A Tribute to Grace Pond

Over a period which covered almost the whole of the post-war period to that year, Grace had seen the National grow from under 300 entries with some 15 Judges to a peak, in the Club’s Centenary Year, of nearly 2,000 cats with around four times as many Judges. The Show attracted visitors from all over the World.

Celebrating her 30th year as Show Manager of the National, Grace was quoted as saying, “I cannot remember how I became involved as I was not on the National Committee. I talked it over with my family and, as my boys were grown up, decided to do my best in managing the Show.” When she retired in 1993 there was no doubt in anyone’s mind that Grace most certainly had “....done her best” and much, much more!

Grace was four when she received her first kitten Bobby, a Black Persian. Many years later the cat died when she was away on holiday. According to her vet, Bobby had probably pined away for her. For some time after, whenever Grace was scolded by her Mother she used to say that she was going away to live in a Cats’ Home, thinking it must be wonderful!

Bobby played the significant role of starting Grace off on a lifetime’s love and close association with cats, later leading to a Blue Persian kitten ”Fluff’, bred by Lady Eardley Wilmott of the Henley prefix. When Grace eventually married, Fluff had become the family pet so he stayed with her Mother. During the War, while her Husband was in the army, Grace took her two sons with her to live in Sussex where they were joined by her son’s brown tabby moggy. This cat had struggled out of blitz debris and was sent down to Sussex in an orange box with a large bump on his head!

Now living in a rural area Grace decided that she would like to purchase another Blue Persian with the idea of breeding and so she acquired Dolly of Allington, born in 1944, and bred by Miss Langston. Dolly was sent away to a stud cat but the mating was unsuccessful. So Grace bought her own stud, Neuburie Victor. She won First Prize with the first litter at one of the first post-war shows at Lime Grove Baths. She was hooked. The next cats she bought were Idminston Terina and her little kitten, Vigilant Valetta, from Mrs Pullen. Then started a long and successful breeding and show career.

The first Club she joined was the Blue Persian Cat Society, eventually being elected to the Committee. Membership of other Clubs followed and she took the first steps to becoming a Judge by Stewarding.
At the time of her retirement Grace was on some 27 Judging Lists. She first judged in Europe in the early 1950s and, during her subsequent illustrious career, judged in South Africa, Australia and the USA. And, somehow, during this period she also found time to edit or write some 25 books on cats. Her first was the ”Observer’s Book of Cats”, which has been reprinted more than once and has been the starting point for many young cat fanciers.
Grace, now in a retirement home, sadly will not be at the Centenary Show but, without doubt, many a glass will be raised in a toast to her good health and in tribute to her invaluable role in the continued success of the National Cat Club Show.

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