Breeders Profile

Amilynd Devon Rex & Selkirk Rex

Name:

Photos courtesy of Jan Fagg (right, with assistance dog, Yoyo)

Tell us a bit about you:
I'm 55 years old and happily single. I retired from work in 1996 on medical grounds.  I was injured in a horse riding accident in 1974 which has left me disabled, although my assistance dog, a black standard poodle called Yoyo (Oakprides In A Minute) is a great help.  I also have three Border Collies and I competed in Obedience for 32 years until 2006.

Why did you choose your breed(s)?
I've had Devons for 12 years and love their "unusual" looks but most of all their temperament and sense of humour. I fell in love with the Selkirks only a year ago when I first saw them at another local breeders home.

Why/how did you start breeding?
As I mentioned, I bred Persians in the 80s but had to give up as at that time I was still working but with my health not being too good, it got too much to juggle breeding and working. I always promised I'd start again when I retired. I then met Marcia Owen (Goldlay) via the Internet who runs The Novice Breeders Advice group and she encouraged me to start again.

I had my first Devon litter in October 2007. The mum was Lexifers Kaleidoscope (above left) and dad was my stud boy, Dovepeak Toniszpanko (right). Kally had 3 beautiful babies but I had a tragedy at 6 weeks old when all three died following being dosed with a commonly used dewormer. I very nearly gave up breeding as soon as I had started then, but with the support from friends and my vets, I decided to continue. Since then, I've had three more Devon litters and all has gone well with them.

My first Selkirk litter was born on 5th June 2008. Mum is Sarikakings AmilyndBreeze (Variant) (bottom right) and dad is TICA DGCh Sarikakings Amilynd-FrizB (bottom left). They were a cross blood group litter so I tube fed the kittens for the first 18 hours. Luckily, despite it being her first litter, Breeze took to them very well despite not being allowed to nurse them for all that time. As you can see from the photo, she is a very laid back mum - LOL!  There are 4 babies, 3 girls and 1 boy and I believe they are all curlies.

Why did you choose your prefix?
It was a mixture of the names of my first two Persians. Their pet names were Amy & Lindy, so I juggled the letters around a little to make the prefix of AMILYND.

When were your most memorable occasions as a breeder?
Seeing my first litter of Persians born in 1983. I still get pretty much the same thrill though every time I see a new litter coming into the world. More recently when my home bred Devon kitten Amilynd Frodo-Baggins (above left) got Best Kitten in a Final at (I'm sorry LOL) a TICA Show.

Who were/are the most memorable cats you've had?
I think my most memorable cat was a rescue called Trio. She was taken into a local petshop who subsequently gave her to me, when she was around 6 weeks old. She had lost part of one of her back legs when her mum accidentally chewed it off when she had become tangled in some baler twine (they were farm cats). She lived well into double figures despite this and I only lost her around 3 years ago to age related problems.

What are your hopes for the future of your breed/your breeding programme?
With the Devons, my aim is to breed cats that are true to their type and yet still have that wonderful temperament that makes them what they are. I'm hoping to embark on an outcrossing program in the near future (with the help of more experienced breeders) to try to increase the gene pool and to improve the coats in my lines.

For the Selkirks, I'm really proud to be in at the early stages of this comparatively new breed to the UK and hope I can do something to help give them the recognition they deserve.

Is there anything else you'd like to mention?
There are a few very important people who have helped me in my breeding ambitions and plans for the future by, first of all encouraging me to start breeding again (Marcia Owen) and secondly for entrusting me with their cats so I have been able to get back into the cat world - Sarah & Ian Morgan (Lexifers Devon Rex) & Sara Kingston (Sarikakings Selkirk Rex & BSH) & Pamela Anderson (Curlu Selkirk Rex) who first introduced me to the breed. There are others but I will start sounding like someone giving an acceptance speech at the Oscars if I mention them all here!

Jan Fagg

www.amilyndcats.co.uk

July 2008