Bonjour! Today we have beautiful Petittonneau the Siberian cat from France and her Human mom and friend Anaïs! You can check out their instagram at  https://www.instagram.com/petittonneau_/   Welcome to the blog Petittonneau!

What is the name of your Siberian kitty? Why did you choose that name?

My cat has 3 different names!  She’s got an official name which was given by her breeder. It’s  “Iana Damman Amur” (“Iana” is the first name, and “Damman Amur” come from the cattery). But I never really called her “Iana”. She’s got a nickname that we use in everyday life; It’s a little bit childish: “Mimou”.

But it came to me so naturally the first day I met her and she respond to it.  And the third name is her star name! It’s “Petittonneau”, like her Instagram account.

Actually, It’s like a joke to me: when I researched about Siberian cats, I discovered a physical description of them that said Siberian cats are in shape of “petit tonneau” in French. It means like a little barrel, and it makes me laugh because it’s totallythat!!

How old is your kitty?

Petittonneau is 4 and a half. I adopted her when she was 4 month old,  for Christmas 2013. It was the last one of the litter but I directly fell for her.

Where are you and your kitty from 🙂 ?

I’m from France and I live around 20 km in the south of Paris. But my cat didn’t always live there.  When I adopted her I lived in the West of France (in Bretagne). I moved in several times with her for different reasons. So, she lived first in a big city house with a little garden.

She was happy in this big house with two floors. She had an all room for herself with all her toys. I let her go in the garden under my strict watch because I was really afraid of the road and the cars nearby.

Then we moved into a little house in the country. There was a lot of fields around, and she can go outside freely everyday. I think it was the happiest place she lived. She discovered how to hunt and brought us proudly mice and birds (sometimes alive…). She came back every night to sleep in the house with us, but It happened 3 or 4 times that she spent the night outside and it really freaked me out!

Afterward, after a separation, I lived alone with her in two tiny apartments in the city (still in the west of France). It has been a real shock for her because she couldn’t go outside anymore. I really felt that she missed it. It cost me to deprive her of that, but I didn’t want to let her go in the city.

Now, we are 3 leaving together anew: me, my boyfriend Thibault, and Petittonneau. We are a real family.  We just moved into a new big apartment in April. Petittonneau has a lot of space to play, run and nap around. We saw a change in her behavior: she is really happy here. We are still in a big city, but a few months later, we started to go outside with her with a harness.

It took time to her to get used to it, like 2-3 month, but it came with patience. Now, she enjoys it and we can go for a long walk in the forest. It’s really good times for the three of us.

Cats are territorials animals, and I know relocations are hard for them. I saw it with Petittonneau : she moved too much with me, she was always frightened in the new places and needed time to get used to it. But I was there for her and spent a lot of time to reassure her. She surprised me by her adaptation ability every time and I’m really proud of her.

How did you decide to have a Siberian cat and why?

I love animals and I always lived with them since my childhood. In my parents’ house, we had cats, dogs, guinea pig, sheep, and goats. When I was a student, I had a rabbit, a hamster, and gerbils. My favorite animal has always been the cat. I’m a cat lover!

But there is a big problem: I’m allergic to cats and dogs hairs (and a lot of things !). So, when my rodents were gone, I missed living with animals. And I wanted sooo much to live with a cat. I started some research and I found some kind of cats who produce fewer allergens.

And I fell in love with the Siberian kind. They seemed to be so beautiful with such a nice temper. I visited two Siberian catteries and talked to some breeders and I wasn’t disappointed. I hoped that I won’t be allergic at all, but I still am, but I think less than with a “normal” cat.

What is your kitty’s favorite food? Any recommendations on food for
other Siberian cat owners?

Petittonneau’s favorite food is chicken and yogurt (and also salmon, tuna, and scrambled eggs !). But we do not give her that every day, just a little piece once in a while. Daily, she eats dry cat food (“croquettes”).

I got some troubles with her food. I tried to give her wet cat food (“pâtée”) but it made her sick every time. She also had a weight problem when she couldn’t exert herself outside anymore. The vet was a great help: he advised us to give her zucchini (“courgettes”) instead of a part of the dry food.

