Chocolate Cat World

by Karen Roderic

"You have been searching through websites and found chocolatecats.com, or someone mentioned the wonderful chocolate & lilac resources and information available here or you came upon this site by pure luck. However you landed here, you saw chocolate and lilac kitties in so many color patterns and varieties and you were absolutely awe-struck.

You just have to have a chocolate, or well, maybe two. Oh, but what color pattern. Maybe a lilac and a lilac lynx point. What are you to do? So your search begins. But as you converse with breeders, you realize just owning a chocolate will not satisfy your appetite. You have to breed those scrumptious colors.

One of this and one of that, Right? But, heck, you dont want to keep all those lovely kitties for you alone to look at. They are gorgeous and you want everyone to see them. So now you have decided to show.

Were you really ready when you made your first purchase? Did you do enough homework or dive right in spending years playing catch up? What would you have done differently to get to that show ring or would you have shown at all?

As as breeder, we all start somewhere, often change directions and think about what we would have done differently if only we had known then what we know today. Ten years from today, we will still be evaluating our breeding program and working for improvements.

One is the absolute, positive limit to your cat population for your home. Narrowing your choices to one color, variety, pattern and sex in the chocolate spectrum will take some forethought, but will be well worth the time when you consider the number of years your pet will be living with you and your family. Choosing the breed of cat will be your first approach. What will fit into your lifestyle? How much time can you devote to grooming? All breeds will require grooming such as nails, combing, teeth brushing and ear cleaning on a regular basis. Longer haired breeds require additional grooming time for coat maintenance, eye cleaning and bathing. Will you do your own grooming, or budget for a professional groomer every 6-8 weeks? Obtaining professional services still require cat owners to perform regular daily grooming services, such as the teeth and combing on the longer coated breeds.

The size of your home or apartment and proximity to neighbors will need to be taken into consideration. Larger, active breeds will be happiest in a home with several rooms to romp and play, whereas a Persian with its quiet demeanor will be content in a one bedroom apartment. You don't want to wake up your normally friendly neighbor in your condo with your cat's continuous vocalization at night even if it is music to your ears. What about personality? Does a busy, boisterous fellow fit in perfectly to your active household or is there enough confusion and a very laid back personality needed to balance your already frayed nerves.

Talk to several breeders from catteries of different breeds you may be interested in about special care and personality traits unique to that breed. Ok. So now you have decided on an easy going, long haired breed like the Persian or Ragdoll. You won't mind the extra grooming as it will surely relax you during your daily combing ritual. You can say, "Kids, come back later after I finish grooming Fluffy." So what if it took two hours to brush Fluffy when it was only a fifteen minute workout. You deserved the quiet time.

With your breed selection made, you can begin your search for a color and pattern to suit your taste. Explore the many catteries found on this site's world directory and view all the varieties available. When considering a color, keep in mind if the cat may be shipped or if you will be required to travel a distance for pick up.

The chocolate color is broken into several divisions, depending on the breed. You may choose the dominant chocolate or the dilute, subtle color of lilac. The chocolate may be found in the solid (one color-chocolate or lilac), pointed colors with the expression of color on the points (face, ears, tail and legs), particolor with the addition of red to the chocolate or cream to the lilac. The bicolor chocolate has the addition of white with the chocolate or lilac and can be found also in the van bicolor pattern. How about a chocolate tabby? When the chocolate tabby gene pairs up with the chocolate pointed gene-a gorgeous chocolate lynx point is produced. Try to picture a chocolate smoke. Add some red and you have a chocolate tortie smoke. Add the bicolor gene with the smoke and red and you have a tortie smoke and white or chocolate calico smoke.

Combining the pointed gene with the bicolor gene, Ragdoll breeders have produced lovely chocolate/lilac mitted and bicolor varieties. Choosing a color has become more difficult than you thought. The easiest way to make a choice is to find a breeder within a two hour drive of your home and take a ride. Once in the breeder's home, you can converse face to face, ask hundreds of questions and then pick from whatever color she has available or have your name added to their waiting list. Shipping is quite popular, but will cost about $200 & up for health certificate, freight, carrier and insurance. This cost is added onto the sale price of the kitten. But, this way you have a better color selection of your perfect pet. Well, on second thought, perhaps two would make for a happier home. They they would keep each other company and be quite entertaining. One chocolate in this pattern and one lilac in that variety would go perfectly with your home decor or wardrobe.