Carolina Blues Cattery  Siamese Kittens

Dear Carol,

I am the most blissfully happy mother of two of your fabulous kittens. It was 2011 when I had lost my two Birmans and I so happily discovered your cattery. For years, I had looked for Siamese in North Carolina, and was overwhelmed to find you, your family, and the most extraordinary Siamese.

I remember quizzing you about your cats, especially: Were they shy? Were they going to hide under the beds when the doorbell rang? Later, when we met, you told me how you laughed at my questions, because your kitties are anything but shy.

Aspen came home with me in April 2011, and she settled in as if she had always lived with me. She snuggled  and purred, and was a happy little darling. I had a couple of cat trees, and a house with high, lofty perches, and she was in heaven. For years, with the long dynasty of cats in my home, I had admired and coveted the cat trees from Angelical Cats (well worth the money!), and I succumbed and purchased a very fine cat tree from them.

Well, I still wanted a second Siamese, and you gifted me with Max, born 4/15/2011, from Ruby and Andre. I remember asking for a quiet kitten, to complement Aspen, and you assured me that I was not getting the "alpha kitten" of the litter.

Good Lord in heaven, Max came into our home with all pistons firing. Aspen had a conniption--I emailed you way too many times wondering when the hissing and growling would stop.

Today, they are the best of friends, sleeping and snuggling together. Occasionally, Max pulls the little-brother card and chases Aspen until she swats him. To this day, I have never heard Max hiss or growl at Aspen, even though he really does get on her last nerve.

As for timidity and hiding under the bed? Hah! Aspen and Max have never met a stranger, whether it be the plumber, the cable guy, the computer guy, or anyone  who comes into our home. 

You warned me that there was a gene that resulted into a Siamese who jumped on shoulders or heads--I'd experienced this before. So I just warn my friends that Max (the guilty dog) will likely pounce. He does this, and my friends are in love.  

I am fortunate to have two precious people who help me around the house. The gentleman is a crotchety older fellow, who loves his dog, and, even so, he has been heard to say: "I wish that Max were mine"!

Thank you so much for the opportunity to love your kitties. You and your family are God's gift to me.

All my best,

Pam

Hi Carol,

Just looked at your updated site. Came across the testimonials. Could not help to write one up for you to add to the collection if you wish. We so much love our little boys.

Have a great remaining summer,

Silke

I am not in the habit of providing reviews, especially if it is not the one’s you can conveniently click on - but I do want to share our story.

Our need for a new kitty:

After the sudden death of one our beloved kitties, we found ourselves in the desperate need of needing to add another family member, so that the surviving sibling would not die out of grief (happens frequently to very intelligent cats).

Future family members via the Internet?

First I focused on local sources, hoping to meet a special kitty. I had to learn, that Siamese cats were not as easy to locate as it was before. I had never considered to link up via a breeders website, site unseen. How could I tell about the character of the kitten, how could I trust someone far away to provide accurate information? 

With the clock ticking away we decided to expand our search. I must have gone through all Siamese related websites for available kittens. Came across the usual mill production catteries, as well as several reputable catteries, but did not “connect”. Until I came across Carols website. I was hocked on the spot. The eyes were most impressive - already in the early kitten stage they showed a great amount of expressions. Pictures of clients with their all grown-up four leggers, showed wonderful, high spirited companions.

The Carolina Blues experience:

Upon getting in touch with Carol, I was rather disappointed to hear about a longer wait, as all the kittens were spoken for. Carol understood my immediate concerns, and put me in touch with a few other breeders. However, even though the breeders seemed very qualified with great kittens, I could not connect the same as with Carols. I did ask Carol to keep my number, just in case of a cancellation. 

Well it was suppose to be, a few days after our initial conversation, Carol called me with the good news, that one of her clients had postponed her “delivery”. After weeks of sadness, this was wonderful news.

Over the following weeks, Carol supplied us with many pictures, and again I was surprised of how much you could tell about them just by means of pictures. 