And it worked really well! Petittonneau likes her zucchini cooked or raw, and every day. They are also a great source of hydration for cats. She lost some weight since one year and is in great health now.

What are your cat’s favorite toys or games?

On Instagram, the entire name of my cat is “Petittonneau Shadowhuntress” and I made a video to explain why! She loooooves the shadows and especially hunting them. That’s totally her favorite game.

We just need a stick (or our hand), some light and let the game begin! It makes her so crazy and so funny: she runs and jumps everywhere! She would do that all day long. Her second favorite game is hide-and-seek, we play together (It can seem foolish I know !) and she enjoys it.

But with her, it’s more “hide-and-seek-and-jump-and-catch”!

When she was younger, she also liked to play like a dog: we threw a little ball of aluminum and she brought it back. It was really fun and practical! But she doesn’t really much do that anymore.

Petittonneau is a bit particular: she doesn’t like to play alone. She had a lot of toys but it does not interest her. She only plays with it if we are participating. She really needs us and interacts with us. Another special thing about her: I find she enjoys playing most and most with time. She asks for games and toys more now than when she was a kitty.

What does your Siberian love doing most?

I really want to say: eat and nap, like every cat! And I don’t know If she could choose one of this two! Otherwise, she likes her daily grind, a lot of hugs and to spend time with us.

Is there a funny story you could tell us about your Siberian?

I think I have the only Siberian cat who doesn’t like the snow! When we walked her outside this winter she was soooo scared. She was just sitting there on the snow and meowing and staring at us. Then she saw a place with grass and no snow and just jump and shook her legs for dusting the snow and making her paws as less as possible in contact with it.

Another detail: Petittonneau drools when she is really relaxed and when we are petting her. She can wet our clothes or our sofa!

What do you love most about your Siberian?

I think I share a really strong connection with her, she’s always around. It’s very rare when I don’t know where she is because she always stays in my field-of-view. Sometimes I think she’s like a dog.

I also believe that Siberian cats are very very clever: Petittonneau directly knows when something is wrong with one of us. I had some health troubles during years and she was there, she sometimes spent entire nights awake supporting me. 

So, what I love most about her are her intelligence and sensibility.

What are the good sides of having a Siberian cat?

I see the good sides of any cat. Petittonneau brings me joy in my life:: she makes me laugh with her fooleries and helps me relax after work. She (and for sure every Siberian cat) is also a nice bug catcher, and it’s a good quality in summer!

What are some downsides to having a Siberian cat?

Hair! hair! hair! Siberian cats have majestic fluff but it comes with a price…

Does your kitty shed much and how do you deal with it?

There is hair absolutely everywhere in the house! I think we even eat them! To deal with it, I have a good vacuum and a lot of stuff: three different sorts of cat brushes and two different sorts of gloves.

I used them according to her mood once a week. She likes it but not for too long, like just 10 minutes.
And we also use hair rollers for our clothes, pillows, and sofa!

Do you travel with your cat? What do you do when you need to go on
vacation? (Pet sitter? Cat hotel? 🙂

I travel as little as I can with my cat. She hates the car and can’t stop meowing during the trip.

On vacation, I had to go for a week three times. I tried three solutions: first, I let her with my parents but it didn’t go really well because their cat didn’t accept her. They had to split the house into two parts, one for each cat.

Secondly, I asked a friend to visit my cat. It went well but Petittonneau doesn’t like to be alone, and I think she was very sad during this week.  And finally, last year, I left her at a friend’s apartment (another cat lover) and that was the best solution. She was shy at the beginning, then acted like it was her own home!

Would you recommend other people to have a Siberian cat, why or why not?

From my experience Siberian cats can fit most kinds of people: they are quiet with a sweet temper, a perfect companion, kind and loyal. They can live with a family, children, old people. 

But I think a Siberian cat is a great commitment: they need a lot of attention (a lot more than other cats I had) and activities. They can’t be alone all day. If you can’t give one or two hours per day only to your Siberian cat, you shouldn’t get one.

But If you can… you won’t be disappointed with your Siberian!

To learn more about Petittonneau, follow her on her Instagram account – https://www.instagram.com/petittonneau_/ 😉

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