tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59964208457701225862024-02-02T09:01:43.759-08:00Wyrdwul Cattery home of the Helki Cat BreedAubreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01748516176296927932noreply@blogger.comBlogger64125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5996420845770122586.post-69619671780262185942012-05-10T09:25:00.001-07:002012-05-10T09:25:42.536-07:00GroomingBecause the Helki has a "new" fur type its been an experimental game trying to find the best way to groom their fur. When the kittens go to their forever homes, basic grooming questions are asked, so I felt that it would be a great way to write what I know, so far.<br />
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A Helki while it looks like a short hair cat is really more of a medium hair. The undercoat is thick and while it sheds it is rare that you will notice much fur comnig off of your cat. The coat holds the dead fur in as filling and insulation. For this reason I think it is good practice to comb a Helki coat out once or twice a month. Dead fur tends to also dull the coat and keep the skins natural oils from spreading through out the coat. A groomed Helki will still show the plaited/scaled look with a glimmering shine.<br />
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At home I use a Furminator to do most of my grooming. Nothing else seems to get deep enough into the coat. Most people don't bathe their cats, I do bathe mine for shows. About a week before a show I will clip nails, clean ears, comb the fur, and bathe the cat. The best products for bathing a Helki are oatmeal based. I will often times take a packet of dry oatmeal powder and rub that through the fur. Then a quick rinse with hot water. Then a shampoo of a moisturizing shampoo. I have yet to find a product that compares to Garnier moisturizing shampoo. I have even tried Focus 21 Sea Plasma Shampoo and not felt that I got as good of results. After the shampoo and rinse I towel dry the cat and then let them air dry. This can take a while depending on the thickness of the coat.<br />
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I have learned some great tricks for the showhall from a Chartruex breeder that seems to work for the Helki as well. First off you should know that the Helki coat is longer then the Chartruex, so if you are familiar with these techniques then please do it sparingly until you get into a comfortable place with the grooming of your individual Helki. So here it is, the simple trick to a quick Helki groom is to bring several washcloths, dampen one and run it through the Helki coat backwards. I also will spritz the coat with texturizer and sea plasma always from the back of the cat forward, so that the spritz gets into the coat and doesn't just lay on the top. Currently I only do this a few times through out the day of a show, as I don't need to have the cat in front of a judge, but I like to be as prepared as much as possible. When doing this I also try to make sure the cat is not damp when being petted by others.<br />
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At home I always do the best I can to give the cats a great diet. I prefer to feed them some raw as well as commercial food. The Helki is a cat that loves fish, in the same way an Oriental Shorthair loves poultry. I am the type that believes that human or animal we crave what we need. So I do like to put some Salmon oil in their commercial food once or twice a month.<br />
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Moulting is definitely something that happens with the Helki. There is normal seasonal moult that is easily handled if you are maintaining a good grooming schedule. Then there are moults I've seen at different stages of life. These are a bit more dramatic. Kittens usually moult between 4-6 months old. What you will notice is a once full fluffy coat is now a bit coarse and flat. This usually grows back with in two to three months. The next major moult happens around a year to a year and a half of age. Females at this age can drop most of their coat during this moult. Leaving them with only a some fur along their spine and tail. Males lose less coat but I have seen some neuters at this stage look like the females. Most males at this age will not lose much and it will be even less noticeable then the kitten moult. Some however will lose fur at the base of the tail and buttocks, any pantaloons will moult, a naked patch on each side of the belly, and some fur on the head and jowls. This moult also takes a bit longer for them to grow the fur back. Some never do grow back all their coat, but those are not to be used for breeding. Now I know breeders might be freaking out because some people would have already bred a cat by a year. The Helki female rarely goes into any major heat until she reaches a year and a half. So it is a bit easier to tell who you will want to breed that way. After this major life changing moult, most other moulting is routine and you better understand the moulting cycles of your individual cat.<br />
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So far that is what I have learned from this breed and I will update this article when any new and helpful information is found.<br />
<br />Aubreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01748516176296927932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5996420845770122586.post-24113687912313946412012-04-26T09:03:00.003-07:002012-04-26T09:03:58.381-07:00Of Discrepancies, Disdain, and DeterminationAbout a week ago a friend said to me that she had read everything she could find on the Helki and that she loved the breed, which is always a good way to make one feel warm and fuzzy. It wasn't until a few days later that I wondered if she had read the blog, or the website, or my Facebook. I didn't really connect all the dots until this morning when a light bulb came on and I realized how scattered the information on the Helki breed is. I post a lot of updates on my Facebook page. I even have a whole photo folder on Helki fur pics. That's when it hit me. Not all the info is in the same place. Then there are some sources out there that I really need to encourage updates on. While any publicity is good publicity, I think that embellishments can turn people away. I have always felt that stark honesty is the best policy, even when its burned me to the core, but I will get to that in a little bit. The discrepancies and scattered info are my fault. Not correcting the embellishments, is also my fault. On a quick side note, I do think some of the embellishments are a probably because I am a wordy person and I was not familiar with cat fancy terminology when I was attempting to describe what I was seeing and experiencing with the Helki fur.<br />
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Oh the disdain I have! Anger and frustration. I pissed off a group of people that decided, if I wasn't going to do what they wanted me to do, they would make sure to put on a full blown smear campaign. Thankfully I have had a lot of very influential people holding me up from the beginning with the Helki. They stood up for me behind the scenes and have been there to prop me up again through this entire mess. Again all I can say for certain is that I should have been more cautious with who I was doing deals with and I should have stood up for myself in the beginning and I should have backed out at the very moment I realized that things weren't as they seemed. It also lead to a few people telling me exactly what they thought of the Helki breed, most of which told me that they didn't think I had anything worth working toward. I had everyday see 'em on the street cats with nothing interesting about their coats. They said I needed to get a grip and move on. At first I was discouraged and dumbfounded. I felt I had posted lots of proof. I've taken enough pictures to make photographers sick. I've been honest, insightful, and have asked people to be ho<br />
