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Most catteries have at least one
special cat that they have kept as a pet, even though the cat is neutered, does
not contribute to their breeding program, and in some cases, may even have a
health defect. I would keep all of my spays and neuters if I had the room and
the time, as each and every one of them has made some contribution to what makes
up Rocquoone. However, I must weigh the good of the group as well as the
individual cat in question. Each pet cat I keep takes away time from the others. So, in fairness to everyone,
I must keep the alter/pet population at a minimum. These
are my special pets, they are not available for sale.
Born April 22, 2001 and pictured at between 8 weeks and 11 months of age,
Skyy is a silver
tabby with white. Symmetrically marked, lovely
pattern, beautiful type, heavy boning, long but heavy body, loving and silly
disposition.
Skyy started showing when he was
4 months old. He was more than half way to his Grand Champion title when
his desire to breed overpowered my ability to keep him in show condition.
He was the cattery's stud cat for about 2 years. Skyy was neutered in May, 2003,and will spend the rest of his
life with me as a spoiled pet. He has earned the title of Grand Premier.
Photos by Channon taken at the Crab and Mallet Cat Show in
Baltimore Maryland, March 2002, at 11 months of age:
 
Skyy has been retired from breeding, and showing, and now enjoys lounging
around the house and sleeping on my head as he did as a kitten. He
sure takes up a lot more room on the pillow these days! (I hope my allergist
does not read this!)
Rocquoone's Jedi
 Jedi
underwent surgery to remove a benign growth in his
inner ear at 5 months of age. Jedi is deaf in the affected ear, and tilts
his head to one side most of the time. He has had no additional complications as
a result of this problem and is a very healthy cat. He is also extremely playful and kitten-like,
and has never met a stranger. He is the littermate to Turk, GP
Rocquoone's Wild Turkey, pictured above.
For technical information on ear polyps, please see "Jedi's
Story" .
Tarbaby
Tarbaby,
or Baby, as she prefers, was a thin stray who showed up as an older kitten in my
back yard a couple of years ago. She was so nervous of people that I
was unsure whether she was male or female for quite some time. I caught
her in a live-trap, had her spayed and vaccinated, her ear tipped (which is done
when feral cats are altered so that they are not inadvertently trapped for
surgery again), and returned her to the only home she knew. She eventually
became more trusting of me, and one day the walls came down as
she jumped up in my lap, purring and begging for attention. I knew then that
she was destined to come inside one day. Hurricane Isabel took care of
"when". I dosed her with Advantage, said a prayer, and transferred
her to isolation in my bedroom. Only through repeated medical testing was
I comfortable exposing her to the other cats. Tarbaby was just fine,
healthy as a horse, and easily adapted to a life indoors. Her only
experience with other cats until she came inside was aggressive behavior from a
young tom that I call Freddie the Freeloader. As such, she did not know
how to socialize or play with the other cats. It's taken quite some time
for her to realize they were not out to get her. Still, she prefers to stay
somewhat away from the other cats. Did you know that
"tarbaby" is a slang term for taking responsibility for something that
is not yours? I didn't either, but what a fitting name. Copyright 1997-2005 Rocquoone Cattery's Maine
Coon Cats
Photos are by Rocquoone unless otherwise noted.
Please do not replicate any portion of this web site without permission.
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