Our Chit-Chat Cattery is a family owned cattery lovingly built and kept in this family for 3 generations. There is a saying that goes, "Never be afraid to dream, for the simplest dream can take you where your heart yearns to go." This cattery began as a dream in my Grandmother's heart. All she desired in her whole adult life was a Siamese cat. As a family, we would talk about getting together and buying her one but it never seemed to happen. She had a friend that rescued an alley cat in terrible condition that appeared to be Siamese - its "points" were evident (though it really didn't have any hair) and its eyes were blue. Of course she took the cat in and after much TLC and a bit of hair growth it became evident that this sweet animal was a neutered Balinese male. Though not quite Siamese, he was close! That cat lived to be a grand old age (I was 11 years old when he was brought to my Grandmother!) and he lived to be a friend to "Holly" an exceptionally sweet Seal-Point, Traditional Applehead Siamese who became our founding queen of the Chit-Chat Cattery.

The story has been told several times of how Grandma had saved up her money to purchase her Siamese cat. When she finally went to pick her kitten up, she was short a few dollars in cash but the breeder allowed her to write a check for the last $15.00. When she returned home she informed my Grandfather of the check so he could record it in the register - to which he exclaimed, "You paid $15.00 for a cat??!!? Little did he know Grandpa would become an integral participant in our cattery, with his big lap & warm body & his knowledge of how to pet and scratch just so.

So in love with her Holly girl, Grandma set out to find a breeder that offered a stud service. (This is when a breeder would agree to take a female cat while in heat and let her mate with her male, or "stud", for a set "stud-fee" price.) Well, my determined Grandmother finally found one. We still laugh when we remember Grandpa's reaction to this new turn in her Siamese dream. He said, "Oh, no! I know you! You won't be able to let go of a single one of those kittens!" Eleven generations later. Well, Grandma still has Siamese cats though our original Holly girl has been retired.

Next to buy into the Chit-Chat cattery was my Aunt - a natural extension as she, her husband and their 6 children lived right next door to my Grandmother. Her children had actually been involved in the cattery for years, though they may not have known it! These sweet, gentle children held every single new baby born into the cattery; held them every day, many times a day -all day long! Sweet, gentle children making sweet, gentle kittens, loving and conditioning them for their new families. My Aunt's dream and passion was the Lilac Point Siamese. Though in our breeding we had the potential genes to create a Lilac Point (See the link on WHAT IS A POINT? to see how the genetics break down) - we had only 2 Lilac Point kittens born into the cattery in all those years!

We now have a Lilac Point male and a Lilac Point female and we are anxious to see how many more will be born into the cattery. Another dream come true!

Now, I too have joined the Chit-Chat cattery, continuing the work that these wonderful women had begun. I actually remember thinking at one point that my Grandmother was a bit crazy, going a bit over-board having so many cats!! (Not that many really, but all she had was her Balinese boy for so many years, then suddenly with in a few years there were 5 girls and sometimes all would have a litter at the same time!!! -She still used "Stud services", no male of her own yet.) Every time I would see her or talk to her there was something or someone new!! So here I am, three generations later and not a one of us have been able to get enough of this amazing creature.

My dream for this cattery is to bring it the "fame and recognition" it deserves. Wowing the world with show-stoppers. Grand Champions that will knock your socks off but will not be raised in cages in huge multi-cat environments, but always underfoot and ultimately cared for as our own beloved pets. I dream of bringing our cats into the spotlight so many can see them for what they are. I have created this web site and am trying to use the technology available to us to bring us up to where we would like to be. We believe we have exceptional cats and we are continuing to breed better and better Siamese! We are thrilled to be on-line and "plugged-in" and better able to share our cats with you!

I am sooooo proud of the awesome job my Grandmother and my Aunt have done before me, building a cattery out of what was most important; family, love, patience, endurance, strong values and high standards. I vow to these incredible women and to our customers to always produce the very best Siamese possible. I thank my Grandmother and my Aunt for teaching me what was most important in raising Siamese Cats and in doing so, installing in me values to live my life by.

Now that you have a picture of those of us that have made up the Chit-Chat cattery and have heard our story, let's get into the more detailed specifics of the workings of our cattery!

We have now branched into the less traditional and the more exotic colors (as if Siamese could be more exotic!) These are called Color-Point Shorthairs by some registries, colors like the Red and Cream Points and the female Tortie, Chocolate Tortie and the Blue and Lilac Cream Point Siamese.