nest with me every step of the way.<br />
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A funny thing happens when people like me get angry. No even though I was quiet, I wasn't hiding in the corner shivering in fear. I was calculating what to do in order to help my breed, what I could do to prove naysayers wrong. The anger turns to motivation and determination to see this through to the end. There are some things that I really need to do, like taking Dr. Lyons up on her offer to see the Helki at UC Davis. There are some things I've done like increase the amount of fur pics posted on Facebook, and letting more people handle and see the breed. There are also the other things that are more exciting like, breeding and showing that I have all in the works for the new show season. Amazingly enough I've had more people interested in getting kittens as pets, and a few breeders interested in promoting the breed. It looks like this is going to be a very interesting and auspicious year for the Helki.<br />
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<br />Aubreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01748516176296927932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5996420845770122586.post-63907790426778045812011-08-18T14:53:00.000-07:002011-08-18T14:54:38.153-07:00A Tale of TailsI was lucky enough to get to talk on the phone with one Sue Sweetman the other day. She is one of the foundation breeders of the Highlander breed of cats. She gave me some sound advice concerning the process of moving up from Experimental Breed Status with TICA to the Preliminary New Breed Status. While I am not ready for such a step, anyone who has played games like Shogi, Go, or Chess know that its best to read steps ahead and know what your opponent might play before maybe they even do.<br />
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The main concern Sue had for me is that while the coat of the Helki may be unique, I have not really boasted about other features of the breed that make them unique from your local barn cat. Sue of course did this in a kind and respectful manner while also schooling me in again an appropriate way.<br />
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During our discussion I realized the Helki do have another fantastic physical trait that I don't often talk about. The Helki have long tails. My ideal male OberonRa aka Keebler's tail measures out to 13 inches long. His is the longest tail of my males and I have stressed often, he is one of the males that meet the physical conformation of the breed the best. His winter coat is nice, but not as plush as I would like, but when I look at this male I know he is what I want to see in my breed. <br />
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So then I started thinking, well what is the average length of tale on the Helki. So I measured the tales and found that most of them have a length of around 11 inches regardless of size or sex. Which actually surprised me. I thought for sure the smaller cats and the females would have porportionally smaller tales. There are only a few tales that are 10in or less and only some making it to 1ft of tail length. Then I decided to measure the tail length of my domestics and found that 9 inches was about the longest. Medium long to long tails were already in my standard so this in not a concern, but I may need to make a point in other venues to point out the gorgeously long leopard like tails.<br />
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I do possibly have a coat pattern/color that is unique to the Helki but I want to confirm this before I make any official announcements. As for it being a unique breed if the final card up my sleeve pans out, then the final package will be difficult to deny.<br />
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Aubreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01748516176296927932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5996420845770122586.post-81688037721327416242011-05-28T21:14:00.000-07:002011-05-28T21:14:45.403-07:00The Curious Fur of the Helki<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKbEksTZjaP3rIYORgWaQWB354zw4E5pLnZNTgrR6mg0iMEbwIv-EzSs8TmAA0nY6HvhQA4se4V-G_bdLjB2vZwwFtsQwyXUyJtdQrPNyrbtxKwB7w6nNWvr4IHXnjiB6dSCQtt8UlgIj5/s1600/220598_1947480056853_1538109921_2108412_3555729_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKbEksTZjaP3rIYORgWaQWB354zw4E5pLnZNTgrR6mg0iMEbwIv-EzSs8TmAA0nY6HvhQA4se4V-G_bdLjB2vZwwFtsQwyXUyJtdQrPNyrbtxKwB7w6nNWvr4IHXnjiB6dSCQtt8UlgIj5/s320/220598_1947480056853_1538109921_2108412_3555729_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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First and foremost its important to note that this blog is now two years old. *throws confetti* Yeah not really a huge thing but a fun tidbit. Now on to the meat and potatoes.<br />
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Its been a while since I sat down and pounded out my thoughts on my beloved breed. Its not that I have nothing to say, its that I have preteen and teen children who have had a lot of their own important milestones this year. As many of you know I love my cats, but my kids are my blood and no matter what they have to come first. Instead of cat shows, I've been going to ROTC ceremonies, and NASA day at the middle school, not to mention the Promotion Ceremonies. One of which I still need to attend mid-June. Then we can't forget that my husband loves VolksWagons. He has been spending a lot of time and money on his hobby this year, which is only fair as I did the same on the cat fancy in the past years. So needless to say my cat show experiences have been few and mostly there as a support role. Lets not even go on about the show we came to and had to leave early because of a bad yogurt. So the short of the story is I'm still here and so are the cats but we are taking a back seat to regroup.<br />
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Regrouping also means no breeding. I can not even tell you how excruciatingly painful it is to see so many wonderful kitten photos and videos from friends. I am currently doing all my vicarious breeding through these photos. While I know who I want to breed next and what outcome I expect, I also know that where we live is not conducive to breeding kittens for soooo many reasons. The first being that we are moving again in September. I don't want to have little kittens when we move. Unfortunately the living situation here was not what we expected and in order to get out of it we need to move again. *sigh* Either way no kittens and I miss having kittens.<br />
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The next order of business is the Helki SOP. When I first drafted it and had a few of my mentors review it, I was told to put it online. However I put it off and forgot. In fact, I forgot so well that I thought it was online hahaha! It was just recently that Patricia Bristow was kind enough to ask me about it and I found out that I had <u>not</u> put it online. I did a quick add and put it on the about page on my site: <a href="http://www.wyrdwul.com/about.html">http://www.wyrdwul.com/about.html </a>but for a quick link here on the Blog you can go here: <a href="http://www.wyrdwul.com/HelkiSOP.docx">Helki SOP</a> it a Windows doc so if you need pdf form, just let me know. I'm thinking of reformatting the website and will then have the SOP viewable without having to download a doc or pdf.<br />
