Visited an Oriental breeder this weekend! (Update with *PICTURES*)

[wolflady]

I don't know what it is...perhaps I'm going through a mid-life crisis with everything traumatic that is happening in my life. I have really never been a person to interact with breeders, but for some reason, I've been having a major pull ever since the International Cat Show. I've been drawn to the Orientals and Russian Blues for years, but the Orientals are having a major pull on me lately.
One of the women at the cat show gave me a couple of business cards for for breeders in California. I had also been in touch via email with a breeder who is also very active with various cat clubs and communities with the CFA who recommended the woman I am going to visit next Sunday.

It doesn't hurt to look, right? :o I have never considered a purebred cat before, and have always been a huge supporter of rescue. I never see any Orientals in rescue, so it would be interesting to see a house full of them, and what it's like to be around them.

Am I crazy or insane? I swear, I'm just going to look... :rolleyes:

[Lizzie]

This past weekend I met a purebreed Bengal cat at a shelter. Absolutely gorgeous and must have cost someone a fortune. They left him behind in their apartment after they had financial difficulties.

Have you tried the Northern California Siamese Rescue:

http://cn.siameserescue.org/

San Francisco Himalayan & Persian Rescue:

http://www.persiancats.org/

National rescue for Russian Blues:

http://purebredcatbreedrescue.org/russian_blue.htm

You'll still get a purebred cat and continue to support rescue. My Siamese came from a local shelter.

[shais_mom]

just adding my 2 cents in Karen - go with your heart.
I'm here if you need. You have done a LOT for shelters, rescues, vets etc.
this is YOUR life and your heart. if you want a purebred and it is hard to find in rescue then this is the way to go.
LOVE YOU hun!

[Russian Blue]

It doesn't hurt to look, right? :o......
Am I crazy or insane? I swear, I'm just going to look... :rolleyes:

Famous last words! Can I come with you? ;)

I grew up with a Siamese cat and I would love another oriental if I had the chance! Life is short Karen. If you want another cat go wherever you need to, to find that one. I just checked out the Pacific Siamese rescue pages. Check out Ella or Buster (scroll down to the bottom of the page for Buster....he's so darn cute!): Ella & Buster! (http://cn.siameserescue.org/webbuilder.php)

Of course, I'm not going to stop you if you want a Russian Blue. ;) Rescue or not, Nakita was the best thing that ever happened in our life. She is our soul cat and it was meant to be (fate, maybe?). I've been to cat shows but no other cat matches Nakita's beauty, personality and CHARM! :D Nakita has been the most unique cat ever to grace my life. Can you tell I'm smitten?!

If you do get an oriental cat, then you just have to come here to visit Nakita. You're welcome in my home anytime chikk! We just need to somehow bridge the distance between us. ;)

[kimlovescats]

You don't need anyone's approval! ;) Beware of "just looking" though! :D

[critter crazy]

Definitely your life, and can do as you want!! Dont feel that by going to a breeder, you are doing something wrong! You have definitely done your share! All i know is that when you come home from "just looking" make sure you post pics of what you brought home!!:D

[catmandu]

ORIENTAL CATS ARE SO MUCH FUN, AND ARE NOT ONLY FUN CATS, BUT VERY INTELLIGENT AND DROP DEAD GORGEOUS TO BOOT.
YOU WILL NEVER REGRET HAVING ONE OF THESE AMAZING CATS AS A COMPANION.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v621/catmandu/1255a6e7.jpg
I KNOW THAT I DONT.

[krazyaboutkatz]

Karen, this sounds wonderful and I know how much you love this breed.:) Is this the same woman that I met when we were at the International Cat Show. If so remember they specialize in white Oriental Short Hairs and I know how much you love white kitties.:)

Here's a closeup of Karen holding an Oriental Shorthair. I took this picture at the cat show.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v176/krazyaboutkatz/SanMateoInternationalCatShow-Nov-8.jpg

Isn't he adorable?:)

[wolflady]

Thanks everyone! :)
KAK, the woman I'm going to see actually co-bred the kitten (Max) that I'm holding and lives just south of Modesto. The woman we talked to had given me her card, and you're right, I believe they do specialize in the white orientals. ;)

catmandu - thank you. I agree, they are definitely beautiful...as are your babies :)

critter and kim, thanks! I know...just going to look really could have some repurcussions, couldn't it? :p

Russian Blue - I would LOVE to have you come with me! ;)
I also have to agree...your Nakita is the most gorgeous Russian Blue I've ever seen. In fact, KAK and I even commented about that when we were looking at the Russian Blues at this past cat show. LOL How come these don't look as stunning as Nakita??? They are all gorgeous, but Nakita has the most beautiful face and eyes I've ever seen in a cat. I have seen Orientals come in that beautiful grey/blue color. Hmmm...best of both worlds? ;) I would love to meet you and Nakita in purrson. Stay tuned on the Oriental escapades!

