Creators Cattery

2. Are all of your cats living in your house?

No. I discovered early on that I couldn't have all my cats living amongst the family (at least at the same time)..it just wasn't do-able. Stud males often spray their territory, cycling females can howl and yowl hours on end and may often experience poor litter habits when normally they are perfect house guests, and protective mothers with their young can be very protective and vicious even to other cats....plus, one can only have so many litterboxes (and cats) in the same house and keep the smells down.

My kittens are always born and raised in my house - so that I can be attentive to the birthing as well as provide the vital hands on attention when young - as well as supervise the training as they mature and are weaned. Beyond that, I have a small "guest house" (A/C, heat, 6-windows, carpet, insulated, etc.) and 6 large dog run type kenneling (covered like a Pavilion, concrete or bricked flooring, individual housing, perches, flower beds, a bounty of fresh air and farm life to view) that I can rotate my cats into if they aren't in the house or the guest house. I do have a 2 story house with extra rooms (upstairs and downstairs) here and there which provide places to segregate the cats even within my household. If one has a "breeding program", one has to have more than a few breeders - and thus comes the juggling of providing spacious areas for them to be as much "cat" as possible without running loose or being stuck in small cages, etc. and giving them house time and run of the house....I just get use to juggling - but though I have accepted the fact that containment of sorts is necessary, I have bent over backwards trying to construct and provide large and spacious and roomy and comfortable containment areas - avoiding cages as often as possible.

4. Are your kittens spayed/neutered before I purchase them?

No. While there is a big push nationwide amongst shelters and some vet clinics to do "early spay/neutering" to help curb unwanted kittens, there is still great contraversy over such a procedure. There are many breeders who do have the policy of spaying and neutering their kittens before they leave - one sure fire way of knowing that the cat won't be used for breeding and will be fixed. One must weigh the risks. My vet, Dr. Jamie Craven, does not recommend early spay/neutering for health concerns of the kitten. My remedy is to establish a contract where the purchaser agrees upfront "not to breed" and to spay/neuter the kitten by one year of age. The purchaser signs and shows proof of this procedure before any papers are made available to them. Does this guarantee that no fraud will take place - unfortunately no....but unless I want to keep my kittens till 5-6 mos. of age and spay/neuter them myself, before I sell them....this is my best option.

7. Do you provide a health guarantee?

Yes. Basically, I do everything I can to help insure a happy and healthy kitten. I follow certain guidelines such as keeping a closed cattery (meaning that I don't let other people use my studs for breeding purposes and don't have other's cats coming and going from my cattery) as well as work with lines that I am familiar with. I take my kittens in for a vet check up by my vet when they reach 8-9 weeks of age. He gives them a overall check up (temp, uses his stethescope to listen to their lungs and heart beat, checks teeth and mouth, feels their general structure and organ placement, checks eyes and ears, etc.) as well as gives them a fecal test - looking for parasites.
I give you few days to in turn, take your new kitten to see "your" vet. If he finds anything life-threatening or of major concern, then you can promptly return the kitten and I will refund your purchase price. Animals are live creatures and ever blue moon something bizarre is liable to show up - despite my efforts, my vet's check-up, your vet's opinion, etc....and depending on the amount of time or age of the kitten/cat, I may use my discretion to extend my warranty.

There were many times over recent history where "shortlegged" cats were noted in various Veterinarian Journals or even short "studies" done on them in other country. In 1983, a woman in Louisiana named Sandra, rescued a mother cat taking her home to her plantation to live...this cat was a shortlegger. The mother cat soon had kittens and some (not all) of her offspring were shortlegged too. They lived happily on the plantation - slowly multiplying...some staying and some being given to friends and family. There became more and more interest by more and more people over these cute little oddities. Sandra coined the name "Munchkins" and so began the process.

Eventually, cat fanciers from the cat assocations became intrigued. A cat geneticst named Solveig Pflueger began an eight year genetic study on these cats - to determine if they were healthy and a viable breed, if they had any health dilemmas, would they have back issues or other skeletal issues, could they reproduced generationally, etc....and after the eight years they were deemed healthy. This study (not attempted by any other cat breed) led the way to the Munchkins being accepted as a New Breed by The International Cat Assocation (TICA) in 1991. So began the slow and arduous process of building up a large & varied gene pool (by allowing the domestic cats to be used as outcrosses - this provided a large healthy gene pool as well as installed health into the lines because of the general overall healthiness of domestics), finding interested and a qualified group of breeders interested in pain-stakingly write a detailed "standard" for the breed (every detail is described determine how large the ears are and which angle they sit or which shape the eyes are), showing the Munchkins in local shows to help get some name recognition and begin to expose cat judges to this new breed (so that the public as well as judges could learn what the breed is suppose to look like and how they act and how qualified the breeders are in supporting this new breed), and jumping through the various hoops and hurdles that the assocation requires any new breed to go through to insure that it will eventually qualify as a Champion Status Official Breed. This was finally achieved in 2003.

