(written by Meg)
Ravenpaw Siamese was established in 2003. After a year in a PhD program for music, I realized that a career in academia was not the right path for me. And, as I've been a "cat person" all my life, I could not think of a better occupation than to spend my time adoring and spoiling a house-full of felines. So, after doing extensive research and making some modifications to my home, I purchased Isabella, my first Siamese, in the spring of 2003.Nick and I (and the cats!) outgrew our tiny house in late 2004 and moved to a very old, very wonderful two-story house with plenty of little nooks and closets for Siamese sleeping spots. We are continually improving our home, making it into a paradise for Siamese.
NEWS: A lot happened here at Ravenpaw in 2007! First, in January, I sold my first novel, Northlander! It came out from Brown Barn Books in November and is available for purchase here on Amazon.com. (More about Northlander on my author website, MegBurden.com.) Also, Nick and I got married on March 23, 2007! So, it was a very exciting year for us. I have wanted to be a published writer since I left graduate school, and finally, my dream has come true. And I'm a lucky writer--I get to sit and type with a Siamese (or four) keeping me company on my feet, on my lap, helping me type, meowing suggestions... It's wonderful.
Now, a little bit about my breeding philosophy.First, and most importantly, I don't think of my cats as "breeding stock." Or even as "pets," in the traditional sense. They are not my possessions. (If anything, I belong to them.) They are not status symbols. My cats are not pretty ornaments or toys to be loved only when I have the time.
My cats are my children. My equals. My friends. I recognize that they love me because they choose to. And I try to be worthy of their affection.
My cats are given attention whenever they want it. They sleep on the bed. They share the sofa when I watch movies, "help" me knit, and sit on the counter when I wash dishes. At the computer, there's always at least one Siamese draped over the top of the monitor, and another one (or two) on my lap. And my laptop? Forget about it! I have to use it on the table. On my lap, it's a much-too-tempting cat warmer!
My tomcats are adored just as much as the girls. While I personally am opposed to keeping male cats caged all the time, spraying is (unfortunately) an issue. My compromise is that my boys each have their own very large enclosure (Damon is older and less active, so his is 4' X 8' X 6' tall, and Kenobi's is 8' X 8' X 6' tall) that is easy to clean and sanitize. They are also allowed out in the house with supervision. And they get to see the Siamese girls often, both when they aren't in heat, just for company, and--of course--sometimes when the girls are in heat, too. I also have two spayed pet girls (Isabella is now spayed, as is one of Gilly's daughters, named Bunny), and those girls have the job of being Boy-Kitty Buddies, keeping Damon and Kenobi company sometimes.My cats have a small army of toy mice, huge cat trees, scratching posts and window perches, and all the furniture in the house to sleep on. Each cat gets hours of attention each day.
...And it shows. They are not "always-under-the-bed" cats. They are not psychotic Siamese who flee in terror whenever something new happens. They aren't snobby, prissy cats like the ones in Disney's "Lady and the Tramp." Ravenpaw cats are inquisitive, talkative, friendly and loving. If company comes, several of the cats rush to greet the interesting new person in the house. They bring catnip mice for me to throw so they can play fetch. They stick their noses in the fridge to investigate whenever I cook. I routinely find Lily, one of my girls, in the kitchen cupboards--she knows how to open them. Isabella likes to reach down from the top of the cat tree to grab a pawful of hair when I walk by. They're Siamese brats (in the best sense of the word), and they are adored. And adorable.As a breeder, I take my responsibilities very seriously. Not only in the sense that these amazing creatures depend on me for their comfort and well-being, but also because the future of the Siamese breed is partly in my hands. I don't attempt to "improve" upon the breed by inbreeding. In my opinion, Siamese are beautiful and special just the way they are, and I refuse to "breed for" larger ears or longer faces or other show-winning traits at the expense of the health of the cats.
Of course I want to breed nice-looking cats. And I'd be thrilled if Ravenpaw cats were awarded ribbons. But good looks and titles are emphatically not what is most important to me. My goal is to produce healthy, sweet, well-adjusted kittens. If their looks appeal to judges, that's fabulous. But if not...that's fine, too.All this is to say, Ravenpaw is not a show-centric cattery. I'm a cat breeder because I love cats. I'm a Siamese breeder because I love Siamese. Though I love what I do, I'm not raising cats just for fun--I'm attempting to provide people who want a friendly, beautiful, purebred Siamese kitten with just the right new family member. And, while ribbons would be nice, that's not why I'm here.
The cats come first at Ravenpaw. And, to me, loving the cats I have for who they are is more important than trying to produce the next grand champion.
