History and Past Breeding Cats
We began breeding in 1976 with the Siamese queen Thurso Correne and the seal Burmese queen Rafoej Kara. After a few years we lost our Siamese/Oriental line and decided to concentrate on Burmese, breeding mainly seals and chocolates with a few blues and lilacs from time to time.
After Jan Parsons developed her Mandalay programme from Champion Rafoej Xustous (27) who she had purchased from us, we became interested in Mandalays as well. We subsequently extended our Mandalay breeding programme by developing an experimental breeding programme which aimed to introduce the cinnamon colour to the Mandalay breed. This programme has been very successful and is up to its seventh generation with several other breeders now involved. More information on the programme can be found in the report "The Cinnamon Burmese and Mandalay Programme – the first three generations".
We have achieved a number of firsts in the Mandalay breed including the first Grand Champion (the ebony Gr Ch Rafoej Midnight Caller). We bred the first chocolate self (who became the first chocolate champion), chocolate tabby, cinnamon self, cinnamon ticked tabby and the first spotted tabbies in ebony, blue and cinnamon. We were instrumental in expanding the range of colours available by introducing the cinnamon gene through a planned breeding programme in the 1990s. The caramel gene was also introduced at the same time. These genes have resulted in new colours in the Burmese range as well as in Mandalays.
An offshoot of the cinnamon Mandalay programme was our Tonkinese programme. The mating of Ch. Rafoej Almira (seal Burmese) to an ebony Oriental carrying cinnamon and Siamese produced Rafoej Panache, an ebony who was one of the foundation queens of the cinnamon programme, and Rafoej Pastiche, a beautiful seal Tonkinese. Pastiche is the foundation queen of our Tonkinese programme. A third sister, Rafoej Panatela, another ebony, has also contributed to the Tonkinese programme. Incidentally our original Siamese was a distant ancestor of the sire of these cats.
Mandalays and Burmese are fully intermateable under NZCF regulations as they differ only in coat colour. However we intend to maintain a traditional Burmese line as well as a mixed Burmese and Mandalay line including the new colours cinnamon, fawn, caramel and the beautiful ticked tabbies. Tonkinese are different in type (body and head shape) reflecting the Siamese influence and are therefore regarded as a completely separate breed. They are not intermateable with Burmese or Mandalays except in the first stages of a new breeding programme. All progeny from such matings are regarded as Tonkinese.
To help keep numbers manageable, so that the cats get the individual attention they need, we occasionally place queens from which we intend to have only one or two litters in pet homes with breeding agreements. We regard this as preferable to finding homes for adult cats. However we have occasionally rehomed very young adults that have not worked out as breeders or that have completed their breeding careers while still young. This has been particularly necessary in the Mandalay and Tonkinese breeding programmes where it was necessary to move rapidly through a number of generations to stabilise the desired breed characteristics after the original crosses to other breeds introduced the new colours.
Our Previous Breeding Cats
Previous breeding cats are listed below. For current breeding cats see the Burmese, Mandalay and Tonkinese pages.
Burmese
Rafoej Kara (Gen. 1) (26v) 1975 - 1987
Foundation Burmese queen (homozygous seal)
Kara was a well-bred pure Burmese, purchased in good faith as a registered breeding queen. Unfortunately it transpired that her breeders were not the registered owners of her parents so she had to be registered as a Gen. 1 provisional register cat, officially of unknown parentage. Kara was a great mother, producing large, healthy litters of beautiful kittens. All our current cats are descended from her via her daughter Pyng, granddaughter Xena and great-granddaughter Mira. She was a real character and extremely affectionate but only on her terms; when she wanted attention she'd ask for it, otherwise forget it! She specialised in love-bites to the nose and chin - a few of her descendants still do!
Rafoej Pyng (Gen. 2) (27) 1980 - 1988
(seal carrying chocolate and dilute)
Kara's daughter by Champion Kyaba Jarvis (27c). Pyng was the mother of a litter of 10 by Gr Ch Kyaba Brigadeer Brown (27) which included 3 champions - Xena (see below), Ch. Rafoej Xustous (27), Jan Parsons' foundation queen and Ch. Rafoej Xula (27), belonging to Linda Bullas. She was also the mother of Yettie.