I learned, that unlike with just about most breeders, I had to come to North Carolina (we are located in Minnesota) to pick up our kitten in person. Booked a ticket, bought an airline approved carry-on pet carrier and headed out to North Carolina. Siamese have graced our family for many years. The first weeks are very important to lay the foundation of how well a kitty will engage with others through its lifetime. So a great environment from the get go is crucial. I met our Titus, and from the start he was everything and more that I had hoped for. While flying back to Minnesota, he came out of his carrier - ate food and drank - which is highly unusual for a cat that has been removed from his environment. He snuggled in on my lap and at the end of the trip he had crawled up all the way to my neck to sleep comfortably. Upon arrival at his new home, he was not shy either; he acknowledged the resident cat and immediately started exploring the entire house. Once it came to sleeping time he greatly objected being separated by a glass door from us - and learned quickly of how to open doors. Carols recommends a vet check upon arrival - he passed with flying grades and more so, our veterinarian was utterly impressed of how much Titus was socialized.

Back for more:

Our cat of 18 years prefers to be less active at this point. So we decided last year to add another family member - bringing the cat household to the number of three in total. I again contacted Carol and told her about our plans. She absolutely agreed that adding another cat would be great, and this time I was in luck as her queens were about close to be expecting. As the first time around, Carol provided many images as the little guys were growing. She also was very helpful in pointing out certain character traits of one kitty in particular that she thought might be a great fit for our family. Most breeders will not remember cats from prior litters, nor will they have intimate knowledge of the baby kittens characteristics as they are still forming. Well, she was absolutely right about the guy she pointed out, little Neo is the perfect fit for us. Within just a few days he was peacefully sleeping on the bed with the other two resident cats (and us, space permitting). And the vet was impressed yet again.

Today:

Our cat family sports all different characters. The boys are 1, 5 and 18 years of age. They get along wonderfully. It is a pure joy to just watch them. Make no mistake though, they are very demanding. We find ourselves spending an extra hour every morning to just play with them, same thing at night - again pure joy. Visitors to our home are so impressed by them, dog lovers in particular. One of the vets that comes to our home to administer treatment for the oldest, has never seen cats interact in such a way. She should know, she provides lectures to other veterinarian on feline behavior. She has recorded the boys in action to show other veterinarians the level of unbelievable interaction.

Thank you

I have stayed in lose touch with Carol over the years. If you spend a little bit of time reading comments on the Facebook pages, you will find client after client talking about the same close bond they have with their kitty. Carolina Blues cattery stands out from the rest. Wonderful early start in life, but more so, outstanding queens and Sire. Sheba and Andre have produced most wonderful offsprings, that I am so happy to be with around with. Just writing about them puts a big smile on my face. Thank you Carol for caring so much for your kittens.



Samantha Grace is truly the most special
kitty I've ever had.  She is so bright, clever, unconditionally loving,
speaks very good English:), and so beautiful.  She truly is a gift of grace.
Thanks for raising such sweet kittens.  The love and nurturing of her mom
and dad, coupled with yours, laid an amazing foundation for her life.  She
and I have an understanding that she'll hang in there for 20 yrs or so:)

Cyndi

My husband and I have always been cat people.  For a very long time, we had two shelter cats, a Tuxedo and a Calico.  The Tuxedo had been my husband's cat since high school.  The Calico was basically my very first cat, whom we'd adopted together shortly after we'd gotten married.  I wasn't really allowed to have pets growing up, so I was in my late 20's when I first experienced the joy of a kitten, as well as the love of watching her grow (our Tuxedo was already eight years old when we married).  Towards the end of our Calico's life, I had caught one of those specials on Animal Planet with a segment on Siamese cats.  I fell in love.  Though I wasn't quite ready to bring a new kitten (or kittens) into our home at the time, I knew that that’s what I wanted when the time came. 

 

While the point of my story is to share how wonderful my Siamese cats, Lily and Talulah, are now, it's important to share that I only ever wanted Siamese because of the relationship I had developed with my Calico, Isabel.  Unbeknownst to me through most of her life, I was gifted with something very unusual because she was a very, very affectionate Calico.  She was basically a lap cat that followed me everywhere I went, day in and day out, and she would talk to me rather frequently.  I was never an expert on cats, but I had some vet tech friends once tell me that Isabel’s behavior was highly uncharacteristic of a Calico.  So when I saw this Animal Planet show about just how special Siamese cats are (i.e., super affectionate, loving, vocal, playful, etc.), I knew then that we would have a Siamese cat or two in our family one day.  With shelter cats, the whole affectionate/loyal thing can be hit or miss, but with Siamese, it seemed to really be apart of who they are, which was very appealing to me after having shared a similar relationship with Isabel.

