The history of the cattery
The history of the cattery
(or, how it all began)
In the fall, 1983, my mother saw an advertisement in the local newspaper. The local cat club were having an international cat-show. "Common" people were invited to enter their house-cats. We had two at the time. My mom thought it was a good idea, and it was decided that we should enter the youngest one, Mossi, a black and white, semi-longhaired female. To make a long story short, Mossi didn’t like the show at all. She tried to eat the stewards and the judge.
It was at this show that I saw the Persians for the first time. I fell in love, on the spot. Six months later I was the proud owner of a huge black Persian male. His name was Krystall’s Big Ben, and he was one year old. I could write books about Benzn, as he was called around the house. Large as a dog, and afraid of almost everything. He was even afraid of the dark! But as long as mom was around, everything was OK. Benzn wasn’t much of a show cat, according to the standard, everything was too long, but he was perfect to me.
Krystall's Big Ben, a.k.a. BENZN
I soon discovered that getting a Persian was a mistake. I was not able to handle the grooming that was needed. Benzn was usually shaved, with a machine, and walked around naked. And, boy, did he love that! Well, I started looking for a new breed, and I found the Norwegian Forest Cat. This was the breed for me. They don’t need as much grooming as a Persian, and I also felt that this was a healthier cat. I spread the word that I was looking for one, and April 26th 1988, Cleopatra came to live with us. Both Benzn and I loved her from the first minute. Cleo was born Feb. 15th, so she was 10 weeks old when she came to us. She was a blotched tabby female Norwegian Forest Cat, and as sweet as maple syrup.
Cleo and I started travelling to shows together. According to the standard, she wasn’t the best cat, but we both enjoyed the shows, so we kept travelling. I learned a lot during those years, amongst other things that winning isn’t everything. The most important thing is that you and your cat enjoys it. It didn’t matter if Cleo was ranked 2nd or number 10, as long as the judge said nice things about her. It took us a while, but in April 1993 she was finally a Champion.
Ch. Cleopatra
Before this, in April 1992, she became a mother. She gave birth to four beautiful kittens, Aslan, Astagir, Askeladden and Ariel. Cleo was a lovely friend and a faithful companion. She died April 13th 1994. I had taken her to the vet, due to a rapid weight-loss, and it turned out she had tumors in her stomach. There was nothing we could do. She ended her life in my arms, looking at me with her sapphire eyes, thanking me for letting her go. She has gone ahead to the Rainbow Bridge. Later that year I bought back two of her grandchildren: Aria and Asterix, the offsprings of Cleo’s daughter Ariel. This way I was able to keep Cleo’s bloodlines in my breeding-program. Cleo’s expression is one of the things I look for in my kittens. Aria really had that expression, and I was really looking forward to using her in breeding. She was living together with my cousin, in Stavanger. One day she managed to get out and she was hit by a car. She suffered severe damages, and her life was not to save. Kate, my cousin, got a new cat from me, Aria’s niece, Asterix’s daughter. Her name is Benzn Featherduster. So Cleo’s bloodlines live on.
From I was a little girl, I have always meant that cats needed fur, lots of fur. In fact I didn’t like shorthaired cats at all. Until I saw the Abyssinian. In fact I didn’t like red cats either. But it was a red, or sorrel, Abyssinian I fell for.
In June 1991 Minnelli joined the family. Her full pedigree name was Magical Minnelli av Concylie. She was a sorrel Abyssinian female, and nobody except me liked her. My mom said she looked like a toy pincher, Cleo hated her, Garfield (my mom’s house-cat) had a fit every time he saw her. But she was absolutely adorable. She choose Sandy, my Border Collie, as her special friend. Every time she had bothered Garfield so he would chase her, she ran to Sandy and hid under her belly. She would peek from behind her front legs and growl at Garfield. Cleo and Garfield learned to tolerate her, I think Cleo even loved her towards the end, but Minnelli was truly my cat. Or maybe I should say that I was her human.
GIC Magical Minnelli av Concylie
With Minnelli in the family, the show-results were improving. She won Best In Show at her second show, and she had many nominations and titles in her career. She gave me three litters, and we have kept a kitten from every one of those litters in my breeding-program. Andante, living at home, and Ballade living in Stavanger. Carmen from Minnelli's third litter is the mother of (N)Benzn Grand Opera, who is living at home and is a breeding queen.
The summer of 1996, Minnelli became more and more unhappy. She had chosen, years ago, that she preferred to live in our bedroom (we had a bedroom of 22 sq. mtr.) but during this spring and summer she was really unhappy. We were able to find her a very good home, but she was not happy there either, and when we came to visit, she clearly told us that she wanted to come home to mom. She came home with us, and we hoped that she would get back to normal. But she stopped using her litterbox, and started using my bed instead. Not a very pleasant thing to do. She also had a hormone problem, which made her gnaw of her hairs on the belly and hind legs. This problem got worse and the gnawing resulted in wounds. We tried a collar, but she was able to get around every collar we tried. At last, after trying everything humanly possible, we were advised to let her go. She was buried beside Cleo, at my friend’s farm, and I believe that also she awaits me at the Rainbow Bridge.
Benzn, Cleo and Minnelli was the three cats that got me started on this merry-go-round, and they will all be remembered to the day I meet them by the Rainbow Bridge. Cleo is the founder of my Norwegian Forest Cat bloodlines, Minnelli for the Abyssinians, and as I know you have guessed, Benzn gave name to the cattery.
This is how the cattery "Benzn" started out. If you have managed to stay interested for this long, I’m very impressed. I never thought this would interest anyone but me, but I had to write about these three, they have all meant so much to me. I love all my cats, they each have their own personality, and things that are special just for that cat. Each and every one has a special spot in my heart, but I don’t think they will quite measure up to the "Oldies".
All graphics and
backgrounds are © of Wimsey
This
page was last updated 22. March 2006