Ch. and Pr. Rafoej Xena (Gen. 3) (27b) 1985 - 1999
(Chocolate carrying dilute)
Pyng's daughter by Gr. Ch. Kyaba Brigadeer Brown (27). Xena had only 2 litters as she suffered from temporary paralysis after giving birth to the second litter. Fortunately she recovered to live to 14 years old and all 11 kittens survived thanks to their grandmother Pyng's assistance. Mira was one of those 11 kittens.
Ch. Rafoej Almira (27) - "Mira" 1987 - 2003
(Seal carrying chocolate)
Xena's daughter by Ch. Rendara Bronze Jaguar (27) "Mira" was pivotal in our breeding programme. Among her offspring not in our ownership are Double Grand Champion Rafoej Lysistrata (27) belonging to Carol Gray, Champion Rafoej Gerda (27b), belonging to Garth and Heather Dickel, and Champion Rafoej Mnemosyne Minx (37b) belonging to Jan Parsons. Mira was a very successful show cat - she was twice best entire adult in show at all breeds shows but, despite that, just missed out on becoming a Grand Champion.
Pr. Rafoej Excalibur (Gen. 3) (27c) "Yeti" 1988 - 1994
(Lilac)
Pyng's son by Ch. Hobineko Toki-Iro (27c). Yeti sired one litter from Ch. Rafoej Almira before being neutered. He was a huge cat and a very beautiful pale soft lilac in colour.
Rafoej Fhoebe (27) 1989-
(Homozygous seal)
"Mira's" daughter by Ch. Hegira Midas Touch (Imp UK) (27). Resident in a loving pet home Fhoebe had one important litter before being spayed. Her daughter Ch. Rafoej Heidi (27) was one of Christa Krey's foundation queens (one of Heidi's sons by Rafoej Incredible Odds was Yoyo's father - see below). Another daughter Rafoej Harmatanne (27) was bred from by Ruth Phillips.
Rafoej Galia (27) "Gogo" 1990 - 2007
(Seal carrying chocolate and dilute)
Gogo is Mira's and Yeti's daughter. Important offspring include Rafoej Incredible Odds (27) by Rafoej Gloss (27), Champion Rafoej Kehsi (27b) by Ch. Hegira Midas Touch (Imp. UK) (27) and Jane Masterton's Champion Rafoej Dapple (Gen. 3) (37f), by Rafoej Vartek (Gen. 2) (37f/b1). Rafoej Incredible Odds (27) ("Inco") was the sole survivor of Gogo's first litter of 11 kittens, which was born at least 9 days prematurely. He was hand-reared on an eye-dropper for 10 days until we gratefully accepted a very kind offer of a foster-mother. Although he was no beauty because of his difficult start in life, he was a successful and important stud cat for Rafoej and Lessentine catteries. He was owned by Christa Krey (Lessentine cattery).
Rafoej Rani (27) - 1994-
(Homozygous seal)
A daughter of Mira and Inco, Rani had 4 small litters under the Rafoej prefix while living as a family pet. From her last litter we briefly kept Plush, Zara's mother.
Rafoej Yoyo (27) 1996-2002
(Seal carrying chocolate)
Mira's daughter by Champion Lessentine Koka (27b), who was bred by Christa Krey from two Rafoej cats. A very beautiful cat with a wonderful temperament who was tragically severely damaged by an upper respiratory infection while still very young. Yoyo had one litter from an unplanned mating to Ch. Rafoej Kehsi (27b). The sole survivor of this litter was Ch. Rafoej Solo Song - "Solo" - who was extremely successful in his short show and stud career.
Ch. Rafoej Kehsi (27b) 1997-
(Chocolate carrying dilute)
Now retired in a pet home Kehsi's most important contribution was an accidental one - siring Solo from Yoyo! He also sired a litter from Dinky, and for a short time lived with Jan Parsons, and sired several litters from her cats. Ch. Zanyminx Pink Panther (37f/c), sire of litters from Sabu and Dinky, is his son.
Ch. Rafoej Solo Song - "Solo" 1998-2000
(Seal carrying chocolate)
Solo was very successful in his short show career with several top ten placings. He sired very nice litters from Plush, Double Grand Champion Rafoej Lysistrata (27) and Grand Champion Rafoej Midnight Caller. We kept his son Argus and daughter Zara breeding.
