Sun, 22 Jan 2012 01:11:21 -0800WeeblyWed, 23 Mar 2011 11:26:52 -0800http://www.celtic-cats.com/1/post/2011/03/my-defense-of-responsible-breeders.htmlI have written this "Defense" as a general letter to the world. This is a plea to think and to listen before judging people based on labels.

You really should not make blanket statements putting legitimate pet breeders on the same level as kill shelters or pet shops.

There are bad breeders out there, there are puppy and kitten mills out there, and that is tragic. It is heartbreaking. Those situations should be regulated and mills should be shut down. But there are also legitimate, good, responsible breeders out there who advocate for animals every day.

Without ethical breeders, the beautiful variety of animals we have today would eventually cease to exist. Real breeders don't breed for money. In fact, it is an extremely expensive hobby and you are lucky if you even break even. A real breeder is breeding to keep the breed alive. A real breeder breeds for the health and sustainability of a beautiful breed that would cease to exist without educated assistance.

I am a breeder. I breed Maine Coon Cats. I also worked the last 4 1/2 years as a veterinary assistant. I have volunteered in animal rescue and rehabilitation my whole life. I have 2 rescued mixed breed dogs, and 5 rescued mixed breed cats living in my home. They are my babies. Three of my rescue cats are special needs and would have been euthanized if it weren't for me. Even though I don't have anymore room to bring more animals into my home, I continue to actively volunteer in finding stray and abandoned dogs and cats homes. I offer my services to transport animals across state lines so that they can have a chance at a new life. I raise awareness about animal health and spaying and neutering your pets. I actively harass all of my friends, family and contacts to help the death-row doggies and kitties. I have rescued animals from the brink of death, paid for all of their treatments and care with my own money and then driven them across state lines to find a loving home, all with no hope of gain for myself. I have hand raised orphaned kittens only days old. I'm also a vegetarian and I don't wear leather or fur.

The fact that I responsibly breed 3 to 4 litters of maine coon kittens a year does not make me a bad person. Nor is it the reason we have such a problem with pet overpopulation. All of my kittens are spayed and neutered before going to their new homes. I keep in touch with all of the new owners and if they EVER find they are unable to continue caring for their pet, they give it back to me!

The problem does not lie with responsible and ethical breeders like myself.The problem lies with irresponsible ownership. Those pet parents who don't care to spay or neuter their pets, who have puppies and kittens by accident. The problem is with people who get pets they aren't prepared to care for and then dump them when they realize it is actually work to care for an animal.

But animals ARE work. Owning a pet is NEVER easy. Owning a pet is a COMMITMENT. We make commitments to love and care for them, to provide them with happy healthy lives. Just like children, pets are expensive, they need to eat, they get sick, they need structure and consistency. They need our time and attention. We don't return or dump our human children if they don't live up to our preconceived expectations, why should we do it with our animal babies? If we aren't prepared for these commitments, we need to reconsider our motives for adopting a pet.

As a society, we have made pet breeders a very convenient scapegoat when it comes to pet problems. I am a devoted advocate for animal welfare. But lately I have become an advocate for responsible and ethical breeding. There is a wealth of prejudice against dog and cat breeders. We are seen as bad people, as selfish, and heartless. It hurts me deeply to know that I am despised because of a negative label.  I believe that with every prejudice the root lies in ignorance.  I have to decided to do whatever I can to peacefully educated and share information with the world about what it truly means to be a responsible pet breeder. I would like to ask everyone to please consider what I have said. Please try not to paint breeders as the bad guys in the war on pet overpopulation. What we need to be doing is educating the public on the responsibilities of pet OWNERSHIP.

I hope that what I've said will make sense and ring true. I hope that people will take this message to heart and continue to share it with others.

Thank you.

]]>Sat, 20 Nov 2010 22:36:55 -0800http://www.celtic-cats.com/1/post/2010/11/time-flies-when-youre-having-fun.htmlOh where do I start. Such an eventful past few months... such an eventful past week! For starters, I was married in October. :)  It was a gorgeous fairy tale wedding. We were married outside at a gorgeous Bed and Breakfast in the country. The weather was glorious and all our friends and family had a great time. As you can be sure, life has been a little hectic... to say the least. :)

Our 2 litters are growing up into big girls and boys. We are so so proud of them. We've been busy preparing them for their new homes. Mama G's babies are finally finished with their vaccination boosters and we're working on getting them spayed and neutered now. 2 kittens left for their Forever Homes this morning, and I couldn't be happier with the beautiful families who have adopted my babies. 2 more babies will be leaving me tomorrow and another goes on Thanksgiving morning. Talk about something to be thankful for! :) Although we are so happy that our babies are all finding wonderful, loving homes, it is hard to watch them go. :( I'm going to miss their sweet faces, but thankfully Mama B's babies will be staying with us for another month now. :)

Gazzella was retired recently. Her daughter Teagan (formerly Arwen) will be taking her place in our program. We had Mama G spayed and she is living the easy life in my parents home. Her son, Legolas, has gone to live with them also. :) You've never seen such a spoiled pair of babies!

