Comyn Gollywobble

“Comyn” is an old family name deriving from Scotland and England the odd millennium ago and is not pronounced “common”! The Comyns' motto was “Courage”, and having pioneered the Exotic Shorthair in Australia, there were times when that was much needed. It was a hard road and while the ultimate destination of perfection has not been reached yet, it's getting closer!

I began as a teenage silver Persian breeder in 1964 and via Burmese, British (with my parents) and Siamese, while still maintaining my interest in Persians, I grew up into an international All Breeds judge. Judging at a show in Amsterdam in the early 80's, I encountered my first exotic and the rest has been history in constant progress. Yes, I am a passionate cat fancy historian! Please click here to learn a little of the pioneering of Exotic SH in Australia.

Because of judging commitments I deliberately breed on a small scale, but that fits my philosophy of the happiest, best adjusted kittens being reared as family members, full of confidence in themselves and the humans they relate to. Quality, not quantity. Whether show/breeding cat or TV-watching neuter - bombproof, gregarious character is the first requirement!

I've always bred for the progress and development of the breed, but the more basic aim of producing healthy kittens with outgoing personality has always gone hand in hand with the pursuit of show quality. There are literally more “Comyn” Cat, Kitten and Neuter of the Year awards than I can readily recount, but I prefer to see a potential superstar go to a wonderful, non-show, pet home if it means it will live in the manner to which it is accustomed – indeed, the manner for which it was bred.

Except for the very few sold to breeders (extremely serious references and personal contact required) all kittens leave home desexed and appropriately vaccinated and not before 12 weeks; usually January is “new home” time. My parents and I practiced early desexing of pet kittens since the early 1970's and never had reason to question the practice; contrary to information you might hear from some sources. Parents are DNA PKD tested negative.

For the record, (and perhaps it's hard to divorce the judge from the breeder!) my priorities are for physically sound structure; straight faces, good nostril aperture and hefty bone, together with small, small ears, short tails and chunky bodies. Please view the ancestors from Day 1 of the Comyn Exotic story and kittens both past and present.

Don't expect beautiful photos of fabulous cats from Day 1 (or even Day 5000!). This site is the warts-and-all record of the cats which brought us to the present day, some of them very ordinary. But each played an important role, and as such has a legitimate place in the Comyn pictorial history. Rome wasn't built in a day!

Lesley Morgan Blythe. With Zack, the odd man out - our tawny aby bed-cat

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Since November 25th 2004