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Last but not least I wanted to talk in length about the coat of my favorite cats. Wyrdwul was chosen as my cattery name because fate has played a large role in finding the unique and subtle quality fur on these cats. The first litters that we had were unexpected accidents and I thought the lightly wavy fur on the kittens was not that big a deal, it wasn't until one was born with very obvious wavy fur that I really took notice. Even then I only contacted the cat fancy to let them know what I found and to get some grooming advice. Sadly the grooming advice I have gotten from breeders of other breeds have not helped at all and in that first cat completely ruined his coat. Even to this day people who get pet kittens from me often ask for grooming advice. Its been touch and go trying to find something that works. As most breeders know what works in the show hall is not meant for pets at home. So in other words I have had to pioneer out and figure out how to groom for show and what is best for at home. Now I am going to leave that thought for a moment.<br />
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When I've had judges and other breeders look at the fur in detail, many of them feel that the coat looks similar to Persian fur after its been striped and groomed for show, while still maintaining a unique feel of rabbit fur. Those people that have been able to look at my fur samples have also commented that the fur looks like rabbit fur as it has guard hair but not as much as your standard DSH/DLH. The Helki in reality is a medium hair cat.I've had short haired Helki and their fur is like velvet, but its not what I was breeding for and wont be breeding for it. So the short hair version is really a medium furred cat. The long hair Helki is medium long fur with lovely ruffles, britches, and plumes. The coats of either are meant to be compact, resilient, and plush.<br />
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Recently our family was blessed with the addition of a double mane Lionhead Rabbit. If you have never seen or heard of this breed I do encourage you to go to: <a href="http://lionheadrabbit.net/">http://lionheadrabbit.net/</a>. Now I personally haven't had a rabbit since I was a teenager. So it was really neat to find that everyone was right on call when they said the texture of the Helki fur was like rabbit fur. You were all so right. Even down to how the fur looks. The Lionhead fur has this undulating wooly fur with guard hair. So I took the time to look up the standard of points for this breed here are some of the points I love:<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: red;"><b><span style="color: #0062c4;">*</span></b></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">the mane is made of wool</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: red;"><b><span style="color: #0062c4;">*</span></b></span> the wool is strong<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;"><b><span style="color: #0062c4;">*</span></b></span></span> lively feeling with a soft silky texture.<br />
<span style="color: red;"><b><span style="color: #0062c4;">*</span></b></span> should be wavy<br />
<span style="color: red;"><b><span style="color: #ec0000;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;"><b><span style="color: #0062c4;">*</span></b></span></span></span></b></span> should show crimping</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: red;"><b><span style="color: #0062c4;">*</span></b></span> guard hairs will be present but should never create a coarse feelin</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: red;"><b><span style="color: #0062c4;">*</span></b></span><span style="color: #0062c4;"> </span>Rollback<br />
<span style="color: red;"><b><span style="color: #0062c4;">*</span></b></span> soft, dense, medium length</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: red; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #0062c4;">-courtesy of <a href="http://www.cimmarononline.com/LHvisual.htm">http://www.cimmarononline.com/LHvisual.htm</a></span></span></span><br />
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Love it! love it! love it! the descriptions are just so similar to me that I was so pleased with my own standard and that so many of us were right on the money when describing the texture of fur as feeling like rabbit fur. Not just any rabbit fur, but one that has few guard hair that are not course. It really gave me chills. While I am not modeling the Helki to have a mane it is nice to see something comparable and feel justified in that description.<br />
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So back to grooming. I have to also now groom this rabbit. not for show but normal maintenance of the coat. So I did some digging. Rabbits have a finer fur then your everyday cat. The Helki and our resident Rabbit have fur of that same fineness. It was suggested by Lionhead breeders to use a cat flea comb or a fine rabbit fur grooming comb. So I tried it on the rabbit first. A flea comb is wonderful for him, it really worked well. I tried it on the cats whom I've been trying to use a regular metal grooming comb on but the tines were not close enough together to be of any use. The flea comb is a wonderful comb for the cats. So going forward thats what I am recommending for pet homes. Weekly brushing of the coat should keep it in shape. Use a metal flea comb or rabbit grooming comb (if you can find one).<br />
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Ok so I think thats several months worth of posts. As always I am around and active on Facebook, please feel free to message me if you'd like. :)Aubreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01748516176296927932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5996420845770122586.post-72650818853347409622011-01-21T15:41:00.000-08:002011-01-21T15:41:58.286-08:00The Foo Ball<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;">Let me first begin by telling you a bit about Tae Meowski. Tae is currently bordering on 9 months of age. Her mother is Pixie and her daddy is Romo Meowski. Tae is a lovey dovey smoosh ball, she has several favorite toys but nothing is as important as the Foo Ball. (see picture) The Foo Ball is good for all kinds of things, but the best game it plays is fetch aka Foo. Foo can be invoked by the cat or the human. It is a game that any human is allowed to play with Tae, and most times Foo is played with several humans and Tae as she decides who is next to throw the ball, by bringing it back to the preferred player and dropping it near them.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD68VTUFGRlK-fN6cvhPQCNfBjXQekcTejzfxar8eQgT-0ybQsgvoX2O0RBpl72qWupsyOxzkn3yOZ6eE07NZMDEKLZ57CG7J6UlA_ORVdhpYJSmSBro3BxwoNt-Db-cE8QH8h3zVpg_RR/s1600/01211FooBall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD68VTUFGRlK-fN6cvhPQCNfBjXQekcTejzfxar8eQgT-0ybQsgvoX2O0RBpl72qWupsyOxzkn3yOZ6eE07NZMDEKLZ57CG7J6UlA_ORVdhpYJSmSBro3BxwoNt-Db-cE8QH8h3zVpg_RR/s200/01211FooBall.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAt_1T__CpOiIVbvRG0es7Hh_pqzvnPbw3KVw1D9nYUVJfelXGnQvEjZpdlqlQu2ZCk_hFNbYsGZAvV7POmN293lB9v7MjNiPLCERF6KB6f4uWFCBBi06xqx3oIWrhhrwwemR5WPeGv_Nt/s1600/012111TaesFoo2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAt_1T__CpOiIVbvRG0es7Hh_pqzvnPbw3KVw1D9nYUVJfelXGnQvEjZpdlqlQu2ZCk_hFNbYsGZAvV7POmN293lB9v7MjNiPLCERF6KB6f4uWFCBBi06xqx3oIWrhhrwwemR5WPeGv_Nt/s320/012111TaesFoo2.jpg" width="139" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;">Today was laundry day, as I gathered the laundry together I did notice the Foo Ball, but figured that the recent shampooing it had was sufficient. All the laundry was taken from my room and washed and dried. As I folded the last batch of laundry, I shook out a blanket to fold and Lo' and Behold what falls out, but the Foo Ball! </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;">I asked my husband and he said no he hadn't put it in the laundry. I know I didn't, and the kids were already gone to school. So when all the laundry was put away, I called this silly cat, she sat at attention, I showed her the now washed and dried Foo Ball. Her little expectant eyes sparkled, so I threw her ball for her. She ran after it tail in the air, sure enough she came back with the Foo Ball in her mouth.