Past Queens

Hania, coming from Mogalo cattery in Belgium (thank you, Chantal, for this kind and lovely girl!), fullfills my dreams about a cinnamon queen. Orientals of this color were developed through crossbreeding with sorrel-colored Abyssinian cats, and our girl, characterized by the typical Abyssinian coat pattern with so-called ticking (chocolate stripes at the tips of each hair), is the liveliest proof of this lineage.

Since oriental cats with light brown fur are a relatively young variety (recognized by FIFE in 1990), during the time we started our breeding, they typically yielded in appearance to Orientals in more stabilized color varieties, making their breeding a real challenge.

Hania queened two of our litters, Cinni and Dazzling. After a serious illness during her second pregnancy, she was spayed and spent the next three years living with us as a resident, first taking care of her daughter Dazzling Dido and later her son Ginger Giroud. As she wasn’t entirely comfortable with the numerous company of other cats, we made the difficult decision to find her another home. For a while, she lived with my friend’s mother, but unfortunately, it turned out she couldn’t adapt effectively there. In the end, she returned and stayed with us until the end. Fortunately, the changes positively impacted her mentally. After returning, Hania stopped hiding in corners and playing the victim to our more assertive pets. She became a cat that functioned harmoniously with all the others.

When Lubcia moved in with us, it became evident that there was no chance for her to be accepted by Elaine (even the attempt to familiarize the cats by allowing them to see each other without direct contact, through specially meshed doors, failed). Hania, along with the “newcomer,” settled in our bedroom, eagerly taking advantage of the associated privileges, such as the opportunity to sleep on sleeping people or the midnight begging for pets every time one of us tried to change position.

Unfortunately, the chronic inflammation persisting in her body since the illness many years ago, eventually took a toll on the condition of her kidneys. We fought for over half a year, successfully overcoming one serious crisis. When we managed to overcome the second one as well, we believed that our cat would stay with us for a while longer. Unfortunately, soon came another deterioration that we could no longer help her through. Farewell, Hania! Many days after her departure, every time I entered the bedroom, I found myself searching for her gaze on the cushion by the window, and in my ears echoed her characteristic, squeaky meow, signaling that the cat wanted something from us.