Announcing Selkirk Rex Kittens

On December 7th, 3 new kittens were born in our family.  The mom is Lyriccurls Gracie Piddlewhiskers, a registered Selkirk Rex.  The father is Route 66 King Arthur of Piddlewhiskers & Snugglesworth.  The first was the blue cream ticked or spotted  agouti.  See how the one on your right has a bicycle handlebar light mustache?  It is probably a girl.  Next was a cute little curly cream, which looks like Gracie's sister Daphne.  The youngest was this little dark smoke, shown on the left.  Before this one was one stillborn with long smoke blue straight fur.

I'm writing this on Day 3.  Each kitten is developing a unique personality, or perhaps already has a unique personna that we're beginning to notice.  The cream-colored kitten  is Momma's Favorite.  Gracie holds her between her arms when sleeping, gently, warmly and protectively.  The spotty blue cream one has a big wide head like Arthur, and will carry more of the cobby type of a British Shorthair.  This is a characteristic that breeders are encouraged to develop by mating Selkirks with Brits.  And the sweet little smoky dark one is the most easly satisfied.  At the moment it is having a bodacious milkfest, having awakend from a nap underneath the creamy kitten. 

They seem to be interested in seeing the world but just can't quite open their eyes.  The first day, their little ears were pinned down and now those cute ears are 'flowering'  but still look like the ears of an American Curl.

Gracie is a Selkirk Rex, registered with CFA.  Her heritage traces back to Oscar No-Face Kowalski, the first generation from the first curly cat:  Miss DePesto.  Gracie's sire is Merlin (Kurlipurrz Merlin), a Blue Silver Tabby Longhair.  He was named #1 in the TICA Southwest Region as a kitten.  Gracie's mother is Kurlipurrz Josie Blue Belle.

Arthur is a Lilac British Shorthair and is registered with TICA.  Piddlewhiskers & Snugglesworth, our Cattery is also registered with TICA.  TICA stands for The International Cat Association.  Arthur's sire is Alcmena Smokey, and you can see his picture.   Arthur's mother is Anahata Evelin (known as Misty to her family) and her baby pics are here.  You can see her pedigree, too.

These kittens will be for sale. Their gender has not yet been determined. The cream curly kitten will probably be $1,200, including breeding rights. The "lilac" blue cream will be about $800, including breeding rights if curly, or $250 if straight. The sweet darling little smoke will be a precious pet, neutered, about $250.  It is customary to reserve a particular kitten before it reaches 12 weeks of age and can go to its new home.  We want to make sure that our kittens will have good homes, because they are our family members. 

Sweet Gracie Piddlewhiskers

Sweet Little Gracie Piddlewhiskers, Selkirk Rex Breed

Sweet Gracie Piddlewhiskers has an announcement.  She will be having some darling little grey blue curly babies, about the second week in December.   Gracie is registered with CFA and the father is Route 66 King Arthur of Piddlewiskers & Snugglesworth.  He's a big lilac British Shorthair of international grand champion ancestors.  This is her first litter, and she's sort of clued-in to the fact that something is brewing in her tummy.  She's very affectionate.  She's always looking for yet another nest, and has about 5 ideal suitable locations scoped out for December.

Kittens will be sexed and typed by Christmas, but will be ready to leave home around Valentine's Day.  If you would be interested in a show, breed or pet kitten, contact me at ktibbits@lrec.org , so I can let you know more as the news develops!

Back From Hiatus

Zigmund Cadbury Snugglesworth

I've been on hiatus for a couple of days, but now I'm back.  If the weather clears up, I'll be posting some new art.  Just to keep things going, the next few days I apologize for the stifling indoor flash photos.  But I found this lovely pic from last week of our male British Shorthair, Ziggy.  He's such a doll to help me when I'm laying out a backdrop to take a picture.

And if you missed Cinco De Mayo, our little town of Stilwell had quite the hoedown.  Live music and fresh home made tamales and corn soup were just a few of the delights.  Thanks to Maria Maldonaldo at Cafe Mariachi who coordinated the event and made the paper flowers for the stage.

