 Welcome to YMIRCATS.com |
 |
 |
|
 Important Announcement! Portions of our Online Catalog will be offline for the next several months since we are relocating. We will continue to offer cat beds, cage curtains, and certain clothing and gift items, but jewelry and other small gifts will temporarily be unavailable. Yes, Ymircats is leaving the frozen tundra of Wisconsin and heading south. We will post more information as soon as available. As always, if you have a special order item, continue to feel free to contact us. Thanks to everyone for your patience! Welcome! As you move through our website, you will notice changes in format from time to time. The New Exhibitor Guide will be a subheading of the cat show pages. Beds, cage curtains, carrier pads, scrubs, and other gifts will now be in our Catalog section. We hope this will make it easier for you to find what you're looking for. We recently added a new page - Twisted Whiskers - chock-full of cat tips from exhibitors, vets, breeders, and cat lovers. Check back often, as this particular page will be expanding and changing often! The photos and catalog items also change frequently, so bookmark us and visit often! History and Description The Norwegian Forest cat has been around for thousands of years, even as far back as Norse mythology. The goddess Freya had a chariot pulled by two giant cats! Surviving on their wits, their thick double coats and strong, large bodies, Norweigian Forest cats eventually evolved into the cats of Norse farms and forests. The first Norwegian Forest Cat club was founded in the mid-1900's when these cats were on the verge of extinction, and following their resurrection, King Olaf of Norway decreed the Norwegian to be the Official Breed of Norway. They were imported into the United States in the late 1970's and now, although not common, may be seen at cat shows throughout the world. Most of the major cat registries, TICA, ACFA, and CFA, have written standards that are very similar. All call for a large, muscular cat, with heavy, strong bones, a rectangular body and long tail. The head is an equilateral triangle from the front, with the ears, large and slightly tilted forward, as much on the side of the head as the top. Eyes are large, almond-shaped, slightly tilted and very expressive - if you hear someone at a cat show say, "Oh, what a sweet expression", you can bet they're talking about a Wegie. From the side, the profile should be completely straight from nose to forehead, then a gentle curve over the top of the head. Chin is strong, neck medium-length, back legs slightly longer than forelegs with large round paws. The coat is what gives the Wegie its distinctive look, almost as much as its head and face. A soft, rabbity undercoat with long, coarse, silky guard hairs on top; this undercoat will be shed in spring, and the cat will look almost like a short-haired cat with a fluffy tail and britches. Norwegians are a naturally evolving breed, and have changed little over the years. Extremely intelligent, and affectionate (on their own terms), these cats want always to be with you, although not necessarily ON you. We are a small cattery, producing no more than one or two litters per year. We do this for a very good reason: we want each and every kitten to have the utmost attention and the best care we can provide. None of our cats are caged, except the studs when females are in season and are not being bred. All have the run of the house (actually, they think they RUN the house!) Kittens are raised "underfoot", and every cat is considered a loved and valued pet first, and a pedigreed or show animal second, and our cats, other than kittens for sale, remain with us for life. We do not "pet out" retired show or breeding animals. We sell no kittens to homes which have not been aproved by us or who have not produced references. Likewise, we will provide references to buyers, as well as a written health guarantee from our vets. We do not at this time sell kittens as breeding stock unless it is to established, experienced breeders. The breeding of cats - or any animal - is not something to be taken lightly, or to be undertaken with the expectation of making money. Anyone who wants to become a breeder should spend several years showing, attending cat shows, studying their chosen breed and,if at all posible, working with an experienced mentor before attempting to breed that first litter. We breed for temperament, beauty and the expectation of adding to your household a loving companion animal who will be with you for many years to come. We only have one litter per year because we want to spend every moment with the babies, raising them to be loving and happy pets. Please feel free to contact us with questions or if you are looking for a specific cat - if we don't have the one you want, we may be able to steer you toward another breeder who will. Our Males: Ch. Norsestar's Baldur Dash of Ymir (top of page) Brown classic tabby and white born 6/2/2000 Sire: RW SGC Norsestar's Loki Dam: Sweeson's Osiris of Norsestar  GRC Norsestar's Rakett Mann av Ymir (above) Red Classic and white male born 5-10-05 Sire: GC RW Tana Bru's Kai of Norsestar Dam: Ouijakatz Chandra of Norsestar He adopted the Drinkwell fountain as his own and frequently guards it........   