Author Archive
Pendraig Lazar the Silver Siberian Cat at 2 Years old
Photography by Cat’s Cradle Photography
I was overjoyed today to get to view the results of the photography session of one of the most beloved of our graduated Siberian Kittens at Pendraig. Lazar has the most amazing owner, who not only offers him love and comfort but has taught him some fun skills and tricks and continues his raw diet with the passion of dedication and love she bears for him. You can see how much he shines, not just because of good breeding and the short time he spent with us but because of the love and holistic care given by his “mommy”.
Lazar is out of TGC Jorrah Karat and one of most influential queens, though she is retired now, Sunbeam Lilyana Krasa of Pendraig. He is a lovely darker silver with green eyes. Though not as big as some of his brothers he is a good sized boy no doubt thanks to the large appetite he has and the nutritious raw food his owner provides.
Lazar and his owner share a special bond and it is one I hope they will share for many many years to come. Lazar is still growing, still has maturity to reach but it brings tears to my eyes to see how much he’s changed since he was a kitten and left us here for his new life.
I love you, Lazar. And I am overjoyed you have the love and home every cat deserves but not all get. Thank you, Carrie for your care of him which is evidenced daily and your constant and welcomed contact and updates that I cherish. Thank you also to the photographer Kim for capturing his beauty in all it’s glory. Cats are so much more difficult to photograph than anyone realizes. They never sit still even when sleeping!
-
- Lazar at 2 years old, photographed by Cat’s Cradle
-
- Lazar as an infant photo by Pendraig Siberians
How do I Control Fleas Naturally on my Siberian Cat?
Siberian Cat Tipday Thursday: Your questions answered.
I get this question a lot, and even as I write my natural and holistic care guide for cat owners people need immediate answers and help with spring around the corner. So, I’ve decided to share some of what will be in the book and also to start a new Thursday weekly blog where I answer your questions (you don’t have to have a Siberian Cat either!) Just comment with your questions and I will pick a new one every week.
Now, onto those disgusting and frustrating fleas!
Understanding the life-cycle of fleas is paramount to defeating them naturally. It is more detail than I will go into in a blog post but you can read the Wikipedia article for a breakdown. It is not pleasant to read about fleas, I know but you can get through it. It is especially difficult us girls with our squeamishness towards bugs but it’s better to learn about them than live with them!
“It is said that if you know your enemies and know yourself, you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles; if you do not know your enemies but do know yourself, you will win one and lose one; if you do not know your enemies nor yourself, you will be imperiled in every single battle.” – Sun Tzu
Never forget, it is a war you are fighting. Fleas can jeopardize the health, longevity, and happiness of your beloved Siberian cat or other pet. It is a war with many battles, and you must be strong, give no quarter and no compromise. Be prepared to win. Winning requires planning, discipline and quick action. You must strike not only at the adult fleas feasting off your Siberian cat but also at their home where they lay their eggs and where the larvae feast off flea “dirt” that falls off the animals. Fleas do not lay the eggs on the host. One vet taught this to me with a saying I will never forget so I pass it onto you. The fleas do not lay eggs on your Siberian Kitten or Cat but instead find other places. There is “too much motion in the ocean” so they lay their eggs somewhere more stable, your carpets, your upholstery, your lawn and in the bedding and sleeping areas of your pet. For this reason they make dog beds with cedar chips, but cats are extremely sensitive to wood oils and essential oils so it’s best not to go that route for them.
Strike first at the future generation. We use food grade diatomaceous earth (DE). This is found often in feed stores as it is still given to livestock internally to fight parasites (we use this internally at Pendraig for our pets and also for heavy metal detox myself). Food Grade DE is safe and effective and is becoming more mainstream as I see versions with “bait” at Home Depot for pest control. You can use that for your lawn but for the carpets, furniture and on your pet opt for the food grade DE from a trusted source. We buy ours from Azure Standard online and have it shipped, it is cheap the shipping costs more but if you are lucky Azure Standard will have a truck route in your area you can sign up for and they have many natural food, personal care and supplement items you can explore as well. I’ve also found it at RevivalAnimalHealth.com and Amazon.com.