We reached out to Carolina Blues Cattery shortly after losing Isabel.  I initially exchanged a few emails with Carol, during some of which I had communicated our history with our two former cats, especially how much we loved and missed them.  Carol was amazing.  She was so kind, as well as empathetic to the grief I was still feeling over the loss of Isabel.  She also took time with us and answered many questions we still had about the Siamese breed in general.

 

Our adoption day was very special.  Carol was kind enough to meet us at about 6pm on a Friday evening, and it was clear that she was just coming in from work herself.  Still, it was also clear that she was prepared to take as much time as we needed to answer any questions we had, address any concerns, etc., in addition to going through the necessary paperwork.  I'd only ever had shelter cats before, so I cannot say I have a basis for comparison with breeders. However, I can tell you that with Carol and Carolina Blue Cattery, I never felt for one second that she was just a breeder or that this was just a business transaction.  Her love for the kittens, and I think even now the cats today (as we all continue to share pictures/stories with her), is very apparent and genuine.  We consider ourselves blessed daily to have found Carol and Carolina Blues Cattery.

 

About Lily and Talulah... OMG what to say?  They are both so affectionate and loving (and even those two words seem like understatements).  They are each feisty and rambunctious in their own ways.  Lily, whom we understand was the smallest of the litter, is our little adventurer.  For being such a small girl, she's never had a small attitude.  If it can be gotten into, she's already there, or she's already been there and done that long ago.  I am absolutely certain that every paw print we've ever cleaned off of the fish tank belonged to Lily.  I'm also convinced that she STILL walks all over the balcony bannister whenever she wants to when I'm not home.  And I can also say that she's never met a blind cord that she didn't like (she likes to bat them around repeatedly, when they aren't put out of reach, that is).  She is our little daredevil for sure.  Then there is our precious Talulah... aka Drama Queen.  She is so emotional and loving.  When she wants attention, she wants it.  Period.  It does NOT matter what you're doing, or how you might otherwise be occupied.  I am fortunate to be able to work from home a few days each week, and she frequently goes "keyboard flopping" while I'm working (i.e., arms are stretched out typing... she jumps up on my desk, walks to my arms, and quite literally flops over, leaving me absolutely no choice but to catch her).   She also likes to run and flop... especially when we've each been out for a while and first come home.  She will run ahead of one of us a few feet, and then flop down on her side, meowing and "rolley polleying" the whole time.  When Talulah does this, which is at least twice daily, I can't help but think of the proverbial drama queen, raising a hand to her forehead and sighing dramatically just before a faint... my husband jokingly calls it the vapors.  She has also never met a mirror that she didn't like.  She frequently hops up on our dresser and just stares at herself.  Cute just isn’t the word.    

The girls are almost constantly with us when we're home, and to my surprise (at least that first couple of weeks), they sleep with us every single night.  They both love to burrow when it's actually time for "night night", but it always takes them a good 20 or 30 minutes to get there right after we go to bed.  They usually spend time darting through the upstairs playing with each other, chasing after this toy or that toy, or playing feathers with one of us.  Fortunately or unfortunately, "night night" time doesn't always last all night long.  Talulah loves to wake me up by flopping on me around 4:00 am most nights for her nighttime scratch.  She usually accepts no less than a good 15 minutes.  It’s so endearing that I have honestly never become annoyed by it… it’s just what we do now.  She and I have our little routine.  LOL.

 

If you’re thinking of Siamese, do your research.  It is not a breed for the faint of heart.  They thrive in homes where they get the attention they need and I can now say from experience that they require a lot.  But if you have it to give, it is so very rewarding.  I would also say that it’s not more than a dog would require… it’s just that for cats, it’s definitely on the unusual side.  They are also very creative, and can be little MacGyvers when they really want something (or if they are just bored).  If you work a lot, or have a demanding schedule for any other reason, you should absolutely adopt two.  While I do get to work from home about three days a week, I can definitely see a difference in Lily and Talulah when I get home from work on one of my office days.  It’s obvious that neither one would have handled an entire day by themselves well. 

