I saw a beautiful redpoint Balinese male bred by Marion Whitehead of HuMan cattery in Utah. It was love at first sight. Some time later, Marion sent me a blue point Balinese (CFA reg.) and a redpoint Balinese female, HuMan's Sk-Ar-Lot Puff of Balimoor. Later, Marion sent a lynx point Balinese female, HuMan's Tabbatha of Balimoor, whose daughter, Balimoor Pippi Longstocking, became the first lynx point Balinese to earn a grand championship. Balimoor cattery became registered with both CFA and ACFA during 1978. The name was derived from Balinese and Varmoor Road, where we lived at the time.

I soon found out that the fancy colors of Balinese were not registerable in CFA and set out to make contact with various people who were working with the reds, torties and lynxes. Linna Reusmann in Indiana published a newsletter geared towards the new color breeders and soon I was part of a network. At that time, Barbara Harr published a Colorpoint Shorthair newsletter with helpful articles on new color genetics. After hours of telephone contact with Barbara and much advice from her regarding CFA procedures, we decided to apply for registration status for the new colors of Balinese. I wrote the petition for registration and collected signatures of breeders and registration applications for 50 cats, with the cooperation of many breeders throught the States, and flew to Chicago to present cats and application to the CFA board in October 1979. Adrienne Schettini of New York coordinated the receipt of the registrations. Present with me in Chicago were Barbara Harr, Linna Reusmann and Nina Boal and two of my cats, a tortie point and a lynx point. Although we had asked to be Balinese, that was not possible in view of CFA's division of traditional Siamese colors and the colorpointed colors (lynx, red and tortie points) which were designated as a separate breed called Colorpoint Shorthair. Our new color Balinese were accepted as a separate breed, but we needed a name. We had proposed Colorpoint Balinese and Colorpoint Longhair, but these were rejected by the board. On the Saturday night the four of us sat around and brainstormed, using an Atlas and an Asian guidebook, which Barbara had brought along. We decided upon Javanese, as Java was the next island to Bali (and a little bigger!). This name was accepted.

A redpoint son of Sk-Ar-Lot Puff was bred to a lovely blue lynx point Siamese (CPSH) female, Alonale's Willow The Wisp. One of the females from this breeding, Balimoor Willo Two, became an important foundation cat, along with Balimoor Kanushka, from Willow The Wisp's litter sired by Tassam's Little Buddy. Kanushka went to live with Ann Sandner (Tassam). According to pedigree research done in 1995 by Kris Willison (now CFA's Javanese Breed Council secretary), one of these two variant females were on the pedigree behind all but two of the CFA Javanese grand champions to that date. Willo Two went on to become TICA's first cat of any breed to win the title of Outstanding Dam, by producing five unaltered grand champions. One of Willo Two's sons, Balimoor Sunburst, became the first redpoint supreme grand in TICA. One of Puff's daughters, Balimoor Tsimshian, became the first tortie point grand champion in ACFA. Another Puff daughter, Balimoor Free Spirit of Harr, became TICA's first Supreme grand tortie point Balinese. Willo two's daughter, Balimoor Shadow, a chocolate lynx point Balinese female who later earned her quad grand championship in TICA went to Ann Sandner of Tassam Cattery in Seattle. Kanushka and Shadow were the Ann's first lynx points and were followed by others over the succeeding years as we both pooled resources and worked together in developing these new color Balinese as well as the standard color Balinese. A breeding partnership was also established with Barbara Harr. As a result of these cooperative efforts, Balimoor Ruffian of Harr, a seal point Balinese, earned her grand championship in the CFA Atlantic region during 1982. A seal point Balinese, SGC Balimoor Magic Man, later went to Ann and sired a number of standard color Balinese and colorpointed Balinese (Javanese). A Balimoor redpoint longhair female became the foundation queen for Karen Christmann's red and tortie points (Balique cattery in the New York area).

Over the years, Ann, Barbara and I bred with various good quality Siamese and colorpoints. Five years after initial CFA registration for the Javanese, Karen Christmann and I attended the CFA Board meeting in New Jersey to request advancement into Provisional show status. This was followed by the push to exhibit cats in all regions. The Javanese entered championship competition in 1986, with the first grand champion being Ann's cat Tassam's True Purr. The first National best of breed and second grand champion was Karen's cat, Musashi's Cleopatra of Balique.

I retired from active breeding and showing in 1985, just before the new color Balinese could compete as Javanese in CFA. I kept a group of neutered and spayed cats and turned my attention to work and family. Early in 1995, with only two of the old spays remaining, I was contacted by Barbara Harr who was then living in Chicago. Soon after that, at Barbara's request, I became a "foster parent" for a lynx point female of her breeding who needed a temporary home but was of an age when she needed to have a litter. I kept one of her female kittens (sired by a Tassam stud, thanks to my friend and former breeding collaborator Ann Sandner!) and later bred the fostered queen to a wonderful lynx point Siamese (Thanks to Mary Ward of Summitmews Siamese in Edmonton!). Before you knew it, I was back into breeding and showing again!! Sadly, Barbara died in the fall of 1995, but I was fortunate to receive two of her precious girls, Harr's DonnaMay and Balique Spirit Flame of Harr. Kris Willison (KLM cattery in Houston and CFA Javanese Breed Council secretary) was most supportive in encouraging my return to breeding and assisted by allowing me to use two of her males.

At the present time I am a member of both the Balinese and Javanese breed councils in CFA and occasionally show a cat in CFA, thanks to the help of my friend Nancy Grandison in Ontario (Balinan Cattery) and Kris in Texas. It was a thrill in May 1999 when Nancy showed Balimoor Betsy to grand champion status. Most of my showing is in TICA, especially since all Alberta and most BC shows are held by TICA affiliated clubs.