Food Grade DE can be irritating to the lungs if inhaled so it’s best to do the dusting when you have the room cleared out and try no to get it billowing up in the air around you. If you are sensitive to dust inhalation wear a simple mask that is for fine particles. Do not ever use the commercial DE it is dangerous due to the high heat treatment it receives.
Dust carpets liberally and pay especial attention to low traffic areas such as under couches, tv stands, book shelves and in bedrooms. Allow it to sit in the carpet at least 2 days as this is the average time to penetrate deeply enough before you vacuum it up. We leave it in the hard to reach places as a deterrent.
When dusting your pet again limit their inhalation. I do this by either putting it into a seasoning shaker and carefully shaking it over their body as close to them as i can get and using my hand to work it in. If you don’t have one of those you can buy one at Amazon.com or your local World Market or kitchen supply stores. The metal kinds with handles work great. Alternatively you can just scoop it up in your hand and rub it in with the other hand a bit at a time. Pay special attention to the undersides of your Siberian cat. The tummy, under arms, neck and behind the ears.
If you live somewhere with lots of rain or moisture outside DE probably won’t work well. The best route then for the outdoors and lawn is to purchase nematodes. These tiny creatures are harmless to you, your pets and the plants but will destroy all types of pests and their young. These can be found at most garden centers and home improvement stores. Nematodes require moisture themselves so you may need to reapply after a dry spell.
If your pet is especially infested a bath is in order. Fleas will drown pretty easily and just allowing a good shampooing to sit on the Siberian Cat (or other pet) for about 5 minutes will do the trick. With a bad infestation as we saw when we did rescue we would apply a ring of shampoo around the neck just behind the ears and around under the chin because the fleas will climb up the body towards the head when the pet gets wet. This is a natural reaction for them because in the wild cat or wolf would swim with their head above water if submerged for some reason. The shampoo ring there will prevent them getting away and jumping off the head to hide. Fleas are amazing jumpers and excellent at hiding out until the coast is clear so don’t give them the chance. After applying the ring work the shampoo all over the body and finish up around the head but be careful of the eyes. We use an all natural pet shampoo for this, be careful of anything with essential oils or harsh detergents.
A flea comb is a good tool to have while you wait those 5 minutes you can begin combing out fleas. Have a shallow dish next to the sink with soapy water and you can dip the comb into it when you catch a flea to assure they are drowned. Work the flea comb through the fur going down the body (not against the grain as this will irritate your already irritated Siberian cat). If you have a kitten they could get chilled fast so perhaps cut the shampoo time to 2 or 3 minutes.
Rinse gently with warm water, but thoroughly leaving no residue behind. When you think you are done rinse another 2 minutes.
You can now blow dry your Siberian Cat or if they really hate that just use a shami type towel (Revival’s “Metro Towels” are great) to wick away as much moisture as you can and let them groom themselves and give you dirty looks. If you have a kitten this is an excellent time to get them used to the blow dryer. You can also purchase a specialty dryer that works with a carrier and put the cat in there on a shami towel and set up the fan but be sure they do not get over heated or overwrought.
Once your pet is fully dry, and if you are dealing with a bad infestation or close neighbors with pets and a dog bringing it indoors. We hope none of your cats are allowed at liberty outside but instead kept in escape proof enclosures, where flea remedy may be necessary.
If you do this right you should cease having a flea problem by the end of the week.
Finally the ultimate way to combat the flea is to make your Siberian cat or other pet unappealing as possible. The best way to do this is to feed them a species appropriate and nutrient dense diet. This means for our Siberian Cats a raw and natural diet with organs, bones, fat and preferably pasture raised animal meat. Adding some high quality brewer’s yeast and probiotics helps also. Fleas prefer a host that is unhealthy with an immune system too exhausted to fight them off. We find our raw fed animals do not get fleas unless exposed to a heavily infested animal or environment and then only briefly. (We had one unlucky kitten pick up some fleas while traveling via cargo but this is unusual and must have been an extremely infested animal that exposed her.) A healthy immune system also requires plenty of quality, animal source Vitamin D which we supply with the organs we feed but also with a high vitamin cod liver oil.
