My name is Kay Jater and I live in the countryside close to Bristol in the UK.   I have been breeding cats under my Santillo prefix (registered with the GCCF) for approximately 30 years….(oh dear –that long!!!)

It all started when I was given two Siamese kittens as pets.   Sadly one of them was killed on the road and I decided to get a replacement as company for my other cat.  I bought a lovely chocolate Siamese girl and bred a litter of  kittens.  I enjoyed the experience so much that I wanted to do it again and again and, as they say, the rest is history!

I have now been breeding and showing Burmese cats for about 16 years and Egyptian Maus for 5 years, so I have had lots of experience although I am still not a big breeder and consider my activities to be very much a hobby.  Sometimes I have kittens for sale, but most of the time I just like to enjoy my cats and to show them at GCCF shows.

My husband, Stephen, is also very fond of our cats and has encouraged me over many years to continue with my hobby.   He comes with me to shows, cooks meals for us when I’m busy with litter trays or other catty  ‘chores’ , and puts up with the inevitable tie of having many animals to look after 24/7.  Holidays are very few and far between!

Showdays are days out with my friends and winning is a bonus, although it is of course always exciting to win!   Showing for me is part of the hobby and I would not wish to continue breeding simply to produce pet kittens for sale.   By showing my cats, I keep up to date with how the breed should look and a measure of show success hopefully confirms that one is working in the right direction!   Breeding cats of better and better ‘type’ is always the challenge!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of my Stud Houses—new for Fero in 2005.  

Santillo Silver Mymaugirl(Jazzy) watching flying squirrels.  Jazzy watches a lot of TV!

Bolly’s House—looking a little more ‘lived in’ !

A typical scene in our household. Not too much room on the sofa for us!

I am a member of several cat clubs, including my Breed Clubs i.e., The Burmese Cat Club, The Burmese Cat Society and the Egyptian Mau Club.    I was an inaugural member of my local area club, Bristol & District Cat Club, and I am a Committee Member and Club Treasurer for this Club.

 

Most of my cats live in the house with us except for the stud boys who have their own purpose built accommodation.  Their houses are clean, comfortable and cosy and have built-in queen’s quarters.   

 

 

As a breeder, I subscribe to the GCCF code of ethics.  I also concur with the guidelines drawn up for breeders and owners  by the  Burmese Cat Club and the Egyptian Mau Club.   

Burmese cats are really special.   It is said that once you have been owned by one of these cats, then you will become addicted to them.   This is so very true!    Over the years, most of my enquiries for Burmese kittens come from people who own one already, have owned them in the past (or the family has), or have met a Burmese with a neighbour or family member.   They have come across this wonderful breed, been enchanted by them and have an overwhelming urge to own one!   Technically of course this is impossible, because they always end up owning you!  

Burmese cats are not for everyone.  They are lively (especially kittens), intelligent (want to ‘help’ you with everything that you do, especially many household chores like making the bed!), and sometimes very naughty.  If you want a cat that sits around and just looks pretty, then a Burmese is not for you.   However, if you want an interactive cat that demands company and attention as well as lots of love, then consider a Burmese.

Because Burmese cats like to interact with humans so much, they are vulnerable if given their freedom to come and go as they please.   What we find so endearing about them is often their undoing and also, make no mistake, they are not streetwise.   If you are considering a Burmese cat then it is important that you realise this and think carefully about whether you are going to let it go outside.   Your breeder can help you make this very difficult decision.   Once you have allowed your cat outside, then it is cruel to change your mind and try to keep it indoors.  However, if it has always been kept as an indoor cat, then it will not miss going outside at all provided it has company indoors and plenty of toys to play with, etc.   Whatever decision you make, your Burmese must always be kept in at night.    If you look at the two Burmese club websites (via my links page), you will see that very many of these cats go missing and very few are subsequently found.  

If you want to know more about Burmese, again please visit the breed club websites via my links page.  Here you will find lots of information about the history of the breed, standard of points, colours, etc.  