Ziggy's Looking Dreamy

Zigmund Cadbury Snugglesworth

British Shorthair Cat

I caught darling Ziggy sleeping on the sofa in wonderful lighting and took this pic to share.  He's a Chocolate Smoke British Shorthair.  Don't you love those brass-colored eyes?  He's got gently defined agouti markings.  With his coloring and Gracie's they might have a chocolate Selkirk Rex, which is rare indeed.  Ziggy was born 9/15/2009 and he's a bit over six months old.

Gracie's Easter Picture

Gracie Piddlewhiskers

Selkirk Rex

This photo ws taken by Katy Winbray Brinkley, who is Gracie's big sister and a real human.    

I am amazed at how different breeds have different characteristics.  Some cats come from an ancient history of catching their prey around the watering holes of Asia and Africa, and these cats are not shy of water.  We know a lot about Gracie Piddlewhiskers because we have her family history back twenty plus years.  And there are no Servals or Asian Leopard Cats in there.  Yet, she is a water-tolerant cat.  Today, I gave her a shower.  And she comes running if she thinks there is an opportunity to watch the bathroom sink faucet running or.. even better... to watch the toilet flush.  After she has a shower, she licks her curly fur all over.  I thought that was about the sandalwood perfumed soap I had used on her last time, so today I only held her in my arms under the water (all but her head) and didn't use anything for fear that she might ingest soap that would upset her tummy.  But she licked her fur down anyway.  Afterward, she seemed pleased to be so curly and all primped up.  She spent a lovey morning on Dennis' lap and then took over his office chair when he left to go to the school where he was holding a speech pathology clinic today.  

Our other cat is Zigmund Cadbury  Snugglesworth, a British Shorthair cat.  The wisdom is that British Shorthair breed cats are distinctively not 'luvvey' cats-- they're aloof and dictatorial.  I don't see Ziggy as dictatorial, but Shadow his predecessor certainly was the boss around here.  He'd whip his tail as if to say, "YOU don't call the shots.  I make the decisions around here."  And he'd jump up and rub his tail right across your mouth as if to say "zip it" if he didn't like something.  As for Ziggy, he's just spooky and shy and aloof.  Somehow these qualities make one feel honored when he does come around for petting or just to be in the milleu of Den's computer game or my quilting.  His eyes are stunning.  I'll post a picture update for him soon, as his previous family in OKC must be curious about how he looks now at almost seven months of age.  

Gracie Kisses The Camera

Don't ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.   

~ Howard Thurman

 Gracie Kisses the Camera

Gracie Piddlewhiskers

from Lyricurls Cattery 

Meet Gracie.  She's a Selkirk Rex.  Here she just kissed the camera with her nose.  She's very sweet and affectionate.  She comes to us from Lyricurls Cattery.  She has one sister, Daphne, who is just darling and is ready to get a home.  Special thanks to Delaina Jones for letting us become Gracie's humans.  Lyricurls also has a long-haired cute black and white kitten available.

Shadow, King of Cats

Last September, our darling elder gentleman cat passed away.  He was briefly ill, and it gave us the opportunity to say our final goodbyes to him.  His name was Shadow, and he was a huge British Shorthair classic blue neutered tom cat who lived the good life and dominated the rhythms of our house.

Each morning he waited somewhat patiently until Dennis donned his shoes, then he'd yeow loudly and the both of them knew it was time to go to the kitchen to fix Shadow's breakfast.  Toward those latter years, I'd taken to feeding wild cats we couldn't pet or vaccinate, but which would at least eat on the back deck (thus saving my songbirds here).  Shadow was King of Cats, and these outdoor cats were his subjects.  They would peer in the door when hungry, and Shadow watched for this.  I swear it, and witnesses have heard it... Shadow would say this when the outdoor Cats were hungry:  "Hellow?  Hellow?"  It was loud and clear.  Most unusual and remarkable and rare.