 Name:
Sara Assinder
Location: Anglesey, North Wales
Breed(s): Maine Coons
Breeding since: 2002Photos
courtesy of Sara Assinder (right, with Tal) and Jayne Passey, except
the one of Tal alone, which is by Animalshotz.
Tell us a bit about you:
I have been married to David for 17 years. He works
at the nearby University of Wales. I worked as a geologist but gave up
full time work to have our 2 children, Ben & Jodie, who are now 16 and
13. We live in a small village on the Isle of Anglesey, about an hour
from Chester. It’s a beautiful area – we are never far from mountains,
lakes or the sea. I am now self-employed and run a small business
from home supplying Welsh and English wedding stationery and greetings
cards. That works quite well as I am always around for my children and
cats. The cats are my hobby so I don’t have time to do much else but I
like to do a bit of gardening and DIY when I can. I also try to get
out for walks on one of the local beaches once or twice a week if
possible. At present, I have 10 Maine Coons (6 breeding girls, 3
neuters and a stud boy) and one 12 year old RSPCA rescue cat.
 Why did you choose your breed(s)?
It was the look. I loved the natural ‘wild’ look
and that it had not been bred to extremes. And the temperament - as I
have children that was very important as well. But even knowing that I
didn’t realise what level of companionship these beautiful cats would
bring to our home. Now I can’t imagine our home without them.
Why/how did you start breeding?
 I
have always had cats. I had been interested in breeding since the
1980s but, for me, the time was never right due to work (I often had
to work away from home) and, later, family commitments. I also wasn’t
sure how my old non-pedigree girl Sammy would have taken to another
girl in ‘her’ home. By the 1990s I was more settled and after Sam died
at 17 years old in 2002 I went for it!
I met
Joy Lambeth (Rockoon Maine Coons) and UK Gr. Ch. Atticus Pellinor ,
amongst others, at a show and I thought Pel was stunning. Once I’d
seen them in the fur I was truly hooked! So I was overjoyed when one
of Pellinor’s daughters, Kate (now Champion Rockoon
Kissmekate above left) joined us as my first
breeding girl in 2002.
 Kate
had just two kittens in her first litter, one boy and one girl.
Naturally, I wanted to keep the girl but I thought that the boy was
very handsome too. So, in the end, we kept them both! The daughter,
Seren (Celticoon Serenola) has had four litters now and has
proven herself to be as wonderful a Mum as her mother is. The son,
Tal (Premier Celticoon Taliesin above right) has
become my show neuter and soul mate. He sleeps alongside me every
night and is a real favourite with everyone who meets him. I also kept
another Kate daughter Angel (Champion Celticoon Must Be An
Angel, left) born in 2007.
I got
some new lines in with the addition of Binkka (Doromas Binkka)
from Janet Edwards in 2003, my Stud Boy Fred (Champion
Jamcusa Freddie Starr, below right) from Jane Lord
in 2007 and then David and I drove to Germany to collect Dreamy
(Champion Gebuhrcoon’s Dream Date) from Sandra Gebuhr in 2008.
Along with the unexpected addition of Ollie (Celticoon
Oleander – a silver tortie boy born to Seren) and the keeping of
daughters from both Binkka and Dreamy (Ivvi, Celticoon Ever Autumn
and Celticoon Amethyst Rose) somehow three Maine Coons have
turned into ten!
 Why did you choose your prefix?
Anglesey and Wales have a strong Celtic history so
we put it together with part of the breed name. It has nothing to do
with the football club which is pronounced differently! It wasn’t my
first choice but it was the one that the GCCF decided was acceptable.
When
were your most memorable occasions as a breeder?
I’ll never forget when my red silver tabby girl
Ivvi (Celticoon Ever Autumn) produced a litter of 9 kittens
(bottom right) one evening just before Christmas 2007. It was her
first litter. The kittens were all strong and she coped very well but
they still needed top-up feeds twice a day for 5 or 6 weeks as there
just wasn’t enough milk to go around. It took me 3 hours each day to
feed and help clean them etc. It was hard work and we certainly had
our ups and downs along the way but it was rewarding to see them all
grow and develop normally. The house was strangely quiet once they had
all gone to their new homes!
Of
course, I’ll never forget my first ever litter either. I’d sit and
watch them with their Mum for ages – I thought they were just
beautiful!
And,
of course, it’s always memorable when one of my cats gains a title.
Who were/are the most memorable cats you've had?
 Well
I guess that it has to be Ollie (left) – my silver
tortie tabby boy. Not just because he is unusual being a male tortie
but because of the general mayhem that he manages to cause! He’s quite
a character, loves attention, is a little short on brains it seems and
is quite clumsy. He often gets himself into a pickle! He once got his
head stuck in a milk jug and on a recent occasion managed to get a paw
pad stuck down the plughole during a pre-show bath. I had to unscrew
the entire plughole in order to free him. I had visions of taking a
soapy cat to the vet with the plughole still attached to his foot but
eventually I managed to free it. It could only happen to Ollie! He
loves being shown too – especially if it involves an overnight stay in
a hotel (preferably with a large mirror at his level) and satin drapes
in his pen!
But
the one I’ll remember with most affection is Tal (Premier Celticoon
Taliesin). He is extremely special to all of us. He’s so loyal,
handsome and loving and I just hope that he’s with us for many more
years to come.
They
are all very special and memorable in their own ways, each with
his/her individual personality. I’ll remember them all for different
reasons.
What are your hopes for the future of your breed/your breeding
programme?
 I
hope the breed doesn’t let any one feature go too extreme. I like
Maine Coons to have a strong but balanced look. Of course I will
continue breed for health and temperament too. They are pets
first and foremost and I like them to be well socialised before they
leave here. I believe that the breeder’s role in socialising kittens
is really important and for me is one of the most rewarding parts of
breeding.
Is there anything else you'd like to mention?
A big thank you to all the people who have helped
me along my way! Particularly those who have trusted me with cats of
their breeding as well as all my friends who have been there through
good times and bad. Also to all the judges who have appreciated my
cats on the show bench and, in doing so, encouraged me to continue to
show them over the years.
September 2009 |