Stace, thanks sweetie! I love you lots! We (you, me, zip and Kelly) should have a conference call again sometime! That was fun. ;)

Lizzie, thanks for the links. I'm definitely keeping my eye in the rescue world, because you never know when the right cat (purebred or not) will pull at your heartstrings. I may have to swing by the Pacific Siamese Rescue as a lot of the kitties on that site were totally adorable....OMG...Buster, Max and Milo, Bocelli, and all of the adorable fluffy kittens. *sigh*

Bocelli looks like a very helpful kitty!
http://cn.siameserescue.org/photos/CN1249_13.jpg
So cute!

Uh oh...this could be trouble... :rolleyes:

**hugs**

[Vermontcat]

Have you gone to visit the breeder yet?
If you did, I hope you took lots of photos to show us. :)

Russian Blue, thanks for posting that link to Siamese Rescue, I love looking at the kitties there.
Cinder and especially Ella are just beautiful, someday I hope to adopt a Snowshoe kitty from Siamese Rescue. :)

[catcrazylady]

What makes us good people is that we feel guilty for not rescueing BUT it is ok to do something for ourselves too. ;) Its still a kitty that needs a good home right? :) Just because they happen to be incredibly gorgeous doesn't count! ;) :D
I hope when you "just go to look" you bring one home so we can see lots of pics! Treat yourself to a gorgeous Christmas Kitty and share it with PT. :)

[shais_mom]

What makes us good people is that we feel guilty for not rescueing BUT it is ok to do something for ourselves too. ;) Its still a kitty that needs a good home right? :) Just because they happen to be incredibly gorgeous doesn't count! ;) :D
I hope when you "just go to look" you bring one home so we can see lots of pics! Treat yourself to a gorgeous Christmas Kitty and share it with PT. :)
Lisa -
That was BEAUTIFULLY put!

[kimlovescats]

Another kitty named Bocelli!!! I have never seen another named that other than my Bocelli (BoBo) ... how cool!!!

Anyway, you do what your heart tells you to do. NO ONE here or anywhere should judge you! I agree 100% with what Lisa said! I feel guilty about my two Maine Coon purebreds, but they were "second hand" at least, a military man going through a divorce! It's funny how we have to punish ourselves for having desires some times! :rolleyes: ;)

[Zippy]

They are beautiful cats.Don't feel guilty you should get a oriental if you want.Someday in the future I want to have a Sphynx.

[wolflady]

Aww, thanks everyone! :) I'm getting excited about my upcoming visit. I will be going on Sunday the 10th, and told Linda that I would probably get to her house around 2 in the afternoon. She lives in a little town called Delhi, apparently it's not too far from Modesto, so I'm expecting about a 2 hour drive. :)

**hugs**

[wolflady]

I'm not sure if anyone is still following this, but just in case...I have a question. Is there some sort of etiquette involved in visiting a breeder in their home? Like, should I bring a gift? :confused:

[Logan]

I am no expert, especially on what you do with a cat breeder, since every cat I have ever had came to me, not me to them.


But, I must say that I do hope everything will out for you. I know you well enough, Karen, to know that it will be hard for you to leave without a baby!!!! :)


Let us know!

Logan

[jenluckenbach]

I'm not sure if anyone is still following this, but just in case...I have a question. Is there some sort of etiquette involved in visiting a breeder in their home? Like, should I bring a gift? :confused:
I am following this.....well, wondering if you went yet and WHO you brought home. ;)

But I have no idea on etiquette. :confused: But I can't imagine the need for a gift.

[Vermontcat]

I'm still following this and hoping that you bring your camera and take lots of photos to share with us.
The only gifts I can think of that you may want to bring would be some catnip or some cat toys to play with the kitties with. :)

[wolflady]

Thank you, ladies :)
I think the catnip/toys would probably be a good idea. I'm going Sunday, so stay tuned for an update on Monday! :)

**hugs**

[moosmom]

Good luck in your search for an Oriental. As you can see from Catmandu's pictures, OSH are the most beautiful, serene and regal cats I have ever seen. My oriental "no hair" MooShoo (he's a Sphynx) is the most unique, loyal, loving cat I have ever been owned by. He is definitely my soul mate. May I make a suggestion? How about going onto Petfinder.com, put in the breed you're looking for along with your location and see what pops up. I'm sure there are LOTS of Oriental Shorthairs in shelters looking for great homes. Another suggestion is to check out breeders who are looking for homes for their retired queens and studs.