For dogs you have extra options of creating citrus sprays at home, and adding some pest repellent herbs such as rosemary. Cats however are very sensitive to many oils so it is best in general to avoid this for them. However many of our Siberian Cat owners have dogs as well so we share the recipe so you can spray your dog down before he or she goes out and limit the likelihood of them bringing in pests. Also remember, the same diet rules apply to them as well. A truly healthy dog will repel fleas.
And an extra CAUTION here… Essential oils can cause serious damage to your cat, including neurological symptoms and even death. I’ve seen many recipes for natural flea repellents which are fine for most dogs but do not ever put or use an essential oil on or around your cat. If your cat loves rubbing on, playing with or sleeping on your dog do not use it on them either.
(Natural Flea spray RECIPE in an upcoming post. My book will feature a number of recipes an options so be sure to check it out!)
Contracts Protect the Buyers of Siberian Kittens Too
Recently I’ve been a bit surprised and dismayed at how many people out there shopping for purebred kittens do not understand the most fundamental protection available for themselves and the kitten they are purchasing, the contract. I have had what seemed like intelligent and caring buyers turn away when faced with signing a contract that they’ve not even seen yet because they feel it is too restrictive on their pet ownership rights. But what they do not seem to realize is that contract is there to protect their rights, to protect the kitten and to protect the breeder as well.
A good, responsible and ethical breeder will always require you to sign a contract of sale. This contract then acts as your guarantee and warranty. It spells out the purchase agreement so it also functions as a receipt and proof of the sale which is of vital importance to the buyer as well as the seller. How do you know you are not getting scammed by someone pretending to have kittens for sale if they aren’t offering a contract? How do you expect to get a health guarantee, and proof you are receiving a healthy kitten without a contract? How do you know what the steps are to have any health guarantees honored? Without a contract you don’t. Without a contract you won’t have any health guarantees or proof that you bought that kitten at all.
A good and responsible Siberian cat breeder will provide a contract that first describes the kitten or cat being purchased and lists the microchip number (if they chip, which most still do not but we do), the registration numbers if they are available at the time of sale (more often the case with retired adults), and the sex (plus intact status), color, date of birth, names of the parents and any other identifying marks. This means the contract also acts as your proof that you own the cat or kitten. This could become important in a court hearing if someone were to falsely accuse you of stealing the cat you’d have proof of sale. Just like a title to your car or a deed to your house. And this is before any registration papers may be available (they take time to process especially through TICA).
A good and responsible Siberian Cat breeder outlines the terms of the sale, so you know exactly how much money is owed with no hidden fees to surprise you at the end. It will also outline what happens if you fail to make payment as promised, since it’s not fair to leave a kitten and breeder hanging there while you disappear or decide not to finish the purchase. It also makes it clear when the transfer of ownership occurs and declares you rights to ownership of the kitten so the breeder cannot sell him or her again without legal consequences.
A good and responsible Siberian Cat breeder offers at minimum a 24 month health guarantee against congenital defects. That is genetic disorders that often do not appear until maturity which for a Siberian Cat only starts at 12 months old and often doesn’t finish until 5 years of age. If you have less of a guarantee then by the time your vet can pick up on the signs your guarantee has run out. If you have no contract at all, you have no guarantees at all and kitten is sold “as is” which may mean sick or dying or costing you thousands of dollars to treat. And the priceless costs of grief to you and your family.
An exceptional breeder offers much more than just the standard health guarantee but includes the rare and deadly FIP disease, as we do because there’s no way to guarantee against it happening and no cure. An exceptional breeder offers a longer health guarantee because they know they are raising healthy cats, have done important health screening of breeding cats and DNA testing and that they are selling only healthy cats and kittens as we do. In fact we are unique in offering up to a 12 year health guarantee if you opt to feed the Ideal Diet and follow the Ideal Care plan. But it’s optional.
