Daring

3 Intermediate Certificates Awarded (GCCF)

16 Merits Certificates Awarded (GCCF)

3455 Points accumulated (TICA)

December 2007
Awarded TICA Award of Excellence for 2ns Best
Selkirk Rex of the Year
Plus
Best Blue Selkirk Rex of the Year

Chester & North Wales Show
11th August 2007
1st Selkirk Entire to win 3
Intermdiate Certificates

CaTICA Show 3rd & 4th February 2007
1st UK Selkirk Entire to be awarded
Supreme Grand Champion with TICA

CoonTICA Show 5th & 6th August 2007
Awarded Triple Grand Champion

Rex Cat Association 2nd April 2005
Best in Show Selkirk Rex

Rex Cat Club Show 2004
Best in Show Assesment Cat

1st Selkirk Entire to win 4 Merit Certificates

In Memory of those
we have loved & lost...

Daring on Exhibition at
the Shropshire Cat
Show in February
2005, in his usual
relaxed & curious pose.

aka 'Daring'
79s 16
Selkirk Rex Short-Haired Blue Self
Born 12th June 2003
Sire: Trueblu Anns Owinglyndwr (79s 17)
Dam: Positively Don (15)
Breeder: Mrs Lisa Peterson

And can it be
That in a World so full and busy
the loss of one creature
makes a void in any heart
so wide and deep that nothing
but the width and depth of eternity
can fill it up!

Author Unkown

I can remember the first day I set eyes on Daring. It was October
2003 and I was attending the Kensington Kitten & Neuter Show held
at Bracknall. I was just walking past the Exhibition pens when I saw
this gorgeous curly blue boy, Daring. I'd read about the breed in a
very recent Cat World article so was thrilled to see one in the fur. I
knew then that I had to have him. After long conversations with his
breeder, Lisa Peterson and with some final pursuasion he came home
with me in the November.
I soon started taking Daring on Exhibition only to the GCCF shows
and his gorgeous looks and purrsonality won over many judges and
cat fanciers.

Daring in his exhibition pen
at the KK&N Show 2003 @
6 months old.

Once the Selkirk Rex breed gained recognition from the GCCF I started showing
Merits before we could apply to have the breed elevated to Intermediate status.
Daring became the first to gain his 4 and over the next 2 years Daring was awarded
16 Merits in total, more than any other Selkirk Rex.

Over this period the American TICA shows were starting up in the UK and as the
Selkirk Rex breed had already gained Championship status with them I though it
would be nice to show Daring and see how he faired in a different format. I shouldn't
have worried. On his very first show he gained Grand Champion status, the
following show Double Grand, the following after that Triple Grand. In February
2007 we took him to our local TICA based show which was two days, he gained
Quadruple Grand on the Staurday and earned enough points for his Supreme title,
he just needed that elusive placing of Best Cat in a final.
Daring didn't dissapoint us, on the Sunday on his 3rd Ring our lovely boy won Best
Cat out of 41 Adults in show making him the first Adult Selkirk Rex to be awarded
Supreme Grand Champion in the UK.

This is one of my favorite
photos of Daring, he was
enjoying a photo shoot
with Robert Fox, I swear
he was laughing!!

American TICA Judge
Lynne Sherer who awarded
Daring his Best Cat award
at the CATICA Show in
February 2007

Daring returned to the GCCF shows in the Summer of 2007 with the 3 Intermediate certificates
before we could apply for the final Championship status.
Daring was awarded his 3 Certificates in three consecutive shows, again making him the first Selkirk
Rex to do so in the UK. Our lad was a bit of trend setter.

Darings final public appearance was at the Supreme Cat Show in November 2007. We placed him on
exhibition on the Club Stand, with his gorgeous looks and wonderful personality he made a great
ambassador for the breed and thoroughly enjoyed all the attention with out getting fazed by the
crowds or the noise of a busy Cat Show. The photo below is the last one I ever took of him. He sat on
the club stall all day or in the arms of Norman upside down with this curly tummy in the air happily
allowing complete strangers to stoke his belly.

We lost Daring on Valentines day this year, all very suddenly. After a weeks fight with liver failure
and intensive care treatment with the vets (who were wonderful) he passed away in our arms very
peacefully. Our hearts are broken by his loss.

I have to thank his breeder and good friend Lisa Peterson for the time we had with Daring and
entrusting him to us in the first place. Lisa, I'm forever in your debt.