Presently, the Munchkins are shown at TICA shows (not CFA - they as of today have not accepted them into their assocation - our next hurdle) in championship status alongside other "official" breeds such as Ragdolls, Persians, and Siamese, etc. Munchkins can be longhaired or shorthaired and are shown accorrdingly. Today there is still "tweeking" of the standard by our Munchkin Breed Committee to eliminate redundant wording or to help clarify descriptions, etc. Every breed is an evolution at some point. The Munchkin that wins in the showhall today doesn't look very similar to the original "first generation" Munchkins. I would like to think that they are a bit more refined (and as I like to term my cats as "purposely bred")
than earlier generations. There body type is much more perportioned these days with their weights ranging from 5-8 lbs. and with each year that passes, there is much more consistensy within the breed.

then came the Napoleons......

Joe Smith is credited for founding the Napoleons. He loved the shortlegged creatures (the Munchkins) but thought that by using outcrosses of Persians, Himalayans, or Exotic Shorthairs (PHE) instead of the domestics, you could produce a "sweet baby doll faced" kitten with the short legs - making their appeal greater (his viewpoint being that the Persians/Himalayans/Exotic Shorthairs are the most wide-spread and popular breeds in the world) plus when you produced the longleggeds in those same litters, that they would in turn look like a pet quality PHE at a fraction of the price - thus being desirable and much more "place-able." So began his trek towards acceptance.

The Napoleons were to be different in several ways from their Munchkin counterpart. And again, a written and detailed standard would be written describing every aspect of the perfect Napoleon cat. The Napoleons would be a larger cat in weight and in body mass (considering the outcross, this is understandable). The Naps would have marble round eyes instead of the Munchkin walnut-shaped eyes. The Naps would have a rounder head shape and a shorter nose placement as well as shorter ear size. Below are four pictures - 1. a Munchkin named Creators Hello Mr. Heartache of Dixiemunchkin who is a Supreme Grand Champion - Highest Ranked Longhaired Munchkin Internationally in 2004....2. a nice quality Napoleon (these are all first and early generational Napoleons were the standard is still weak and type will become more concentrated).....3. a show potential Persian of today.....4. a full blooded but pet quality Persian.

1. Munchkin 2. Napoleon

All four of these cats are seal or chocolate point in coloration to help so the similarities or distinctions. The Munchkin's nose placement is much lower on the face than the three othersas well as the ears being larger. The picture doesn't show the eye shape well but a Munchkin eye shape is walnut - meaning very large, yes, but just shy of being "round" like the marble-shape of a Persian (or in this case, also the Naps). The show Persian/Himalayan's nose is between the eyes with a pug look and very high doming...wherease the Nap and Pet Quality Himalayan have a rounded head and an extended nose placement well under the eyes with very little "break." Joe Smith has emphasized that he DOES NOT want the Napoleons to go the route of the modern day Persian - Himalayn with the extreme peke-faced look - but wants to maintain the health and sweet open expression of the "baby doll faced" old-fashioned Persians (a.k.a. pet Persian look). It will take many years to perfect the face and look of the Napoleons - it took the Munchkins 15+ years to begin to show some consistentsy (and there is a long road ahead still on that front) - so breeding the Napoleons back to typier Naps or typier PHE will help the Naps "look" be more distinctive from the Munchkins.

There are in fact several "offshoots" of the Munchkins - where people have crossed the Munchkin with other breeds/mutations....example: The Skookum is a curly coated shortlegged cat crossing the Munchkin with the Selkirk Rex; the Minskins is a no-haired shortlegged cat that crossed the Munchkin with the Sphynx; and the Kinkalow is a "curled-back eared" cat where the Munchkin was bred to the American Curl. I, myself, oppose mixing mutations and do not pursue or encourage these ventures. As of yet, these offshoots have not been accepted through the cat assocation - but are often available over the internet. Note: The Napoleons are a mixing of two breeds - the Naps and the PHE but not two mutations which is why I don't oppose them.