A responsible Siberian cat breeder has a contract that states you were sold a healthy kitten and requires you to take the kitten to the vet within a small time frame of your receipt of the kitten to prove the cat is healthy and to set that baseline of health with your veterinarian. The contract will also require you to take care of your kitten, to provide minimums of care and has certain restrictions for the well being of your kitten but also often for your own good. Take declawing for example, banned by my contract, is a cruel and inhumane treatment of the animal and there are other ways to avoid problems with scratching. The procedure also often leads to behavior problems that may make your life miserable with your pet and jeopardize your happiness and the cat’s future as part of your home including litter box aversion leading to inappropriate elimination. So once again you see the contract is protecting the buyer.
This list is far from complete but I hope it gives you an idea of why contracts are so important and why you should not only be happy to find a breeder who requires contracts for sale of their Siberian kittens but it should be a requirement you have of any breeder. If they don’t have a contract, and a good health guarantee you should walk away. Find a good and responsible Siberian cat breeder. Find a contract that asserts that responsibility so that you can enjoy a worry free experience as a new Siberian kitten or Siberian Cat owner.
Naming the Siberian Cat – Pendraig Quantocius
Pendraig Quantocius @ 6 months, photo by Helmi Flick
So, we’ve been asked by many people what the story is behind the unusual name, Quantocius. Why did we choose to name our long awaited red classic tabby male Siberian kitten such an odd name? Where did it come from? Why is it so special?
I can answer it all in a word, Love.
For those of you not in the know about how my husband and I met, let me explain so the answer above will make sense to you. My husband and I both had been rather ill used in life having difficult relationships we left, even after investing many years, money and tears into those relationships. Both of us found a way to engage ourselves by playing an online game EQII. I cannot speak for him but for me it was a way to enjoy friends that I had something in common with, play a game, and most importantly ignore reality that I was alone and hurting. I had barely survived leaving my ex-boyfriend of 7 years, emotionally and physically, and was further ravaged by selfish parents who only seemed capable of putting me down and trying to control me in every aspect of my life. Not to say they didn’t take me in, help support me but it came at a high price.
The only thing I managed to cling to was my cattery and it was by tooth and nail while everything else was systematically ripped from me and promises broken. It is no surprise then I found myself spending all my spare time when not working, or looking for a job, playing a game to escape all of that.
Pendraig Quantocius photo by Helmi Flick
Well one day a new character joined our guild in the game… a fellow that was smart and funny, and knew how to make me laugh and oh how I needed to laugh. It took me so long to learn to laugh again before I met him and I’d had my heart broken again since but here he was, gentle and fun and we had a blast playing that silly game together. His character had the ability to transform into a big orange tiger…. and mine into a wolf. We’d goof around while waiting on raids (you know, big groups of characters played by us geeks killing dragons and other “mobs”). And his name, this lovely dark elf monk / orange tiger character? Quantocius.
So, I named the cat for my husband, for the guy who made me laugh and showed me a truly selfless love that I have never known before. Everyone always wanted something out of me, if it was to abuse me, use me, smother me, berate me, and ignore me but not him. He just wanted to be with me in whatever way I was comfortable. Friendship turned to love, he came from Florida to Texas so we could meet in person… and it was Love. Love that manifested itself into a proposal, and a surprise pregnancy that has brought ultimate joy into both of our lives with a boy that is now 4 years old and yes… he loves the cats too.
Doug was a confessed dog lover, as am I, and he resisted the cats but this breed won him over and he is a wonderful partner in my cattery even though I started it a long time before I met him. And I am still amazed he stuck around after hearing I was a cat breeder. Most guys hear “cats” and take off, dating is rough.
