Introduction to Siberians

About Miakoschka – Australian Siberian Cat Breeder

marie-2009 Welcome to our site my name is Marie Mahoney,

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 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 was registered with, as past Secretary and Treasurer and now hold the position of Treasurer for our new group Queensland Feline Association.In 2004 I became 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. In 2007 I was elected secretary to the judges association.

I have also in  2011  been elected to the position of Vice President to Taiga Siberians in the USA.This position has been renewed for another term for 2012.

This club  the  oldest breed club for the Siberian in the USA was the  very first club I joined to learn more about the wonderful Siberians that  now share our lives and so it is a great privilege to be  given this honor. To date I’ve bred many top show winning Siberians and  we are now breeding a great selection of the available Siberian colours.

Miakoschka Kings & Queens

Miakoschka Starsha our wonderful Golden Shaded and white girl is a wonderful example of where we are heading with our breeding plans.

My years of meticulous selection for the betterment of our cats is shown by what is now reflected in my breeding and show cats you will see on our Kings and Queens pages. The temperament on our Siberians we are now breeding is outstanding with many now returning outstanding results on the show bench and this is reflected in the winning of many top awards.

Since our years of involvement with the Siberian cats and the progress in Australia I have been the leader in introducing our new breeders to this wonderful cat and the cats they now own are a testament to this.

Other Breeders

My recommendation for breeders of Siberians in Australia that are working together for the betterment of our breed and have the same goals as I are listed here in order of when they become breeders of Siberians.

  1. Sonshanley Siberians Warwick: www.sonshanleysiberiancats.com
  2. Arakan Siberians Melbourne: www.arakancats.com.au
  3. Shemiaka Siberians Adelaide:  www.shemiakasiberians.com
  4. Miasibka Siberians Perth:  www.miasibka.com
  5. Moyasibirskia Siberians Mackay:  www.siberiancatsbyrose.com.au
  6. Sibmoore Siberian Cattery, Maroubra Sydney: www.sibmoor.com
  7. Silvia Spoerl Brisbane: www.siberian-cat.com.au
  8. Brian & Susan Gold Coast Qld: (no site yet)
  9. Gayle McPhee Victoria: (no site yet) 0397350732
  10. Melanie  will be relocating from the UK  updates will be on her new site is www.siberiankittens.com.au

Many of the cats now shown and bred with will have a Miakoschka cat in the background or in fact be one from here. We strive to make sure we that we all import lines from different breeders in many parts of the world so that our lines are as diverse as possible. Our cats have come from the  USA Norway Sweden New Zealand and more recently the UK. We import only the very best we can find available that will enhance our programs.

Here at Miakoschka we have sent many wonderful examples internationally and these now feature in many breeding programs and are also winning in the international show scene. See our news page for updates on what is happening around the world and here also.

Love and Attention at Miakoschka Cattery

All of our cats are handled 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 how that the new special little member of their family has changed their lives for the better.

High on our list  of priorities is to be able to help as many families as possible become owners of a Siberian and if allergies are an issue we will work with you to help you test with either a pet owner in your area or with one of my cats here. We do not charge for this it is our personal opinion that this is unnecessary  and our aim to help of the greatest priority. Should you be okay then we will add you to our waiting list.

Our Cattery is located in Brisbane, Qld just on the lower end of the north coast and a thirty minute drive from the center.

Leaders in Siberian Cat Breed Information

Miakoschka has been the leader in supplying information and articles for many sites where people search for the Siberian cat  in Australia and this has lead to the promotion of our breed in many avenues. Much of what you will read on sites such as www.catworld.com.au www.catsofaustralia.com.au and www.ozkitty.com.au , www.petshq.com.au,  www.petlink.com.au, www.cats.com.au plus many other sites is taken from information supplied by me.

I have also been very lucky and contributed to many newsletters around the world Flash Cats in NZ Burkes Backyard in 2008 used my photos and information about the Siberian. The Cats Life in Hong Kong also ran an article with information collected from me and about our breed. Being able to promote our breed is one of the  things I love to do and if I can reach as many as possible and  get the public to learn about this fantastic cat, I am  more than happy to assist.

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




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.

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 FebruaryWithout 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.


~Marie Mahoney, Founder of Miakoschka Siberian Cattery