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Interview with FIFe judge Lena Nordström Interview with FIFe judge Lena Nordström at the Turku International FIFe Cat Show 25.11-26.11.2006 arranged by TUROK, Finland.
I was amazed about Lena Nordström's devoted work as a judge at the
cat show in Turku, Finland. She was very calm in her appearance and
one could sence her humble and kind approach to cats. It was clear
to me that she is a well of knowledge. I asked her carefully if she
could think of being interviewed to the Siberian Cat World. She
replied yes. In the late afternoon we had an interesting chat about
the category II, Semilong Hair Cats. Lena is herself a devoted
breeder of Sacred Birmans since 30 years back, her cattery name is
Shenandoahs Birma The situation for the Siberian Cat in Europe The growth is enormous in Europe at the moment. Characteristic look of the Siberian Cat It is important to maintain a soft look and round forms on the Siberian Cat. One must be able to see the clear difference in the forest breeds, NFC,MCO and SIB. The Siberian must have the round forms and a broader head. About the coat The breed is a semilong hair breed and therefore, it is important for the Siberian Cat to have a semilong coat. We shouldn't take this matter lightly. Otherwise, it will be for sure a problem in future. We will be seeing cats with shorthair instead. For instance, in Sweden there was a questionnaire sent to MCO breeders to point out the three most crucial issues in the breed. They were:
Size
Lena Nordström judging GIC Lumikissan JummiJammi
They are not that important. The ears should be rounded and sharp ears should be avoided. Anatomically it is difficult to maintain rounded ears with tufts. The body Well muscled, strong appearance and strong legs. Skinny or bony look should be avoided.
Lena Nordström writing her comments about Zigwan's Baryshnik Advice to new breeders
A breeder should be humble. Listen,ask questions and study the
breed standard thoroughly. Listen to many different opinions before
making your decision about your breeding program. Definition of the medium size The standard says that the Siberian Cat should be medium sized. It is a vague term and gives space to interpretations.We asked her opinion about it. She doesn't think that there are easily too large cats. What's important is that the cat looks balanced and the overall appearance is harmonius, well muscled and has strong bone structure. On the contrary the cats tend to become smaller, which is not good either. Side profile of the Siberian Cat As mentioned before the there should be a clear difference between the forest breeds. Therefore, the profile is important. A slight indentation on the profile of the Siberian should be visible. About being a judge It is preferable for a judge to be actively involved in breeding and even to show own cats.In this way it is easier to be ā jour over what is going on in the different breeds. Category II is soon becoming the largest category in Europe and unfortunately there are only handfull of judges that are specialized in it.To become a judge is a long road, it takes up to seven years. Lena herself kind of fell into this path. At that time the Birmans had difficult temperament. She was asked to become an assistant and from there her career as judge started.
Lena Nordström in action with Piperitan Bastet. Finally The shows before were more easy going when they were on two whole days instead of one.It wasn't under such time pressure like now a days.She said that health issues are important. In example Pawpeds have a health program she is involved in. It is unfortunate that there is less money involved in feline research compared with the canines. Education is important. We have a lot to learn from the canine side where they have i.e breeders educations.
Yasmin Samaletdin copyright: siberiancatworld.com |
