About Us and Our Mission

ABOUT US:

I have been an avid animal lover all my life.  I have owned and loved various cats and dogs since I was young.  My animals have always been a part of the family.

When I discovered the Sphynx existed,  I researched their personalities and realized that was the breed for me. Unlike many, I did not think they were ugly at first. I always thought they were beautiful and unique.  Not only are they unusual and beautiful animals - I soon learned they have personalities to match! There is no other breed that is as affectionate, warm and sweet as the Sphynx. If you cannot have a dog, a Sphynx is the closest to dog of all cat breeds. Many people who get a Sphynx immediately want another they are so addictive! This breed does need a lot of love and attention, so we strive to keep 6-8 breeding cats at any one time. (Sometimes they are growing out and finishing up litters) They live as our loved pets in our house, not locked away. This is very important to us.

I want to ensure that each kitten receives the attention and socialization that he/she deserves. I believe it is an important duty of a responsible breeder to only have a few litters as there are many cats that end up in shelters due to overbreeding. In addition, I believe in maintaining the purity of this breed and not exploiting it with mixing in other mutations into the Sphynx breed. The Sphynx are perfect like they are!

All of our cats are tested to ensure they are FIV, FeLV negative. Their hearts are periodically tested and are deemed to have "normal hearts" by a Board Certified Cardiologist and DNA tested for all any testable disease. If you have any questions about what those diseases are, please visit my link page or email me and I will direct you to some research material.

My cattery is located in Philadelphia, PA. We show our cats regularly at TICA (The International Cat Association) shows, so look for us there!!  If you would like to meet me at a show, please email me and I will let you know what shows I will be attending.

I have been so fortunate to find great mentors. One of my dearest and most favorite ones was Sandy Adler of Safram Sphynx. While she was with us, she left a great mark and was one of the main forces in getting the Sphynx to where they are today. I was blessed to have Safram SueShe and Safram Not For Sure (Shirley) andd Safram Skinderella in my breeding program. Here is a link to an article about Sandy: http://www.sphynxnewsletter.com/sections/archives/vol1_issue12009/adler_safram.html

OUR MISSION:

CitizenKat's mission is to maintain all the wonderful aspects of the Sphynx breed  - personality, health and genetics and the education of new owners.

To maintain the personality, we will ensure that each cat is socialized with people and other animals and breed only those animals that have excellent temperaments.  Males are separated from the females to maintain the integrity of the breeding program.

Each cat will have proper socialization. One of the most important things that differentiates us from others is that we keep a small breeding program.  Unlike 90 percent of other breeders, our cats do not live in a "cattery", a "basement" (finished or not) or "finished garage" or cages. The Sphynx are extra special and they deserve to be loved and live like pets, not be treated like stock. Our boys are separated to maintain breeding integrity. However they either live in my bedroom or are allowed to run around supervised each and every night.

Each and every cat's health will be maintained.  The cats will live in clean and spacious living quarters.  Cats will all receive the best medical care and be up-to-date on all examinations and vaccines. Each cat will be fed properly with the best quality food. 

Genetics are also important - we will do our best to ensure that cats are bred without genetic ailments or issues.  We believe that healthy, socially well-adjusted cats are even more important than breeding a "show cat".  We strive to breed the best possible show cats, however, healthy, well-socialized cats will ALWAYS be our first concern. There is a fine balance between trying to breed great show cats and providing wonderful healthy pets to good homes. While we do our best to ensure that each cat will be as healthy as can be - diseases and genetic defects are an unfortunate but natural part of any animal species - there is no one that can predict that. All kittens from CitizenKat come with a 2 year written guarantee.

The final item that we will ensure is each cat that leaves our home goes to an excellent "cat educated"  home.  Prior to, during and after you adopt a cat from us, you may ask us any questions and as much advice as you wish.  If we do not know the answer, we will do our best to find an answer for you.  We want to provide you with all the information and help to make you and your cat happy and healthy.

**From the Heart**

Destyny & Citizenkat Sphynx are combining as one cattery.

Carole Bohanan-Uhler and I have had a long, wonderful, rare relationship. Over the past few years, as friends, all the litters have been planned together and we share the same goals and ethics. Since we have already been the same cattery and shared cats for the past several years, we are merging catteries.

The CitizenKat website will be always be maintained, however all litters are now registered as "Destyny" kittens as we are one in the same. It is not often you find we are lucky to find such special people in our lives. Destiny is what brought us together!

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