Into Wishin NFC

We are Melissa, George, and Christina Alexander and we live in Blackstone Massachusetts not far from the boarder of Rhode Island.

In 1999 we visited a local cat show and it was there we saw the Norwegian Forest Cat for the very first time. We took our time researching the breed and in 2001, we acquired our first Norwegian Forest Cat. Handel av Boxerhaven and his daughter Martha my Dear

Handel av Boxerhaven and his daughter Martha my Dear

From that moment, we knew there must always be a forest cat in our home! What a special breed!

In 2002 we started the search for our first breeding female. We fell in love with a black and white male named Bishop who went on to become a FIFe World Winner in 2003. Bishop was bred by our good friends Kicki & Jorgen Johansson of S*Lisjöskogen. From Bishop and Hedda, a lovely female from the cattery S*Drakborgens of Katarina 'Kattis' Strahl, the fabulous Felicia was born in the cattery av Boxerhaven (N) of Cecilie Strømstad!! Cecilie has given us the gift of three outstanding cats over the years! These three breeders from Scandinavia gave us a great start and for that, I thank them!

Over the years I have been fortunate to work with some really wonderful breeders and have built strong working relationships with many of them. I am especially thankful to Linda Stebner of Epona in Pennsylvania and Nelly Bozzoli of Blue Tanis in Switzerland. I admire these two experienced breeders who have dedicated so many years to our wonderful breed! I consider myself very fortunate to be working with them!

We enjoy working with the Norwegian Forest Cat and know that there is just no other breed for us! The Norwegian Forest Cat is so special; a very affectionate and intelligent breed. While the Norwegian Forest Cat appears to have a long coat, it is actually classified as a semi-long hair breed. The Norwegian Forest Cat coat texture should have course guard hairs and the coat should not be soft. If the coat is correct on your Forest Cat, you will have a cat that requires very little grooming! When people see the Norwegian Forest Cat they often think they are difficult to keep up but that is not the case. Just think, the Norwegian Forest Cat is a natural breed cat from Scandinavia. A cat whose natural habitat is the woods of Scandinavia must have a low maintenance coat that will protect them from the harsh winters. A fluffy, soft coat will just not do!

Our cats share our home with us and our wonderful dog, Max! Kittens born here are raised with much love and attention so they are ready to transition into their new homes with ease! When we decide on cats to use in our breeding program, health is of course number one in our book of requirements however a very close second to that is temperament. Our goal is to breed cats that meet the breed standards and have great temperaments therefore making wonderful pets for their new owners. It is not unusual for new owners of our kittens to tell us they have never had a cat like their new Norwegian Forest Cat before!

We also enjoy showing our cats in TICA and are active in breed clubs and groups focusing on the health of the Norwegian Forest Cat. We feel that it is important to network with breeders here and abroad. We have traveled to Europe numerous times since 2002 and during these travels we are able to visit with breeders, attend cat shows, and stay current on the health of cats in the pedigrees of our own cats at home.

As a result of showing in TICA, we have produced many Supreme Grand Champions and Regional Winners over the years. Additionally we were fortunate to have two Internationally Winning (IW) cats in TICA (Planet Funk Blue Tanis and Into Wishin Haakon of Epona) for the 2008-2009 Season and Haakon achieved a second IW the following year. These two cats went on to obtain the title of “Lifetime Achiever” (LA) which is really great! Our female Hanne av Boxerhaven, who we consider to be the foundation queen of our cattery, has achieved the title of “Outstanding Dam” thanks to five of her offspring earning titles in TICA of Grand Champion or higher. We are so proud of Hanne. She is such a great cat!

To summarize, our breeding focuses primarily on health, temperament, and breeding kittens according to the TICA NFC standards. Our cats are not caged and our kittens are raised with a lot of love and attention. We believe that it is important to continuously evaluate our breeding program and constantly work towards improving the quality of kittens we produce.

For a brief overview of history of the Norwegian Forest Cat, see the NFC Breed Presentation that was presented at the 2008 TICA Annual in Arlington TX (Aug 2008).

We welcome inquires and encourage you to tell us a bit about yourself when writing or calling. Thanks for visiting our website and please come back again!

Melissa has completed the 1st PawPeds Course!

November 2008