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp-qiJ7tqEM0l3vTSPNi26ZkVEDS2LEkMR1XwdySU-auGQlZLvY3UDFiHZUZ_yXyg48p3h0qAF3qGGd7U5QCwxvMlwZqGEp3Zh0H_VUj1W-cOB_o2bvRCHCVmEok9Emoe7iIHH4JD6hoG6/s1600/012111TaesFoo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp-qiJ7tqEM0l3vTSPNi26ZkVEDS2LEkMR1XwdySU-auGQlZLvY3UDFiHZUZ_yXyg48p3h0qAF3qGGd7U5QCwxvMlwZqGEp3Zh0H_VUj1W-cOB_o2bvRCHCVmEok9Emoe7iIHH4JD6hoG6/s320/012111TaesFoo.jpg" width="235" /></a> </div>Aubreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01748516176296927932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5996420845770122586.post-8721191468179106072010-10-30T13:46:00.000-07:002010-10-30T13:46:53.453-07:00Topic SaverI was planning on blogging about something else today, but I have so much going on with Halloween that I have barely had the time to sit down and post. I will return to blogging on Monday and be spending time with my family and my beloved cats. Have a safe and wonderful Halloween. Blessed Be :-DAubreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01748516176296927932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5996420845770122586.post-91022316474708086162010-10-29T13:50:00.000-07:002010-10-29T13:50:47.822-07:00Magazine MilestoneThats Right, we are in Print Baby!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGeqAAAXhx_mULkuPypxCn_STbMCjuPMTC14183LEFXFrMJTeAU3R7Frdj9wMw5ktwkfPjoKevnocM7MIFcFn-zroULDjzAhV-FtpwB64rEu04ElpEh1J4BuQD2SInVx0DPvLoYzaL1OG0/s1600/CaesYCiaOct2010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGeqAAAXhx_mULkuPypxCn_STbMCjuPMTC14183LEFXFrMJTeAU3R7Frdj9wMw5ktwkfPjoKevnocM7MIFcFn-zroULDjzAhV-FtpwB64rEu04ElpEh1J4BuQD2SInVx0DPvLoYzaL1OG0/s320/CaesYCiaOct2010.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>It is with my great pleasure to share this with the group. A few months back I was contacted by a Brazillian journalist Fabio Bense who wanted to do a short article on the Helki Cat Breed. I still don't know who pushed them in my direction but I thank you kindly. Ceas & Cia promptly got photos and asked me soooo many questions. After all was said and done (proofing, etc), I was told thank you and heard nothing more. I thought that possibly its such a new face on the cat breed block that maybe it wasn't something they were interested in doing. I shrugged my shoulders and went on with my life. That was until yesterday when I got the magazine in my mailbox. I am attaching the article with what I was told is the English translation, with the Magazine front as the background. This is the October Issue of Ceas & Cia which can also be view virtually & purchased on their website: <a href="http://www.caes-e-cia.com.br/%20" target="_blank">http://www.caes-e-cia.com.br/ </a><br />
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The cat in the picture is Wyrdwul Sapporo aka Purro, whose kitten photos many of you may be familiar with: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/helkicats/sets/72157622856916252/" target="_blank">http://www.flickr.com/photos/<wbr></wbr>helkicats/sets/<wbr></wbr>72157622856916252/</a><br />
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Thank you all again, for your continued support.<br />
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Aubrey Anderson<br />
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tomorrows blog: Too YoungAubreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01748516176296927932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5996420845770122586.post-64368285662443557362010-10-29T13:43:00.000-07:002010-10-29T13:43:04.820-07:00Selective Breeding and ScoringOk I promised I would write about this today. I have some qualms about getting into specifics or not. I understand that not everyone uses this method but this is what I use. It gives me a really good range and definitely pulls out the show, breeder, and pet quality kittens. So for a real life example Kiyame's recent litter of five, were all over the place in their different features. Some better then others. Just at a glance I knew who the best kittens were, but to remain objective and not pick favorites, I scored them based on the guidelines Roy Robinson outlined in his book "Robinson's Genetics for Cat Breeders". Just as a note I have the original not the reprint. I changed my scoring slightly to reflect what was important for the breed as outline by the Breed Standard. Going by this scoring method, let me know that I had two breeder/show kittens out of this litter and I know which kitten is better (per the scoring) then the other. The other three kittens are adorable and one is breeder quality but not show quality. The other two kittens will have to go to pet homes. They are adorable and cute, they have the Helki fur in different degrees, but they are pet quality because they do not meet the standard and score low on the grading scale.<br />
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<u>Remaining Objective</u> is not an easy task, my favorite kitten in the bunch was second place and my second favorite is third place. The kitten that scored the highest is not really 'my cup of tea'. She is the one I should keep to breed.<br />
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<u>Looking at Big Picture</u> is important also. I can not essentially keep three kittens from the same litter. Doing so limits my gene pool, which can lead to trouble. Its important to think of what each individual can bring to the table when their time as a breeder/show cat comes up. Do you want to keep or accentuate the patterns, conformation, etc that such and such kitten has? Which kitten has the better potential at helping your current breeding program?<br />
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<u>Continued Scoring and Reviewing</u> results as the kitten grows can also be a helpful thing to do. Don't score once, and let that be the deciding factor. Find the best milestones for your breed and score during those weeks. I score when the kittens are born, when the whole litters eyes are open, when they begin to walk and play, and when they have weaned.<br />
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<u>Decision Time</u> comes for me around twelve weeks of age. At this junction I take all four scores and average them out. Taking only kittens that score above 175 on my scale I think about what they can individually bring to the table. Kittens are then placed in homes appropriately. <br />
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So ends the summary of my current methods. :-DAubreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01748516176296927932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5996420845770122586.post-65800722388068468062010-10-28T10:17:00.000-07:002010-10-28T10:17:57.311-07:00Back to the BlogIts been literaly months since I posted about the Helki breed. There has been so much that has happened since I decided not to blog. Lets see if I can fill you all in. For those of you who don't breed cats, let me tell you its not an easy hobby. Its time consuming, life altering, you never make a dime. There is a lot of paperwork, legalities, record keeping, and animal caring that MUST happen. When you are working with an estabilished breed you can keep only a few cats because there are many more breeders out there holding on to lines that can be used in the future. When you are working with a rare or new breed keeping your gene pool swimmingly fresh is a whole other ballgame. When cat fanciers are asked how many cats they have they often reply with "too many". Its the appropriate response given the witch hunt mentality of the world at large. What is scary is when its not cat breeders but rescuers, and cat lovers all over saying this. I came to realize during the summer that the pedigree breeders, rescuers, and cat lovers need to unite and stop our government from telling us how many cats we can own. If the welfare of the cats is good then why can't a person own many cats? The welfare of the animals is what is key. It seems easy for the world to see a house of many cats and say "crazy cat lady" or the new and popular "hoarder". While hoarding is a serious mental condition it should be pretty easy to pick out true hoarders from people who own many cats. I wont get into this enlarge today, but it makes me angry to hear that a good cat breeder whose animals are well cared for is being villianized in the news and throughout their community.<br />
