STEPPING STONE PERSIANS

WELCOME TO STEPPING STONE PERSIANS

A PKD DNA NEGATIVE CATTERY

Stepping Stone Persians is located in Eastern Ontario, Canada approximately 45 minutes from the Canada-US border at Ivy Lea and the 1000 Islands; 3 hours from downtown Toronto; 1 1/2 hours from Ottawa; and 35 minutes north of Kingston at Hwy 401. I am a member of the Cat Fanciers Association (CFA Region 1) and the Canadian Cat Association and show in both these organizations.

My cattery began in the quiet countryside just outside the small village of Westport where my granddaughter Kasey and I kept a few horses, operated a bed and breakfast and shared life with our beautiful cats, their babies, and our two dogs Candy and Russ. My first Persian Leo was a blue male that I received as a birthday gift in the mid-eighties. He soon became my constant companion and remained so over the next 15 years of his life.  It was with Leo by my side a year later, that I made the major life transition of leaving job security and moving to the country leaving close family and friends behind trusting that new doors would open as others closed behind.

The next several years were enriched by new experiences and a reawakening of childhood memories of the lovely countryside that had at one time surrounded the tiny housing development where I grew up as a child. It was like a rebirth and all the love of animals, winged creatures, earth sounds, smells came surging forth stirring memories and filling the senses.  It was in this peaceful place that Leo and I chanced upon a starving puppy abandoned on the highway. That was Candy who struggled with arthritis in her later years but lived to be almost 15 years old. Over the years our family grew to include Lucky, a huge tabby and white kitty named by four year old Kasey after we scooped him from certain death as he lay injured in the path of oncoming vehicles;  Angel a loving shelter kitty who often had been taken out to give comfort in a seniors visitation program, Bandit - our seal point himmie who came from the shelter and lived to be 19 years old, and Russ another puppy rescue who is still with me.  And so it went......the door always open .. and then in 1996, I purchased my first breeding female a tortie point himalayan and began to explore my fascination with these beautiful cats. 

Today my breeding program is focused mainly on solid colour Persians and bicolours. Over the years we created  private housing for ourselves, built a small house steps away from our door with outdoor runs for our males who live communally and in harmony together, have added a nursery and a separate playroom for our young kittens and nursing moms who share our home, and have adapted our living space so that it is cosy, warm and welcoming to our human and furry friends alike. 

 Time moves on and life brings many changes - some joyful, others painful. Kasey my granddaughter is maturing into a fine young woman and recently set off on her own to follow her dreams. Candy my beloved dog, and Bandit my dearest himme are no longer with me. More recently, Russ has also left to join his beloved companions. These have been difficult partings. Candy never lost her loving devotion to Kasey and I despite the difficulty she had rising to her feet in that last year of her life. We had our routine where my arms provided the strength she sometimes needed to get moving - then she would choose a favourite spot and lay in the grass letting the sun warm her joints making her more limber for awhile.  Russ missed her terribly for a long time and sought our company more. During the next several years he insisted on sleeping beside my bed at night. His relationship with the cats and his gentleness was unlike anything I have ever witnessed. The kittens quickly discovered how loving he was and soon were cuddling up with him at night - it was comforting to see them like that together so at ease in each others company. In the spring Bandit began to fail and it was time to say goodbye to another beloved pet. My left arm still carries the memory of his weight laying across it where he slept blissfully close at my side every night of his life. Now, several years later, another spring has arrived and I have had to say goodbye to Russ.  The day came when despite all his efforts, his aging legs just couldnt support him anymore. I miss him terribly and the cats look for him still. Looking back those were wonderful years with all of us together. The pain of loss remains but oh, how I cherish the memories. 

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