Ja Ja Siberians

Hypo-Allergenic Siberians

Experienced Siberian breeders began to notice that people known to have cat allergies could tolerate the Siberian.   Some breeders thought that the Siberians might have low levels of the cat allergen called FEL D1, which is extremely potent.  Secretions from the glands of the skin are the primary source of FEL D1, but it is also deposited on the fur through the saliva when cats clean themselves.  Eventually the allergen flakes off and becomes airborne, triggering the symptoms that characterize allergies to kitties.  After years of experience, it was found that Siberians may be introduced into the homes of people who have never been able to own a cat before!!  It now appears that the low level of FEL D1 means that about 80% of the people who are allergic to kitties are NOT allergic to Siberians. 

About Ja Ja ( Ja Ja = Janice + James)

 Meet the Hughes

Mom (Janice)

The Dad (James or Jim)

I  have had many pets over the last 40 years, ranging from rescued wild creatures to nursing homeless, defenseless opossums.  I have raised baby chicks, ducks, and sheep.  I even had squirrels who would come up on the porch and take peanuts and not run unless I got too close. I had a classroom menagerie of white rats, gerbils, Guinea pigs, fish, iguanas, a gecko, and garden snakes when I was teaching.  I began raising and showing dogs with Rough Collies.  I could see I was going nowhere with this breed and could not get quality stock, but I read an article about Bearded Collies before they were known to AKC.  I searched for the right Bearded Collies and soon they were recognized and being shown at AKC shows. I wanted the very best Bearded Collies that I could find and imported from England, Scotland, Wales and even Australia.  I showed my Beardies at the prestigious Westminster AKC show in New York City for many years as well as other prominent shows such as  Philadelphia, Pittsburg, Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, and Toronto. I have bred and shown over 100 AKC champions.  I also acquired  Polish Lowland Sheepdogs before they became AKC recognized.  So, it is true that I have an eye for the unusual.  I love the rare breeds and enjoy watching them grow into the hearts of families and become a popular breed.… The RagaMuffins and the Siberians are both rare breeds. Both have developed into desirable, popular breeds.

Jim and I have had a Ragdoll, Himalayans, Persians, and RagaMuffins,  aquatic fish, turtles, and even Jake the Snake who lives outside in our garden.  We we have two talking parrots, Lucy, our African Grey who does sound effects like the microwave, sirens, imitates the Mockingbirds, the cat's meows, etc… and Magnum, an Amazon Yellow Nape, who talks non-stop and sings operatic arias.  We also have Douglas, our little Maltese. who acts as 'Dutch Uncle' to all the kittens. He is very protective of the kitties. 

In 2004, we decided to look for a Siberian. We obtained a beautiful Siberian (Leda) after much research online and googling the word 'allergy'.  She is from Russia  out of the famous Daria line.  Unfortunately, the pedigree was in Russian and I could not register her but I was able to track down Leda's breeder in St. Petersburg, Russia and she was able to correct the documents, and thanks to Tatiana Mareeva I was able to register her with ACFA, CFA, and UFO.  Leda is now a Champion.

With more research we found a Siberian breeder in England - Jenny Carter - and imported Grand Champion Inspiration Erek of Ja Ja (top winning #1 in USA Siberian (ACFA and UFO for 2006-2007) and other Siberians from her. 
Watch for Hector, Gracie and Felichita in the show rings.. They are so wonderful: friends, intelligent, graceful yet very agile… lively. playful, and fun to live with.

My! My! My! Siberians are such fun and so human-like (little reincarnates… LOL) that one Siberian is simply never enough! They are addictive.

Siberians are sprightly, active, and extremely agile, so much so that they can leap great distances and heights to "fly through the air with the greatest of ease!" (Trapeze artists.. for sure).

Amazingly, they usually navigate around potentially breakable bric-a-brac, ornaments, vases, etc.,  without leaving a path of destruction in their wake. However, prudence dictates that one should not leave valuables about (china cabinets and curio cabinets are a must)!  As you visualize a blend of the circus dare-devil, flying Wallendas and the sleuth, ‘the Pink Panther,’ you can understand that the Siberian is a wild mixture of both.

