BEHIND THE SCENE
About us
I am Ingeborg and I live in the
Netherlands. Since 2003 I am breeding under the prefix of Druid's Lodge.
My cats are
registered with the NVvK, a Dutch independent registry. Beside my cats I have
many other hobbies,
of which some are intertwined with the cats.
I am a keen reader of science fiction and
fantasy stories, but they are by far not the only things I read.
Anything on
genetics and breeding are also very welcome topics. And the unavoidable
literature about cats
off course.
Linechasing (the research of old
pedigrees), is a hobby I started when I was a teenager. At first only about
Dutch Warmblood horses, but later also Thoroughbred horses and purebred
Arabians (Straight Russian and
Pure Polish only, for the insiders). Since three
years I do also research to the pedigrees of Oriental cats,
since I have found
that linechasing can provide a lot of information about the breed your
researching.
Another interest I have is the King Arthur
saga. Whether Arthur was real or not, a story that can keep so
many people
enchanted is more then worth the attention given to it.
Why the name Druid's Lodge?
As mentioned above, linechasing
Thoroughbreds and the King Arthur saga are hobbies of my. The original
Druid's
Lodge was a coaching inn near the Salisbury Plain in the United Kingdom at the
end of the 19th century.
Then it was rebuild in a training yard for
Thoroughbreds ran by the Druid's Lodge Confederacy. Today it still
exists and is
in use as a polo club (if not so, please let me know).
The name Druid's Lodge is a reference to
the famous Merlin. Who is supposed to have build Stonehenge,
the Duid's Lodge
neighbour on the Salisbury Plain.
So the name combines two of my greatest
interests. Pretty uncommon, but I like it for that matter. As a
result all
kittens born in the cattery will be named after (a more or less famous)
Thoroughbred or have a name
linked with King Arthur in some way.
Our breeding partners
With three friends we have a friendship bond
named SiamOri. We all breed Oriental cats in both long- and
shorthair. Although
everyone makes his own decisions, we do usually consult each other to make sure
that we
have considered all important aspects. And when needed we help each
other in every way possible. Not only the
good things are shared and felt, but
also the bad things, which makes this group really irreplaceable for me.
The
other members are Marjan and Paul Kort (Cattery
Release), Shirley van Oers (Cattery
Kirazamber),
and Kris Flossie (Cattery
Markies de Carabbas).
In the past time several other people (some
breeders) have crossed the path of this friendship bond, and
have become dear
friends. You can find their links on the link page.
The breeding program
Behind the scene cattery Druid's
Lodge is a small cattery where health and character are the most
important goals
in our breeding program. Keeping the type is a close third, and will certainly not be
forgotten.
But when making a breeding decision it is not the first requirement
we seek for.
Because we are small, and we only keep a
few queens and even less studs, we don't breed much. Each litter
is the
result of a carefully planned combination, with the intention that at least one
kitten will go on to contribute
to the breed if possible.
Because of these goals we try to keep track
about the development of cat-related diseases. And to make sure
that we make the
best decision possible, we spend a lot of time studying pedigrees of other cats.
Looking at
combinations done by other breeders, can help us a lot. Breeding
always means taking risks, but by studying
the bloodlines we try to minimize
the risk where possible.
