Purr-sonal UP CLOSE AND CONNIE GOLLER GEISHAGOLL SIAMESE

“A beautiful Siamese is a piece of living art,” says Connie Goller, who has bred and exhibited some of CFA’s top Siamese for 35 years.

- Elizabeth Jennings

“They have to have total balance, looking at them from all angles. Their lines have to flow. When I look at a Siamese, it just has to trigger something in me, and then I know I’m seeing beauty.”

First Impressions, Lasting Love

Goller was first introduced to the Siamese on a summer beach trip in Santa Cruz, CA, when she was just ten years old. “I saw a little girl with a seal point Siamese with a harness,” said Goller. “I knew I wanted one like that when I grew up.” Goller’s piano teacher, who lived in the California Bay Area, also had two blue point, show type Siamese. “The two of them would walk across the grand piano, and let out an ungodly howl,” Goller added. “They were the real thing. Long, lanky, and with big ears. All I could do was stare. It really stuck with me. I never forgot their voices or their look.”

Ironically, Goller’s late husband, Vern, was also drawn to the Siamese. While in the service in Vietnam as a physician, he cared for a friend’s Siamese. Later on, while stationed in Buford, SC, he acquired one of his own. “So, I was sort of primed before I got married, as I had gotten used to seeing these unique-looking cats,” said Goller, with a laugh.