Quantocius is Latin, it means “Sooner the better” according to the online dictionary. My husband says “quickly as possible” and truly that is how he entered my life once we finally found one another. To say he swept me off my feet and took my breath away is not an exaggeration! His trip from Florida to Texas was dangerously swift and he was there before I knew it. So was Gabriel for that matter…
For me Quantocius means Love. The true, abiding, selfless love I found in my husband. The man, who supports us, protects us, loves us and is completely devoted to his new family. It only made since then to name the red classic kitten I wanted so badly after this Love and I hope more than ever for him to be a great champion show cat so all the world learns his name and the Love he represents.
Pendraig Quantocius photo by Helmi Flick
Our newest Siberian Cat Stud from Norway has arrived
(N)Nordskjæret Eamonn of Pendraig and Gabriel
Pendraig Siberians is happy to welcome our new boy from Norway. He is a lovely red classic tabby out of lines we’ve long wanted to have as we build our traditional cattery up. His name is (N)Nordskjæret Eamonn. He is everything that we hoped for in a new stud. A robust but balanced build, promising type, a lovely and strong head that will help us bring strong heads to our lines in the future. He is a red classic which is our favorite color and pattern besides goldens. he is also a darling boy that loves attention and is intelligent and fun.
It was a long trip for him from Norway but he traveled it well and arrived clean and neat too! What a good boy he is and it’s amazing for a kitten too. He is our fourth Siberian kitten imported from Europe and our second from Norway. We are grateful and truly blessed to have him join our family.
(N)Nordskjæret Eamonn of Pendraig
Eamonn will help us towards our goals and we plan for him to have a long reign as a king at Pendraig Siberians. It has been a few years since we had a red stud and now we are lucky enough to have two, Eamonn and our up and coming boy Pendraig Quantocius. We started our cattery in 2003 with our first Siberian cat a red mackerel tabby and it is a wonderful feeling to get back to those roots.
There is so much we can say about this wonderful Siberian kitten but the most important thing is that we love him!! Thank you so much, Synnove of (N)Nordskjæret cattery for these amazing little guy and the beautiful photos too. We have started a photo album on our Siberian Cat Fanpage on Facebook.
Texas Responsible Breeders Need Your Help
Today I received this message from the Responsible Pet Owner’s Alliance (RPOA) regarding that evil bit of legislation that our Governor Rick Perry signed into law despite the outrage of Texans everywhere and his promises on the US President campaign trail that he is supportive of less government, less taxes and preserving our liberties. RPOA is taking action though and needs help raising funds for legal actions to stop this legislation from going forward and to protect breeders who might be harassed and discriminated against thanks to the passage of the anti-pet bill.
Even if you do not live in Texas please consider helping. No donation is too small. Those of you who have a Pendraig kitten or cat, are planning to get one or just appreciate the work I do for cats everywhere please consider making a donation in the name of your beloved cat(s) or for our sake. We would be so grateful.
We always try to make donations to charities, rescues and feline health research with each kitten sold but now we will be making another donation towards the RPOA to help fund this endeavor to stop this travesty from continuing.
Bless each and every one of you, with your help I know that right can prevail and responsible breeders will be protected instead of persecuted.
Dawn
Pendraig Siberians
—–
TX-RPOA E-News
>From RPOA Texas Outreach and
Responsible Pet Owners Alliance
“Animal welfare, not animal ‘rights’
and, yes, there is a difference.”
Crossposting is encouraged.
Monday, July 11, 2011
What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger! Where do we go from here?
RPOA Texas Outreach has launched a legal initiative regarding HB 1451, the
misnamed “Puppymill” Bill, that just passed affecting dog and cat breeders.
The bill was signed into Texas law by
Governor Rick Perry June 17th. We have an attorney on retainer and will
be filing injunctions at the appropriate times to block administration and
enforcement of the new Texas Law in any way legally possible. This law must
be rescinded.
It’s not a time to panic but rather a time to rally the troops and move
forward with an Action Plan. It takes much more than just a court case.
This is a major undertaking and will be expensive. We hope Texas animals
owners care enough to support RPOA. We must take back Texas and be the
“reasonable” voice regarding all animal issues.
