La Maison Forte
NORSK SKOGKATT

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‘From Wildcat to Champion', we read in the newspaper when he became Champion in Borås, Sweden.

It all began towards the end of October 1977. A group of cats were making their home in the fields near Arild's work. He was working at slaughterhouse center, so maybe the cats were hanging around there to get some food.

He saw the cats every day, not up close, but close enough to recognize the ‘group'. It had been snowing already, and everybody was in a low mood, and we had a hard winter ahead of us. Early one morning when Arild got to work, he saw a cat lying under the tractor, trying to keep warm from the motor. Arild called to him, trying to tempt him into his office to offer him a bit of his lunch. Well, he didn't have to call twice! The cat was so dirty he couldn't be sure what color he was, just a sort of brown tabby, but the eyes were stunning - a beautiful blue-green. The cat was very friendly and obviously loved being taken care of, so a lunchtime Arild brought him home.

‘This cat needs a bath,' Arild announced, coming through the front door. I was very surprised to see him with a new cat under his arm. We already had three - Prinsesse Lurven, Prins Lurifaks, and Tussi, our Norwegian Forest Cat. I thought we had enough cats!

‘But he is a really beautiful Forest Cat,' Arild insisted. ‘Please give him a bath, and you'll see a dream!' He was right.

I filled the tub and rummaged around for something to wash him with, finally settling on a bottle of Timotei shampoo for humans. I showered and shampooed and showered and shampooed and showered, until finally a clean, beautiful brown tabby/white male emerged, and a new door opened in my heart. So from that moment he had his place in our home, and we named him TIMOTEI.

Timotei quickly made himself at home, and became friends with our other cats. He loved to sleep on the sofa and refused to go out on the terrace. Through the windows he could see the snow and the birds outside, but he was happy to be indoors, looking at the two small parrots we kept in a cage in the kitchen. He would lie on top of the cage, but never touched the birds. We also had an aquarium, and Timotei tried to go fishing a few times – without a permit!

A few days later we went to visit the Nylund family, bringing Timotei along so they could meet him. They loved him right away. We tried to guess his age, comparing him to Tussi as to size and teeth, and decided they were about the same age. So, since Tussi was born the 4th of April, we settled on April for Timotei as well – and he got to celebrate a whole month long.

In December we took Timotei to NORAK expo, to have him recognized by the breed council. His report was Excellent, so from now on he could go to shows and breed. And he did!

In a very short time, Timotei was Champion, and when the article about him appeared in the local newspaper, we began getting calls for the litter we were expecting in October from Tussi and Timotei. They were born on October 24, the first ‘Torvmyra's' litter - one year after he arrived in our home.

In that first litter of five kittens we had Cedrus (male), Cologarl (male), Cirkeline (female), Carlina (female), and Cobea Blue (female). Cedrus, Cirkeline, and Carlina are the best-known, as their names are many pedigrees, Cirkeline in the av Höglöft line and Carlina in Jerpefaret.

In February 1978 we got Spirella, a blue smoke/ white female with emerald green eyes and the loveliest full coat, from an owner who couldn't keep her any more. She was pregnant already and had her litter of domestic kittens in March. Afterwards she too was recognized by the breed council, and in March 1979, a year later, she was bred to Timotei and got a litter of four kittens: Demis (male), and Dunja-Dolores, Danitzy, and Dushinka (females). Demis is the father of Halloween by Tussi, and his picture is at the top of the NRR (Norske Rasekattklubbers Riksforbund) trailer.

After that litter, Timotei was neutered and began a new show career in the ‘Kastrat' class. He loved show business, liked to sit at the judge's table, licking the the judges' eyes. Often he returned to his cage with lipstick on his face. He knew he was important, and understood every trick to get us and the show visitors to pay attention to him. What a showman!

He was Norsk Skogkattring's Best Forest Cat of the Year three times, in 1979, 1981, and 1982. In 1981 he was Second Best Cat of the Year in Norway – of all breeds together. So he brought home a lot of prizes, and also a lot of cat food – in fact, for awhile he fed himself with the food he won at the shows. He was often Best of Best, and also many times Best Veteran. He became European Premier, and continued going to shows until he was almost 14 years old.

At home he was the gentlest of cats, never fighting with the other cats, and loved everybody – grownups and children alike, he was sweet to them all. When we had visitors, he knew exactly how to get attention from them, and he liked to lick our hair, especially we had been to the hairdresser – he like the scent of the hair products.

This spring, May 1997, it is five years since Timotei's kidney's collapsed and he told us it was time to go to the vet.

I don't know how I have gotten through these years since he passed away. I was sure I couldn't live without Timotei and the others. Our house is full of pictures of our cats, so we are reminded of them every day.

But we miss them.

Text edited by Paula Swepston

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