Daring at the
Supreme Cat Show
November 2007

TICA Supreme GRCH
Trueblu DaringPositively

Daring @ 6 weeks old

Darings final tally of show wins

Steelaway Snowfire

Black Tipped British Shorthair
Breeder - Mrs Jackie Steele

Sire: Britard Coer Deleon
Dam: Cushitekatz Hera

Snowfire arrived from sunny Wales mid 2005 with great thanks to her
breeder Jackie Steele. We wanted her in particular for my new Selkirk
breeding programme as I knew she would work wonderfully with
Jetranger who I of kittens 12 months later which included a my stud boy
Amazolou Polar Bear and a lovely girl Amazolou Sweetpea who went to
live with a friend of mine Liz Blagdon.
would flop on her back at the first sign of attention, she was a head
rubber and leg winder and we will miss her so much.
Snowfire has taken from us very suddenly. After an emergency
C-Section for a displaced kitten placenta and eventual speying, Snowfire
never really recovered from the anesthetic and died the following
morning.
We are only comforted knowing we kept her lovely son and her legacy
carried on with him and her grandson Kodiak.

Trueblu DaringPositively
12-06-2003 - 14-02-2008

Photo:
Cat Show in 2005 when
Snowfire won Overall
Best in Show British. A
very proud day for us and
her breeder Jackie.

PR Chloedipuss Rich Tapestry
aka Tigerlilly
13.07.1998 - 23.04.2009

Tiger was a lovely girl and very matey with our only moggy cat Timon. She had the
rare chance to have the roam of the back garden and would love to sun bath on our
decking.
Tiger died on Thursday evening, having gone to have a sleep under one of her
favorite trees and just passed away there in the evening sunshine. She was still warm
when we went to bring her in for the evening. She is greatly missed by Timon and we
miss her face in the kitchen every morning begging for her usual double helpings.....

Where do I start? How can I start to tell you about Bilbo and award him the credit he
deserves considering he's been such a huge part of our lives for nearly 13 years?
In 1996 we visited the Supreme cat show. We walked past the British section and saw
the most stunning example of a British Blue, Kalpador Silvester. He was a huge cat
with a massive head bought my first home later that year.
I managed to find the owner, Mrs Margaret Hudson and exchange some details.
Margaret said that Silvester had just sired a little of three and we could come up and
see then at her home in Todmorden, Lancashire in a few weeks. We did so and fell in
love with the litter brother Baloo.

Bilbo went from strength to strength with his only obvious visual effects from his
injuries being his limp from his shoulder and pelvis injury and a mark on his left iris,
his jaw healed straight and his fur grew back to normal.

Three months later in the Summer of 2000 I received a phone call from a neighbour
only a few doors away, she was very upset saying she had accidentally locked my cat in
her garage whilst she was away on holiday and that the poor cat had been with out
water and food over two weeks! I couldn't think who it could be as we had given up
hoping for Figaro's return months before!! To my surprise she told me that it was
Figaro!! I collected her straight away, she was very under weight and dehydrated from
living wild for 9 months!! Fortunately she still had her collar on her which the
neighbour had been able to read as she was too weak to run away. We brought her
back to the house and placed her with Bilbo who even with his own injuries literally
licked her back to health, both seemed to draw strength from each other and were so
pleased to see each other again.

Bilbo has became more affectionate in his nature since his ordeal and flatly refused to
leave the house again preferring to stay on the sofa with us or curled up with his
favorite girl, Figaro. Figaro has been traumatised by her ordeal and by now was a very
shy girl, but still loves Bilbo and will go any where he goes, even if that is in the open
on the sofa.

Two years later in 2003 I saw advertised in Cat World magazine a competition for
Britain's Bravest Cat sponsored by Pet Plan. I wrote in explaining Billy's accident and
his recovery and his devotion to Figaro. I was so chuffed a few months later to learn
that Billy had beaten over 2000 other entries to become Pet Plans Britain's Bravest
Cat!! He won a years Petplan cover, which was ironic as they wouldn't cover him for
many of his aliments due to his previous accident, plus a bottle of champagne and an
article in the local paper.

In 2004 I thought it would be nice to see how Bilbo would do on the show bench. His
injuries had healed externally and as long as the judges didn't ask him to walk (which
they don't) due to his limp, he looked puuurrrfect!! He went on to win his Premier title
in three consecutive shows later. He was even awarded an Imperial Certificate!!

Bilbo was retired at the tender age of 10 from the show scene, at this stage he was
starting to limp from his injuries and suffering from arthritis in his joints but was still a
wonderful teddy bear who loved his hugs. He was always, even to the end side by side
with Figaro.

Bilbo started to go down hill at the start of Spring 2009. He was examined by the vets
and put on a course of pain killers for his arthritis. He never regained his vigor and
started to decline physically very quickly. On the afternoon of Tuesday 15th
September we came home to find him already passed. Figaro still sat by his side and
still warm.

Figaro is now bereft with out him, she's totally deaf now and has been calling for him.
We hope that she bonds with one of our other cats for her final years, but
honestly......we are like minded in believing that Bilbo is un replaceable in our heart
and hers.

