Vanya grew into a stunning example of the breed. He was curious about everything and had to be a part of the family and "help" anywhere he could. The breed is highly intelligent, very people oriented, has a large vocabulary of unusual trills and calls, is very playful and inquisitive. They are a relatively large cat with a sturdy frame, few health problems, somewhat similar to a Maine Coon and rather dog-like in personality. Siberians know no strangers! While yet to be scientifically proven, the breed is said to be hypoallergenic. Vanya lived to be 14 years old when we lost him.

Vanya at 2 years

After losing Vanya we just had to have another Siberian. Elizabeth was no longer breeding.  In looking at the many breeders throughout the US, I did not find many that were breeding what I considered the truely natural Siberian with "the look" I had come to know so well through Vanya.  So, this time, I decided to import my own Siberian from Russia. I was referred to Elena Gorininova of Rossity Cattery near Moscow.  In May of 2007 we imported Rossity Eliseus, whom we call Boris, at 4 months of age.

Boris at 7 weeks .... who could resist???

Boris is an unusual tarnished silver mackerel tabby. He handled the long trip from Moscow to Los Angeles amazingly well and quickly took over the house and the kennel. In the pictures of Boris playing with Keeshond puppy Ruby, it is difficult to tell who is who. Boris seems to think all the dogs are just for him and is quite willing to let them terrorize him. He also enjoyed playing Big Brother to Natasha's kittens.

Boris is slightly more talkative than Vanya was, and as he matures he seems to be acquiring all the same unusual trills. He is very like Vanya in terms of his outgoing attitude, playfulness and curiosity.  My veterinarian fell in love with Boris at first sight, recognizing the special qualities that make a Siberian a Siberian. He kept after me to consider breeding a litter. After much thought I agreed it might be fun to raise a litter of Siberian kittens, but ..... Boris was already neutered.

After some searching I settled on a pretty little Siberian female from Daniel Dagle's Svetdanhaus cattery in Baton Rouge, Louisianna. Her name is Natasha. I had made arrangements to have her bred to a Svetdanhaus stud (Klem Kadiddletiger) prior to shipping her to me. Natasha arrived in early November 2007 and quickly established herself as The Boss. Boris is thrilled with his new friend.

(Brown Mackerel Tabby)

So, now we embark on a new adventure for us, our first litter of Siberian kittens arrived on Christmas Eve morning 2007 ... our Christmas present! They grew up far too quickly and went to their own homes.

Krasivaya, our TICA and CFA-registered cattery name, is the Russian word for "beautiful" which aptly describes this wonderful breed. At Krasivaya we choose the best of the best for our breeding stock.  We breed only natural Siberians, no Neva Masquerade, no color point genes in our lines. We strive for the true expression of a hunter able to survive in the difficult conditions of the Siberian Forrest ... something we call "the look".

Our first litter has grown up and their owners write and send pictures from time to time, which we always appreciate. You may view these photos from our Siberian Photo Album pages, select the A-Litter Album.

Krasivaya's newest addition, Rossity Nikola, is a half-brother to Boris. He lives with my vet and his wife and their little girl, Natasha's daughter, Krasivaya Malishka.

  Rossity Nikola Of Krasivaya at 5 months 

(Silver Mackerel Tabby w/White) - Russian Import

The following comes from Wikipedia ...

Hypoallergenic is a term coined by advertisers (based on the Greek prefix hypo meaning "below normal" or "slightly") and first used in a cosmetics campaign in 1953.^[1] It is used to describe items (especially cosmetics and textiles) that cause or are claimed to cause fewer allergic reactions. Hypoallergenic pets still produce allergens, but because of their coat type or absence of fur or absence of a gene that produces a certain protein, typically produce fewer allergens than others of the same species. People with severe allergies and asthma may still be affected by a hypoallergenic pet.

For allergy sufferers, a hypoallergenic pet might enable them to have a pet in their home, whereas most dogs, cats, rabbits, and other fur-bearing animals can make their lives miserable. The proteins that cause allergies are found not only in the animals' fur or hair but also in saliva, urine, mucous, and hair roots and in the dander sloughed from the animals' skin.

Some dog breeds have been promoted as hypoallergenic because they do not shed their hair, shed very little, or have the same pH as human hair. However, no canine is known to be completely nonallergenic. Poodles and Poodle hybrids are commonly mistaken as being hypoallergenic, when in reality they are known to cause different forms of allergies, including bronchitis, as does any breed of dog.

Cat breeds such as the LaPerm, Sphynx, Devon Rex and Cornish Rex, which lack some or all of the normal layers in cats' fur, are believed by mild allergy sufferers to be significantly less likely to provoke an allergic reaction than other breeds. Siberian cats and Russian Blue are also believed, by some, to have such properties as a result of a lower incidence of the FeL-d1 enzyme in their saliva.

So, it is important to understand that while a particular breed may have a lower incidence of the things that trigger an allergic reaction, because every allergy sufferer's response is different, there can be no guarantee that you will not be allergic to a Siberian cat. In fact, it is fair to say that if you have severe allergies you will experience some degree of discomfort, but whether that can be completely, or acceptably, controlled through your regular allergy medications would remain to be seen. It would be very unfair to you, your family, and the kitten, to simply take one home based on the premise that it is "hypoallergenic" only to find that, a year later, the adult coat is more than your immune system can handle. By this time the family is attached to the pet and the pet is bonded to the family. Re-homing an older, established cat is more difficult and stressful for the cat.

No responsible breeder should be willing to sell you a kitten without having at least gone through some sort of trial with you, around their adult cats in their cattery, or home, to get at least a general idea as to what sort of reaction you are going to have. You should not have taken any allergy medications beforehand in order to get a true evaluation of your response. I have had allergy sufferers come to my home and sit with my cats one afternoon for an hour at the end of which he felt no significant reaction. Yet, on the same day, with the same cats, another woman came and was fine for the first half hour and thought she was going to be fine, then suddenly she broke out in hives. So, please, do yourself and your family, and any kitten you might be considering, a favor and do not purchase a kitten from a breeder who does not first work with you to ensure the breed you are looking at is not going to be a problem for you.

Also note, Siberians do shed a considerable amount of fur, especially a mature, heavily coated male, like Boris. Be prepared to deal with it.

 
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