The seasons are changing, and I am so excited for the holidays. This will be our first Christmas in our new home, and I have no idea where we can safely put up a Christmas tree! HA HA. We have the most amazing huge window in our front room, but the cats would annihilate a tree within mere minutes if we set one up there!

We are also still working on the renovations and updates to the house. We've been living here for 11 months now and seems like we are constantly finding more to do. Of course, having 15 kittens running around tends to slow you down a bit.  I have a feeling more will get done after the first of the next year. :)

We still have 2 gorgeous girls that are available for adoption... one from each litter. Both Galadriel and Branwen are very sweet looking little ladies who would really love to find a home where they can be treasured like the princesses they are.
]]>Thu, 26 Aug 2010 15:17:47 -0800http://www.celtic-cats.com/1/post/2010/08/hello-friends1.htmlIt has been far too long since my last blog. So much has been going on in our lives. Where do I begin?? :)
Well for starters, we had a litter of NINE beautiful kittens born on July 30, 2010 out of Lestat and Gazzella. All 9 are healthy, fiesty, and happy. We had 1 red boy, 2 red girls, 1 cameo boy and 1 cameo girl, 2 dark brown boys, and 2 silver boys. Can you talk about a handful?!?! Momma G. has been doing a wonderful job caring for her babies, although I help her out as much as possible since she has SO MUCH on her plate! Can you imagine having 9 babies at once? I mean think about it! It makes me shudder. lol
The kittens will be a month old tomorrow, and I am just tickled with them. They are so smart, curious, and entertaining. We are very glad to have 2 of them reserved already. :)

More good news on the family front. I got to take a little road trip earlier this month to be a bridesmaid in my brother's wedding. It was a very beautiful wedding, and he and his wife had a great time. We were fearing rain would spoil everything, but thank goodness we just had a small shower in the morning,  and it was bright and sunny and beautiful by the time the ceremony started. It took place on a pretty little farm next to a large pond. The reception was a blast, and the cake was scrumptious. It was a great weekend.

We have another female expecting her first litter any moment now. I've been waiting anxiously for her to go into labor. Today is her due date, so everyone cross their fingers for an easy, quick delivery, and beautiful healthy babies!!! (although, hopefully not too many! lol)

This Saturday and Sunday, I will be entering Igraine in her first kitten show. She turned 5 months old yesterday. We are very excited about showing her off. She is just blossoming into the most beautiful girl. I hope that the experience is good for her. Since this is her first show, we don't know what to expect from her yet. Please wish us luck! And if you are in or near Medina Ohio, please come and visit us at the Medina County Community Center. And bring friends! We love to chat! :)]]>Sun, 04 Jul 2010 08:28:08 -0800http://www.celtic-cats.com/1/post/2010/07/igraine.htmlWe have a new young lady in our home. Rickoons Igraine of Celtic Cats has taken up residence as our extremely doted upon up and coming Queen. Igraine comes from Rick and Joann Ruff, owners of Rickoons in Northern Ohio. And she is wonderful! I truly cannot get over the sweet temperment of this gorgeous girl! Generally, in my experience, the males are more needy and affectionate with humans, while the females are more independent and determined to "do it themselves." But this little girl has just turned all my preconceived notions upside down. She is the sweetest, most cuddly, needy, affectionate character. If I'm not in the same room with her, she will cry and "call" me till I come to her. She wants to be everywhere that I am. She is constantly "seeking my approval" before playing or getting into something new. And boy does she cuddle. This kitten was made to spoon! haha She will cuddle up as close to me as possible and purr like it's her job. I love every one one my cats, but I must say that Igraine is competing for Miss Congeniality. I will be so excited to watch her grow and develop into a grown Queen. I will also be excited to see if she passes on this fantastic disposition to her kittens in the future.
Thank you Rick and Joann! We truly love this little girl! She has been a blessing in our home.
]]>Wed, 26 May 2010 21:28:57 -0800http://www.celtic-cats.com/1/post/2010/05/why-i-love-maine-coons.htmlI love Maine Coon Cats. I've always loved Maine Coons, and I love them more everyday that I am fortunate enough to spend with them.  I love Maine Coons because of their amazingly unique personalities. I love that they greet me at the front door, every time I come home, without exception. I love that they aren't content just to be petted when they greet me, but they have to stand up on their hind legs and give me big purring kisses and head butts. I love that they think they have hands. I love that they use their "hands" to make me hold still and pay attention to them, or scoop water out of my glass and bring it to their mouths, because heaven forbid they have to bend over and drink out of a bowl! I love that they feel that it is their job to follow me around and supervise all of my activities to make sure I am meeting their standards of excellence in my daily chores. I love that they pick one person in a family as their "special person." I feel so honored to be the special person of so many magnificent coonies. I love that if I give one special attention, the other comes running to share in it.  I love that once the lights go out, I'm immediately surrounded by the warmth of so many warm purring giant beasts. I love the way they run, so close to the ground that their bellies nearly scrape when they stalk the laser light or feather on the end of the kitty fishing pole. I love that they watch movies with me on the t.v and are mesmerized by the lap top. I love that they fearlessly jump into the shower and sleep in the bathroom sink. I love it when they sleep with their long flowing tails curled all the way around them like some wild snow cat. I love that even when they play "rough" with me, they never use their claws, and if I say "ow" they immediately stop and give me kisses where they accidentally hurt my hand. I love that they get along with my dogs and other cats, and are so gentle with baby kittens. I love that they come running if they think
I love Maine Coons, because they are beautiful in body and spirit. They never cease to amaze me and comfort me. I am the luckiest person in the world to share my home with these gentle (and almost human) giants.

