About My Cattery

My name is Debbi Smith. My cattery is located in central California. I have always had pets growing up & before getting into cats, was President of the local Wildlife Care Center, where I specialized in raptors, (birds of prey). I was first introduced to the Chartreux through my sister-in-law and have been hooked on these sweet, smiling blue cats ever since. I have been showing & raising Chartreux since 1989. I am a technician at a local Emergency/Critical Care Veterinary Hospital,where I have worked since 1990. The health and well-being of my cats & kittens is very important to me. All my cats & kittens are FeLV/FIV tested and my kittens are sold with health guarantees. Pet kittens are allowed to go to their new homes at the age of 4 months. At this age they have been fully vaccinated for upper respiratory viruses, dewormed & spayed or neutered. They will also receive their rabies vaccines if being shipped out of state. In July of 2000, while attending the 2nd Annual International Conference on Feline Genetics at the School of Veterinary Medicine at U.C. Davis, I was selected by Leslie Lyons, (reproduction & genetic specialist at UCD), for my cats to be used in her DNA and Polycistic Kidney Disease, (PKD), studies. All my cats have been screened and are clear for PKD. Also, Dr. Jerry Bell; (clinical Asst. Prof. of Genetics at Tufts University), screened all my cats for luxated patellas and also offered me genetic counceling for my breeding program.

My main breeding stock consists of:

My stud male -

and my queens -

These three cats were sent to me from Florida by my dear friend Pat Klein from Fourth Paw Cattery, who has retired from breeding. I also have another stud male "Picard" who came from another of my dear friends, Manu Thurau from Germany. I have had several grand champion offspring from these cats and many adorable kittens. I have a young female by the name of and another named , (daughter of Otello & O'Haira and a two show grand before the age of 11 months), who will be included in my breeding program. Our house is ruled by a couple spayed grand-champion/grand-premier female Chartreux. My cats live "underfoot", except for my stud males, for whom we built an addition on our house, which they live in quite comfortably. Apart from the males' apartment, I use queening cages, kitten cages & isolation cages - which are used on a temporary basis only

I have sent several kittens overseas to committed Chartreux breeders & in August of 1999 brought back my import male . By exchanging kittens with our European friends, we are expanding our bloodlines and producing healthier cats. My cats are mostly registered and shown in the Cat Fanciers Association, (CFA); sometimes in The International Cat Association, (TICA). I am also a member of the CFA breed council.

I pride myself on keeping my cattery small & my numbers low to maximize socialization and interaction. Therefore, I only have 3 or 4 litters per year. Kittens are available by reservation to select homes. You can contact me by e-mail at: bleugene@thevision.net.