Just a few items RPOA is working on, but certainly not a complete list yet:
1) RPOA hired an attorney and set into motion years of litigation in the
courts regarding our constitutional rights as Texas animal owners and the
unconstitutionality of HB 1451. Be assured HSUS will be involved at all
levels on the “other” side.
2) We’ll encourage our members to apply for positions on the Animal
Advisory Committee for Texas Department of Licensing & Regulation (TDLR).
Per TDLR’s deputy executive director the application will be on their
website August 1 – September 15. The appointments will be made around the
end of October, he says. And,
3) Monitor the administration and enforcement of HB 1451 by TDLR. Our
members are
to inform us of any harassment from “animal rights” extremists or attempts
by anyone to enter their premises without a Search Warrant. And,
4) Activate the 16 RPOA Chapters blanketing the state that we were
organizing before 36 bills hit us at the legislature this session. And,
5) Continue to educate the media regarding animal issues and what’s
happening in Texas. We have an RPOA “Media” email list which has been used
throughout this legislative session and resulted in much more balanced media
coverage regarding HB 1451. And,
6) Conduct a PR Campaign to promote responsible breeders and purebred dogs
and cats. According to PETA, there’s no such thing. And,
7) As an “Alliance” we’ll continue to network with other statewide and
national animal interest groups who oppose the radical “animal rights”
agenda. And,
Encourage our membership to develop an ongoing relationship with their
local and state elected officials. Send their representatives informational
material that we’ll distribute through E-News on a regular basis.
Donations to RPOA Texas Outreach can be made on our website with Pay Pal
www.rpoatexasoutreach.org
or mail in to: RPOA Texas Outreach, 900 NE Loop 410 #311-D, San Antonio,
TX, 78209. These donations are not tax deductible.
For Tax Deductible Donations: Go to Responsible Pet Owners Alliance
www.responsiblepetowners.org and use Pay Pay or mail in to RPOA same
address. These funds keep our office open with all that entails.
Subscribe to this announcement only email list to stay informed regarding
all Texas animal issues by emailing:
TX_RPOA_E-News-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Siberian Kittens Update: Meet the Golden Siberian Kittens
Gold Siberian Kittens born at Pendraig Siberians on April 23, 2011.
Golden Shaded Siberian Cat, Esenia Auric at 1 year old
We’ve had a long wait. Many years ago as we perused websites dreaming over amazing cats from lines that seemed impossible to obtain we saw the beautiful and rare Golden Siberian Cats. The color is mesmerizing, like a beautifully cut citrine jewel glint and gleaming every shade of gold imaginable from the faintest pale gold like ivory to shimmering warm golden between and reddish gold brilliant with it’s intensity. The tips of the hair down the back, the end of the tail and around the face lightly tipped with inky black and the best of the best with intense, emerald green eyes. What is not to love?
The color confuses many, though more research is finally being done and we know our belief that this is a unique genetic color will prove true. We know gold when we see it though and we are extremely excited and proud to have our first litter of golden Siberian kittens born here at Pendraig Siberians.
We were lucky to be trusted with the beautiful and alluring Esenia Auric from the Russian Cattery Auric. She is a bright gold with light satin paws, neck, chest and tummy and the most lovely golden hues throughout her coat. As she matures her eyes are becoming more and more green though in these photos by Helmi Flick she had more golden eyes at one year old.
Esenia is the first cat to give us some trouble breeding with a mild pyometra (infected uterus) that we treated successfully with help from our vet and natural rearing. Now she has been on 100% raw and robust and healthy. She had a previous litter but was frantic and unsure and lost them due to her anxiety. We are happy to see her not only caring for her new litter with ease but the way she loves them is most evident. They are fat, beautiful and absolutely golden. They are large for their age and the type is promising. We are looking forward to watching them grow.
TGC Jorrah Karat, photo by Helmi Flick
The sire of the litter is Triple Grand Champion (TICA) Jorrah Karat. A lovely, near golden brown spotted tabby that has gotten great notice in TICA. He is an excellent sire producing some lovely kittens for us including a gorgeous girl we sent to Norway recently (out of Gemma). Though this stud’s time at our cattery is coming to an end we will always carry his influence in our cattery through his amazing progeny. These kittens are most likely his last here at Pendraig and some of his greatest. Two stunning golden tabby Siberian kittens have join Pendraig Siberians as Litter “R”.
