04/30/2026
I REALLY wanted this boy to stay with us. I even gave him a special name we had been reserving for just the right cat: LakeViewC***s Remembering Apollo. While we affectionately call him “Champ” at home, his registered name is a nod to our very first pet Maine C**n, Apollo’s Journey. The one who passed away from effusive FIP at just 5 months old. The boy that inspired us to study feline husbandry, genetics, and ultimately start our journey breeding cats. Unfortunately, preservation breeding doesn’t always go as planned, and sometimes we are forced to make tough decisions in order to honor the emotional wellbeing of the animals in our care.
With that in mind, we decided to neuter Champ yesterday. His hormones have been raging for months. Some cats manage to retain their sweet disposition despite remaining intact. Others slowly transition to become much less tolerant. Over time, if left unaddressed, territorial behaviors can begin to pop up and aggression becomes a risk, especially for males.
As many of you know, our 5 bedroom home doubles as our cattery. Our queens and kings live first and foremost as our spoiled pets. While we keep our boys and girls separate from one another, they rule the house by day and sleep in our beds at night. For this reason, it’s especially important for us to keep our clowder living harmoniously. Even if that means letting go of an otherwise promising future king.
We know the decision to neuter Champ was the right call, but we haven’t decided just yet if Champ will remain with us for a little longer to show next season as an alter, or if we will let him go to a pet home. We might even keep him as a pet ourselves. Time will tell which direction we’ll move, but for now, we’re enjoying a little extra time with this special boy. Champ, our premature singleton who refused to give up. 🐱💪🏼🥰
📸 Pictured here at 10 months old ***sRememberingApollo