 

Lastly, I must address the “no declaw” clause in Carol’s contract.  I had already decided that whatever we adopted (Siamese or another shelter cat) that we wouldn’t declaw.  We had declawed Isabel’s front paws when she was still a kitten, and she had a very rough recovery.  It was only after we had made that horrible decision that we learned the extent of what we had done to her.  Still, after having only partially declawed cats before (front paws only), I had some anxiety about how to maintain cats with claws, as well as adequately stimulate Lily and Talulah with scratchers so that they wouldn’t use our furniture.  First, Carol is absolutely awesome in preparing owners for this maintenance, especially those whom have never done it before.  She clips the kittens’ claws weekly during the eight weeks that she has them, so by the time you bring yours home, they are so used to being handled for this purpose that they just sort of lay there and let you do it.  That was a very nice surprise for us, because neither one of our former cats would let you even go near that territory.  Second, it’s still a very good idea to have ample scratchers around.  We have a few hung on the wall at “strategic” locations (i.e., door frames we wanted to protect), but we also have some that sit on the floor, with toys attached.  We also have a cat tree with sissle rope.  Having a combination of scratchers, and literally having something in just about every room (or the ones we occupy the most), gives them something to go to rather than choosing furniture, walls, doorframes, etc.  With that said, I must say that Talulah took to all of these scratchers immediately, almost like a fish does to water.  Lily was a little more stubborn, because we also have a very tempting sofa arm.  However, I have found that Siamese are extremely trainable compared to other cats, and it only took us about three weeks or so with Lily to get her to use all of the posts exclusively.  To date, none of our furniture or door jams have been compromised in any way.   

 

With respect to Lily and Talulah, I could honestly go on and on about their little idiosyncrasies, as well as the endless fun we’ve had from the first day we brought them home almost a year ago.  Suffice it to say, we are still learning firsthand how/why Siamese cats are so special, and we are having a blast daily. Whenever I have to spend a day in the office (as opposed to working from home), I miss them hourly.  Literally.  And I still can't get over the amount of affection they develop for their humans.  As for Carol and the folks at Carolina Blues Cattery, I can’t say enough good things about them… they are just wonderful.  I highly recommend them to anyone wanting Siamese.  Thank you so much, Carol, for enriching our family so much more than we could have ever imagined. 

 

-Sara & Kristopher

Heather H.Click to drag this recommendation

Research Associate at Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine

We purchased a beautiful, healthy, playful kitten from Carol's cattery. She is extremely knowledgeable about the breeding standards of her cats and maintains a home-based cattery of the highest caliber. Her animals are well-cared for and loved and are very fond of human companionship. I would most highly recommend Carol as a breeder of Siamese and Balinese kittens. Our kitten from Carol's cattery is a very loved member of our family, and she remains healthy and vibrant.

Hi Carol,

Just took these a week or so ago.  JouJou loves her people and her cat family!  Her “brother” Carlos washes her face in the first picture; she is lounging on the pillow with her “sister” Lupé listening to my daughter practice piano in the second pic; and finally, she is the one in the back nearest the window catching the early morning sun in their favorite sunny spot on the guest bed. 

 

FYI she is very healthy and playful.  I feed her about ¼ cup Royal Canin Hypoallergenic cat food (small dry in the blue and white bag, prescription only) twice each day.  She is on this because my other female cat, Lupé, is on this and my vet, who has Siamese cats as personal pets, has said it is very good for this breed.  She loves to drink from the cat “fountain” where the water comes out, and she is usually the first one to drink, the other two will wait for her to finish, it is so sweet!  She has had no problems with her food, very regular stools, nice shiny coat, bright eyes.  I trim her nails, front and back, about once a month.  She loves to snuggle under the covers at night, or she will wait until Carlos & Lupé have settled and work her way in between them.  It’s a gaggle of cats!  She loves to sit on my husband’s stomach when he is looking at his iPad, and her other favorite spot is my morning paper, while I’m reading it, or any papers my kids are working on in the evening for homework.  She’s a very “educated” little cat.  She loves her cat tree with the hoop on top, she is the only one who can maneuver up there, the other cats are content to sit on either platform or in the little cubbie.  They are usually in there in the evenings if we are watching TV or to see out the front windows when we drive up!

 I could go on and on, my kids say I’m becoming the “crazy” cat lady, but I do love our cats!  Thought you’d appreciate the update, hope you have a great week.

 Enjoy the cool weather!

 Sincerely,

~Heather    



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Kathy GClick to drag this recommendation

Sr Infrastructure Administrator at American Airlines

After researching different Siamese Catterys on the internet, I kept coming back to Carolina Blues. The inovative way Carol has shown her kittens and their parents online is what kept me coming back and I am so happy that I did! We "adopted" Boots from her family 3 years ago this November. He is the sweetest, talkative even tempered Siamese I have ever had and a real joy to our household. Everyone who comes into our home can not believe how friendly and easy going he is.

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