Slavicat - a collective Siberian cattery - interview with Jelena Nekrasova

I am incredibly excited to post this comprehensive and informative interview with Jelena Nekrasova, the founder and managing director of the collective Siberian cattery Slavicat. Jelena talks about some of the practices pertaining to the origin, breeding and placement of Siberian cats. I conducted the interview in Russian and translated it into English. Welcome, Jelena!

MJN: Do you live in a house or an apartment? What is the minimal square footage you need to run a successful cattery?

JN: I should begin by saying that the term “cattery” is very relative.  I know some catteries that only had one breeding cat, and that cat left a huge legacy within the breed.  And then I know of some foundation catteries that have up to seventy active breeding animals.

MJN: Do your cats roam freely in the same space as other members of the family, or do they live separately?

JN: Regarding the minimal square footage, one veterinarian from St. Petersburg conducted a study and came to the conclusion that a cat living in an apartment needs at least five square meters in order to be comfortable.

Of course, it’s much easier to keep a cattery – especially if it’s enclosed – in a free standing house, preferably not just a suburban home but a real country estate, a ranch or a farm, where you can build a large enclosure, away from neighbors.  That would be an ideal setting for a cattery.

My cattery is apartment style.  All our cats live with families in high-rise apartment complexes. We have many families participating in our collective cattery.  Our breeding cats live not only in Moscow and the suburbs but in other Russian cities and even other countries.

Since the cats live in apartments, then obviously they use the same space as the owners. In some instances a separate room would be set aside for the cats, with cages and climbing trees. It’s not something I personally can afford. However, I do give my male cats separate space for mating purposes. I also keep my lactating queens separately, until the kittens are about six weeks old.

MJN: On your site you state that your mission is to get back to the origins of the breed.  What is your attitude towards the Neva Masquerade cats?

JN: Every breed is shrouded in myths and legends. Now people are saying that Siberians originate from the deep taiga forest where they had mated with wild cats. It’s not just ordinary cat lovers who subscribe to this theory, but certain breeders too. Before “going back to the origin” of the breed, I really did my homework and studied the history first. I have nothing against glamorous legends – after all, they promote the popularity of the breed.  It’s so romantic on one hand: mysterious palaces, gifts from Emperors, Viking heritage. But breeders need to know the truth. It makes their lives easier, because it excuses them from the necessity to go to taiga in search of “real Siberians”. Real Siberians are product of the two capital cities – Moscow and Leningrad (now St. Petersburg).  

I have nothing but sincere admiration for the Neva Masquerade cats – they are truly gorgeous animals. However, I do think they are different from the traditional Siberians – perhaps different in a good way. The breed has its own name for a good reason. Most breeders who breed Neva Masquerade cats work exclusively with color-points. At shows, the present their animals as Neva Masquerades – not color point Siberians.

MJN: Many breeders are content if they only have one litter from a high-ranking cat, and once they get that litter, they promptly retire the cat.  Do you approve of that practice, or do you think that it’s better to capitalize on the cat’s reproductive abilities and continue breeding her as long as she’s healthy?

JN: For me personally there are too many nuances. Every breeder has his or her own program and has a rough idea of what he/she wants to see as end result.  So if you have a clear idea what you want, and you get that in the very first litter, so it doesn’t make sense to continue breeding that cat, if you plan to continue working with the offspring.  Not to mention, a younger animal is a lot easier to find a home for than an older one. In Russia, with strong feral animal control policies, an older animal is very hard to place.  And sometimes you need just one feature from a particular cat – a rare color or new combination of genes – and once you get that captured, you don’t need to continue breeding the animal.

However, if the animal is truly outstanding in terms of its adherence to the standard, then I feel that its breeding potential should be given a chance to fully develop. I realize that not all breeders can afford that luxury.  For instance, if there is a lack of suitable breeders in the region.  You have to keep in mind that even repeat litters from the same pair are not clones, so it’s a good idea to get two or three litters from the same pair.  Or consider collaborating with colleagues.