Our Females: QGC Epona's Nordlys Fanstastisk av Ymir (above) Brown Classic Torbie and White female born 4/20/05 Sire: SGC Handel av Boxerhaven Dam: RW Ch Epona's Harleigh  QGC Ymir Rak Kandy (above) Red classic tabby van and white female born August 2007 TICA Best Norwegian Kitten 2008 Sire GC NorseStar Rakett Mann av Ymir Dam QGC Epona Nordlys Fantastisk av Ymir  Moi Valkyrie's Ride of Ymir (above) Brown Mackeral tabby and white female born 7/31/96 Sire: Norsestar's Simba of Moi Critters Dam: Moi Ishnala of Ymir  From our last litter, RW SGCA Ymir Rak My Soul, a brown classic and white altered male, sired by GC NorseStar Rakett Mann av Ymir and dam QGC Epona Nordlys Fantastisk av Ymir, born 12-3-06. Flip (his pet name) weighs in at almost 19 pounds of solid bone and muscle. Like both his parents and all his siblings, he has a gentle, playful personality. Like most cat people, we became involved first with the household pet cat. In addition to breeding and rescue, I also show my HHPs - for the same reason everyone else does: I love my cats and want others to see them. While CFA allows household pets to be shown, they do not earn titles. ACFA and TICA not only allow household pet cats to be shown, they also enable these non-pedigree cats to earn titles comparable to those of their championship cousins. In TICA, the only standard existing for household pet cats is that the cat must be the quintessential companion animal. Grooming, health and condition, and personality are utmost in presenting one's household pet. ANY pet cat may be shown, whether it is a forlorn stray that found its way to your door, or a purebred which, for some reason, does not meet its breed standard. Cats with extra toes, chewed ears, or missing part of a tail or even a leg, can become champions (or "Master" in TICA, and "Royal" in ACFA)in fact as well as in the minds and hearts of their loving owners. Because of this lack of exact standards, the household pet can sometimes be more fun to show than the Championship cats. You can see colors and patterns that exist only in the mind of Mother Nature, and traits like bobtails or curly coats where you least expect them. The judge's job is "only" to select those cats who have the star quality of personality and careful grooming - far more daunting a task than it may appear! In TICA, household pet cats must earn the same number of points and titles (a HHP is called a "Master", whereas the championship cat is referred to as "Champion") as its blue-blooded cousins to rise to the top.  Sody, (above) one of my rescues who is now a permanent family member, gets her show bath. While most cats do not enjoy it, they do get used to the bath. If you would like to show your cat and have not exhibited before, or if you would merely like to know what goes on at a cat show, check out our "New Exhibitor's Guide" for more information.  Sody after her bath. This little cat was found next to a dumpster, almost dead in a carrier filled with urine and feces outside the DuPage animal hospital. She weighed less than 4 pounds, was matted to the skin and barely able to stand. After good medical care and plenty of good food and tons of love, we now have a beautiful, feisty Blue Point Himalayan. She is a purebred, but since she is a rescue and has no papers, we show her as a household pet. She is now Quadruple Grand Master Purrmeister's Rhapsody in Bleu!  Sody again, a little more dignified this time.......a face like Oscar the Grouch: who couldn't fall in love with this one?  Above, Purrmeister's Wicked Wicket of the North, a Seal Point Traditional Siamese, is my alpha male. He rules the roost in no uncertain terms and doesn't take any guff from anyone, human or feline. Traditional, or "applehead" Siamese have not changed in conformation or color from the original - there are photographs on record of Siamese cats from as early as the 1800's; the Traditional Siamese today is an exact replica of its ancestors. As the breed evolved, however, the breed description called for a body type longer, leaner, and the head more "oriental", so that now Traditional Siamese may not be shown in CFA, TICA, or ACFA except as household pets. Wicket (who was named because of his resemblance as a kitten to the Ewoks in the Star Wars movie) has some of the most beautiful markings I've ever seen on a Meezer, but since he considers judges to be a food group, he can't be shown.  In addition to being Alpha Male, Wicket has a full-time job modelling my cat beds.  RW SGM Purrmeister's Oscar (above) who is, funnily enough, a brown mackeral tabby and white (or as some of the judges call him, a white with brown mackeral tabby). Another stray who found his way into our home and hearts,this guy was my first TICA Supreme!  Above, RW SGM Thing One, a red mackeral tabby and white. One and his brother, Thing Two, were feral. I had to trap them and couldn't get close enough to tell if they were boys or girls, hence the names. One is a terrific show cat and comes out of his shell to schmooze anyone, judge or exhibitor, who gets close enough.  QGM Loki, a brown ("black") mackeral tabby. This "cold" color is less common than the warmer brown (see Cris Crinkle on the show information page), but very beautiful. | Return Home | Contact Us | Exhibitor Guide | Show Info Purrfectly Moovelous | Online Catalog | Twisted Whiskers | Kittens and cats available and past litters | Entry Form Purrfectly Moovelous | Summary Sheet Purrfectly Moovelous | |
||
 |
 |