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Why am I so outraged? Well because not only has this happened to friends all too recently but it also happened to me. Thankfully the "authorities" came in and looked about my home and said the case was unfounded. The scary thing... all it takes is a call. One person doesn't like you or what you've said and they can anonymously call you in. I think the scariest thing is that it targeted not only my animals but my children. It was a wake up call that has made me a bit of an activist. It has also made me more cautious as to what I post and say on the interwebs about my own household. I screen my Facebook friend invites and I am cautious to the 'Nth" degree. I took down all kinds of info on my website and I stopped blogging. But that is just the beginning of this tale.<br />
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Now if that wasn't hard enough to get out here is the most difficult thing to say. My kitten mortality rate was really bad. I was at the point where I was going to stop breeding for the fear that the breed was not viable. There were no, known illnesses detected. There were many different reasons the kittens weren't making it. There seemed to be no real pathology and that was the scary part. I started to wonder if the kittens were just weak. I started to isolate litters and I was very careful about what was going on with them and began to notice that the litters would be healthy until they were allowed out of their enclosures and onto the carpet. The house was old and not as well cared for as it should have been before we moved in. We lived in this house for five years not knowing what was growing throughout the house. I got severely ill, enough I could no longer work. Everyone in the house had sinus issues. The signs were there, but we didn't know there was black mold growing rampant through the home. Thankfully we moved, and within two weeks my blood pressure was automatically down and my thyroid levels were spot on after two difficult years. That was when I decided it might be ok to try again.<br />
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Ok so here I am trying again to be cautious for the protection of my breed and family. I'd love to tell you how many Helki kittens are running around without a sign of illness, but I will just say this the kitten mortality rate is at an amazing all time low. I was guarded, and worried. Still ready to shut the whole thing down, but the mystery illness and infections that plagued my kittens in the old house are non existent now. I am not using different breed stock then I did before, the only thing that changed was where we live now. My conclusion is that the problems from before was because of black mold. While I am thankful to know why, it still hurts to think of the cats I lost in this fight. My health has improved also, the only major issue that continues to bother me is my arthritis. I still have some issues with fibro and CFS but they are much better then before. Some of which I think is because I've learned how to manage my illness better and reduce fatigue.<br />
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So there you have it. A lot of cat breeds have issues in the beginning. Bengals had issues with mates killing each other. Manx, munchkins, and Scottish Folds still have issues where they cant mate homozygous without a high kitten mortality rate. And there are many other examples, but truth be told, speaking out about these issues is not easy. In fact its down right scary. I've been lucky to have a strong network of friends, mentors, and advisers to help me through this. I am thankful for their input and help.<br />
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I'd love to give the power forward speech. I'd love to see more awareness about black mold and how it affects people and their pets. Overall, the most difficult part is moving forward. Everyday I wonder if starting a breed is the right thing to do. Recently I read a excerpt from the CFA Almanac regarding the Bombay breeding program and it really hit home. Starting a new breed is not for the faint of heart. Its not for those who want glory, its not for people who care more about awards then their cats. Its a job for those who know how to stick to a goal and proceed. Its for those who love people and cats. Its for those who can network and stay critical and positive at the same time. This is a struggle that is worthwhile and so I continue even in the face of adversity.<br />
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Now for some lovely pictures:<br />
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Pixie <br />
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Tae (daughter of Pixie) and Kiyame her auntie <br />
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<u><i>tomorrow breed selection and scoring</i></u>Aubreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01748516176296927932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5996420845770122586.post-46990746756468510912010-07-31T12:09:00.000-07:002010-07-31T12:09:01.047-07:00Package sent and receivedDont know if it will ever matter, but I sent the DNA and fur samples of 20 of Helki cats out to UC Davis on 07/24/10 and it was received by them on 07/26/10.Aubreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01748516176296927932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5996420845770122586.post-30201596544878423372010-05-11T05:31:00.000-07:002010-05-11T05:31:39.042-07:00A Tribute To AmunRa<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://media.mycatspace.com/photos/9/8/6/P1010921_normal.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="142" src="http://media.mycatspace.com/photos/9/8/6/P1010921_normal.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>It is with the heaviest of hearts that I write this. My beloved cat Ra passed away last night. Ra had been hit by a double whammy. He got an abscess from getting a whack on the head from another cat, and then we brought home some kind of cold from the vets the last time the dogs were there. The cold turned into an upper respiratory infection. Ra's abscess healed but his immune system was weak from the two infections. I was able to give him some amoxicillin and terramycin. I thought he had bolstered and was on the mend. I was wrong it was the last glimmer before he passed. Ra waited for my nightly check up on him. Enough on how he died ... let me tell you about his Life.<br />
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AmunRa was born on 11/17/2008 it was evident that he was born too early, especially when his mother held onto the other kittens for a few days before delivering them. Ra was scrawny and tiny and the oddest colored kitten I had ever seen.<br />
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As he grew his unique color and fur really began to show:<br />
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He was so neat that a friend encouraged me to show him. So off Ra went the first week of April 2009 to show off what a Helki looks like. That weekend as a kitten Ra was able to make best HHP in 2 rings. But then this is how he looked at his cat show:<br />
