History

About Croshka Siberian Cattery

Croshka Siberians are cat breeders of quality Siberians since 1994.  We are located in the South in the Atlanta, Georgia area.  Shipping with the airlines is very convenient if needed.  Croshka has many different lines of cats from different cat breeders from all over the world including the U.S, Russia and Finland, and Budapest.  We specialize in many of the rare Siberian colors.

This cattery will also give a written health guarantee to all kittens and cats. These kittens will all be registered with TICA.  Croshka Siberians is licensed
with the State of Georgia  with unannounced inspections and now licensed with USDA .  We are also member with the Taiga Siberian Cat Club.

We have many happy pet owners throughout the country if you would like references.  Several times a year we will have retired spayed or neutered adult cats available for adoption as house pets for families to love.  We breed quality Siberians for pets.  If you have any further interest in our Siberians please contact me and lets talk about you future purrrrrrrrrrrfect family member.


HISTORY OF THE SIBERIAN FOREST CAT
Written by Kathy Wade

An ancient long-haired breed now popular in the United States is far from new to the Asian continent and Europe. The Siberian Forest Cat is sometimes referred to as simply the “Siberian Cat” or the “Siberia”. In Germany it is known as the “Sibirische Katze”.

Siberians were common cats roaming the Russian markets and the countryside of their homeland of Siberia. Cats were first brought into Russia by Nobles because they were considered to be exotic pets. The domestic cats mated with the European and Asian wild cats (Felis Silvestris) that were already there. Only a few of those cats who were strong adapted to the harsh Siberian climate and survived Russian immigrants were said to have carried this breed with them as they journeyed to cold Moscow and St. Petersburg leaving the cold inhospitable climate of the North. The breed continued to survive the harsh winters and climate and developed a thick fur and waterproof, oily coat. During this time no one bothered to develop the Siberian into a pedigreed cat. Russia did not allow citizens to own any kind of household pet, pedigreed or otherwise, because of the food shortage.

Despite the fact that the Siberian is a natural breed and is the national cat of Russia, its familiar presence allows it to be taken for granted rather than worthy of note in Russian literature.  Finding written information in Russia is understandably fairly difficult.

Many stories have been told about this breed which we are not sure are true today. The Siberian Cats first appeared in recorded history in the year 1000 AD.  The breed, as it spread throughout Europe, was noted in Harrison Weir’s late nineteenth century book, “Our Cats and All About Them”, as one of the three longhairs represented at the first cat show held in England in 1871.  The second written proof was in 1925 from the book “Brehms Tierleben” where a stocky longhaired red cat named Tobolsker coming from Caucasus is mentioned.  Siberians can be found in Russian paintings that are hundreds of years old.

Also in Russian folklore these magnificent cats made their homes in Russian monasteries.  In the monasteries they would walk along the high beams and use their speed, strength, and agility.  The Siberians would be on the lookout for intruders, and yet show the monks loyal and loving companionship.  The Siberian is also Russia’s native cat.  With all of this information we all can see that it is not a new breed to Europe.

In later years after the end of the cold war in Russia, cat clubs became fashionable, and citizens were allowed to own pets.  Many cat clubs developed and one is St. Petersburg Kotofei (pronounced COT-ah-fay), which is a division of ACFA.  Kotofei, named after a fabled Russian character that had the head of a cat, is one of the few Russian cat clubs that extended official pedigrees.  It wasn’t until 1987 that Kotofei was formed and breeding records started being kept.  The first cat show in Moscow was held in 1988. Since then many new cat clubs and registries have developed.

In 1990 a Himalayan breeder named Elizabeth Terrell who lived in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and a materials engineer from Hackensack, New Jersey, named David Boehm both began negotiations with Russian breeders.  Mrs. Terrell was in a cultural exchange of two breeds not known in either region. She had two Himalayans sent to Russia in exchange for some Siberians.  Mrs. Terrell saw a 1988 article in a Himalayan breed publication that asked if any American breeders would be willing to send Himalayans to Russia to help get that breed established there.  Meanwhile David Boehm had read an article about the Siberian Cats written by a woman in West Germany.  Later he learned that she was coming that year to the States exhibiting two of her Siberians at the ACFA international show.  After speaking to her at the show he decided to go to Russia himself and get some Siberians and bring them back. As he arrived in Moscow three Siberian kittens departed the airport bound for the United States.  The three kittens were being shipped to Elizabeth Terrell. After much searching he arrived back home with many Siberians of his own. From all of these many long hours and communication with the Russians the United States now had the Siberian Cat.

THE SEARCH IS FINALLY OVER!!! THE SIBERIAN IS THE IDEAL CAT FOR ALL!