Health Issues:

We do our very best to produce personable and healthy Maine Coons.  All adult cats in our home have tested negative for feline leukemia and feline immunodeficiency virus (FeLV/FIV).  Our breeding cats have had their hearts sonogramed and their hips radiographed to check for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and hip dysplasia at appropriate ages.  Our kittens come with a health guarantee which ensures our kitten buyers that the kitten is guaranteed to be FeLV and FIV negative and free from viral and bacterial disease, fungus infections, and parasites.  While we do not test each kitten for FeLV/FIV, we do vaccinate them for leukemia. Our kittens also are vaccinated against respiratory illnesses (FVRCP), and all are examined by a licensed veterinarian before they go into new homes.

Due to the new recommended Feline Vaccination Protocol from the American Association of Feline Practitioners and the Academy of Feline Medicine, Purrbodys now follows and recommends the following vaccine guidelines:

• FVRCP ("feline distemper" or respiratory combination vaccine) - given at 8-9 weeks of age and 12 weeks of age while in Breeder's home.  Booster interval is one year later, then every three years.
• FeLV (feline leukemia) - given at 9 weeks of age and 12 weeks of age while in Breeder's home.   Booster interval is one year later, then every three years.
• Rabies vaccine - given by new owner's veterinarian at 16 weeks of age.  Booster interval is one year later, then every three years.
• We do not give our cats vaccinations for FIP or Bordetella.
• Booster Intervals:  After the initial kitten vaccinations mentioned above, the new guidelines recommend that boosters be given "one year later, then every three years."  (This is the same protocol as is law in most states for the rabies vaccine.  Some states, however, do require rabies vaccination annually.)
• Note that this vaccine protocol for cats does not recommend annual vaccinations for cats after the initial yearly booster.  However, it is recommended that cats in a high-risk-of-exposure situation should have vaccines boosted more often.  References to this information may be found at: http://www.winnfelinehealth.org/health/vaccination-guidelines.html .

Purrbodys participates in early spay/neuter programs.  All pet kittens are altered before delivery, so the new owner does not have to undertake the risks and expenses of surgery; and the kittens do not have to undergo the trauma of surgery soon after they go to a new home.  We believe that by doing this, we are doing our part to help eliminate the cat overpopulation problem and we are ensuring that our Maine Coon breed is protected from unethical and backyard breeders.  For further information and some studies on this issue, see the CFA web site.  (Winn Foundation:  http://www.winnfelinehealth.org/reports/early-neuter.html.  CFA Health Committee:   http://www.cfainc.org/health/early-spay-neuter.html)

Two important clauses in our contract restrict new owners from declawing their kittens and from allowing their kittens to roam free outdoors.  We believe that declawing is not an option except in very extreme cases because, not only does it encourage a cat to bite, the amputation of the cat's digits redistributes his weight and can cause future health problems.  (See CFA site for information on this procedure:  http://www.cfainc.org/health/declawing.html.)  Cats can be taught to use scratching posts and not the furniture!  The benefits of keeping a cat indoors all its life has some fairly obvious benefits:  no exposure to diseases, cars, or other animals, and an indoor cat won't get lost! 

Purrbodys History:

We started Purrbodys Maine Coons with our first silver Maine Coon purchased from Sandy Stirling of "Cooneyisle" cattery. We feel that we could not have had a better mentor and friend--Sandy has always been there for us. We
named our cattery after 'TGC Cooneyisle Mister Purrbody' (affectionately known as 'Sydney').

Our first few breeder cats were obtained from all over the country.  It was not until we obtained CH Emlu Marree of Purrbodys and CH Kavekats Jennyanydots of Purrbodys that we were able to start working on our 'Type'.  Jenny is out of the very old Nantiss and Topa lines.  Very much a lady, "Queen" Marree is a true southern belle from the home of Mary Lou Strine in Georgia. The addition of CH Cooneyisle Snow Tripper of Purrbodys and CH Islandcats Tuscarora of Purrbodys has locked in the Maine Coon 'type' that has been so successful for our cattery.