8. Your cattery name is Creators - Why the name?

When I first began my cattery, I knew I needed to pick out a cattery name. I tried to find one that would reflect me, my vision for my cat business, etc. Many great names were already taken. I wanted my cattery to give some indication that I am a believer in Jesus Christ who is the Creator of all things - whether we play with nature or whatever. He is the Creator of my cattery.

9. Do you have any restrictions for me as a purchaser?

Yes. First, I sell my kittens as either pets (pet means that you agree upfront not to breed or show - to have the kitten spayed or neutered before one year of age - and to enjoy the kitten purely as a pet. When you purchase a kitten - the pricing will be discounted for those who intend to be a "pet only" buyer. Those who are interested in buyer a kitten as a potential breeder or show potential kitten need to say upfront their intentions so that I can discuss aspects of breeding so you know what you are getting into, so I can feel comfortable about the environment and breeding program that my kitten will be placed into. Breeder/show prices will reflect their potential.

Second, my kittens are to go to "indoor only" homes. These kittens have been raised inside and wouldn't be safe in an outdoor setting; dogs, cars, etc.....plus being a rare breed, they would be in danger of being snatched.

Third, a kitten or cat you purchase from me should never find their way into a cat shelter or pound - you will agree upfront to never let that happen...plus I would like notification if you ever end up placing the cat into a different home.

In 1996, I learned about the Munchkin breed - the original short-legged cat breed
- and was instantly attracted to them. I splurged with the purchase of Tuxedo -
a black/white longhaired Munchkin male - from Nancy Cardillo, and I slowly
began a Munchkin breed program and wound down my Persian breeding program.

I had several phone conversations in the late 90's with Joe Smith - the founder of the Napoleons. I bred a few of my Munchkins to my lingering few Persians but only to pet homes and for only a few clients. Though I loved the Napoleon look, I did not want to go back down the path of using extreme and pug-nosed Persians which Joe recommended using to jump-start a Napoleon breeding program. Plus, my initial hope was for the Munchkins to become fully established before any other "Munchkin offshoot" was introduced so not to prejudice the association. In 2001, the Munchkins became fully acceptabled and had moved into Championship Status. Not long after that, I began to dabble with a few Napoleon breedings. Though my Munchkins here at Creators Cattery had established a respectable reputation amongst the Munchkin community with many high profile show ring wins and my "Creators look and personality" a given, I found myself quite drawn to the Napoleons because of that rounder face. So, once again, I tweaked my breeding program and began concentrating on my Napoleon breeding program and winding down my Munchkin breeding program. Somehow, it has felt like a full circle evolution. I began my kitty-cat career being drawn to the old fashioned baby doll face of the Persian which I had unfortunately discovered was "no longer the show quality look" of the modern-day Persian...but nonetheless, I was drawn to it and loved those large eyes and sweet wide-opened face and little nose...no eye tearing, no snorting, no pug or angry look. Then moving to the Munchkin because of those adorable short legs plus the antics that come with a short-legged breed; a.k.a. the cute little waddle, the sitting up "prairie dog look," and the way that they play with toys differently. I enjoyed the playful "kitteny" personality of the Munchkin too!

The Napoleon cat breed as married the best of both of those breeds (in my opinion). It kept the sweet baby doll face of the old-fashioned Persian - the look that the Persian Breed community left behind to pursue a different look. It toned down the coat just a bit so not to require such "over the top" daily maintenance without sacrificing that eye-appealing luxurious coat. It kept the short legs of the Munchkins and left behind the domestic or "barn-cat" look of the Munchkin breed. So....I long journey but a beneficial one but somehow - it doesn't seem like I really wandered too far off after all.

I began Creators Cattery in 1987 breeding Persians and Himalayans. I first owned pet quality Himalayans and was only interested in a local market - producing beautiful and very loving kittens. This was a good introduction to the worldof being a "breeder" as I learned a lot and enjoyedthe relationships with my clientel as they often stayed in touch with me for years after a kitty purchase. As time progressed - so did the quality of my Himalayans and Persians. I began a quest of slowly moving towards show quality resulting in some very reputable lines. The pug noses and extreme look of the high end Persians was a frustrating aspect for me as I had first grown in love with the Persian look because of that baby-doll face. I eventually tweaked my cattery goals and aimed towards the rare and unusual colors of the Persian world - like chocolates and lilacs and pointed bicolors....and with these rare colors, I could comfortably go back to producing a short but baby doll faced Persian - which I was more comfortable with anyway - and I found a huge following of customers who too preferred the old fashioned face of the Persian over the new snub-nosed Persian of today.