Now to introduce our lovely Golden Siberian Kittens.
Pendraig Rhys Emrys, Golden Siberian Kitten (1 week old)
The male is a bit bigger, with a slightly more dramatic shade to his coat though we know this changes much from now to when they are adults. He has a lovely muzzle, wide head and big boning that is not always found in the golden lines. He takes the best from both parents though at just a week we can not even begin to see his promise. We have named him Rhys, a name of kings in Wales. He will carry the surname for our goldens, Emrys “golden shining one” and in some stories the surname of Merlin known in Welsh as “Myrddin Emrys”. Meet Pendraig Rhys Emrys, “prince” of our cattery.
The darling girl is exquisite. Just a tad smaller, which is normal
Pendraig Rhosyn Emrys, Golden Siberian Kitten (1 week old)
for girls, she is almost the mirror image of her brother. she has just a slightly different shade to her golden, a richer and darker golden perhaps. She has a promising coat and lovely boning for a girl. We have high hopes for her and cannot wait to meet whichever new family decides to adopt her. We have named her Rhosyn (a modern Welsh name for “Rose”). She too will carry our golden surname. Meet Pendraig Rhosyn Emrys the golden Siberian kitten available to a new home.
Siberian Kittens for Easter
Siberian Kitten with Easter Eggs
Over the years we’ve seen the influx of Siberian Kitten inquiries that come typically this time of year. Easter nears and parents start thinking of putting a cute Siberian kitten in their child’s Easter basket. Sounds like a wonderful gift that any child would love but we ask you to stop and consider the needs of the kitten as well. This will help you understand why we don’t sell kittens to go home at Easter (or Christmas).
Easter is a busy holiday for many. With plans to go to church, visit family, attend brunches, lunches and dinners, traveling and hosting relatives in your own home it’s a hectic and stressful time for many especially for the pets in your household. They can’t possibly understand it’s a special holiday, and even if they did it’s some strange behavior. Our dog often wondered why we kept losing our eggs in the yard and would bring them back to us so the Easter Bunny had a difficult time getting things ready for the kids.
Bringing a new kitten home is stressful for them, and your family, even though it is a joyous occasion. We owe it to each and every Siberian kitten going home to make the transition as smooth as possible. The best way to do this is to make sure the kitten goes home during a quiet, and relaxed time for the family. That definitely leaves out major holidays.
Also, there are other dangers to consider for kittens in those cute Easter baskets including those plastic grasses that could be accidentally ingested causing dangerous and deadly blockages, plastic to get wrapped up in causing suffocation and strings/ribbons that can pose a danger of strangulation. The children are also often hyperactive with the excitement of the holiday, seeing relatives they may not see often and all that sugar and this can terrify a new kitten not used to the antics of unfamiliar children. Also, the children are distracted too with toys and activities so the Siberian kitten doesn’t get the attention he/she deserves.
Then there are traveling considerations. Airport delays, crowding and possibly inattentive airline staff who want to be at home with their families can be a recipe for disaster. Roadways are busy, traffic can get backed up prolonging a difficult trip in the car on the way home for a kitten unsure and nervous.
Lastly, there are many people who buy animals at Easter on impulse including those poor dyed chicks, ducklings and rabbits that are then discarded later. Though you may not be such a cruel and thoughtless person it worries us breeders when someone inquires on a pet for an Easter present.
We hope you see the wisdom here in not bringing home a new Siberian Kitten during the Easter holiday. If you want to surprise your child or loved one with a kitten for the holiday why not arrange for the purchase but put a cute toy cat in the basket that resembles their soon to be kitten and maybe a photo provided by the breeder? This will be a cute way to share the gift but allow the kitten to come home when the Easter festivities are over and their new owner can devote several days to helping their new kitten settle into the new home and new family.