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Ra went to many other cat shows and he did well. He was always a spectator favorite. His sweet loving personality always won everyone over. Ra went on to stud two litters of Helki kittens. His son OberonRa (Keebler) stands with the likeness of his father in both looks and personality. Shai (Piggy) and OdinRa (Stubz) are beautiful kittens with outgoing and good natured temperaments. Ra was also a good father and would care for his kittens. Showing that true fathering is a wonderful Helki trait.<br />
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Sadly Ra was never an overly healthy cat. He could pick up a cat cold like nobody's business. It seemed that his immune system suffered from the get go and was probably part in fact to his early arrival. Despite all his troubles Ra was a great spokescat for the Helki and I am so blessed to have had him in my life. He was a major driving point for me to learn so much about cat color, & coat genetics. He helped work with me to find the best way to groom a Helki before a show.<br />
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Sorry I am just terrible right now, between sniffles and all I hope this makes sense. Here is to AmunRa, my sweet ambassador. I love you and miss you so much already.<br />
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<span id="goog_1600621158"></span><span id="goog_1600621159"></span>Aubreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01748516176296927932noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5996420845770122586.post-7236388551462194052010-04-09T08:22:00.000-07:002010-04-09T08:22:27.821-07:00Light Switch & the Joy of Cat TreesI recentlty bought this $40 cat tree at Walmart. You assemble it at home, it has three tiers, and reaches all the way to the ceiling. Needless to say both my budget and my cats <b>LOVE</b> it. When placing the tree in my home I knew I wanted it in my room. Its not a big tree and the levels can be turned to face any direction you want. I placed mine in between my bathroom sink and closet thinking what a novel place that would be. Did I mention the cats <b>LOVE</b> the cat tree?! Yes its a place for place, sleep, relaxation... and learning. the bathroom light switch is located right next to the middle tier, the cats have now mastered the light switch. Some use the front paw method, some use the back paw kick method. The switch is fun to turn both on and off. My cats love to challenge each other with all kinds of tasks. Who can walk the railing the farthest, who can climb the curtains to the top, who can run through the house at lightning speed. Now its who has mastered the light switch. While I am amused it can be slightly annoying to have the light turned out on you while you are doing something important for humans per say. But over all I recommend that if you ever want full entertainment, a Helki or two can be the remedy needed. Ooops there's the light again =^_^=Aubreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01748516176296927932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5996420845770122586.post-12081396984102763652010-03-31T21:24:00.000-07:002010-03-31T21:24:43.821-07:00More MilestonesOh this blog, I really should update better. I do have some news, so I want to share it. Yesterday Heather Roberts (All Breed Judge in TICA & member of the Genetics Committee) was kind enough to stop by my home to see the Helki up close and personal. This was a lovely visit and a good step forward for the breed. Now the Helki has been able to have David Mare (CFA Director At Large) and Heather Roberts (TICA Genetics Committee Member) not only handle the cats but review the Standard of Points.<br />
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I think this is a very important step forward and helps me to make the goals I need to continue. I also feel I've gotten valuable information on how to go forward. Some of which will be changing some of the procedures in my own home. I'm notably excited but also I understand this doesn't guarantee anything. Its merely a small step worth noting.Aubreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01748516176296927932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5996420845770122586.post-90368139344831808282010-03-09T08:47:00.000-08:002010-03-13T12:30:54.905-08:00Show Report - Vallejo CA 3/6 - 3/7Crow Canyon Cat Club knows their stuff. They get great judges and put together a good show with excellent vendors. For this two day show I took Ichi for our entry, Slick and Romo to look at and compare. Slick is the one female where I got a normal coat. Her siblings coats weren't as thick or as wavy as I like to see, but Slick is just that sleek and slick. Compared to Romo's coat its pretty easy to tell the difference. Ichi did great in the ring and got 2nd place in all but two rings. One ring he got Best and one ring he got 4th. So on average for this Show Ichi was 2nd. Not to shabby but Ichi might have been bumped down if we had as much competition as had been expected for both days. It was a blast though and it was so nice to see so many young people walking through the show hall with their parents learning about all the different cat breeds. I dont know which school or teacher promoted it, but what a great way to get young people interested.<br />
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So its official this was finally the last time for a while that the Helki will be put on a judging bench. Hopefully we can make quick progress and get enough breeders by next year to submit all the appropriate paperwork by August 1st. I can hope can't I?<br />
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I also got great news. Santoi cattery got back in touch with me and I should be able to get this lovely kitten to show in the next season. My goals this season are to assist with clerking, and show this sweet little guy at the same time exhibition the Helki. Wish me luck.Aubreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01748516176296927932noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5996420845770122586.post-24313954313595125012010-03-03T10:07:00.000-08:002010-03-03T10:07:29.441-08:00Tarot<a href="http://www.facade.com/tarot/description/?Deck=cat_people&Card=4" target="_blank"><img alt="Click for
Details" border="0" src="http://images.facade.com/i/t/cat_people/r/r4.jpg" /></a> The card represents the critical factor for the issue at hand. <b>The Empress</b>: Feminine progress. Action. Natural energy. Development. Fruitfulness. Accomplishment. Interest in day-to-day details. Mother. Sister. Wife. Marriage. Children. Feminine influence. Material wealth. Evolution. A leader. Decisions founded upon all the facts at hand. The motivator of a successful partner or husband. Businesswoman.<br />
