Born on 20th March, 2006, Leonardo is a red Somali.  

There is another story about obtaining Leonardo.  We came across this breed in a local pet shop in Hunghom called ‘Meow and Me’.  This breed was not sold there but from time to time, we could see a very rare wild-looking cat curling around the neck of a young gentleman.  (That gentleman was later on identified to be one of the disciples of Raymond —Mr. Joseph Wong)  At that time, we still did not know what breed of cat it was.  Later in a cat show, I saw exactly the same cat again and came to know that it was a Somali cat named ‘Foxhouse Stone’.   I was so fascinated by it that I was bold enough to walk toward the cat’s holder, i.e. the breeder, and even kidded with him if he could sell that beautiful cat to me.  I still remember his response vividly, ‘No kidding please!’.   Although rejected politely, I couldn’t forget the beautiful cat for the days to come. 

 

The other day, I went to Meow and Me again to buy something.  (We are loyal customers of the shop).  And just as a joke, I told Raymond the story.  What surprised me was that Raymond said Joseph was planning to sell Stone because he couldn’t keep so many males at home!  That was a real thrill to me since I had never expected that the breeder was going to forfeit his loving cat! 

 

Naturally, we talked about the price next.  But...as a first time show cat buyer, I was very shocked at the price…..In Cantonese slangs, it was ‘一個令你O咀的價錢’.  (But of course, now that I know more about show cats, the shape of my mouth has become narrower and narrower when it comes to pricing of high-quality show cats)  It took me two days to finally convince myself that the cat was worth the high price and also to convince my husband that I HAD TO obtain the cat no matter how expensive he was!  We made an appointment to Joseph’s apartment to see Stone face to face.  Unfortunately, Stone was ill!  I was very disappointed and sad but at the same time, my husband had his eyes glued on another younger Somali — Foxhouse Chasing You.  The kitten was only 5 months old then and he was very energetic.  He was not on sale, though.  At the end, we came to a final decision — to wait for the next litter, because we were very impressed with a Somali kitten.

 

The wait was very long, though.  Joseph mated his cats several times, but it was either not successful or a miscarriage.   Ultimately, after more than half a year, the good news came.  His female cat from Japan, Shining Days of Foxhouse,  was pregnant successfully.  

 

So, the ending of the story is that the long awaited Leonardo arrived at our home happily and healthily when he was 3 months old.   He has played a very vital role in the setting up of our cattery because without him, we wouldn’t have experienced showing cats as an exhibitor.  In addition, letting him take photos for magazines has enriched my experience as a cat keeper.  Therefore, I feel I am so lucky that I have obtained this adorable fellow.  Thank you Joseph and Leonardo!

 

By the way, did you notice that our male breeder Maine Coon is called ‘Da Vinci’?  Leonardo + Da Vinci makes….?

 

 

A collection of a fox family from Hokkaido, Japan last summer.  I have been a fancier of foxes for a long long time and owning a fox-like cat makes my dream come true!

CH, GP Foxhouse Leonardo of Nekoland (aka Foxhouse Wish)

Welcome

About Maine Coon

Male

Female

Kittens

Other feline members

Personal Sharing

CFA shows

Media coverage

Our Home

Rescued cats

Collectibles

Links

Guestbook