Valkyrie Maine Coons

24/08/2025

🅼🅸🆂🅲🅷🅸🅴🅵 & 🅼🆈🆂🆃🅴🆁🆈 🅲🅰🆂🅴 🅵🅸🅻🅴🆂

𝔼𝕡𝕚𝕤𝕠𝕕𝕖 𝕠𝕟𝕖: ℝ𝕦𝕓𝕓𝕖𝕣 ℂ𝕙𝕚𝕔𝕜𝕖𝕟 𝕆𝕣𝕚𝕘𝕚𝕟 𝕊𝕥𝕠𝕣𝕪 🐔

𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐮𝐛𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐧 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐬 🐔✨

Every hero has an origin story — and Sushi’s unlikely hero is… 𝘢 𝘳𝘶𝘣𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘯. 🐔 Originally bought by my mom for Chewie (her “grandchild”), the chicken squeaked joyfully until my sister accidentally stomped the squeaker silent 😂. Most toys would have been forgotten after that, but Sushi fell in love 💕. Since then, the chicken has gone everywhere with her — tucked into bed 😴, bathed in the water bowl (sometimes upside down) 💦, lounging on the laundry pile 🧺, and even lying in the middle of breadcrumbs from a stolen breadroll 🍞.

Thus began 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑹𝒖𝒃𝒃𝒆𝒓 𝑪𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒌𝒆𝒏 𝑪𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒊𝒄𝒍𝒆𝒔 🐔 — a saga of sweetness, silliness, and side-splitting comedy.

👉 Follow along for the next "episode" of 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑹𝒖𝒃𝒃𝒆𝒓 𝑪𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒌𝒆𝒏 𝑪𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒊𝒄𝒍𝒆𝒔 🐔!

**n

18/08/2025

🎂🐾 Today’s a special one – it’s CHEWIE’S BIRTHDAY! 🎉

He may be a national qualifying champion on the show bench, but at home, he’s just our big, fluffy teddy bear who rules the couch (and our hearts). 💕

Let’s shower him with love in the comments – who else thinks he deserves extra treats today? 🍗😻

13/08/2025

🐾 𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗡𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗲 – 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝘄𝗶𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝗦𝗔 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝘁 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 🏆

Saturday, 9 August 2025, Somerset West – the air was filled with purrs, chatter, and the gleam of rosettes. For me, it was more than just a show day — it was the culmination of months of preparation, travel, and hope. Our gentle giant, 𝘔𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳, 𝘚𝘈 𝘏𝘰𝘯, 𝘛𝘳𝘱𝘭 𝘚𝘱 𝘊𝘩 & 𝘒𝘪𝘵 𝘊𝘩 𝘝𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘺𝘳𝘪𝘦 𝘈𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘋𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 (𝘊𝘩𝘦𝘸𝘪𝘦), stepped into the spotlight at the SA Indie Cat National Show.

Competing among 13 of the top adult males in the country, Chewie placed 9𝘵𝘩 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 and became the 3𝘳𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘔𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘊𝘰𝘰𝘯 𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘦 in the country.

“𝘐𝑡’𝑠 𝑛𝘰𝑡 𝑎𝘭𝑤𝘢𝑦𝘴 𝘢𝑏𝘰𝑢𝘵 𝘸𝑖𝘯𝑛𝘪𝑛𝘨 – 𝘪𝑡’𝑠 𝑎𝘣𝑜𝘶𝑡 𝑐𝘦𝑙𝘦𝑏𝘳𝑎𝘵𝑖𝘯𝑔 𝑡𝘩𝑒 𝑗𝘰𝑢𝘳𝑛𝘦𝑦 𝑎𝘯𝑑 𝑡𝘩𝑒 𝑓𝘳𝑖𝘦𝑛𝘥𝑠𝘩𝑖𝘱𝑠 𝑎𝘭𝑜𝘯𝑔 𝑡𝘩𝑒 𝑤𝘢𝑦.”