Rafoej Utena (27) - "Plush" 1999-
(Seal carrying chocolate and dilute)
Plush was a delightful cat but by the time she was 6 months old it was clear she had several faults which made her unsuitable for breeding. However we left this decision too late! She and Solo had other ideas and at the embarrassingly young age of 8 months they presented us with a lovely litter of 4 kittens which she reared beautifully. From this litter we kept Zara, who had all her mother's good points and few of her faults. Plush went to live in a loving home as a pet.
Arsenios Rustic Rose
Rosie (Arsenios Rustic Rose) is a chocolate Burmese queen who we have imported from Australia. She was bred by our friend Jane in Melbourne but is descended from Rafoej cats, being Argus's granddaughter. She has good type, is a lovely soft warm colour and has excellent eye colour.
Henry
A lilac Burmese stud, previously owned by Christa. He has a very nice temperament. Henry is a big cat and doesn't like other male cats.
Mandalays
Champion Lessentine Rafoej Mindy
Mindy (Ch. Lessentine Rafoej Mindy) is a very nice chocolate Mandalay carrying
cinnamon and Burmese and possibly dilute. She was bred by Christa Krey from our male
Champion Rafoej Vivid (now neutered and retired); her mother was a chocolate
Burmese, Maya. Mindy has been spayed and is now the loved pet of a retired couple in
Paraparaumu.
Mindy is the mother of Uno (fathered by Argus), a chocolate Burmese carrying
cinnamon who has spent a while in Melbourne and will be living in Northland with my
friend Carol for the next few months. Before he is neutered I hope to get a nice
cinnamon Burmese kitten from him and Dream.
Grand Champion Rafoej Midnight Caller (37) - "Midge" 1993 - 2006
(Ebony carrying Burmese and dilute)
Midge was one of our first litter of Mandalays from Mira and Jan Parsons' Champion Zanyminx Midnight Special (37). Another kitten in this litter was New Zealand's first chocolate Mandalay, Champion Rafoej Mnemosyne Minx (37b), owned by Jan. Midge had some lovely kittens but the only ones which have bred on are the foundation cats of the cinnamon Mandalay programme, the ebony ticked tabbies Rafoej Sabu (Gen. 1) and Rafoej Sahara (Gen. 1). They were sired by the sorrel Abbysinian, Grand Champion Boothill Young Gun.
Rafoej Panache (Gen. 1) - "Flo" 1994-
(Ebony carrying Burmese and cinnamon)
Flo was Mira's daughter by Double Grand Champion Pizzicato Tango (29) and one of the three foundation cats of the cinnamon Mandalay breeding programme. She had a single litter by Rafoej Sahara (Gen. 1) which included Rafoej Vartek (Gen. 2) (37f/b1) (Latte), our first cinnamon ticked tabby. Flo is the much-loved pet of Bethney and Giles.
Rafoej Sahara (Gen. 1) - "Simba" 1994-
(Ebony ticked tabby carrying Burmese, self and cinnamon)
Simba was the foundation male of the cinnamon programme. He sired the Gen. 2 cinnamon cats Dinky from his sister Sabu and Latte from Flo. He is now neutered and lives with my friend Lin.
Rafoej Sabu (Gen. 1) 1994-
(Ebony ticked tabby carrying self and cinnamon)
Sabu is a beautiful cat and consistently produced beautiful kittens. We kept two of her daughters, Champion Rafoej Zephyr (Gen. 2) (37b1) (Dinky), from a brother-sister mating to Rafoej Sahara (Gen. 1), and Champion Rafoej Mata (Gen. 2) (37f) (Mitsi), by Rafoej Eclat (Gen. 3) (37f). A son, Champion Rafoej Cupreous (Gen. 2) (37f/b1) by Rafoej Vartek (Gen. 2) (37f/b1), went to Jan Parsons and became an important breeding cat in the cinnamon programme.