Although we occasionally have a litter of the Traditional Applehead-type Siamese, as a cattery we are moving more toward the Classic "show-type" Siamese (Click on OUR CATS to take a peak!). We are able to offer cats as pet, breeder & show quality. We do continue to appreciate the individual beauty & characteristics of the Traditional Applehead Siamese and as I've said, we will be able to occasionally provide a few kittens that have the Applehead "look". We do have a deep love & respect for the "original" Traditional Siamese & those that still breed them to preserve this style.

At the Chit-Chat cattery we breed for beauty, type, health & above all for our trademark loving personalities. As discussed earlier, all of our kittens are raised with children & are socialized from week one. All of our kittens are raised "underfoot" in our home as a cherished member of our family, never caged (except for their trips to the vet or whatever when they must be kept in a carrier for their own protection). We do not ever allow our cats outdoors (well, almost never, Holly was a bit of an escape artist!) except for in the "cat-run" which is a room addition built exclusively for the cats. It is a room off of the kitchen that has it's own floor and is screened on three sides. The cats can pass from the house into their room and back again at will, a chance for our cats to experience almost all of what could delight the feline senses with out the danger of other animals or the possibility of outside diseases.

We pride ourselves in the exceptional health of our cats. We guarantee our cats to be free from feline leukemia virus (FeLV), feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) and Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) and should you decide a Chit-Chat Cat is for you, you are protected with a contract guaranteeing these facts.

We vaccinate every cat in our cattery - none may leave without! And as an added "bonus" we do continue to offer future vaccinations for you Chit-Chat Cat at a deep discount. We vaccinate with a 4-way vaccine the gives your cat a healthy boost in their immunities against (1) panaleukopenia, (2) viral rhinotracheitis, (3) feline calicivirus and (4) chlamydiosis. We do not vaccinate or allow for vaccinations for FIP (feline infectious peritonitis) or FeLV (feline leukemia virus). These vaccines are not necessary for indoor cats and depress severely instead of aid a healthy cat's immune system. In the case of the FIP vaccine, it has actually been proven to be ineffective against most strains of the corona viruses associated, which have to be present and then mutate to cause the FIP disease. You should also know, if these last two vaccines are given to a Chit-Chat cat, any and all guarantees from us will become Null and Void (also stated in our contract)!! This is a very serious matter and you must tell you veterinarian you do not wish to receive these vaccines or you will be likely to get them!

In most areas, it is not necessary to vaccinate for rabies. You must check with your specific county to see if the rabies vaccine is required. If it is, the vaccine we recommend is the Purevax vaccine. You may have to request your veterinarian to special order it for you. If the rabies vaccine is not a requirement in your county, do not subject your cat to it. Your cat is an indoor cat only and does not need unnecessary vaccinations to "bog" down its immune system. Your Chit-Chat Cat's health is of the utmost importance to us as I'm sure it is for you!!

Many want to know if we are willing to ship a kitten out of state. Yes, we are willing to ship a potential Chit-Chat Cat owner a kitten, but there are a few additional costs involved. There is the extra cost of a veterinarian health guarantee as well as of course the cost of the crate to ship your baby in. This is covered in more detail in the contract if you want to look that over.

None of our cats have been or will ever be declawed. We recommend very, very strongly against this and I have written a whole essay under WHY TO NOT DECLAW to explain our reasons for this. Basically, the declaw surgery is a painful mutilation of the toes of a cat and declawing can and will produce some unwanted side effects. We want you to have a companion that can love you like you want to be loved for the rest of its life. Sometimes declawing can turn your cat's personality into one that is difficult to love and after all is said and done, there has been no benefit to the cat, only possible benefits to its owners. We encourage you to read WHY TO NOT DECLAW to see the facts as well as options to declawing you precious Chit-Chat Cat.

I hope you understand how very, very much we care for our cats and their kittens! We find our Siamese babies such a joy and try so very hard not to fall in love!! The only reasons we are able to part with them at all is when we know we have found an exceptional home for our littlest loved ones. We know that if you are willing to follow the basic "guidelines" and standards we have set for our cats, that we can feel comfortable in the knowledge that you will love your cat as much as we have. If we find you to be a potential Chit-Chat Cat owner, it is our vow to always be here to support you and your Siamese through out all of your cat's years (which could be considerable!! Usually 18-20 years, or longer!!!)

We hope you now have an accurate knowledge of how we operate, how much we care for our cats, and how committed we will be to you and the success of your future relationship with your new baby! Please e-mail us with any question!! We look forward to meeting you!