There is what’s called “chain” practice that allows the cattery to get high turnover without additional expenses.  The sire, having produced one litter, is being sold into another cattery, and then another one, etc.  There is also the possibility of “loaning” a cat when a sought-after sire travels from one city to another, spending virtually no time at the cattery to which he officially belongs.

Of course, not all breeders can treat their animals as genetic material – there are strong emotions involved. But eventually you have to get a thick skin, because you really have two options – either you rehome the animals you no longer need, or you shut down the cattery altogether, because you cannot continue operations with so many elderly animals. I know breeders who operate according to the first model, as well as breeders who ended up shutting down their catteries.

MJN: Do your lactating females nurse each other’s kittens?

JN: Some females love other cats’ babies, and some don’t treat them any differently from their own. But there are some females who don’t want to share their offspring with anyone else for the first month or so.

MJN: I heard that Siberian males often participate in parenting. Did you ever witness that phenomenon?

JN: I don’t think that males help parent only their own kittens. For instance, my cat Bailey’s treats his own kittens the same way he treats other kittens. I suspect, not all males are as nurturing. There are always exceptions.

MJN: Is it true that Siberian males mature later than those of other breeds?

JN: Yes, I’ve heard that Siberians are “late bloomers”. Old-school breeders say that ideally you should deflower the male after he turns two, possibly even three years old. By then he should reach his physical maturity.  But I see no reason to torment the cats for several years and let the “ripen up”. If you don’t exhaust the male with frequent matings – every two weeks – then you can start breeding him at the age of eight months without running into any health problems. It will be good for him, actually.

Talking about the prime in general, among Siberians, older animals fit the standard better than the younger ones. With other breeds, it’s totally opposite – the younger contestants getting higher scores.

MJN: In the history of your cattery, can you single out one male or female that was particularly adherent to the standard?

JN: If I had to single out the best cat, every category considered, it would be my signature cat Bailey’s. He’s the one who inspired me to breed and to start a cattery.

MJN: Some of your alumni live in North America. What transportation services do you use to ensure prompt and safe delivery of the animals to their destination?

JN: All my alumni travel by plane. Sometimes the new owners would pick them up, and sometimes they’d hire special carriers.

MJN: What are your contractual terms and conditions for dealing with international buyers? Do you make provisions for maintaining contact with the new owners and monitoring the wellbeing of the animal?

JN: You’re talking Utopia here. I really don’t worry about the animals traveling overseas. It’s the domestic placements that worry me. Unfortunately, those agreements, even if you have them signed, are very hard to enforce. It’s not like you can travel to various parts of Russia and knock on people’s doors to do “spot checks” and see how they are treating their animals. You do have those items in the contract, but they are strictly nominal.
 

Cat Expert's Purrspective - interview with breeder & judge Iris Zinck

If you watched Cats 101 on Animal Planet, chances are, you've seen her face at least in passing.  A savvy felinologist, Iris Zinck (also credited as Iris Tanner), is more than just a pretty face with green eyes - she's also an authoritative voice in Cat Fancier Association.  She and her husband Bob operate a Boston-based cattery Folie a Deux featuring show-quality Siberian and Turkish Angora cats.  A sought-after judge, she has traveled all over the world. 

MJN: You wear many hats: breeder, judge, educator and just plain cat Mom.  How do you compartmentalize those roles?  When you are at home with your cats, how do you keep yourself from scrutinizing them with a judge's eye?

IZ: I don't. Especially if they are kittens and I am trying to assess their future show potential, I DO look at them from my judging purrspective. But the judge's eye turns off when one of my forever kitties jumps into my lap or onto my shoulders . . . then I just focus on interacting with them and loving them.

MJN: I remember the expression you used "judging with your hands" when evaluating long-haired cats at shows, to get a sense of the bone structure.

IZ: Yes, I actually use that phrase often. Cat shows are a beauty contest, but part of the written standard that defines "beauty"(i.e. the ideal for each breed) refers to the shape and feel of the cat's body. In most cases you are looking for solid muscularity and lots of substance underneath those long, luxurious coats and it isn't always there. Looks can deceive. You don't know what you have until you get your hands on a cat and feel it.