TICA Double GRC ALTER
GCCF GR PR Witchwoods Jonty
15.11.1996 - 15.09.2009

'Bilbo'

Sire
Kalpador Silvester

Dam
CH Miletree The Morrighan

Photo:Bilbo at the front and Baloo at the
back. Both were adventurous and sort the
two and would rather cuddle up on the sofa
daring adventures. We'd added two Siamese
in the April of that year and Bilbo had an
immediate bond with Figaro our Seal Point
girl, both loved to lounge the days through
I moved house in 1998 with Norman to
Banbury and the furry tribe followed us.
Baloo, always the wanderer was knocked by
a car within the first month of us living in
the village and although surviving this first
encounter he lost his tail as a permanent
reminder. It didn't stop his wandering and at
the premature age of 7 decided to cross the
same stretch of road again, for the last time.

We had decided that we didn't enjoy village
life so decided to move back to Birmingham
where my job was and family.

In November 1999 Billy disappeared from
our home on Bonfire Night as well as our
rather shy Siamese, Figaro. Both cats should
have been safely tucked up in the house but
were let out by accident by some visiting
relatives. We searched for many months
hoping to see them again. To our surprise 6
months later in May 2000 Billy turned up in
our garden looking very worse for wear.

Billy had been hit by a car several months
previous resulting in a fractured pelvis,
dislocated shoulder, broken jaw and damage
to his left eye socket, plus he was covered in
ticks and fleas from living feral. He was a
very depressed cat who must have survived
on the good wishes of strangers as he had
obviously been fed but not received any
veterinary care.
Billy under went several procedures with the
vets to return him to health. It did look at
one time front leg amputated as his
dislocated shoulder joint had re-fused on the
outside of the joint fortunately both
operations were deemed unnecessary as he
coping so well with his previous injuries that
both operations were deemed unnecessary
as he was coping really well.

Bilbo at front of photo at
12 weeks.

Bilbo at 6 months

In the back garden at a year old.

Bilbo with his very first award at a GCCF show in 2004.

A beautiful girl with the most amazing blue eyes & those
eyes were only ever for Bilbo. Out lived him by just five
weeks.

Died of a broken heart 28th October 2009.
Can't say any more as we miss her terribly.

'Figaro' since 1996

In Memory of those
we have loved & lost...

Timon

1997- 2011

Timmy was our token moggy and the best £5 I ever spent. He was the last
kitten in the litter when we went to visit but I'm sure he would still have
picked us any way. He was a wily and clever boy who loved nothing more
than teasing the dogs, stealing their beds when he had three of his own,
tormenting the the neighbourhood.
Sadly he lost his partner in crime Tiger in early 2009 from old age and
missed her greatly. I think because of this he become more dependant on
us and more cuddly with his increasing years.
Although Timmy was an old man he still looked & acted like a sprightly
kitten.
He started to look his age back in September and by early December the
weight was falling off him no matter what we tried to feed him. After blood
tests and vet checked it was confirmed he was in the latter stages of kidney
failure so we made the hard decision to put him to sleep. He died in our
arms receiving constant kisses.
It's just not going to be the same with out him.

Vistache Dreaming

Golden British Shorthair
24.09.2008 - 20.06.2013

Cuddly Dexter arrived with us just after Christmas 2008 to join my Golden breeding
programme, British and Selkirk Rex. At only 6 months old he came down with a bug
and was very poorly for a month, Norman stayed up during the nights to give him
fluids and after that we decided we would neuter Dex and just keep him as a loved pet
as Norman had bonded with him so much. Unfortunately a similar illness returned in
May and after several weeks of treatment and care he passed away to our heart break.
We will miss our little Serial Killer.

'Amazolou

Cats & Kittens'

Some of our fabulous cats over the last three decades that we have loved and lost..

Amazolou Poppets Precious
(aka Precious)

Golden LH Selkirk Rex Variant
08.07.2006 - 12.12.2020

Little Precious was the only surviving kitten from her litter, with her Mum 'Poppet'
sadly losing the siblings from being an inexperienced Mum.
Precious as literally the size of my thumb and we helped top her up to ensure she
made it through her first few weeks of life. After that she had to stay.
After growing up string and gorgeous, Precious became a valuable addition to our
Selkirk Breeding programme producing some of my prettiest and loving Selkirk
Babies. When her breeding life was finished at the age of 6, Precious then joined the
other neuters on the sofa and occassionally keeping the boys company in the cattery.
She was always the first to adopt someone elses kittens being a natural Mum and a
simply loving temperament.
We lost Precious before Christmas 2020 after a short illness. But we do have her lines
in my boys (as a Great-Grand Parent) so she's not forgotten.