Happy 7th Birthday Truffle

We are happy to celebrate Truffle's 7th birthday today.

Truffle's 7th Birthday

We can't believe it's been seven years since Truffle was born and Mom Paula received her first photograph from Mom Terri. We've shared the story of Truffle's birth in the past, but wanted to talk about it again since we have some new readers.

Truffle on the day of her birth - June 2, 2011
Photo courtesy - Terri Rogers

Mom Paula: Truffle was born on June 2, 2011 at 1:25 pm. She was one of two kittens in the litter from Chloe at Crystalpurrs. Truffle weighed in at 2.9 oz and was the color of a little tabby kitten with a white face. Many of you may be surprised at how dark Truffle was as a kitten compared to her coloring now. Mom Terri warned me about this before she was born. Truffle was also born with blue eyes (as are most kittens). Silver Shaded and Silver Chinchilla Persians are born dark and turn lighter as they get older. According to Mom Terri (the breeder) their eyes will be a "murky, sorta ugly color, until about 5-6 months when they start turning a more vivid green. You will see the green begin in a ring around the pupil and as they get older, the greener rim will widen until it completely fills the iris. I've seen some of my kittens have completely green eyes as quick as 9 or 10 months old, but the 'books' say that Silver Persians can take up to 3 years to show their true eye color. "

Truffle and her brother, Beignet on their birth date

Truffle and Beignet - Day 1

I was so lucky because I received photos and videos from Terri from the day the girls were born. I remember looking forward to receiving email from Terri each day with updates on the kittens. There were only two kittens born to Chloe on June 2 and the little boy became Beignet. Beignet was going to come live with us, but we lost him at 12 weeks of age due to surgery to remove a sarcoma. I want to focus on happy thoughts today and he was such a special little guy. Terri sent me the video below of Truffle and Beignet eating from the "milk bar". Beignet is on the left and Truffle on the right. As you can see from the video, Truffle was a feisty little thing when it came to eating. She was determined she wanted all of the food for herself. She's still the same way with Brulee when it comes to treats and food.

Beignet and Truffle at the "milk bar" - June 2, 2011

Truffle was born in a loving home where all of the kittens and cats were kept inside with the family. Terri was a vet tech and was able to monitor the kittens closely with the help of her vet. I was able to visit her home before the kittens were even born and meet all of the cats and Terri. We talked for hours on the phone and in person about Praline (my previous cat who died from cancer 6 weeks earlier), care of Persian cats, and Terri's expectations of people who adopt her kittens. She interviewed me and provided references from other people who've adopted her kittens. At the time, I was thinking about adopting a Himalayan kitten from another cattery and Terri provided me some key questions to ask. She said if a breeder couldn't or wouldn't answer these questions that I should avoid getting a kitten from them. I wanted to share these questions with everyone.

May I have a copy of a sample contract with the guarantees?
Are the parents (King and Queen) DNA tested PKD negative?
Have you ever had ringworm in your cattery? If so, when did this occur?
What type (brand name) food are the cats and the kittens fed?
Exactly what shots are the kittens given before they are sent to their new forever home?
Do you have some people that I can talk to for references about your kittens?

The other breeder was didn't provide satisfactory answers to the above questions and others I asked her about during a conversation on the telephone, so even though I wanted that adorable lynx point Himalayan, I withdrew from the adoption.

Truffle - 7 years old - June 2, 2018

Truffle has grown into a beautiful Silver Shaded Persian with huge green eyes. She's been a pretty healthy cat until the recent issue with her bladder stones. She has a very independent little personality and she definitely rules the household. I hope to have many more years with her, but I will always treasure the time we do have together.

Seeing double with Truffle and her Cuddle Clone

Truffle and her Cuddle Clones Truffle

We have a very special gift for Truffle's birthday that we will share with you on Monday. Truffle has her own Cuddle Clones® now and she is sharing her with Mom Paula. We'll talk about the Cuddle Clones next week and have a special surprise for our readers (even for our International friends). Come back next week for the exciting news.