MJN: What is your history with the Animal Planet channel?  You were featured in some of the interviews for Cats 101.  Do people recognize you as "that girl from Animal Planet"?

IZ: That was quite a number of years ago, over 6 years now since it was before I got married and they identify me as Iris Tanner. And yes, people do still recognize me as that woman (thank you for calling me a girl!). I was asked to do it as a representative of the Cat Fanciers' Association Judging Program, but it also helped that I happened to live in the next town from where the production company doing the show at that time was located. Once they had covered all the different CFA breeds, they didn't need me anymore.

The Turkish Angora episode was partially shot at my house and has been seen and promoted by Turkish Angora breeders all over the world. I imagine it is probably the same with other breeds.

MJN: Let's talk about your artistic life. You studied drama in college, correct?  Tell us about your CD with original songs.

IZ: I studied English and Drama. I wanted to go into advertising and thought that would be a good combination for it. This was back before majors in Communications were commonplace and I was at a small liberal arts school that didn't have much in the way of practical course offering unless you were pre-med or pre-law.

There were actually two CDs, but the better-known one is "Magnum Opuss," (spelling error deliberate) which is a compilation of cabaret-style songs that I wrote and had professionally recorded by several other singers. I do sing some of them myself though. It's available from CDbaby.com by download or as an actual CD (does anyone buy those anymore?) Here is a link: https://www.cdbaby.com/cd/birist3

I stopped writing songs several years ago when arthritis made it too difficult to play the piano. I still hope to get back into singing at some point but at present, it is not a part of my life.

MJN: How did you get your husband so jazzed up about cat breeding?  Was he passionate about cats before he met you, or was this a passion you helped him cultivate?

IZ: He had never even lived with a cat before he met me. He was a dog person. The poor man had no idea what he was getting into, but when I invited him over for dinner and he met all the cats, he did NOT run screaming into the night. 

He is not as passionate about our cats and breeding and showing as I am, but he is my partner and goes along with it because it is so important to me. However, we have one cat that is exclusively HIS show cat, a Korat, and those two have a very special bond.

MJN: How do you manage surprises in your line of work? I'm referring to unplanned matings between cats of different breeds - Siberian and Angora. You described the product humorously as Sibergora. What do breeders normally do when those things happen?

IZ: When you work with two breeds in the same house, it can happen. You just hope it doesn't. If it does, you take care of the kittens and find good homes for them. Years ago, when I bred Russian Blues, I had two "oops" breedings between Turkish Angoras and Russian Blues. One produced three kittens ... I named them Snafu, Glitch and Bluepurr (Blooper).

MJN: Siberians are slow to mature. That's a fact.  Some males also need some guidance when it comes to Some Siberian breeders in Russia use the practice known as "unleashing the stud" - the act of defloration of a young male by a more experienced female. You mentioned that one of your males, Gloumov, did not show interest in the fair sex until he met an older Turkish Angora who was due to be spayed the next day.

IZ: Yes, it was pretty funny, we thought he was never going to figure out the "birds and the bees" and we were watching TV with him and the female one night and suddenly we noticed her rolling around as though she had just been bred. We looked at each other. There was only one male loose. We weren't too worried about consequences since we had already decided to spay her so we decided to watch and see what happened. If it was really him, he would do it again. And he did. Needless to say, his lady love was spayed a few days later.

MJN: What are some of the things you look for in a prospective family when you are placing kittens? What are some of the red flags?

IZ: I look for people who have done their homework and know that they want a specific breed for specific reasons. Also for people who are not going to give the cat access to the outdoors and ideally, nonsmokers. Cats are just as sensitive to second hand smoke as people are. 

The biggest red flag is someone who wants a female cat and says she wants to have just one litter so the children can experience the miracle of birth. Or someone who wants a breeding pair for the same reason. I only sell whole cats with breeding rights to experienced, responsible breeders.