My heartfelt thanks go to so many people:
•Judges – Anthony Aldum, Theresa Aldum, PC Bekker, Hanrie Bekker, Thea Lamprecht (and Sonya Lineque, Lee Smith & Johan Lamprecht who didn’t judge Chewie on the day).
•SA Indie Cat Committee – Leonard, Susan, Lenka, Karlo, Jean, Tracy, Carine, Theresa – you worked tirelessly, often burning the midnight oil, to bring this event to life.
•Wendy from NCFS Cat Club – for providing the show cages, making packing for the show so much easier!
•Sponsors – Susan for the beautiful blanket, Rushfords Rosettes, Sashes and Ribbons for making, and Bellmour Siberians for sponsoring our qualifier rosette, THILDA's CAVE CAT TOYS for the toy, the snack & water sponsors, Guiddo Gray & Royal Canin for our bag of food, and all the others who made the day special.
•Herlien and Carol – for capturing such wonderful photos of Chewie while he was being judged.
•Fellow exhibitors & friends – Monika Bouwer, Herlien van Rooyen, Carol Middleton, Georgina Greeff, Ronel de Swardt – what a treat to all have qualifiers in the same show!
•New and old friends and exhibitors for spending and enjoying the day with us.
•The public – for stopping by to meet Chewie.
•Ahmed Yusufali Dockrat – for photographing so many cats, with the patience of a saint.

“𝘛ℎ𝘦 𝘤𝑒𝘳𝑡𝘪𝑓𝘪𝑐𝘢𝑡𝘦𝑠 𝑤𝘪𝑙𝘭 𝘧𝑎𝘥𝑒, 𝘣𝑢𝘵 𝘵ℎ𝘦 𝘮𝑒𝘮𝑜𝘳𝑖𝘦𝑠 𝑎𝘯𝑑 𝑘𝘪𝑛𝘥𝑛𝘦𝑠𝘴 𝘸𝑖𝘭𝑙 𝑙𝘢𝑠𝘵 𝘢 𝘭𝑖𝘧𝑒𝘵𝑖𝘮𝑒.”

This wasn’t just a show. It was a celebration of our cats, our friendships, and the joy of being part of this community. 💙

***s **nMagic

08/08/2025

🎉 Today, we’re celebrating not just one, but 𝑡ℎ𝑟𝑒𝑒 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑠 🐾:

🌍 The 𝙟𝙤𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙨 all around the world
🎂 𝙃𝙖𝙧𝙡𝙚𝙚’𝙨 𝙗𝙞𝙧𝙩𝙝𝙙𝙖𝙮 – our dramatic, beautiful, and whip-smart black tortie spotted tabby queen from Slovenia
🎂 𝙆𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙖’𝙨 𝙗𝙞𝙧𝙩𝙝𝙙𝙖𝙮 – our stunning, sweet, and balanced black classic tabby & white queen from Russia

These two imported beauties have brought so much personality, elegance, and charm to our cattery. Harlee rules with flair and confidence, while Katia wins hearts with her poise and affectionate nature.

💖 On 𝐼𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝐶𝑎𝑡 𝐷𝑎𝑦, we’re reminded of how deeply our feline friends enrich our lives – from their playful antics to their comforting purrs.

📸Katia's photo credit: Ursula van der Riet Photography

📸 Swipe to see both birthday girls looking as gorgeous as ever!
Join us in wishing them both a Happy Birthday in the comments below ⬇️

***s **nLove

06/08/2025

🎉 𝐖𝐞’𝐫𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐒𝐀 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐭 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓! 🎉

Join us this Saturday, 9 August 2025 at the SA Indie Cat 𝑁𝘢𝑡𝘪𝑜𝘯𝑎𝘭 𝘚ℎ𝘰𝑤 as our very own 𝘔𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳, 𝘚𝘈 𝘏𝘰𝘯, 𝘛𝘳𝘱𝘭 𝘚𝘱 𝘊𝘩 & 𝘒𝘪𝘵 𝘊𝘩 𝘝𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘺𝘳𝘪𝘦 𝘈𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘋𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 (𝘢𝘬𝘢 𝘊𝘩𝘦𝘸𝘪𝘦) struts his stuff among some of the top cats in the country! 🏆🐾

Chewie is one of 26 exceptional adult qualifiers from across South Africa — and we’re so proud to see him represent Valkyrie Maine C***s at this prestigious national event.