So, tell me.... why do YOU love Maine Coons? :)
]]>Sat, 01 May 2010 15:37:36 -0800http://www.celtic-cats.com/1/post/2010/05/new-addition.htmlWell, we have a new addition to our family. We rescued a sweet, black and white domestic shorthair named Charlie last week.  He is the most affectionate and loving cat in the world, but he is special needs.  Charlie had to be given up by his family and ended up in an adoption program for a year and a half.  Nobody wanted this poor sweet cat that needs a little extra care. So, now Charlie is living with us. He is adjusting fabulously and is really coming out of his shell. He loves it in our sunroom where he can watch all the birds, squirrels and rabbits. :)
]]>Tue, 30 Mar 2010 10:41:38 -0800http://www.celtic-cats.com/1/post/2010/03/busy-busy-busy1.htmlWow! It's taken me a long time to post an updated blog this time! Needless to say,we've been busy here at Celtic Cats! :) We bought a new house at the beginning of the year, and there never seems to be an end to the work involved there. Work and personal life have also been keeping us hopping. I am sincerely looking forward to this summer when things will slow down a little. :)
Some good news here. We had a litter of two kittens born on March 3rd, just one day before my birthday!  It was a wonderful present and they are both so beautiful. Anwen is a darling brown tabby with white girl who is all over the place already. She has spunk to spare! Argus is a brown tabby male and such a mama's boy. He talks and loves to be coddled. He is reserved for the Lucier family in Indiana.
We have a breeding planned for the end of April between Lestat and Gazella. We are expecting some very beautiful babies from this combination! :)
Because of my schedule, we haven't been showing as much as we would like. Our next show will be May 15th in Elizabethtown Kentucky. Lestat and Bizou will be there, so if you're in the area, come and say hi! We love to see old friends and to make new ones]]>Tue, 09 Feb 2010 07:56:17 -0800http://www.celtic-cats.com/1/post/2010/02/hello-friends.htmlI hope everyone is enjoying all the snow we have been having lately. I'm just glad it is snow and not ice this year! :)
We have successfully moved into our new house and have been living here for one week now! :) Of course, everything is still in boxes, and I can't seem to find anything, but at least the moving part is over. Now we can focus on painting and unpacking and tweaking everything to fit our needs. I'm very impatient for spring to arrive so I can start working on the flower beds!
The cats and the dogs love the new place.  They weren't scared at all, not even for a second. When I let them out of their carriers into the new place, it's like they just hopped out, looked around and said, "This is what we're talking about!" haha We're all having a great time, although our routine has been thrown off quite a bit. Hopefully, in a month or two, things will be back to normal for us.
In other news, Bizou and Gazella will be in Dayton Ohio on Saturday, February 20th for the Kitty Hawk Felines cat show. If you're in the area, come say hi! Everyone else, just wish us luck! Thanks! :)
]]>Fri, 15 Jan 2010 19:35:12 -0800http://www.celtic-cats.com/1/post/2010/01/cat-show-this-weekend.htmlWe are getting ready for another cat show this weekend. I'll be taking Gazzella and Bizou with me to Parma, Ohio for the Stones River Cat Fanciers show on Sunday the 17th. It should be a great time all around, as this will their debut in the show ring. :) Wish us lots of luck, and if you're in the area, come by and say "hello!" :)))
]]>Thu, 17 Dec 2009 07:02:25 -0800http://www.celtic-cats.com/1/post/2009/12/busy-busy-busy.htmlI hope everyone can forgive me for not blogging in over a month! Life has stayed very busy for me and my family here at Celtic Cats. We have brought two lovely ladies into our breeding program (and our hearts) over these past two months. Vens Passion Bizou d'Amour of Celtic Cats is a lovely brown patch tabby full of spunk and pizazz! Vens Passion Gazzella of Celtic Cats is a sweet silver patch girl who is my mother's new baby. Gazzella is living in my mother's home nearby, though she will contribute to our breeding program in 2010.

Christmas is around the corner, and family cheer is everywhere! My family here at Celtic Cats is staying very busy with the holiday events. And of course the cats are helping us wrap all the presents! :) We are also in the process of changing locations! Almost like an early Christmas present to ourselves and our furry babies, we have just bought a house in Paris, Ky! We will be packing and organizing all through the holidays, and hopefully the move will be final by February! We are very excited about our new home. It was time to find more space for our growing family, and this charming old home will be wonderful for us and our coonies and honorary coonies! Wish us luck with our move!

FInally, we are preparing Bizou and Gazzella for the upcoming cat show on January 17th in Parma, Ohio. So, if you are in the area, or nearby, come out and say hi! The girls love attention, and we are always happy to meet fans of Maine Coon Cats! Happy Holidays!
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