[wolflady]

Good morning all. I'm still keeping my eye in the rescues, but so far I have not seen any Orientals. The trip to a small farming town outside of Modesto, called Delhi, was fun. I was able to go to a part of California I have not yet been, but I was also welcomed into a home full of beautiful cats!

I was quite impressed with Linda. Her house was clean, as were all of her kitties. They were so beautiful! What I liked most about her though, was her dedication to the cats. She is very particular about how many litters she breeds, and also about where her kitties go. I was pleased to see that she feeds Royal Canin indoor (as do I). There were a few kittens and female kitties out with full-house access. The males were kept in a separate room. She breeds the cats only a few times, and then fixes them and places them in homes. She asked what I was looking for. I said that I was looking more for purrsonality rather than age. I said that I would actually prefer an adult, because the purrsonalities would be more known as adults rather than as kittens. To my delight, one of her white male kitties (Hunter) was just fixed and will be looking for a home within the next 6 weeks. This is so the cat can adjust to being a housepet, and she can determine how he will be in the house (sometimes male cats may mark), now that he'll be let out of the male kitty room and around the females in the home.

She let me hold this darling:
http://kat-attack.com/images/cats/hunt%20star.JPG
This is GC Kat Attack's Great White Hunter. OH...MY...GOSH. It was love at first site. She pulled him out of his cage and his motor was running. She handed him over and I was just able to hold this baby and listen to him purr for the longest time. He didn't fuss or struggle. He just stretched his neck for scritchies and kept that motor running the whole time!! *swoons*

I love this kitty already, and hope that I may be chosen for his home. If it doesn't work out with my kitties, I am to return him to her so she can find a more suitable home. I hope Marius will like this guy! How cute would that be? Two white kitties cuddling!! *swoons again*

Linda will be keeping in touch with me over the next six weeks on Hunter's progress. If all goes well, I just may be chosen to take him home! I hope, I hope!!!! :D

**hugs**

[kimlovescats]

WOW! He is stunningly handsome! :eek: Good luck!!!

[shais_mom]

that's great Karen - he's beautiful!
And see if you are getting a "retired" one then you ARE rescuing!

[jenluckenbach]

And see if you are getting a "retired" one then you ARE rescuing!
That is perfectly true! He is very handsome.

[moosmom]

What a stunning cat Hunter is!! I'm keeping my fingers crossed that you are the chosen one.

[krazyaboutkatz]

Karen, I'm glad to hear that you had such a nice visit and that you've already fallen in love with a potential cat.:) I hope that everything will work out and that Hunter will become a part of your family. Good luck and please continue to keep us updated.:)

[pnance]

Such a beauty. Hopefully you get him..

[wolflady]

Oh my goodness! *swoons*
Linda just emailed me some baby pictures of Hunter! How neat it is to see him "growing up" through photos. I have never had a kitten, nor know what any of my cats looked like when they are young, so it's totally neat to see these adorable pictures!

Here is Hunter at 2 months:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v455/mariussmom/Hunter2months.jpg

3 months:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v455/mariussmom/Hunter3months.jpg

4 months - his eyes turned green:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v455/mariussmom/Hunter4months.jpg

6 months:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v455/mariussmom/Hunter6months.jpg

8 months:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v455/mariussmom/Hunter8months.jpg

1 year:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v455/mariussmom/Hunter1year.jpg

His professional photos:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v455/mariussmom/HunterPro1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v455/mariussmom/HunterPro2.jpg

What a gorgeous kitty he became from an adorable tiny kitten. It was interesting to learn, while I was visiting with Linda in her home, that there are actually no "true" white oriental cats. All white cats mask another underlying color. She said that Hunter is masking a lavendar ticked tabby pattern, which is known because of the small smudge on his head when he was a kitten. All white kittens are usually born with some sort of smudge like this that eventually goes away as they get older. Interesting, huh? ;-)

Linda said that she would keep me updated about his progress, and thinks if Hunter is happy, that I would probably be a good home for him! *dances*

Just wanted to share this exciting news this morning as soon as I heard from her. ;)

**hugs**

[critter crazy]

:eek: Hunter is just gorgeous!! and what a cutie pie!!! tal about cuteness warning, look at those kitten pics!! WOW!! I sure hope that Hunter can come and live with you!!

[jenluckenbach]

It is good that she is "testing" him for the urge to spray. Because unfortunately many male studs will continue to mark territory even after neutering. Our one volunteer who is CRAZY about orientals has had 2 all white male former studs and they BOTH spray. :(

I must say he was an adorable kitten.

[ramanth]

How neat Karen! I agree. He sure did grow up handsome. :D

Hope the transition for him goes well so you can take him home. :D

[CatLuvrs]

Hunter was a handsome kitten! I hope he gets to live with you!