Expect the unexpected when living with sometimes zany Siberians. Siberians are powerful, intense, human-like kitties. They rarely bite and are not combative with other kitties. They are ‘talkers and chirpers' and purr very, very loudly.  One of our Siberians, Felichita (Chita) actually gives real kisses....it’s true.

History                                                                                                                                                                                                   

The Siberian kittycat originated in Russia more than 1000 years ago, and came to the USA in 1994. The
Siberian kitty is dependent on human interaction and tends to bond more closely than other feline breeds (which also creates a situation that provides for easier training).  Siberians are powerful kitties, but rarely injure their human friends, even in play.
They purr very, very loudly and love to head butt their favorite humans. They are talkative and also chirp and quickly establish communications through body language. Because of their many interesting qualities, the Siberian is rapidly becoming the pet of choice for many families. 
The Siberian is the national breed of cat in Russia.  It is the ultimate kitty!  Jim and I love our feline family as though they were our ‘kids.’ Because of the overwhelming customer satisfaction, we really enjoy working with prospective human adopters also :-).

If you are interested in adopting a Siberian kitty/kitten, here is their impressive history.......
Siberians are a rare breed, a Russian forest kitty, native to the Taiga, the largest natural forest remaining on earth and a place where the climate is extreme. The Siberian, a natural breed, is Russia’s national cat. During the summer, temperatures can top 100 degrees and in the winter may reach 80 below. (Unbelievable!)  For the kitty to survive these climatic conditions, the Siberian evolved into a natural breed with a well-developed muscular body: it has a medium-long low-maintenance coat which requires little or no grooming. In the winter, the Siberian’s triple-layer, water-repellent fur is full and dense, but will have a quick shed in the summer. Most of these kitties shed very little throughout the year. Living in such harsh conditions has produced a very strong and healthy cat which has very few known health problems. (Living in Florida below the freeze zone, my Siberians never attain a true winter-type coat).
 

Many stories have been told about this breed which we are not sure are true today. The Siberians first appear in recorded history in the year 1000. As the breed spread throughout Europe, it was noted in Harrison Weir's late nineteenth-century book, "Our Cats and All About Them," as one of the three long hair kitties represented at the first cat show held in England in the 1700's.
 

According to Russian folklore, these magnificent Siberians made their homes in Russian monasteries.  In the monasteries they would walk along the high beams and use their speed, strength, and agility and sometimes were said to ‘fly’. The Siberians would be on the lookout for intruders, and yet show the monks loyal and loving companionship. With all of this information we can see that it is not a new breed to Europe.
 

In later years after the end of the cold war, cat clubs became fashionable in Russia, and citizens were able to own pets. Many cat clubs developed and one is St. Petersburg Kotofei (pronounced COT-ah-fay), which is a division of ACFA. Kotofei is named for a fabled Russian character, Kotofei Ivanovich, who had the head of a cat,  www.http://folklore.mashaholl.com/tales.php?page=catandfox *   Kotofei is one of the few Russian cat clubs to extend official pedigrees. 
 

It was not until 1987 that Kotofei was formed and breeding records started to be kept. The first cat show in Moscow was held in 1988. Since then many new cat clubs and registries have developed. 
 

Siberian faces should be a modified wedge with rounded contours. In comparison with some more widely known breeds, Siberians have a rounder head than the Norwegian Forest Kitty and are more compact than the Maine Coon. They have large rounded paws with toe tufts to keep their feet warm in the cold. They use their finger-like toes to pick up objects - even food, or to cuddle kittens. Tails should be long and very full to wrap around them for warmth.
This breed tends to enjoy water and doesn't seem to mind the occasional bath.

Grooming
Siberians are self-groomers and are always preening… they rarely have tangled fur. We do recommend bathing every six weeks to two months for optimal skin conditioning. Please ask for our special bathing procedure and products that we use to maintain this lovely silky, ermine-like coat. They love to be groomed either with comb or brush… Keep nails trimmed as often as weekly. Sometimes there are some tummy or under the arm tangles, and they may turn into a little matting, so it is wise to do at least a weekly combing/brushing. They also enjoy being dressed up and love to ride in buggies…(you can find kitty buggies on line… via Internet…. googling, etc……. They enjoy car rides, and will wear ribbons and cloth neck triangles (cowboy-cowgirl-like scarves). They are constant purrers.
 

