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Leeside Abys still have gently contoured heads and profiles. Our ruddies look like ruddies. Even black ticking and black or dark chocolate paw pads with black hair between the pads insures they are never mistaken for reds.
 

The Abyssinian is a medium sized cat with a distinctly ticked coat. The color and ticking develop gradually over time, and kitten tabby marks on the legs and neck may blend in as color deepens. The intermediate build should be svelte and muscular. The wedge shaped head has slightly rounded contours, large ears, and large almond shaped eyes. Ideally, the coat should be thick and resilient. Adult females average 6 - 8 lbs., and males 7-9 lbs. The current commonly recognized colors in North America are ruddy, red (also known as sorrel), blue and fawn. TICA has also recognized the various silver colors, and most recently, chocolate and lilac Abys. The Abyssinian requires little grooming because of its short coat, but many will enjoy being groomed daily with a flea comb. Their nails should be trimmed twice a month. Their large ears require regular cleaning with a dry q-tip to remove waxy build-up. The Aby personality is not for everybody, but devotees find them intelligent, affectionate, and loyal. Mischievous and curious, they often follow their owners around from room to room. Because of these traits they are difficult to keep off of counters, coffee tables etc.; they want to be in the thick of everything. They are also a very active cat with a high energy level, and not suitable for small spaces. Most Abys have dog-like traits including a fondness for water, and a capacity for being leash trained. Of the shorthaired breeds, Abys have one of the softest voices.

Leeside Cattery has been involved with breeding Abys since 1989, and has been part of the cat fancy since the sixties. The cats are all kept in conditions as close to a normal home environment as possible so that they are well-socialized and out-going. Cats are limited to 6 or less adults at a time, and adults cats are placed as pets after we have produced what we need out of them. Breeding cats are selected for health and temperament, as well as their ability to meet the show standard. All incoming cats are tested for feline leukemia and feline immunodefiency virus, and quarantined for at least a month before being introduced to the resident cats. We do not use cats with luxating patellas for breeding and avoid cats with renal amyloidsis within 3 generations in their pedigrees. Kittens are sold at a minimum age of ten weeks, and after they have had at least two sets of vaccinations and a check up by our veterinarian. Female kittens are often older at the time of the sale because extra time is needed to assess their potential for the breeding program.  The price for pet quality kittens is $700. Kittens to show in the alter class sometimes available. Young adult cats already neutered or spayed are occasionally available for $300-$500.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

____________________________________________________________ Adult Aby Wanted A person who purchased an Aby from me years ago is looking for a replacement adult Aby from my lines. If for some reason you have a cat from me and are going to be unable to keep it due to allergies, having to move, or whatever, would you please contact me. The cat will likely be an only cat, and, like all of my cats, will be an inside cat, though it may go out on a harness. Thank you. ____________________________________________________________