Rafoej Vartek (Gen. 2) (37f/b1) - "Latte" 1995 - 2007
(Cinnamon ticked tabby carrying Burmese and self)
Latte, the first cinnamon tabby Mandalay, sired three litters in quick succession before being neutered. The mating to Gogo produced Jane Masterton's Champion Rafoej Dapple (Gen. 3) (37f). The mating to Sabu produced Jan Parsons' Champion Rafoej Cupreous (Gen. 2) (37f/b1). The third mating was to Christa Krey's Ch. Lessentine Filigree (27a) who I leased for this mating. This mating produced Jane Masterton's Rafoej Eglantine (Gen. 3) (27) and Gaye Teague's Rafoej Eclat (Gen. 3) (37f). Latte lived all his life with his mother in the home where he was born.
Champion Rafoej Zephyr (Gen. 2) (37b1) - "Dinky" 1996-
(Homozygous self cinnamon)
Dinky, the first solid cinnamon Mandalay, won one Grand Challenge. Her first litter was to Gaye Teague's Rafoej Eclat (Gen. 3) (37f) and produced a cinnamon ticked tabby daughter which was sold for breeding. From her third litter of only two kittens by Champion Zanyminx Pink Panther (37f/c) a cinnamon, Rafoej Burnt Umber (Gen. 3) (37b1), went to Christa Krey and a chocolate, Rafoej Brown Sugar (Gen. 3) (37b), went to Dorothy Horton. Sugar had several top 10 in show placings as a kitten. Subsequently Dinky also produced Ch. Rafoej Malibu from a mating to Jan's Ch. Arsenios Touch of Bronze, then Buba and Noiraud to Ch. Lekcid Olhovskiy. Dinky is now spayed and lives with Alice along with Sabu and until recently Gogo.
Champion Rafoej Mata (Gen. 2) (37f) - "Mitsi" 1998-
(Ebony ticked tabby carrying non-agouti)
Mitsi produced only one living litter of two lovely male ebony ticked tabbies very like her. One of these kittens is Jan Parson's Ugas (Ch. Rafoej Unforgettable), Mazurka's father. Mitsi never liked other cats and after being spayed got more aggressive towards them so she now lives as the only pet in a great home in Northland.
Rafoej Finally Fawn (37f/c1) - "Finn" 2000-
(Fawn caramel ticked tabby Mandalay carrying non-agouti and Burmese)
Finn, who I now believe was a fawn caramel ticked tabby rather than a fawn ticked tabby as he was registered and shown, was the first dilute kitten born in the cinnamon programme. His parents were Champion Rafoej Dapple (Gen. 3) (37f), who we leased back for one litter, and Arsenios Chocolate Charley. He was briefly a stud before being neutered and going to live with my friends Suzan and Ian. He sired Caramello from Christa's chocolate Burmese queen Maya (see below) and Kaos from Bushbaby (see below).
Champion Rafoej Malibu (Gen. 3) (37B1) 2002-
(Homozygous self cinnamon)
Malibu had a very nice litter to Caramello from which we kept the cinnamon spotted tabby Tabasco. Although delightful with people and other cats Malibu was aggressive with my dogs. Rather than risk injury from a serious fight she went to live with Eddie and Cheryl who have bred further litters from her.
Lessentine Rafoej Oddity (37k/fc) - "Caramello" 2001-
(Lavender caramel spotted tabby Mandalay, carrying cinnamon, non-agouti and Burmese)
Like his father Finn, Caramello was a very obvious caramel - a colour that was extremely new to us at the time. I have found that caramel is much more obvious in tabbies than in solid coloured cats. Caramello was also one of the first spotted tabbies so the combination of two new colours suggested his registered name! He sired Tabasco from Malibu before being neutered and going to live with his half sister in a lovely home in Auckland.
Rafoej Vinka (Gen. 3) - "Buba" 2003-
(Ebony Mandalay carrying cinnamon, dilute and Burmese)
Buba lives in a pet home and had two very nice litters for us before being spayed. We have kept her chocolate Burmese daughter Dream.
Champion Rafoej Vivid (Gen. 3) - "Noiraud" 2003-
(Ebony Mandalay carrying Burmese and cinnamon)
Buba's brother Noiraud is another lovely ebony Mandalay. He sired a litter from Christa's Maya which included our Mindy. He has now been neutered and lives happily with my friend Kath's mother.