Kittens are ready for their new homes  when they are twelve (12) weeks of age. Under certain circumstances, we hold them until they are 14-to-16 weeks of age especially when there are very young children in a family.  When they are ready for their new homes, the kittens are eating well, potty-trained to use a litter box, and well accustomed to people, children, dogs, and our parrots. They have been reared underfoot and have the run of the house and can go in and out of our lanai when they wish. We believe that fresh air and sunshine is healthy for our kittens/kitties. We also do not want them cooped up in catteries /cages or confined in small quarters or garages where there is limited circulating fresh air, if any at all. Our Siberians are much like our little kids and we enjoy having them about...napping in a jardinière, sprawled across the sofa, or keeping watch from the top of our entertainment center. They have their friends and enjoy running and playing together. They love listening to music from jazz to classical to rock and even watch television especially Animal Planet. Kittens/kitties are much-much smarter than most people believe them to be -- especially Siberians!

Companionship                                                                      Siberians are dependent on human companionship and interaction.  The more they are socialized, the more personality is developed and thus the more social they become.  They tend to be doggie-like and are very playful… use a lot of body language as well as having a loud purr and making vocal ‘chirping’ noises. They are extremely creative kittens/kitties. Their play is amazing, as with practice, they can learn to retrieve and enjoy catching toys. They are quick to see a fly, insect, anole, mouse, etc much quicker than the human eye spots it. When harnessed, and with a little training, they can learn to walk and to take walks with you. They like nothing better than to snuggle up and sleep with you in bed at night. They are very cuddly, and they love to ‘butt-heads’ with you and always come up to face level and sniff, sniff… CUTE!! They are fantastic leapers and seem to ‘fly’; they are great hunters.  You will not have to worry about unwelcome rodent guests when you have a Siberian.

Adoption Fees and Shipping Information
Shipping is via Delta and generally would be just under $300 including travel carrier.
When possible we use counter-to-counter service. Kittens/kitties adoption fees range from about $900 (see below). Our adoptions include a five-year health guarantee, and in return we expect the adoptee to continue feeding their regular diet. (See below).  We accept either MasterCard or VISA with a four percent surcharge, cashier's check or direct deposit.  Our Siberian kitten adoption fees range from $900 to $1200. Our Siberian Color Points and Torties (tortoiseshells) are $1000 to $1200 as pets and $1800 to be shown or as Breeders. We will only sell our kittens as Breeding Queens/Studs to Qualified, Responsible Breeders ($1800).  Our kittens are of the highest quality in the USA, and we provide a health and genetics guarantee!  You may be interested in adopting two kittens!  Litter-mates are a great way to have 2 babies that have already been playing together for 12 weeks and they have each other to depend on while they are adapting to their new home!  We - like CFA and ACFA - disapprove of declawing (tendonectomy surgery).

 
We ask please that you will not be offended if we wish to confirm that you are going to be a good match for one of our beautiful, cat-of-choice, Siberian kittens/kitties. We want to ensure that our baby kittens/kitties are going to live with families who truly want a wonderful, magnificent Siberian and promise to care and protect him /her, and offer him /her the love in a happy home that we want them to have. Our kittens are from valuable, champion, imported blood lines with very impressive pedigrees. They are bred for excellence! Quality means not only breeding to the standard but guaranteeing the Siberian’s health. Please feel comfortable in asking questions, realizing that this baby kitten is going to be living with you for possibly 30 years (depending on feeding/diet, care, etc). Don't forget that many individuals who are allergic to regular kitties will NOT be allergic to the Siberian breed. Many families who believe they are unable to adopt kitties may be able to live a happy and sneeze-free existence with a Siberian! Our Waiting List is growing - please request an adoption agreement (contract) to be emailed to you.