📍 Venue:
United Church
28 Bright Street
Somerset West

Come say hello, meet Chewie, and enjoy a day surrounded by beautiful cats, passionate breeders, and fellow feline enthusiasts. We’d love to see you there! 💙

👇 Here’s the official Adult line-up from SA Indie Cat 👇

03/08/2025

𝔸𝕟𝕠𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣 𝕊𝕦𝕔𝕔𝕖𝕤𝕤𝕗𝕦𝕝 ℍℂ𝕄 ℂ𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕚𝕔 𝕒𝕥 𝕍𝕖𝕥𝕨𝕠𝕣𝕝𝕕 𝕊𝕠𝕞𝕖𝕣𝕤𝕖𝕥 𝕎𝕖𝕤𝕥!

We’re thrilled to share that our second HCM Clinic took place over two days this past week — and it was another massive success! 🎉 A total of 27 𝘤𝑎𝘵𝑠 were screened for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), making this one of the largest heart screening initiatives for cats in South Africa to date. 🐾🫀

This incredible event would not have been possible without the unwavering dedication and support of Dr. Ryan Friedlein, who once again flew down from Gauteng, and Dr. Omar Mehtar, along with the amazing Vetworld Somerset West team. Thank you for your professionalism, care, and commitment to improving feline heart health — we are truly grateful. 💙

I’m also pleased to share that three of my own cats were screened, and all received the best news possible — normal hearts:
💓 𝘑𝘶𝘱𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘉𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘰 *𝘗𝘓 (𝘐𝘮𝘱) – co-owned by Monika Bouwer
💓 𝘔𝘢𝘬𝘈𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘢 *𝘙𝘜 𝘈𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘉𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘰𝘮 𝘰𝘧 𝘝𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘺𝘳𝘪𝘦 (𝘐𝘮𝘱) – co-owned by Nicole Rawlins
💓 𝘝𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘺𝘳𝘪𝘦 𝘈𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘭𝘶𝘤𝘬

We’re already looking forward to our next HCM Clinic, tentatively planned for 𝐹𝘦𝑏𝘳𝑢𝘢𝑟𝘺 2026. Let’s continue raising awareness, supporting ethical breeding, and protecting the future of our beloved breeds.

📸 Photo Credit: Dr. Omar Mehtar

**nLove

15/07/2025

10/07/2025

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐚𝐭 𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰? 𝐐𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐰𝐨! 🏆🎉

Although we won’t be attending SACC COTY this year due to unforeseen circumstances, I’m thrilled to announce that 𝑀𝑎𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑟, 𝑆𝐴 𝐻𝑜𝑛, 𝑇𝑟𝑝𝑙 𝑆𝑝 𝐶ℎ & 𝐾𝑖𝑡 𝐶ℎ 𝑉𝑎𝑙𝑘𝑦𝑟𝑖𝑒 𝐴𝑙𝑤𝑎𝑦𝑠 𝐷𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑔, 𝑎𝑘𝑎 𝐶ℎ𝑒𝑤𝑖𝑒, has also qualified for SA Indie Cat 2025, the national event hosted by the Independent Cat Clubs of South Africa, and we will be there!

Our handsome stud has had a phenomenal year on the show circuit, and we are so proud that he has earned his place among 𝘚𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩 𝘈𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢’𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘴.

It’s such an honour to see him recognised for his achievements, and we can't wait to stand alongside so many other passionate exhibitors and beautiful cats at this year’s event.

💙 We’re looking forward to a fantastic day filled with beautiful felines, wonderful friendships, and shared memories. Let’s go, Chewie! 🐾✨

06/07/2025

As the time gets closer, the excitement is reaching new heights! 🎉😻 Keep an eye on our announcements for more details about the highly anticipated SA Indie Cat 2025! 🐾✨

📍 Venue Alert:
United Church, 28 Bright Street, Somerset West 🐱🎪

📅 9 August 2025
🕘 Open to the public from 9am to 1pm — don’t miss the feline fun! 🐾🎉💫

04/07/2025

This past Saturday, we took our glorious Maine C***s to an Independent show with a total of 131 show entries, to compete against 15 other Maine C***s and 111 other cat breeds — and what a day it was. The hall was full of magic, whiskers, and wonder ✨🐾

One of the true stars was our beloved 𝘝𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘺𝘳𝘪𝘦 𝘈𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘋𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨. Already a Master, SA Honourable, Kitten Champion and SA Triple Supreme Champion, he showed his class once again with 3x Excellent 1, 3x HP, and a fantastic 2nd place in the Adult Double Master Ring. He never fails to impress — steady, soulful, and so special.