Lessentine Sua "Tiger" 2007-
Tiger (Lessentine Sua) was a short-term resident, bred by Christa Krey. We got him for our programme to breed strongly patterned spotted and hopefully classic tabby Mandalays. He is a seal ticked tabby Burmese, carrying spotted tabby, non-agouti, dilute, and either chocolate or cinnamon. He could also have the caramel (dilute modifier gene). He has a very extrovert, confident personality. He now lives as a much loved pet in Titahi Bay. We kept his daughter Ophrah and son Ophir from Hope.
Rafoej Hope "Hope" 2007-
Hope, a daughter of Tabasco and Mazurka. is an ebony golden spotted tabby. Unfortunately the golden (wide-banded) undercoat tends to detract from the clarity of the spots and vice versa. We hoped to breed kittens from her which had her lovely spots but without the wide-band effect. However, she had only two surviving kittens from a litter of seven. We kept both of them, a dark ebony ticked tabby daughter named Ophrah and a son named Ophir coloured very much like her. Hope was spayed and now lives with a Christchurch family.
Champion Rafoej Tabasco
Champion Rafoej Tabasco is a cinnamon spotted tabby Mandalay. He has a fabulous temperament and is a beautiful rich colour with clear markings. He also carries the classic tabby pattern.
Champion Rafoej Wasian "Wasi"
Wasi is a very handsome spotted tabby Mandalay. He was to have been my next Mandalay stud replacing his father Tabasco, but he has produced only one kitten from several attempts to three different queens, so that obviously wasn't going to work. He has been neutered. He's still young (19 months), and very playful, friendly and affectionate.
Tonkinese
Rafoej Pastiche (Gen. 1) 1994 - 2007
(Seal mink)
From the mating of Ch. Rafoej Almira (27) to an ebony Oriental carrying cinnamon and Siamese, Pastiche was a beauty and a very strong character! She always wanted to be top cat of the household and after she was retired from breeding we found her a home by herself where she can get undivided attention. She had several litters of lovely kittens but only one daughter, Rafoej Yindi by Rafoej Belfrey, was bred from. In January 2000 she had a single seal mink male kitten which had to be delivered by caesarian and Pastiche was spayed. The son, Rafoej Himself Alone, went to my friend Sue in Upper Hutt and sired "Bailey" from "Blossom". Bailey in turn is the sire of excellent litters from Kaos and Jasmine. Pastiche died of cancer in late 2007.
Rafoej Panatela (Gen. 1) - "Spider" 1994-
(Ebony carrying sepia)
Pastiche's sister Spider lives with one of her sons with our good friends Katryna and Kelvin. She had two litters - one to Simba, which proved she did not carry cinnamon and therefore unfortunately had no place in the cinnamon Mandalay programme, and the second to a chocolate classic tabby Oriental. This litter was important for two reasons. Firstly, it produced our lovely Belfrey. Secondly, since it contained ticked, spotted/mackerel and classic tabbies from a classic-patterned father, it confirmed that the unbarred gene, which produces ticked tabbies and Abbysinians, is separate from the tabby pattern gene, which produces mackerel or classic tabbies.
Rafoej Belfrey (Gen. 1 Oriental) 1996 - 2007
(Ebony ticked tabby carrying non-agouti, sepia and chocolate)
Belfrey was from a mating of Pastiche's ebony litter sister Panatela to a chocolate classic tabby Oriental. Although we chose to register Belfrey as a PR Oriental rather than Tonkinese, in the end the Oriental programme we had planned came to nothing and Belfrey's important contribution was to the Tonkinese breeding programme through his daughters Yindi and Mehitabel. Belfrey was a huge cat with a beautiful, calm, soft, loving nature, and stayed with us as a much-loved pet after his breeding career ended. He died of cancer, and is very much missed.
Rafoej Mehitabel (Gen. 2 Oriental) (29z) 1999-2000
(Chocolate mink ticked tabby, carrying non-agouti)
Mehitabel was Belfrey's daughter from Champion Nodrog Earline, a Havana brown Oriental who we leased to mate to Belfrey. Mehitabel had one Tonkinese litter from which we kept Bushbaby and sold Rafoej Charmander (Gen. 1) ("Mandy") for breeding to Sandy Bowker, who owned their father. Our plans for an Oriental breeding programme based on Mehitabel were tragically ended when she was killed on the road.
