About Us and Our Program

I began working with Turkish Angoras (TA or TUA, you will see as abbreviation) over a decade ago, living in Chicago. I was enamored with these beautiful cats, my first one having been a really top notch show cat nicknamed Banshee, that I had bought as a pet. As I learned more about the breed standard, I just felt like I had to show her. And at our first show, she made a final and got a big ribbon - and I was hooked.

Even though Banshee never really wanted to show, that cat went on to become a Grand Premier, and she still lives with me, lounging in the sun, usually in the "upstairs" of a little cat house. I went to a show in preparation for taking on my first Championship show cat (an intact cat competes in Championship, a spay/neuter competes in Premiership), where I met for the first time a Premier that was a black smoke TA neuter, a startingly dramatic color, and he met me, and from that instant, he was my cat as well. He went on to Grand, and still lives with me, ruling the roost with the girls, who adore him. He was the first of his color to ever Grand in CFA. Banshee and Junior both recently enjoyed their 13th birthdays, a testament to the robust health of the breed. 

Clearly I was completely hooked and although I paused a few years to start my own breeding program, I worked closely with the breeder, under the cattery name Sadakat, who provided those first cats, learning pedigrees and veterinary care and home health care and preparation for showing, as well as ethics, conduct, and sportsmanship. Her dedication to the breeding to ensure health, type, and temperament are amazing, and I've been priviliged to carry that forward in my program at Sinend.

I grew up in the Lehigh Valley of Pennsylvania, but have moved around quite a bit, to Northern California and Chicago, only to land back in the Lehigh Valley with a new family of my own. I continue to use fantastic Sadakat cats, as well as some very treasured pedigrees from European cats, to ensure my own pedigrees are never too closely bred. We have a four bedroom house, with the cats taking up most of them, as well as running the house. We closely monitor everyone's health, and I frankly spend most of my free time cleaning - any breeder will tell you, there is really no such thing as "clean." By the time I get to the last litter box, the first has been used again. The vacuum gets used almost nonstop, which the cats regard as a giant yellow demon. I'm dedicated to having a safe environment and socializing cats, which allows me to match potential homes with the right Turkish Angora. (Although they have a generally predictable overall temperament - there are always quirks and idiosyncracies with each cat.) Our kittens are raised in one of our bedrooms, allowing for easy monitoring, and to keep them isolated until they are fully vaccinated.

As another breeder has said,"Animal breeding requires a great sense of responsibility, a lot of personal and substantial financial commitment and sacrifice. We do not tinker with Lego bricks, we work with LIFE." I could not say it better. We are beholden to our cats, as we have made the decision to create them, which carries a lifetime commitment from us to their health and well-being. We take that obligation very seriously.

Grand Premier Sadakat's Angel Face of Sinend, and Champion, Grand Premier Sadakat's Smoke Signals of Sinend