My Siberian Dream

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 show in our country.
 

I arranged to meet with her when we went to the U.S. in July this year. When we were there we found a tortie/tabby Van Cooncreole Veronika and this was to be my first mate for Sibano Czar of the Ring.

Being 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 have so kindly entrusted to me, Katusha of Sibano (Tink), a young adult girl of theirs that has been a great Mum for them. So we are hoping she will be carrying the foundation stock with her when she leaves the country in February 2003. 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 be an exciting time for us here, and we will look forward to promoting this wonderful breed as much as we can. The Siberian breed  is now recognised here with all of our cat control bodies. I hope that from now on many will 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.