Kittens
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
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 – 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.
Siberian Kitten to be Pendraig’s Newest Princess
Pendraig Phaedre is a Princess (Siberian Queen in Training)
Finally after waiting for years we have chosen Lily’s successor. Her beautiful daughter Pendraig Phaedre will join the beautiful array of Siberian Cat Queens when she comes of age. For now she is a sweet little princess enjoying the good life, good raw food and love we give all of our Siberian cats and kittens.
She is a blue silver torbie though her silver is difficult to see right now. She has large boning, heft and size already for such a young girl of only 10 weeks. Her lines bring us a great combination of show successes and foundation cats. Her sire TGC Jorrah Karat has proven himself in the show hall and though her mother is not a show cat she has many prestigious champions in her pedigree and rare foundation lines to augment the gene pool of our precious breed.
We look forward to what Phaedre will bring us in the future and to the joy she brings us now. So many kittens leave here for their homes with families that adore them and we must say good bye, and a little of heart leaves with them. This time we have one to keep and that makes us happy. This year should be a good year for Pendraig with a few cats joining our cattery after the last two years of cutting down and changing to a new direction.
Phaedre’s name was to be Phèdre after a character in the novels by Jacqueline Carey that start with Kushiel’s Dart. I love these books not just for the plot but for the beautiful writing and eloquence therein. It is a joy to read and Phèdre is a character to admire, a true heroine that makes the best of what life has given her and owns her destiny taking a hold of it with both hands. She has a strength that is not forceful but comes from her ability to yield and submit and thus win in the end. Our little Phaedre has the same strength in character, the ability to bend instead of break and to take on new adventures with a full heart and even some exuberance. I hope she grows up to mirror the beauty and grace of this character as well and the red dot on her forehead makes me think of the blood red mote in Phèdre’s eye.
Siberian Kitten for Sale (on hold)
Orange tabby Siberian kitten available
(he’s on hold pending deposit as of 2/19/2011)
We have a lovely orange tabby (red tabby) Siberian kitten available. He is a most adventurous and loving fellow. He may look a lot like Sonja in coloring when he matures, nearly a solid red in appearance with a rich color and exceedingly rare in our breed.
His name is Pasha, though his new family may choose to call him a name they have picked out. He is out of our P Litter born on December 22, 2010 to Sunbeam Lilyana Krasa of Pendraig and Jorrah Karat. He is the last of a litter of five to find his home but we know they are out there, someone special for this fearless little lion in a kitten’s body. This time most buyers were interested in silvers or girls, but Pasha is unique and beautiful though he is not above a good kiss on his tummy and a tickle before he heads off to play more with his siblings.
Rawr!! I have the heart of a lion
He is used to children too, as he is handled daily by a three year old boy who thinks he’s Sonja in miniature.
Pasha loves his raw food diet and would love to teach his new owners how to feed raw diets and enjoy the benefits their cats enjoy. He could also go onto our Advanced or General Diets (with commercial foods) for families who could not do raw but when you see how much he enjoys it you may change your mind.
Pasha’s sire is large and his siblings from other litters have been of good size as well, especially the boys. He is a happy fellow and will bring you many years of happiness, laughter and joy. Are you his special home?
Application to Adopt: http://www.pendraig.com/siberians/application.php
More Information: http://www.pendraig.com/siberians/siberian_kittens_for_sale_Texas.php
Gemma’s Siberian Kittens – names
We have settled on the names for Gemma’s brood! It was a lot easier than for Lily’s which I am still deciding on.
Pendraig Naoise – the lovely brown classic male will remain a part of our program but will leave with his delightful co-owner here in Austin. We look forward to showing him with her and next year hopefully he will contribute to the breeding program. His name, Naoise is from Irish mythology. Naoise was a warrior that defied his king when he fell in love with the tragically beautiful Dierdre. He eloped with her and they had to go into exile as they king’s wrath was great and he wanted Dierdre back and Naoise killed. Eventually the king got his way and Dierdre died of grief. It is a romantic tail and Naoise was supposed to be quite handsome which makes this name perfect for our handsome brown classic boy. It is pronounced “NEE-sha”.
Pendraig Nuada – the big and bold red mackerel boy will be going to a loving pet home. He is of outstanding quality but we cannot keep them all unfortunately. His name is that of an Irish god and it means “protector” in Gaelic.
Pendraig Nimue Emrys of Siberikos - this gorgeous girl will be named for the sorceress Nimue that enchanted Merlin and took his powers. She is an enchantress in her own right so the name is perfect. It is pronounced “NIM-oo-ay”. If she should turn out to be golden she will have our surname of Emrys which all of our golden cats will carry. She will be going to our friends in Norway, Siberikos and where we have high hopes of her success.
Look back for when we update the photos with new ones this week.
