by Bev Cattrall, Shalimar Birmans
Frances C. Price, Tai Ming Birmans
Jan. 27, 1914 - Jan. 18, 2004
Frances was living in New Orleans when I first made contact with her 1983. We had been to a conference in Denver where I had purchased a cat magazine and noticed CFA Regional awards for the New Orleans area; Frances' name was included for a Regional win with Grand Champion Belleview Heidi Blue.
Frances' southern hospitality was very welcoming and we had a nice talk about Birmans and, as she planned to visit UK and as I was looking for a stud, she offered to ask David Rendfeldt if he had anything suitable because, "David has some nice cats". She wrote to me after the visit and told me that he was not able to help me at present.
Time went by and one night in Melbourne I had a call from Frances who was in Perth Australia and she declared; "I want to see me some Birmans". Frances flew to Melbourne and spent the week-end at our home. I was most impressed when she told me that she had given a home to an old Birman stud who had been bred in the UK. She decided to give him a home out of respect for his breeder who she had known and was now deceased. This told me a lot about this gentle lady. We looked over my pedigrees and she picked out a mistake a breeder had made in writing the pedigree. That was really impressive! I was to host a Birman Club meeting the following week-end and Frances said, "I hope you are not going to let anyone handle your kittens". This was a lesson in itself. We had a lovely time together and we put her on a plane to visit Uluru, the big red rock in the centre of Australia.
We visited David and Rita Rendfeldt in the UK some years later in 1986 and after a long wait David said he had a Seal point female he was willing to send me: "The best we have had since Francesca". Thus Belleview Whitney and Belleview Blue Velvet two girls, arrived in Australia. Some time after David found me a lovely Blue boy Nevendi Bonny Benito who carried Laurant lines. Both Whitney and Benny became Grand Champions. Velvet became a Grand Premier Neuter later in life. Whitney will be 17 this year.
We went to the SCBF show in Medina in 1990. Frances greeted us warmly and pointed out some nice Birmans to me. That was a very interesting show, so much different to our cat shows in Australia at the time.
Frances had mentioned my name to Gail and Sid Justice who were planning a visit to Australia and were looking for their foundation queen. I met them at a show in Canberra, which resulted in them taking home to San Francisco their foundation queen Shalimar Quintessence.
At Xmas 1997 I sent Frances a card and a photograph of a nice kitten a Seal point boy. I thought Frances might be interested in him because he carried Belleview lines and she knew her pedigrees. Yes, Frances was very interested in him so together with Sallie Smith she became the proud owner of Shalimar Uluru Sunrise. Being the "U" year and as Frances had visited Uluru the name seemed perfect. "Sunny", became a Grand Champion and has given Frances and Sallie some nice babies with excellent type.
So the wheel turns. Frances put me on the right path and in return I have been able to repay her kindness.
Thank you Frances, your influence has extended to Australia.
Bev Cattrall
Shalimar Birmans
Melbourne, Australia
10 February, 2004