We want Easter to be a joyous occasion for everyone including the kittens. They will have fun staying with the family they know from birth, playing with our son’s carefully chosen toys that are Siberian kitten and toddler safe and then going home later to their new families when the timing is right and they are old enough. Remember, we are responsible breeders who keep our kittens here until 12 – 16 weeks and only let pet kittens go home after they recover fully from their spay/neuter surgery.
If you are looking for a kitten to bring home soon, we do have some available and some due soon (as of the publish date of this post) and you are welcome to inquire. We’d be happy to supply photos of the new kitten for the Easter basket should you choose to get one.
Happy Easter from Pendraig Siberian Cats!
Siberian Kittens – Q Litter at 1 month
Gemma's photo in Cat Fancy Magazine
It never ceases to amaze me how fast the kittens grow and change. Within a few short weeks they go from helpless, blind and strange looking little newborns to adorable fluff balls tearing up the nursery playing their games, exploring and learning what it is to be a cat. This litter is no different.
Our Siberian kittens have always been a source of great joy for us and this litter has been even more so because of the unique qualities of this amazing litter and the friendships that made it possible. And of course Gemma made her debut as our first cat to ever be in a national magazine. She was featured on page 28 of the May 2011 Cat Fancy magazine in their Siberian Cat article.
The sire of the litter is the beloved CH Cica’s Zoran Yaroslavovich Black owned by Nadezhda Siberian Cats, our dearest friends. He is a champion in CFA and adored by his family. He has proven to be an outstanding sire of amazing kittens not only for Nadezhda but for us now twice with our girls. He also passes on his friendly personality with his good looks.
This litter for us has been a great success so far and we are proud to have one kitten traveling to Hong Kong, another will be a show cat and future stud for a Savannah cat breeder who is starting her Siberian program and we hope to also have one more female in a show home. And of course the most important for us is the beautiful male red classic tabby, Pendraig Quantocius. He is our future stud and show hopeful and finally brings us back a red classic for our cattery which has been a dream of mine since I founded the cattery in 2003.
Siberian Kitten - Red Classic Tabby - Quantocius
Quantocius is only 1 month old so we still have to wait and see but his promise is great and he dazzles everyone who sees him. When it comes to red Siberian kittens we do know quality when we see it and he has great potential. It will be a joy showing him starting in July (when he is old enough to enter kitten class).
For those of you wanting a Siberian Kitten of your own this litter will soon be fully reserved but we have another litter due any day now and another we are planning for June. There is nothing like a Pendraig Siberian kitten, raised naturally and as part of our family.
PETA – People Euthanizing The Animals
This was shared on a natural pet list I belong too (for natural rearing breeders). If you think PETA is about helping, saving or otherwise caring for animals you are wrong. Check out these shocking numbers for their “shelter”.
Posted by MM:
According to official shelter reports filed with the Commonwealth of Virginia (where the PETA “shelter”, if you want to call it that, is located), PETA took in 2345 animals, of which 44 were adopted out, 2,200 were killed
(euphemistic word used in report is “euthanized”), and 63 were transferred out of the shelter. PETA’s kill rate in 2010 was 93.81%.
Copies of Official Commonwealth of Virginia reports here:
http://petakillsanimals.com/downloads/PetaKillsAnimals.pdf
Article on PETA’s record here (they haven’t updated the article to show the 2010 numbers yet, reports just came out)
http://www.petakillsanimals.com/
According to the combined yearly totals (since 1998), PETA has taken in 29,823 animals into their “shelter”, and killed 25,840 of these for a kill rate of 85.1% – a rate that I would suspect is among the highest in the country (even
shelters in the deep South typically don’t have a kill rate above 60% if that.)
And PETA is telling breeders, farmers, etc what they should be doing??!!
Make sure these numbers get spread far and wide!!!
–MM
It’s time we woke up as a society and held this animal terrorist organization responsible for all the pets they are murdering. They point the finger at breeders, hunters, farmers and pet owners but the blood is all over them.
