 Name: Denise Burn
(right)
Location: Nottinghamshire
Breed(s): Siberians
Breeding since: 1996Photos
courtesy of Denise Burn, except for Annie's first show, by Bob Fox,
and the pics of Vassilliy, which are by Beryl McMillan
Tell us a bit about you:
I've always had a love of animals and thanks to my family, I grew up
with a menagerie of them, from the humble hamster to budgies, dogs,
rabbits, tortoises and of course, cats - all at the same time! (Never
did get the Tiger (from the petrol ads) that I always dreamed of
though! LOL!)
At school everything I could involve animals in, I would, from
artwork to essays - mainly it would be TIGERS, my dream cat. So,
it was inevitable that when I left school I would work with animals
one way or another. Although I couldn't work at a zoo, my first
job was at a local cat and dog shelter. My mum never knew what
I'd arrive home with after work, although usually this would be a
pregnant bitch or queen, so they could have their babies in a more
comfortable environment than in kennels. Any stray animals ended up at
our door, from injured hedgehogs to pigeons, and even frogs! Oh,
and I musn't forget - the Spuggy (sparrow) I hatched from an egg, fed
and released back into the wild - now that made me a very proud 14
year old! My mum was pretty understanding, she knew my love of
animals stretched through all walks of life.
 It was working at rescue centres that my love of cats grew.
They always seemed to be the most neglected, but no matter what life
had done to them before ending up there, they always greeted me in the
morning with a welcoming purr, even just for a few bits of kibble -
total unconditional love.
Why/how did you start breeding?
I originally registered as a breeder
and joined a few cat clubs to begin showing twelve years ago when I
bought my first pedigree cat, a wonderful Ragdoll Dreamcats
Alexis (above left -
and did she live up to her namesake, Alexis
Carrington from Dynasty!). Unfortunately she only ever
had one pregnancy, resulting in one still-born kitten, then sadly
had to be spayed due to developing endometriosis. It was so upsetting,
for me and for her - and it took me quite a while to get over it.
 Why did you choose your breed(s)?
One day while working as a pet sitter
at a local boarding kennels, the monthly cat magazine arrived at the
office with a picture of a black smoke Siberian cat on the front
cover. I just fell into his deep vivid green eyes! I could
see in his face he had a story or two to tell! Although very
handsome, he just didn't look at all like your average 'pedigree cat',
no ribbons or bows or anything fussy about him - just this huge
handsome cat, but he totally swept me away. I remember saying to
the girls "now THAT'S what I call a cat - one day I'll have one of my
own" and that was that!
When I read the article about how
and where the breed originated and their life on the streets,
immediately the breed gained my total respect, for an any animal to
survive in a country where the enviroment itself was pretty harsh and
food no doubt scarce, it brought back memories and the all the
respect I had for the cats
in my care many years ago - so if I was to breed again, then
this would be the breed for me.
As the Siberian really only arrived
in the UK in 2002, it was difficult to find information about the
breed (especially without the internet) and about those breeders who
had began the long expensive process of importing the first Siberians
to the UK, but thanks to the information in the cat magazine, I found
some breeders and my name was added to an ever growing waiting list.
I waited patiently for over a year when I had the news there was a
brown tabby girl I could have. Catreba Yasnaya (Tiger-Lily
- above right)
was perfect - and having 'Tiger' in her name made her even more
purrr-fect!
 Hypo-allergenic?
The hypo-allergenic information I really found out about after Lily
arrived. Although this isn't scientifically proven, there are
many Siberian breeders who have re-homed adult cats and kittens in
homes where the family thought they would or could not have a feline
sharing their lives. Me, I am very proud of my success stories
where this is concerned, and I have quite a few - I only wish I could
help everyone!
Why did you choose your prefix?
I didn't really think about it, it just
happened! It came from my Ragdoll Alexis - although she's a blue
colourpoint she has sapphire
blue eyes and steel gray
points, and as my fellow Geordies know, we join words with 'n' instead
of 'and'. So it was Sapphire'n'steel - I had to
drop the apostrophes and
shorten it even more (GCCF rules) hence Sapphirensteel.
(Some people think it's from the 1970s TV program; although I won't
give my age away, I was VERY
young when that program was on TV! LOL!)
 When
were your most memorable occasions as a breeder?
Quite a few if I think about it - and
not all as a 'breeder'! One of my many rescued cats, Charlie,
needed an emergency caesarian while giving birth to eight babies and
only three survived. I remember my vet handing me a tub of dried
milk and saying you have to help her now - she has no milk at all.
I hand reared those three babies from a few minutes old. The two
black boys were homed together and the little black and white girl
Jessie (above left)
stayed with me. She was scared of her own shadow, but was my
second skin - I couldn't move for her. Sadly after her mum
died, Jessie just vanished - I never found her - but she, like every
feline that I have had the pleasure to share my life with, will stay
in my heart forever.
 As
a breeder: a very memorable occasion was the birth of my first ever
litter of Siberian kittens from Lily as she gave me my darling
Sapphirensteel Anastaysia (Annie - left, as a baby, and
above right, at her first show).
Annie is a colourpoint Siberian to some, but in FIFe is now known as a
Neva Masquarade. She has been through so much in the past few
years (read 'Annies story' on the members
page). After two years of almost giving up on her
ever becoming a 'mum' again, in 2008 she gave birth to three
beautiful Nevas. Annie and the babies all went to the Rugby show
in November 2008, and all did very well their first show - in
particular, Sapphirensteel Aza
(right)
went home with his first
Ex1, BIV, NOM - and
Best In Show Kitten! When
that happens to a cat/kitten you own it's fantastic, but when you've
actually bred the cat/kitten - to me it means you must be doing
something right as a breeder!
 Also,
Annie herself won FIFe Overall Best
New Variety two years in a row, 2007 and 2008 - when I really
only took her to a couple of shows at the end of 2007 to keep one of
my other cats company!
Who were/are the most memorable cats you've had?
It wouldn't be fair to name my
individual cats - and I don't even think I could, all my felines have
been my best friends, whatever walk of life they came from. Be
it moggies or pedigrees, rescued or born in my home, they are all as
special and memorable as each other.
What are your hopes for the future of your breed/your breeding
programme?
The Siberian is still relatively new to
the UK and to many people, so I hope to continue to introduce the
breed through showing and selective breeding, to those who have never
had the pleasure of meeting or owning what I call
'The Eighth Wonder of the World'!
LOL!!!
I hope that one day the breed will
be up where it belongs, in the top 10 pedigree cats in the UK.
It may take time, but I'm sure we'll get there one day!
FIFe results for the past couple of years proves the Siberian and its
UK breeders are doing something right.
Is there anything else you'd like to mention?
I'd like to say thank you to those
Sibby breeders who have helped me over the past six years, those I
emailed/texted and rang at ridiculous hours of the morning and evening
both in the UK and abroad for advice and help -including my very
patient vet! - and also to those wonderful people who gave a loving
home to everyone of my special Sapphirensteel cats/kittens. Oh,
and not forgetting my Siberians themselves, for reasuring me that when
I chose a breed, I chose the right one!
|
  In
honour of
a very special Siberian boy
that everyone knew and loved.
A showman if ever there was one!
EC Taurus Goloubchik, DSM
FB Overall Best Cat 2007
Chase those butterflies, Vassiliy ...
God Bless you xxx |
March 2009 |