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I'm a bit distraught over some personal dealings so I happened to think "why not ask Tarot?" After a good reading I thought why not ask about the Helki Cat Breed. I used the Cat People cards and the system choose a one card spread for me. The above is the reading. I have to say facade.com sure has me convinced. The cat on the card even looks like a stylized Helki. That could be a Romo/Tigre future kitten. lol. Well a girl can dream but maybe I dream too often. I've had a huge kick in the butt today. I hope that it all works out for the best.Aubreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01748516176296927932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5996420845770122586.post-79201615763078940262010-03-02T23:13:00.000-08:002010-03-02T23:13:27.447-08:00Last Show of the SeasonThe Cat show season is ending in about two months. I would love to plow through and show to the very end but I have other priorities. This last show in Vallejo is a heart wrenching yet necessary step for the Helki Breed. I plan on getting back in the show hall once the new season starts but in the meantime I need to focus on submitting the proper forms with TICA and trying to find new breeders that I can connect with and that will uphold the ideals and SOP with this breed. This is some tough work I have cut out for me and while I am excited to see progress I am also frightened of the future. What happens when I have to tactfully decline a breeder? What happens if I feel someone I trusted is going down a bad path. One thing I was definitely warned of is that at some point I have to give up the reins and allow others to proceed me. Thats a hard thing to swallow and will take some time for me to come to terms. Anyhow I can't say that it wont be a good thing. Look at how loved the Persian breed is and yet how different it looks from when it first became a known breed. I've got a lot on my mind and my heart is heavy.Aubreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01748516176296927932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5996420845770122586.post-58890259406472752512010-03-01T23:00:00.001-08:002010-03-01T23:00:44.293-08:00Altan's Pics<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/helkicats/4399543445/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2699/4399543445_ef719c35ac_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/helkicats/4399543445/">109</a> <br />Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/helkicats/">Wyrdwul - Helki Cat Breed</a></span><br clear="all" /><p>Altan's pics came and they are now online and ready to enjoy.</p>Aubreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01748516176296927932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5996420845770122586.post-50919562331979091562010-02-28T18:47:00.000-08:002010-02-28T18:47:13.800-08:00Big Day for the Big Daddy!Not that I want to give all the credit to Romo, but he is a daddy for the first time today. His mate Flying Hugs of Doom had a litter of three girls. Two blues and one black all 3 with silver highlights. I'll have to report more on patterns and such when they are a little older. I know one of the blues is a mackerel tabby. I'm going to have to wait on the other two.<br />
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As for 30 days of this blog I sure haven't done very well. But I am not giving up. I will get this down...promise.Aubreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01748516176296927932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5996420845770122586.post-32815110110185686972010-02-24T23:36:00.000-08:002010-02-24T23:36:17.154-08:00best you thought I forgotOk just popping in before the end of the day. Its been a long one. I have 4 kittens in the house right now and they are at the weaning stage. Everyone is learning litter boxes and food and water habits, but also have a need for supplement feedings. Just like little humans, kittens get going and doing and dont know they are worn out, hungry, or even thirsty sometimes until its too late. The kittens are fun though. Watching them learn and grow is the most wonderful thing.<br />
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Lastly I had a milestone. Mia Meow ate fish for the 2nd day in a row. Not much but its better then just dry food. :)Aubreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01748516176296927932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5996420845770122586.post-24351017001345106712010-02-23T00:43:00.000-08:002010-02-23T00:43:27.551-08:00Opps back to Day 1 - post 2Man I cant believe I pushed this off all day I look at the time and low and behold I am already back to square one on my 30 days of Helki.<br />
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Oh well I did it only to myself. I am currently trying to figure out what to do for the next cat show. No need to send entries in until you know what you are up too. So with that in mind I hope I can be forgiven when it comes to forgetting to post. It will be the last show for me for a few months. I am hoping June or July to begin showing again but the Helki will only be under Exhibition Only. No ribbons, recognition, points, or awards. Still no guts no glory. There is so much work ahead that I can not tell you how nice Exhibition Only actually sounds.<br />
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Ok now to something more fun which is talking about this breed. The Helki has existed as its own little colony for far longer then I've been around. However I want to refine the breed in conformation. Temperment has never been an issue with these cats either from outside or ones bred indoors. There are a handful of cats outdoors that trust only the tinkle of food in a bowl and want nothing else to do with humans.<br />
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Even so I've been a staunch observer of the colony and the cats I breed and have been surprised to hear that some things they do are very different from other cat breeds and certainly not common. So I will share one trait that has surprised many to hear and see. <br />
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<b>True Fathering</b> - I think its pretty well known that for most male cats, kittens are not interesting and sometimes they are "dispatched" so a male cat mate again with a female. The Helki male is extremely the opposite.<br />
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What has been explained to me as "true fathering" is the male cats active role and participation in raising and protecting kittens and his tolerance of kittens within a "colony".<br />
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I didn't think much of it as all Helki males are decently tolerant with kittens. If they have an issue they back off and go do something else. I have never had a male hunt kittens down and dispatch them. It was brought up to me while at the San Diego cat show that my adult male Romo Meowski was laying with and caring for two 4 month old kittens also males. All of them whole males. The realization that this was a true trait did not come until that discussion. Yes the Helki males have even fended large pitbull dogs away from kittens. I have watch them surround and protect a group of kittens and even play with and lead kittens around. Yes whole males. Yes even in the feral colony. This is a trait that does happen with a few breeds, but not many, and certainly not all.<br />
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Another interesting thing that happens is that after new kittens are born many of the males and females want to come see and smell the new kittens. I do allow this on the first and second days of life. It allows the males to connect with the kittens scent and recognize they are part of our group and household. Its a very neat event in our household to watch cat after cat come into the nursery to see mother and kittens and walk out, much like humans do after a baby is born. A quick visit and then its time for mom and kittens to be left alone for bonding and sustenance.<br />
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Long story short, the Helki male is a uniquely intelligent cat who is very tolerant of kittens and loves to help participate in all aspects of raising kittens within the 'colony'.Aubreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01748516176296927932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5996420845770122586.post-31001558259158081102010-02-21T20:37:00.000-08:002010-02-21T20:37:42.355-08:00Jumping Through Hoops - Day 1First thing I want to say is there are going to be some huge changes in the works for me. I have been advised on one occasion in a very polite way that even in CFA it is now time to do Exhibition Only with the Helki. Then recently some staunch advice and words of alert were said to me during a show. My mentor and I had planned on attending and putting the cats on the bench one last time in March, but after that we knew it was time for Exhibition Only. Now I am contemplating just doing Exhibition Only at this show in March. Its a difficult decision for me, however I know the advice given to me could also be the warning that I may be stepping to far into territory where I will be causing myself and my breed nothing but harm. I am not making the decision today but I do think that its time to settle in for the long winter in Exhibition Only. Its not an easy feeling but all the advice given is from those whom I trust and respect. I've never gone wrong by following the advice from these people.<br />
