 Name: Jen Maskell
(right)
Location: Ceredigion (West Wales)
Breed(s): Maine Coon
Breeding since: 2006Photos
courtesy of -
Tell us a bit about you:
I grew up in Cheshire, where my parents still live, and came down to
Wales when I went to study for my degree in Equine Science at
Aberystwyth University. I liked it so much that I stayed, and I have
now worked for the British Palomino Society for over 10 years. I bred
and showed Call Ducks for many years and was the Club secretary for
most of that time too. Some years ago a friend introduced me to her
Welsh cob stallion, who I rode regularly when the roads were quieter.
I now have two mares of my own, and spend more time playing with the
foals than I do going out riding. Since living in Wales, I've had a
number of moggies, and when I lost one of my favourites at only 5
years old, I decided I finally had the space for the Maine coons that
I had been wanting.
 Why did you choose your breed(s)?
I've loved the look of Maine coons since first seeing them in books,
and then met one in a garden centre of all places. He was lying in one
of the greenhouses sunning himself, and from a distance looked more
like a Golden Retriever than a cat he was so huge. He had a fantastic
temperament, and from then on I knew it was the breed for me.
Why/how did you start breeding?
Having bred poultry and horses for many years, it was just natural
progression that I wanted to breed my cats too. I love planning who
will go together and seeing how well it works out. There is nothing
quite like the buzz of a combination working even better than you
hoped it would. Besides, who can resist the thrill of new kittens
arriving and growing before your eyes!
 Why did you choose your prefix?
The first options I would have liked had already been chosen, so I
resorted to adding the end of my surname (Kel) to the end of my first
name
(fer) and my husband's (ron)! Rather uninspiring but I needed to
chose something, and didn't want to use the same one as I have for my
Welsh cob horses!
When
were your most memorable occasions as a breeder?
Without question it is when Holly (Kelferron Winterberry,
above left) won Best in
Show female kitten at the Maine Coon Cat Club show in 2010. I hadn't
even realised that she'd been taken up to Championship row until a
friend came to find me and said 'is that your kitten up there?' I was
in such shock, I nearly fell over. Holly had been a singleton kitten
who I didn't really intend to keep, but she was such a character I
couldn't let her go. Thank God I didn't!
 Who were/are the most memorable cats you've had?
Now that's a difficult one as they all are in their different ways.
Holly, of course, because she is such a 'little madam'. Holly's mum,
Zephi (Lynxelot Zephirine, right) & Zephi's sister
Whizzy (Lynxelot
Ghislaine, left) as they are my original girls, and are both amazing. Of
course there is also Scari (Kelferron Scaramouche, below
right), my first home bred
Champion, daughter of Ghislaine & Coonflakes Facey Romford, and the
friendliest girl you could ever wish to meet. I feel mean not
mentioning all the others, but I suppose I have to stop somewhere!
What are your hopes for the future of your breed/your breeding
programme?
I hope to be able to breed healthy cats that are both good examples of
the breed and have the great characters that Maine coons are known
for. Anything more than that is a bonus!
 Is
there anything else you'd like to mention?
I would really like to thank Georgina Drummond (Lynxelot) for being
willing to trust me with my first girls, and offering me so much help
and advice ever since. I realise now just how fortunate I was, as a
complete beginner, to start with such fantastic bloodlines. Thanks of
course to Mary Stuart, Eddie & Rose Kitching, Julie Joiner and Beryl
McMillan for also trusting me with their kittens. And extra thanks to
Julie for helping me start showing, something I had never considered
doing, and through which I have met so many great friends. A final and
sincere thanks to Mary for letting me borrow her boy, Giorgio, for the
last year, who is a wonderful and amazing lad!
Jen Maskell
www.cobsncats.co.uk/index.htm
April 2011 |