𝘝𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘺𝘳𝘪𝘦 𝘒𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘉𝘺 𝘍𝘪𝘳𝘦, a true flame in feline form, also brought home 3x Excellent 1 and 3x HP. Already an SA Honourable and Triple Supreme Champion, she carries herself with the grace of a queen — fiery, feminine, unforgettable.

Then came our rising star, 𝘔𝘢𝘬𝘈𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘢 *𝘙𝘜 𝘈𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘉𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘰𝘮 𝘰𝘧 𝘝𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘺𝘳𝘪𝘦 (𝘐𝘮𝘱), co-owned by Nicole Rawlins and bred by Yuliya Makarova. At just 10 months old, she claimed 3x Excellent 1, 3x CAC, and became a Champion – also placing 7th in the Adult Ring among seasoned competitors. This girl has presence beyond her years 🍏

𝘝𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘺𝘳𝘪𝘦 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘩’𝘴 𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘮, owned by Herlien van Rooyen, swept the judges away with 3x Excellent 1 and 3x CAPJ, earning her title as Double Junior Premier. Her journey is just beginning, and the sky’s the limit. ☁️

And finally, the charming 𝘝𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘺𝘳𝘪𝘦 𝘈𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘭𝘶𝘤𝘬, our little talisman of joy, who earned 3x Excellent 1 and 3x CACJ, becoming a proud Double Junior Champion. A sprinkle of love, a dash of luck, and a whole lot of attitude ✨

Thank you to everyone who made the day so special — judges, stewards, friends and fellow breeders. These shows remind us not just of the wins, but of the journey — the passion, the partnership, the purpose.

📸 Photo credits: Guiddo Gray, AristoCub Cattery & Herlien van Rooyen – thank you for capturing our moments so beautifully.

02/07/2025

🚨 𝕀𝕞𝕡𝕠𝕣𝕥𝕒𝕟𝕥 𝕀𝕟𝕗𝕠 𝕗𝕠𝕣 𝕄𝕒𝕚𝕟𝕖 ℂ𝕠𝕠𝕟 𝔹𝕣𝕖𝕖𝕕𝕖𝕣𝕤 & 𝕃𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕤 🚨

At the FIFe Judges Seminar on 31 May 2025, Dr. Leslie Lyons, BS, MS, PhD (Professor of Comparative Medicine and Genetics at the University of Missouri), spoke on key genetic and health concerns in cat breeds — especially Dominant Blue Eyes, Waardenburg Syndrome, hip dysplasia, and DNA tests. This post is a simplified summary of Prof. Leslie Lyons’ lecture during the Seminar.

For full context, you can watch the original presentation here (long, but well worth it):
👉 https://www.youtube.com/live/s68zeJimVAM

📌 𝘕𝘰𝘵𝘦: 𝘚𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘺𝘦𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘷𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘚𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩 𝘈𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢. 𝘊𝘩𝘦𝘤𝘬 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘭𝘢𝘣 𝘰𝘳 𝘷𝘦𝘵 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵.

📚 𝑨𝒍𝒍 𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒕 𝒈𝒐𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝑷𝒓𝒐𝒇. 𝑳𝒚𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑭𝑰𝑭𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒕. 𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒔𝒖𝒎𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒚 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒃𝒓𝒆𝒆𝒅𝒆𝒓, 𝒐𝒘𝒏𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒉𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒂𝒔𝒕 𝒆𝒅𝒖𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔. 𝑨𝒏𝒚 𝒆𝒓𝒓𝒐𝒓𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍.

15/06/2025

𝗛𝗮𝗽𝗽𝘆 𝗙𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿’𝘀 𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗮𝗱𝘀 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲!

Yes, even the ones who swore, “We’re NOT getting another cat.” 😹
We see you. We salute you. We know your camera roll is 90% fluff.

📸 Note: This image was created using AI and is intended purely for creative purposes and to bring a smile.

**nDad