***************************************************************************** I'd enjoy hearing from the owners of my Abys, and if there is anyone who knew me from when I lived in Winnipeg, and has just lost touch, I'd like to hear from you too. ***************************************************************************** HAPPY 17TH BIRTHDAY SERA !!!! Leeside Serafin This red female was born on November 25, 1990. She is out of QGC Highstepper's Haley's Comet and Ch. Casago's Betty Grable. BG decided she didn't want to raise her kittens, and dumped Sera off in the whelping box with Lisi's Leo and Cricket (AKA, Stardust.) Lisi was quite happy to keep her, though a second kitten from BG died the first night. Sera was adopted by Debbie and Art Ammeter of Petersfield, Manitoba. Her long life has been shared by a variety of other dogs and cats, including one stupid Aby, not from my breeding program, who shall remain unnamed, a Pharoh Hound with a penchant for stealing toast, and some newer additions I haven't met. I can only hope the rescue Greyhound doesn't think Sera would make a good lunch, as she isn't as fast as she used to be! I'd like to thank the Ammeters for taking such good care of Sera, and their other Aby from me,"Rudy," AKA GRC Leeside I Didn't Do It. SADLY, THE FOLLOWING CATS HAVE DIED IN 2007: Ch. Leeside The Little Bear "Teddy," as he was known, was euthanized with an inoperable tumour in late July 2007, at 15 1/2 years of age. This fawn male retired to live on Vancouver Island with Gail Harris at about 2 1/2 years of age. This has been a difficult loss for Gail, and it saddens me that I can't provide Aby kittens to owners whose cats have left us. Leeside Leo Minor Leo lived with Jim and Louise Townsend of Winnipeg, and died in January 2007, at the age of 16. Louise allowed me to use Leo for one breeding before he was neutered. Bred to a leased ruddy female from Texas, Leo sired a litter of four kittens. His son, "Ch. Leeside The Little Bear" also a fawn, was one of the five Aby cats and kittens that moved with me from Winnipeg to BC, in May of 1992. Leo suffered joint problems from a break in a hind leg as a kitten. It was decided that the pain involved in moving around had become to difficult for Leo in January. Jim and Louise still own two other Leeside Abys, litter-mates, now four years of age. Louise previously owned Leo's mom, Lisi, after she retired. Ch Leeside Rebel Angel Owned by Jeanne and Peter Duffey of Delta BC, Angel died at 15 years of age, on March 31, 2007. Angel had an IQ of at least 140, coupled with a sense of humour, and ruled whatever household she lived in. She lived with the Duffeys, and their Korat, Thai, for nine years after she was retired from my breeding program at 6 years of age. Many of you who have kittens out of her, or her son Winnie, will have experienced the "Angel" personality. For more on Angel, please read her bio under, "Cats in Our Pedigrees." Ch Leeside Winner Take Nothing AKA Winnie, Pooh et cetera. Winnie lived with me his entire life. In part, this was because he never seemed to like anyone who wanted to take him home when he was retired from breeding at 2 1/2. I can remember him hissing at one prospective owner who picked him up! However, like his mom, Angel, Winnie enchanted visitors with his antics. And everyone was warned to watch their food. He liked to play, "kitchen vulture," and would hang over the edge of the fridge as food was prepared on the counter below. Winnie was euthanized with renal failure on February 5, 2007, at 13 years of age. The time and events surrounding his death have been among the most traumatic I have experienced in my many years with animal friends. I was so happy to be able to relieve Winnie's suffering, but I doubt I will ever stop missing him. *********************************************************** FDA PET FOOD RECALLS The pet food recalls, and the lies told by Menu Foods, have affected many people and their pets. Even though Menu Foods only publicly admitted to problems, and started recalls of foods in late March 2007, we later found out that production lots going back to at least early December 2006 were known to be tainted with melamine. The CFO of Menu foods sold out half of his shares in the company a month before Menu Foods started recalls. In addition, having used MediCal Mature tinned food with Winnie, I did have contact with RCIF, who now owns the previously Canadian vet food company. According to RCIF, Menu Foods originally told them that none of the tainted wheat gluten went to Canada. They later admitted this was not true. (More on the RCIF website.) So if this was not true, what else was not true? How can you test foods when all of specific products lots are gone? Or when the pets have died months before? None of us will ever know the entire truth about this matter. I know vet clinics in the US were trying to track the increase in pet deaths from renal failure, especially cats, from the fall of 2006 on. Obviously, if an animal died suddenly and unexpectedly, before we knew what was happening, no tests would be run. For more info check out the USA FDA recall site, which stores info from the most recent backward. The FDA has news conference info, as well as the listed recall info. You can go to the Cornell University website and see their research about the melamine/cyanuric acid tainting of pet foods. Cornell also did the test feeding of some Menu products on cats. Cats were found to be more dramatically affected than dogs, because the PH level of their urine promoted rapid crystal formation. As of this writing, it is my understanding that animals may still have insoluble crystals on their kidneys because of foods that were fed. Individual animals may not have died because they were being fed a variety of dry and wet products, most of which were not affected. Some of my pet owners, both in the US and Canada, did use tainted/recalled foods. The Menu Food scandal is just one link in the chain. The degradation of pet foods in the last ten years has occurred as conglomerates have bought out smaller companies who have a strong consumer base. Because the formulae of products have changed as this has happened, I have removed all of my cat food recommendations from my website. One more thing. PLEASE do not feed the Iam's dry cat foods. P & G removed the taurine from it, with the exception of one hairball formula, about ten years ago. This is not a meat based food. You might as well feed the dry Fancy Feast. You are not getting the product you were getting ten years ago, and we will be back with the death of cats from cardiomyopathy, as we were in the late 80's again. Buy the product, not the hype. Shelley Hlady August 2007 NEW BEGINNINGS All of our breeding cats have now been altered so the animals we have now will be the last ones that we have for sale. We will not be recommending other Aby breeders for those who are still looking to buy them. We have enjoyed meeting many friends through our sale of pet Abys over the last 15 years, but it is time to move on to other ventures in our lives. Thank you for your support and feedback over the years and please continue to stay in touch. ANNOUNCEMENT: CAT OR DOG EXPECTING? I am now available to help new breeders or private pet-owners with the whelping of litters. The area I can service includes Chilliwack, Abbotsford, Langley, Surrey and White Rock in BC. Rates charged will depend on general circumstances, location, time of day etc. Call and discuss this with me. My veterinarian would be willing to give a reference to anyone considering using this service and references from long-time owners of cats from me are available too. Please check out my page on Cat Care Counselling for more info on other areas I may be able to help with. Producing healthy litters starts long before the actual birthing process and the more you know and can plan ahead the easier your pets whelping experience will be. If you have a cat from us, we'd love to hear from you and see recent photos of your cat.

 

      

The International Cat Association: www.tica.org

Cat Fanciers' Association: www.cfainc.org