Whats in a Name

Its been a battle trying to figure out if I should try and develop a new breed of cat or not. Its a hard decision that I don't take lightly and I question daily. In breed development and experimentation there are kittens I keep and kittens & cats that need good forever homes. One of my trusted mentors advised me its time to think of a good breed name.

We sat down and had a instant message brain storm but while some of the names we came up with were nice nothing really had that feeling. You know that "Thats the One!" feeling.

After that I would sit for hours thinking about cat breed names. Many breeds like to honor the area that the breed came from. None of the things in my area really sounded like a viable breed name. So then I got to thinking about the native people of Northern California. This cat breed was established from cats that came from San Joaquin County as well as Sacramento County the tribe that stuck out in my mind was the Miwok tribe. I then researched Miwok language and came across the name Helki meaning "touch". I thought Helki sounded very Scandinavian so I did more research and came across the German translation of the word Helki meaning "The Sun". The Sun is a major link in cat mythology around the globe and I felt like all the connections were being met. A connection to the land by using a Miwok word, the connection to the finder(Me) by a Germanic word being connected, and the word Helki itself translating into to very relevant words that describe this breed.

Why Touch? - This is a rare rex mutation as a dominant mutation and also because the gaurd hairs on the cat are mostly straight but there are not as many gaurd hairs on the Helki as you will find on the standard domestic cat. When you run your fingers through this fur you have a soft silky top coat and a plush luxurious undercoat. When the cats are viewed by the public many can not stop petting the cats as the texture is inviting and comforting. You really have to touch a Helki to appreciate them.