Rafoej Yindi (Gen. 1) 1999-2005
(Ebony carrying sepia)
Yindi, daughter of Pastiche and Belfrey, lives with Henri near Auckland and had two litters before being spayed (she was later unfortunately killed on the road). The first litter of ebonies and seal sepias by Champion Lekcid Olhovskiy (27) included "Blossom" (Rafoej G), owned by Sue, who we have also bred from under lease. The second litter of ebonies and seal minks was sired by a chocolatepoint Siamese and included the seal mink Emily who had one litter for us.
Rafoej Charisma (Gen. 1) - "Bushbaby/Whitebait" 2000-
(Seal mink ticked tabby, carrying non-agouti and chocolate)
Bushbaby lives with Sue and David near Blenheim. She is the daughter of Mehitabel and Jolichat Nemesis (Gen. 1). Before being spayed she was mated first to Vendredo Raven's Reiki (Gen. 2) to produce a litter which included our Jasmine, then to Finn to produce a litter which included Kaos.
Rafoej Jasmine (Gen. 2) "Jasmine" 2000 -
Jasmine is a beautiful seal mink ticked tabby with fabulous, truly aqua eyes. Her parents are Rafoej Charisma (Gen. 1), a seal mink ticked tabby (now retired from breeding), and Vendredo Raven's Reiki (Gen. 2), a seal mink. She now lives near Auckland with my friend Sally's parents. She had several lovely litters, from which we kept Bester, by Blossom's son Bailey, and Likely and Lace, fathered by Billy.
Rafoej Kaos (Gen. 1) "Kaos" 2001-2007
Kaos was a striking-looking seal mink queen carrying cinnamon, dilute and the caramel/dilute modifier gene. She had several litters for us before her extremely sudden and unexpected death. We kept a lovely lilac duaghter ("Lilly") from Billy and her, but unfortunately she had to be spayed as a result of pyometra and was then found a great home. Kaos's direct line has therefore been lost. However, her chocolate mink son Rafoej Zed (Gen. 1) (sired by the seal Burmese Ch. Lekcid Olhovskiy) sired one litter which included Mitsuesmemory Chocolate Rocket (Gen. 2), Meringue's father.
Rafoej Quattro (Gen. 1) - "Emily" 2002-
(Seal mink carrying chocolate and classic pattern)
Emily, the pet of my friends Clare and Janice, had one litter by Tabasco before being spayed. From that litter we kept Xmas for breeding.
Mitsuesmemory Rafoej Billy (Gen3)
Billy is a bluepoint, bred by the Wallers. He lived with us for a short time before being neutered and going to live with an Auckland family. While he was with us he sired litters by Jasmine and Kaos. We kept his son Likely and daughter Lace from Jasmine.
Rafoej Bester (Gen.3) "Bester"
Bester is a seal mink ticked tabby kitten who is a lovely little cat with a superb temperament. We hope he has a successful stud career ahead of him. He will carry chocolate. He is a son of Rafoej Jasmine (Gen. 2) (see above) and Rafoej New Boy Bailey (Gen. 2), a chocolate mink who is owned by Sue in Upper Hutt. Seen below top left with his brother and sister. Unfortunately we had problems with collapsed chests in a number of Bester's kittens from different mothers, so they and Bester were all neutered and spayed, and he is now enjoying his retirement with a family in Island Bay.
Rafoej Xmas (Gen. 1) "Christmas"
Xmas lives with our friend Sue. She is an intense chocolate classic tabby, carrying the pointing gene, cinnamon, non-agouti and possibly dilute. As far as we know she is the first classic tabby registered in a Tonkinese breeding programme in New Zealand. Her father was a Mandalay (Tabasco) and she has inherited her full-intensity colouring from him. Her mother was a seal mink cat Rafoej Quattro (Gen.1) who had a single litter for us while living in a pet home. The mating was approved as an experimental programme to help establish the cinnamon colour and the classic pattern in Tonkinese. Intense colouring is not recognised in the Tonkinese breed so we chose pointed and mink offspring to continue breeding in the next generation. Xmas is thriving despite having to have a hind leg amputated following an accident. This also necessitated her retirement from breeding.
We have two entire offspring from Xmas, a chocolate tabby point son Rafoej Gabriel, sired by Billy, who lives with my friend Sue, and a chocolate mink daughter Ch. Rafoej Meringue, sired by Mitsuesmemory Chocolate Rocket (Gen. 2).