We had several new additions in 1999:  Tara, a silver tabby with white female has come to live with us from the home of Stephanie Boulter of Coonoquan cattery.  Kady, a black smoke female, is from the home of Grada Balfour of Katsamust cattery.  We obtained Tashi from Tribetta cattery in North Carolina.  In 2000 we obtained another girl from Tribetta cattery, Arcana Autumn Rainbow.  All of these girls have already finished their show careers and will hopefully be producing babies for us very soon.

 The year 2000 brought more new blood into our cattery.  We obtained two new Maine Coons from Pat Taylor of Makanacoon cattery--Makanacoon Charlotte of Purrbodys ("Charlie") and Makanacoon Karina of Purrbodys ("Kiwi").

The year 2001 was also busy for us with the addition of Kat La Pat-Da BlueOpal of Purrbodys, a Maine Coon, from Patricia Clary and Janvier's Risa of Purrbodys, a Chartreux female, from Mary Ann Sweeters.  A noteworthy addition to our cattery is Hunkpapa's Colebrook of Purrbodys ("Simon"), a cameo tabby male from Kirsten Rieger of Hunkpapa Cattery  in Oldenburg, Germany.  We kept a son of Koora and Taz named Purrbodys Shark Bay ("Mako").  These two boys will be the studs of Purrbodys cattery after Taz is retired.  We also kept a daughter of Koora and Simon, Purrbodys Kookaburra ("Kookie"), a tortoiseshell who truly lives up to cat judge Virginia Wolfe's description of a tortie:  "Just like a Snickers bar...sweet on the outside and a little bit nutty on the inside."

In 2002, we had some major changes in our cattery.  Many of our older cats retired...Taz, Koora, Kady, Autumn.  We kept several babies from these cats:  Abbie (Koora/Taz), Sunny (Tashi/Simon), Misty (Kady/Taz), and Clare (Koora/Simon).   Our friend and mentor, Sandy Stirling, decided to retire in 2002; and so we took over her foundation line work.  Added to our cattery are two foundation-line cats:  Cooneyisle Bendigo of Purrbodys ("Ben")--male brown tabby with white--and Cooneyisle Memories of Purrbodys ("Memory")--a female brown patch tabby with white.  Taz gave us a total of 132 kittens in his years with us!  We have also added a fourth male to our cattery this year--CH Pawhaven Thief-Of-Hearts.  "Rogue" is a Purrbodys grandson--his sire is GC Purrbodys Maroochydore of Pawhaven ("Roo" is a Taz/Koora son).  Both Kookie and Rogue became CFA Grand Champions this year!!

2003 was a busy year for us.  We retired Simon, Tara, Tashi, Kiwi, Bonnie, and Memory; and we lost Sunny to lymphatic cancer.  We added two new girls, Adelaide and Johanna.  It was confirmed that Troy, Karen, and their sons are going to the United Kingdom for two years; and so we are reducing the numbers of our breeding cats.  Karen will have in England in April 2004: Kookie, Abbie, Gator, and Sydney.  Ann has in NC:  Mako, Ben, Peaches, Misty, Addie, and Joey.  

Here we are in July 2004, and we are still busy!  Troy and Karen are in United Kingdom and have with them Sydney, Kookie, Abbie and two litters of kittens!  We made it through the PETS Certification process and did not have our cats stay in quarantine.  Ann was wonderful in getting three cats to UK while Karen anxiously awaited their arrival while suffering a catless existence for three months.  Gator will be flying to UK in September.  Ann is in North Carolina and has:  Ben, Mako, Kendal, Peaches, Misty, Joey, Adelaide, Daisy, Xena, Kimba, Devon, Raindrops, and Chicky.  Rogue and Tashi have been retired.  We're working closely with Pat Taylor of Makanacoon Cattery this year, and we thank Pat for some beautiful cats.  We also are getting two new kittens from Becky Carrion of Britacoon Cattery and thank her for such large and typey kittens.  

In 2006 we ended Purrbodys due to human health reasons (Karen has MS and is now in a wheelchair and can barely write or type.)