Location:  Chistlehurst, Kent
Breed(s):  Bengal Cats
Breeding since:  I do not breed , but I do show my cats

Tell us a bit about you:

:I've been passionate about animals all my life, owning cats, dogs, rabbits, hamsters, mice, guinea pigs, hedgehogs and fish. I used to volunteer at my local rescue centre, Foal Farm, at weekends and school holidays, and also on the dairy farms of two friends. I also used to loan a pony and ride. Sadly not being bright enough to be a vet I did a degree at one of the London music and drama colleges and now earn a living (just!) by doing freelance teaching, a bit of acting, singing and photographic modelling. I keep up with my animal welfare interests by being involved with my local Cat Protection, and the Bengal Cat Club welfare. I am Membership Secretary for the Bengal Cat Club. At present I have two Bengals and ten rabbits. Over the last couple of years I've become very interested in animal behaviour and complementary therapies, and having done a few short courses, I am toying with the idea of a career shift - if possible. 

 Why did you choose your breed(s)? Since my first 5 cats were all farm cats/rescues and strays I'd never considered a pedigree cat. I'd seen and heard a little bit about Bengals, but never thought I'd own one. Sadly, just before Christmas 2000 we lost the two cats we had within a fortnight of each other. Needless to say, I was devestated. My partner was not keen to have any more cats as he'd developed a slight allergy over the 13 years we'd had Pussy and Figaro. Then I saw an advert in the local paper from a Bengal breeder wanting to re-home her retired breeding queens. I'd heard that Bengals were quite a good breed for people with allergies because of their pelt-like coat. I gave the lady a call and Tabitha and her Mum Chloe came to live with us.

 When were your most memorable occasions as a a cat owner? This is a really tricky one - too many to recall I think, especially with the Bengals! A few recent ones include the rat they let go in my kitchen just before last Christmas - it took a week to get it out! The time Tabitha brought in a mousetrap complete with mouse; the dead mouse under the dining room sideboard that generated hundreds of maggots; discovering that Tabitha and Xerxes can work the sliders on the cat flap to let themselves out - and move a box of wine shoved up against the cat flap to stop them doing this! Chloe used to steal food from peoples barbeques and kitchens and would come home with singed whiskers carrying a bit of sausage, burger, a croissant and once a whole warm chicken breast! She also struggled the remains of a leg of lamb through the catflap one morning. I could write a book about this sort of thing. There are also moments like Xerxes getting his 7 Merits and 3 IC's and helping make history for the Snow Marble Bengals, and Tabitha getting Best in Show household pet at one show; and the time that I took them down to do an interview for Cat World TV - which I've never managed to see - and how well behaved they were.

Who were/are the most memorable cats you've had? All of them really, all do different and so dear. Scrappit was the first, a grey, semi-longhaired kitten that I helped hand-rear one summer on my friend's farm. He came home with me and was a constant source of joy for the nine years I had him. When I met my partner Peter we had Pussy (Marmaduke) a huge ginger and white cat, very wise, great sense of humour. A solid, comforting cat with a massive appetite; Figaro - semi-longhaired, black, bit mad, liked to spray the fridge when hungry and the neighbour's video! Brown Cat - feral, took me three years of feeding outside before I could stroke him or get him to come in. A brown tabby who'd obviously had a very traumatic past - he'd either had his jaw hit by a car or kicked at some point. These were all strays, someons must have had Pussy and Figs once as they were both neutered when they turned up on my doorstep. I think Pussy's owners had moved away and left him accoding to neighbours. Figaro just appeared out of a bush one night, I put up posters and phoned around,but no-one ever claimed him. Briefly there was Rose - a pale apricot semi-longhair, who I found,thin as a rake and covered on cooking oil. She was an absolute sweetie, again I did posters and phone calls, cleaned her up and put a collar on her - but she disappeared never to be seen again. Then came the Bengals - Tabitha and Mum Chloe, who sadly got hit by a car 10 months after we got her. She was a dear, sweet cat and an excellent and brave mother. Tabitha is like her in a lot of ways, and like Pussy, a wise, kind patient cat with a sense of humour. We got Mewli - a Snow Spotted Bengal to keep Tab company, he was a precious little sweetie, with so many funny little ways and they loved each other. Unfortunately he also fell foul of the road when he was fourteen months. It was with a lot of soul-searching and the installation of a Freedom Fence before we got Xerxes (Mewli's half-brother and SO like him it was uncanny). Xerxes is a complete nutter, but great fun. His personality is a bit too big for his own good at times, but everyone loves him to bits.

What are your hopes for the future of your showing hobby?

I'd love it if Xerxes could get a title of some sort - for his breeders as well as me. The Snow Marble Bengals are progressing very slowly with the GCCF at the moment, so he may have his zimmer frame by the time they reach Championship staus! I'm trying a TICA show at the end of this month, so we'll see how he goes in that - I'm not entirely familiar with the machinations of TICA. As we don't have Tabitha's papers, showing her is a little more complicated - looking for classes for unpapered pedigrees, household pets,half-pedigrees etc. I believe some sort of Master Cat title is being introduced for such cats, so I'd like to pursue that for her. She probably has a better attitude to being shown then Xerx, as she is more laid-back and doesn't sulk or try to wear her white vet-bed as a hoodie!

Is there anything else you'd like to mention? If somebody had told me 10 years ago that I'd have been showing pedigree cats I'd have laughed. However, I have so enjoyed learning about the Bengals, showing, joining the cat clubs, becoming Bengal Membership Secretary, and all the lovely people I've met. We always enjoy the East Sussex show, it's nice and near to home and we've usually done quite well. After a cat show we usually have a party/barbeque for the cats and a few friends to celebrate, a bit of cheap bubbly and so on. The cats love a barbeque and to run around after being penned all day, and my worst hangover of the year is usually the morning after the East Sussex! Long may it continue.