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How We Raise Our Kittens |
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How We Raise Our Kittens |
We breed because we love Old-Style Siamese cats and want to preserve them from extinction. Most Siamese breeders now breed the modern Siamese, and there are very few who continue to breed Siamese of the moderate, old-fashioned kind. Our top priority for our cats is health, followed by affectionate, stable dispositions and intelligence. To achieve these things (and make our cats happy), we pay attention to both genetics and environment. In planning the matings, we outbreed (parents come from diverse lineages) for hybrid vigor most of the time. Also, this is a small cattery. We rarely breed more than three litters per year, which allows us to spend a great deal of time with each kitten. We always have fewer than ten adult cats, usually no more than six, and all are treated like the little people they are, our friends.Only unneutered adult males and queens with young kittens are confined—and only on a temporary or part-time basis as needed. While young males may not spray, unneutered males older than 3 years old are mature and usually do spray. They must have their own quarters, but can be allowed to roam the house for exercise (and to socialize with their friends) on a daily basis while wearing their "stud pants." Queens with young kittens have one room to themselves until the kittens are old enough for their first vaccinations. This protects young, vulnerable kittens from picking up bugs harmless to adults but potentially deadly to babies. Everyone else gets the run of the house, the enclosed outdoor "cat garden," and access to the floor-to-ceiling "cat trees."
We are research scientists at Sarsenstone, so we use our clinical laboratory and public health skills to make sure the cats and the premises stay disease-free. As recommended by the AAFP (an association of veterinarians who specialize in cats), Sarsenstone kittens receive vaccinations for the three "core" upper respiratory viruses at 9 and 12 weeks. The "core" vaccine is known as the FVRCP vaccine. Since most kittens will go to low-risk homes as pets, we do not give them the feline leukemia vaccine. The feline leukemia vaccine is not considered a mandatory "core" vaccination for pet cats. However, we concur with many members of AAFP's vaccination panel that the FeLV vaccine is a worthwhile preventive measure in a potentially high-risk environment such as a cattery. We do vaccinate our resident cattery cats with the feline leukemia vaccine and, even more importantly, we quarantine every new, outside cat or kitten entering our cattery until each one has been tested for feline leukemia. New cats and kittens are also tested for FIV. None of our cats is ever allowed to roam outdoors, and we don't offer stud service to outside cats. FIV is mainly transmitted via bite wounds inflicted by stray cats and other cats that don't know each other.
Sarsenstone cats are free of FIV and feline leukemia. What about FIP? To date, we have never had a case of FIP, and those cats we have had tested have had negative test results. However, we want you to know that the FIP tests currently available are not at all reliable and no cattery can claim to be FIP-free. For more on this subject, see A Word About FIP.
Adult breeding cats at Sarsenstone receive annual vaccination boosters of FVRCP; our pregnant queens receive boosters of killed FVRCP about two weeks prior to delivery. This allows the queens to pass maximum protection against disease to their nursing, newborn kittens. All cats are groomed weekly, at which time they are also inspected for fleas, have their teeth and ears checked, have their nails clipped, and get rubbed where they like it until they purr! As we said earlier, we also quarantine each new cat we bring into the cattery, testing the cat for leukemia, for FIV if he is old enough, and for parasites before the new cat can join the other cats.
Sarsenstone Old-Style Siamese kittens
& a non-Siamese babysitterBecause we generally only raise at most three litters per year, kittens get lots of handling and personal attention during the critical period for bonding to humans. We enjoy playing with them and seeing them progress from the fearful stage to the "I want to bite your toes and snuggle in your lap at the same time" stage. The kittens live in their own room with their mother and each other until they receive at least their first vaccination at age 8-9 weeks. Then, they are allowed to become part of the general household, to get acquainted with our other cats and accustomed to vaccuum cleaners, dishwashers, and other scary things. We find that the kittens have clearly recognizeable personalities by the time they are ready to go to new homes—and we really miss them when they leave.
Profile of a Sarsenstone cat
Lirla is one of our seal point girls. We raised her from birth. She is a keen-witted Siamese who easily learns to perform tricks. For example, we taught her to "beg" for a meal. She sits up and thrashes the air wildly with one paw, as if to say "See, I'm doing it, okay?" The trouble with teaching her that trick is that now she uses the paw wave as sign language for her own purposes. One of us can be working on a project in a remote room of the house, hear a contralto squawk, and turn to see Lirla on hind legs with paw waving. That means, "Hello there! I'm hungry and would appreciate it if you would make me a snack."
Sarsenstone Lirla
Seal point Old-Style Siamese
Photographs and text copyright © 1996-2007 by Dr. Cris Bird of Sarsenstone Cattery. You may not redistribute it in any form without the express written consent of the copyright holder.