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 Name:
Mary-Rose Douglas
Location: Milton Keynes, Bucks
Breed(s): Norwegian Forest Cats
Breeding since: 1982
Photos courtesy of Carli Haekkerup (Ingjalf),
Alan Robinson (Impromptu) and Mary-Rose Douglas.
Tell us a bit about you:
As a child I wasn’t allowed any pets, and even thought of cats as
being evil and unfriendly! When I met my partner, Bob, at university,
he introduced me to his family cat, a pet quality old-fashioned
Siamese named Pippin. Eventually, after both Bob's parents sadly died,
Pippin came to live with us, and completely won me over. I suppose it
is no exaggeration to say that that little cat changed my life.
 I
have enjoyed visiting FIFe shows here and abroad for the last ten
years, and occasionally take cats in competition. I am also involved
with the GCCF and sit on three committees. Apart from cats, I love
playing classical piano and going for long walks with my Airedale
terrier.
Why did you choose your breed(s)/start breeding?
After Pippin died we looked through a wonderful GCCF picture book and
chose Havanas and Oriental Lilacs as our next breed. We began to breed
and show these elegant, moody cats in the early eighties. However this
was before the days of leukaemia inoculations and a rescue cat we took
in gave the disease to our beloved feline family. We gave up breeding
in despair for a few years, until on a routine visit our vet told us
the joyful news that we could now get our cats vaccinated against
feline leukaemia. We happily went and bought two Abyssinians for
breeding and showing and enjoyed them for over a decade, until one day
we became aware of Norwegian Forest Cats. It was love at first sight.
They were a revelation: so easy to look after, so interesting to live
with, intelligent, gentle and very natural. When we got our first NFOs
in the early 1990s there were very few in the UK. It is wonderful to
see the breed now taking off.
 Why did you choose your prefix?
My vet suggested it. I was looking for something that defined
traditional, and I am very fond of music, so he suggested “Vieuxtemps”
which means “old time” and is also the name of a composer. It was
actually my 10th choice from the GCCF - my preferred prefix names were
already taken. I followed up by making it my FIFe prefix too, about
five years ago.
When were your most memorable occasions as a breeder?
Undoubtedly, when I bred the very first Norwegian Forest Cat to gain a
title in the UK. He is Premier Vieuxtemps Impromptu (right), a
green-eyed white male neuter who is still as handsome and charming as
ever at the age of twelve. I also owned the second ever titled
Norwegian – my imported girl, Champion Skovmus Felis Jubatus, which
was icing on the cake. Those were GCCF titles as, at the time (1997),
no-one was showing Norwegian Forest Cats in British FIFe.
 Who were/are the most memorable cats you've had?
One cat who was very dear to me was my first Norwegian stud, Kyrrekatt
Kistrand (left). He died two years ago but I think of him every
day. He was the father of Impromptu. Another very special cat was one
who actually belonged to my Danish breeder friend Carli Haekkerup
(Gyldenloeve). With incredible generosity she allowed her enormous,
handsome boy IC Tilia Nova’s Ingjalf (below right) to come and
stay with us for a year. His personality and presence will never be
forgotten; he left some wonderful kittens behind.
A couple of other special cats are also pictured here, Dansbjergs
Pelle Halelos (bottom left), and Ch. Magnus More og Romsdal
(top left).
 What are your hopes for the future of your breed/your breeding
programme?
As I said above, Norwegians are really taking off in this country now.
It has been an uphill struggle as so many cats needed to be imported,
and in the early days before the Pets’ Passport scheme and the
internet that was no easy matter. I think the challenge now is for
breeders to ensure that they are using healthy stock, and I have been
testing my cats for various hereditary problems in order to ensure
that I am not passing on problems to future generations. This is a
costly business, but it is of vital importance for the future of these
wonderful cats. My aim is to produce the healthiest, best-tempered and
best type kittens I possibly can.
 Is there anything else you'd like to mention?
Due to family problems I haven’t
been able to attend many shows for the last couple of years, but I
hope to make up for that next year. I have some exciting new imports
who have already won their classes abroad whilst waiting to be old
enough to get their passports. I am looking forward to seeing what
the judges here think of them.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the
Aristocats webmaster for inviting me to take part in the breeders’
profile series, and say how proud I am to be part of such an excellent
Club.
Mary-Rose Douglas
October 2007 |
