About us

My name is Ellen van den Berg-Kappenburg. I live in Zeewolde (The Netherlands) with my husband Willem, son Kylian (studying from home) and daughter Amber.

We love animals. Our family currently consists of 7 Siberians (from young to old), our Chihuahua Fleur, our Australian Shepherd Biscuit and a pond with different types of fish. Our other hobby / passion are horses. After a long break of many years we started our passion again in January 2018 with a horse of our own. Floortje is stabled at a riding school near the forest.

Our cats are part of our family. They use our entire house and our backyard. The backyard has been completely adapted so that they cannot escape.

We also have our male Faran in co-ownership with two other catteries, Cattery Of Kymaya's Place (Suzanne Versluis) and Cattery Adia's (Diana IJpelaar). Faran lives with Suzanne Versluis.

The Siberian Cat for us:

Actually we started in 1991 triggered by a picture of a robust cat. This type of cat we wanted to have, nice collar, full tail, with a robust natural appearance.

In 2005 we finally started with the search for our dream cat. After the necessary reading and investigation, we had our mind set on the Maincoon and the Siberian cat. On paper these varieties fit best with what we wanted, both in appearance and character.

We made an appointment with a breeder to look at their Maincoon kittens for orientation. Once there we saw they had also a litter of Siberian kittens, that was super. Now we could compare them well! But very quickly it turned out to be an unfair battle. I have tried to let my family at least look at the Maincoon kittens, but in vain.

We all fell in love with the Siberian cat!
For us the Siberian cat is a beautiful, lively, playful and inquisitive cat. A cat with its own character. Climbing and jumping is no problem for the Siberian cat. And lieing quietly and then suddenly jump on a toy is still a fun sport. But lieing on your lap, purring very loud when you pet them, that's a Siberian too! They changed their fur twice a year in a summer or winter coat.

When the Siberian matures, they change. Over the years they will become calmer, their figure will be more robust and heavier (I don't mean fat but the bonestructure gets broader). Our oldest is currently (December 2020) 15.5 years old. I am still curious what is to come, each new furry family member has its own characteristic traits and behavior.

Why we started breeding

For me it is a wish that has been fulfilled. To see how a new life will be born, the thrill of what it has become (is it what I had in mind with the combination), is it healthy and will everything go well, the growth and development, the new individual that emerges, to the new owner who gets an extra dimension in his / her life by buying a Siberian cat.

For us, the Siberian cat is the number one of all cats. And we think more people will love this breed after learning about the Siberian cat. I breed kittens for them.

Breeding my Siberians is a hobby. A serious one, but a hobby. Good health and good character are important to us, as is the preservation of the breed's characteristics. I do this in good conscience. That's why all my Siberians are tested for FeLV, FIV, PKD, HCM, CIN, PKDef and Blood type. They are also checked by the vet for patellar luxation. Only if the results of all tests are good, I use them for breeding. These tests cannot guarantee that there should be no kittens with (hereditary) abnormalities, but the basis is good!

Because the breed is relatively unknown in the Netherlands, it is a challenge to learn as much as possible about the breed. Especially on hereditary factors and the different views of other breeders. You understand that I am constantly learning and I use this learning to further develop my own vision. I also like this aspect of breeding.

With the years gone by, the Siberian cat is not so unknown as before. More inside information about the breed, the health, genetics and heritation are found. But also problems have developt due to breeders who breed for money, and don't do their homework. Or use other breeds to have other colors, with bringen health problems from the other breed into the Siberian cat. So it is our "job" to try to find the right cats for our breeding.

You probably already understand, we are enthusiasts who like to breed a litter every now and then for you, for ourselves and for our cats!