If you are interested in acquiring a kitten, please contact me or see my kitten page for availability.  

 

 

ABOUT BURMESE

ABOUT EGYPTIAN MAUS

A NOTE OF ADVICE...AND CAUTION WHEN BUYING A KITTEN   -     FROM ANYWHERE !

If you do not have experience of buying a pedigree kitten, then I would suggest that you read the advice available to you on the GCCF website.  This will make you aware of the various GCCF registration policies and also help you with regard to what you can expect from a breeder when you buy a kitten and what to look for when viewing a litter.     There is also similar useful information on the Feline Advisory Bureau website.   Please read and take heed of the advice available to you from these two sources.

When you visit a breeder’s premises it should appear clean and not smelly.   Kittens should be energetic, friendly and clearly healthy.   Ask as many questions as you like—you will find that a good breeder will ask many questions of you as they are trying to ensure that they are selling their kitten to a good home.    There should be a sort of ‘after sales service’ inasmuch as the breeder should be quite happy (if not insistent) that you contact them if there are any queries /problems and they will always be pleased to help and/or have news of how their kittens are progressing.    Some breeders also insist that if for any reason you are unable to keep the kitten in the future, you contact them in the first instance with regard to re-homing.  All these things are positive, whereas a breeder who does not want to know after you have paid your money is not the one to buy a kitten from…..

Take all this advice seriously and never buy a kitten from a breeder you are unhappy about in any way.   A reputable breeder will ask you lots of questions to try and make sure that they are selling a kitten to a good home.   You should also be ready with any questions you might have—so do your homework first!

 

Steve Leonard, originally of Vets in Practice fame and subsequently presenter of many BBC documentaries, came to my house with a camera crew during the very hot summer weather of July 2003.   The idea was to film a ‘calling queen’ and Santillo Monalisa fitted the bill at the time!   She was desperate—so much so that she thought the fur covered microphone was a very eligible stud cat and kept making up to it!

I had a very interesting day with Steve and the film crew but, as is so often the case with these things, I understand that all the film that they took of Lisa ended up on the cutting room floor when there was a change of focus for the programme there were making.

If you are interested in learning about Egyptian Maus in the UK, you can do no better than visit the website of The Egyptian Mau Club (see my links page). Here you will find information about the history of the breed, the Standard of Points etc., and news of their progression towards gaining Championship status in the UK.  I am a member of this Club.

Here I only propose to tell you how I find them.

I fell in love with the the Egyptian Mau the first moment I saw one, but I had no idea how enamoured I would become with the breed until I lived with them! They are truly delightful cats to have around.

The Mau is an intelligent cat, strong, elegant, athletic and extremely fast. You will not see another cat move as fast as a Mau can!

I find that my Maus are gentle cats - they always want to be around me or somewhere close by.   They will not, however, tolerate being held or restrained against their will.  It is impossible to open the cupboard door where their food is kept or to open a can of anything, without them all suddenly appearing as if by magic!   Maus love to eat and you have to be careful that they do not put on too much weight!

They are friendly with visitors and will sit on their laps or next to them—but only when they (the Maus) are ready to grace these people with their presence.

When I decided to breed Egyptian Maus, it was very important to me that they had the temperament to make lovable pets.  To me owning a stunning cat is all very well, but temperament is more important in the long run when you live with your pet Mau every day.

I have kept in touch with my kitten owners and reports are that they do make wonderful pets!  People are delighted with them.

If you are thinking about acquiring a Mau, one important point to consider is that they are very beautiful cats and are therefore at risk of theft, apart from the many other dangers to all our cats in the outside world.   As a breeder, therefore, my recommendation is that they are kept as indoor cats.   If, however,  you ever do decide to let your Mau outside then I cannot stress too strongly that they must be kept in at night.   This is when most cats are stolen, get lost or are involved in accidents.  Apart from anything, else, a cat who is allowed out at night can become somewhat nocturnal and sleep all day long!

Please contact me or see my kitten page if you are interested in acquiring a kitten.

 

 

  About Me & Santillo Cats