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Another thing I'd like to try is 30 days of Helki Blog! I neglect this portion of life so well. I really dont like putting my heart on my sleeve in front of everyone and their dog to read. I like to believe that all people have good intentions but I know from experience that it is not the case. Again I have to think about the breed and not myself. I need breeders and I need people interested in this breed. So in order to do that I need to talk about them and my methods more. Hopefully my honesty can help others understand that my intentions are not bad, even if those people do not agree with me or if they dont like my breed. Here is the skinny, I will attempt to post about the Helki everyday for 30 days. If I skip a day the 30 days starts over. The post may be very simple and sent from my cell phone, or could be long and involved. It will be at my whim and hopefully fun and informative. :)Aubreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01748516176296927932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5996420845770122586.post-41792005359438744572010-02-21T20:20:00.000-08:002010-02-21T20:21:00.360-08:00Show Report - King City CA 02/20/2010King City was a lot of fun. I am going to attempt to make this short and sweet though this cattery brought two kittens and Najo cattery brought one kitten. Thats a total of 3 Helki kittens being show under HHP class. Alton is a red ticked tabby. He scored the best with two Bests. Ichiban scored one Best. Sappuro's best placement for six rings was one 3rd place ribbon. Over all a fun day in a very low key show hall with fun judges. Alton and Ichi held most of their scores between Best and Third throughout the day. We were able to get some stunning photos of Alton done and are hoping to post those soon.Aubreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01748516176296927932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5996420845770122586.post-55569551875834218632010-02-04T14:21:00.000-08:002010-02-04T14:21:27.588-08:00Experimental Breed Status with TICAIts a small step but one that helps validate this new breed just the slightest. We now are able to register our cats, kittens, and litters with TICA as the Helki is under Experimental Breed Status. Now to gain breed awareness and find people who are interested enough to venture out into new territory and breed some Helki. As with everything I've experienced with these cats I think it will all fall right into place when the right people and time come around. Its good news and I wanted to share.Aubreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01748516176296927932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5996420845770122586.post-86179227734167070002010-02-02T14:59:00.000-08:002010-02-02T14:59:13.563-08:00Show Report - San Diego CA/CFAThe Food & Water Bowl XVII!!! San Diego Cat Fanciers knows how to do it right. This was a fabulous show and they really pulled in the whole crowd. I don't think I've been to a more celebrated cat show. 2 days, 10 rings being 5 rings each day was just awesome. Fanciers from around the globe showed up! We took Ichiban and Sappuro to show and compete and Romo came as a companion for the kittens. Of course we could not forget Nancy Jo and Danny. Danny and Ichi were entered in the agility ring of which they both did really well. Danny is a Oriental Shorthair with an appetite for fun. Both cats love the agility ring. Its a great place for the cats to run around and get rid of pent up energy. Ichi did really well. At only 4 months old he got a score of 49 sec which by the end of the show put him in 5th place, but for a while Ichi's score was the one to beat. We are proud of our little guy he can draw a crowd like a popstar! Sappuro is a more laid back kind of guy. He love attention and enjoyed being in the Judges Ring. This time around we had 28 total cats in the HHP class. This gives a lot of room for play for the judges. Our little 4 month old guys were up against Seasoned Regional Winners, so we were thrilled to see Ichi get 5th place in Gary Veach's ring and Sappuro placed 6th in the same ring. Gary said he was won over by their excellent temperament. Most judges see a small fry like mine and figure they will see these cats have long carriers in the cat fancy so they figure the kittens are more there for practice. It was nice that Gary felt they were of superb enough quality to final our cats and we were very happy he thought to include our kittens. Another touching moment was that Larry Adkinson made or brought these wonderful Merit ribbons. Our cats should get merit ribbons in every ring if they qualify for finals by being in good form and health. While we did get merits in all rings with both boys the ones that will stick in our minds are the ribbons that we got to take home. All the judges were wonderful it was a nice treat.<br />
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Last but not least we had some wonderful interest brewing in the show hall for the Helki and again the spectators were very excited to see and touch our cats. I will definitely go next year.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzkb6r-4ApMrxgFnaGiNkTPsotPNivkEDREI_5oe93kvSJkfmIpYCET2QOOqJq_kjKnDoBK5snFOzjjR2YKxMJFlaq5PMZULQMeHozWg6x-zBQwSJknSke0ydXH7fsV-_H56pz8SdZH_-H/s1600-h/2010-02-02+14.46.53.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzkb6r-4ApMrxgFnaGiNkTPsotPNivkEDREI_5oe93kvSJkfmIpYCET2QOOqJq_kjKnDoBK5snFOzjjR2YKxMJFlaq5PMZULQMeHozWg6x-zBQwSJknSke0ydXH7fsV-_H56pz8SdZH_-H/s320/2010-02-02+14.46.53.jpg" /></a></div>Aubreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01748516176296927932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5996420845770122586.post-32573447487086162902010-02-02T14:29:00.000-08:002010-02-02T14:29:33.461-08:00Show Report - Stockton CA/CFAThis was a wonderful show put on by Poppy State Cat Club. I was excited to attend as I missed this clubs last show here in Sacramento. I can not tell you how nice it is to be able to drive to a cat show and then back home all in the same day. Had it been a two day cat show then yes I would have been in heaven sleeping in my own bed in stead of a hotel room. But that's neither here nor there is it? I took my young daughter Arie and met up with my friend Jacky Andersen. Jacky shows and loves Sphynx cats. The seating was a little messed up so Jacky and I sat separately from each other but we each had complimentary groom space or elbow room as I like to think of it lol. Arie and I took a very special kitty Wyrdwul Ichiban of Najo. Ichi as we call him was breed in our cattery but has aims to be a Helki stud for the Najo cattery someday. He will be the first breeder cat used in another cattery and so we have high hopes for him. This show was his first show and we expected there to at least be one other cat to compete with. Unfortunately that cat was absent. Which means he received Best(1st) HHP ribbons in every ring but his points are not counted. Sad but true, however it gave Ichi a taste for the show life of which he does seem to take to like a fish to water. Aubreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01748516176296927932noreply@blogger.com0