Introduction to Siberians
About Miakoschka – Australian Siberian Cat Breeder
Hi Marie Mahoney here,
I was first introduced to the love of all cats at a very young age, living on a farm in the far north of New Zealand. My first cat I remember was a huge grey and white cat I named Mousie because he looked the same colour as a mouse! His mate was a beautiful tortoiseshell and white girl just called Mummy in those days as desexing was unheard of and babies just appeared with great regularity.
I moved from Auckland in New Zealand in 1979 and Warren and I married in 1983. The final decision to remain in Australia was made. I obtained my first Birman in 1985, when my husband Warren agreed to buy my very first pedigreed Birman and have been entranced with them ever since.
I’ve bred many top show winning Siberians and now breeding most of the available Siberian colours.
I am the current President of our Birman club here in Queensland and have held this position since 1997. I have been actively involved at an executive level on the previous cat control body our breed club is registered with, as past Secretary and Treasurer and now hold the position of Treasurer for our new group Queensland Feline Association. In 2007 I was elected secretary to the judges association.
I am now qualified to judge long hair exhibits with this group and hope that this will be a further advancement into the world of showing and breeding cats.
All of our cats are treated with great love and attention and this is reflected in the temperament of all the babies I place with new families. I am always available to talk to the families and love to hear that the new special little member of their family has changed their lives for the better.
Our Cattery is located in Brisbane, Qld just on the lower end of the north coast and a thirty minute drive from the center.
My Siberian Dream (came true)
My first introduction to this magnificent cat was via Russian judge Yanina Melnikova that was visiting our country in July 2001. I happened to be having dinner with her and after dinner we started to look at the photos she had brought with her to show us of how things are done in Europe at the cat shows held there.
Amongst her photos she happened to show me several photos of the most beautiful Siberian’s, and that was it I was hooked the more I looked at them the more I was impressed, I don’t think I had ever seen anything so pretty. We discussed the breed for quite a while and I have to admit I was so impressed to learn that this was a strong healthy breed that appears to have no known genetic problems that we see in some of the other breeds. I had been quite seriously considering another breed but was held back by what I was discovering.
So off I went to the web to try to find out where I could get a Siberian but to my dismay we were not even allowed to import from the originating country of Russia.
Our country does not allow any imports from Russia, why I am not sure. So I then turned to the United States and Europe I was so impressed with the cats I saw on different sites in the U.S. that I decided that this was where I would go to. Even from the U.S. the procedure is long 150 days quarantine in the country of birth, and then another 30 days once they arrive here. My closest port in the country is Sydney over 1000 kilometres away, so I will still not be able to get to see them until a week after they arrive and then when they are due to come home.
Along the way to trying to find my new cats I came across several breeders who were of great assistance to me and ended up with accepting an offer of a beautiful black silver tabby male who we have named Sibano Czar of the Rings.
The next Siberian breeder I happened to meet was Judy Chappetta, who happened to be here judging at a cat show in our Australia.
I arranged to meet with her when we went to the U.S. When we were arrived we found a tortie/tabby Van Cooncreole Veronika and this was to be my first mate for Sibano Czar of the Ring.
The First Introduction of Siberian Cats to Australia
Picture of our FIRST ever Siberian in Australia - Sibano Czar of the Ring
Bringing a new breed into our country I realised that I needed a gene pool as quickly as possible and so once again Jonathan and Kris came to my rescue. They so kindly entrusted to me, Katusha of Sibano (Tink), a young adult girl of theirs that has been a great Mum for them. Our hope was that she would carry the foundation stock with her when she leaves the country in February.
Without the assistance of Jonathan and Kristine Hirst I would have been quite a way off being able to get this breed off to the ground here in Australia and for their assistance and genuine interest in establishing the breed here in Australia, I am most grateful.
I hope that the coming years will continue to be exciting times for us here at Miakoschka Cattery, and we will look forward to promoting this wonderful cat as much as we can. The Siberian breed is now recognised here with all of our cat control bodies. I hope many will continue to fall in love with the Siberian cat as we have an I am sure it will put its paw print up there with the rest of the breeds we now see here in our country as one of the cats to own and cherish.
~Marie Mahoney, Founder of Miakoscha Siberian Cattery
- More about the breed click here – Siberian Cat FAQ Page
- Are you contemplating a move overseas with your pet? Breeders – needing to send kittens internationally? click here – Cat Transport Services