The first cat that I remember growing up, had her kittens on top of me in the middle of the night. I was about 7 and will always think of Fluffy as the cat who liked to sit at the corner of the yard and wait to jump the dogs that went by. Then came the indoor only phase of my parents and cats and the Siamese, a chocolate point rescue and then Sammy and Thai, again both Chocolate points. That should have been my first clue that cats would always be a part of my life. My mother was adamant that I should be able to sew. Many times I was less than enthusiastic, but she usually had a really nice sewing machine, and in those times it was like a new toy to me with all of the embroidery it would do.
After breeding and showing Abyssinians and Somalis for 18 years, I made the decision to keep all of the cats, but spay and neuter everyone. Looking to the future, I did not want to burden anyone with having to make decisions of what to do with whom. Our last kitten to be born was a singleton on December 15, 2015. Born on a stormy day when a tree fell across the cats' outdoor run, he was given the name "Arpeggio Final Fantasy" and is called Tempest. The same storm that fell across the cats' outdoor run also fell across our storage shed where my mother's old sewing machine was being stored. When I went looking for a replacement, I fell in love with all of the new machines. I purchased a Brother PE 770 and fell in love with creating all kinds of embroidery. Since I really missed showing, I decided to start a new venture. My little machine worked, but it was not very fast so it came time to upgrade. I can now embroider larger designs quicker and easier with a Brother 6 needle machine that changes colors by itself. I love this machine! Showing and breeding cats has given me insight into what a cat wants and needs. They have as many special preferences as people have, so it's the purrfect fit.