The Story of Helen Gamon

As told by John Gamon

In December of 1969, Helen gave me a present of Fernand Mery's book, The Life, History and Magic of the Cat. In 1970 Helen quit work so we could travel; that summer we went to France and drove a rented Renault.

In Bordeaux while visiting a friend, Helen asked the Faivrets if they knew of the Chartreux cats because she was anxious to take one home. Nell had heard of them; Bob and I had not, which shows how well I had read my present. We enquired at almost every stop on our trip, at pet stores, etc., but to no avail. By the time we reached Monte Carlo, staying at a pension operated by Jacqueline, daughter of the Faivrets, Helen had just about given up on the Chartreux.

Across the street from out pension was a side-walk kiosk newsstand where I had walked to buy a newspaper. I noticed a copy of La Vie des Betes, which I also bought. Imagine Helen's thrill when she read under "Announces" "CHATS -- CHATONS CHARTREUX, Bastide, 63 Ambert Tel. 219" Jacqueline came to our room, gave us directions to Ambert, and phoned Bastide to determine if she had a Chartreux available. Yes, one female, aged four months. We back-tracked into France again and arrived at Ambert the following afternoon. On arrival, late due to unanticipated hilly roads, we checked into the last room of the Hotel Livradios and asked the concierge to phone Mme. Bastide that we would be right over. We spoke no French, but the concierge seemed to understand us. Off we droave alongside teh wee river Dorw for about a mile and finally realized we had overshot our target. A farmer with scythe on one shoulder was coming down the road and we enquired of him, "Residence Mme. Bastide?" He pointed back the way we had come, so we turned around and soon spotted a farm-like house occupied by a young lady and man who waved at us and pointed to the lane of the farmhouse. We waved back "OK". The young woman was Mme. Bastide's daughter accompanied by her fiancé. They had driven to our hotel to pick us up!

Fortunately, the fiancé knew a fair amount of English as all the rest of us were monolingual. Suzanne (Bastide) first wished to show Helen her Great Danes, her main occupation. I went with Louis (Bastide) to see the Chartreux, which were housed in a screen enclosure alongside the barn; the enclosure had access through punched out holes in the wall to a similar screened enclosure inside. Louis showed me the kitten, Tornade, who was a beauty, and I knew right away that Helen would want her. Helen did fall in love with Tornade. I then asked the Bastides if they also had a male kitten available. Louis went inside the barn and emerged with a ten day old male with eyes just about to open. We arranged a price and means of transportation for the kittens to Paris (when the male was properly weaned) from where we would set up flight arrangements to Los Angeles.

This, then, was the beginning of the Chartreux in America.

From the papers of Helen Gamon, by Jessie Strike-McClelland

All contents copyright © 1999-2003 / Last updated on 23 October 2009