Lysiane Chavallard is the chairwoman of the French Feline federation and a Persian breeder. She’s been devoted passionately to her breed for 40 years now. And she’s especially fond of white Persians!
It all started when Lysiane Chavallard saw a cat on the cover of a magazine. “It was 40 years ago, and at that time, you couldn’t find Persians on the Côte d’Azur. I saw one on the cover of the magazine called la Vie des Bêtes (Animals Life), and I immediately fell in love with that cat. I wrote to the magazine to get the address of the owner. The cat came from a small family cattery in the suburb of Paris; it was a very small cattery indeed, as they just had a couple of Persians. I didn’t hesitate a bit. “On the day of my husband’s birthday, the 22nd of July, we drove to Paris to buy a kitten from the cat on the cover. “Silence de la nuit” live 17 years. He didn’t quite meet the criteria, but of course I thought he was the most beautiful cat in the world. I quickly felt he needed company. I heard of a lady who was breeding cream Persians, like him. I went and bought a female in Germany, a cream coloured.
Lysiane’s love for Persians then turned into real love. She took her cat to cat shows all over France. “Silence de la Nuit made his first show at 3, and he won. Then I was in for the shows for ever. I saw a white Persian at a show, and I became addicted to that colour. My first white Persian was imported from Canada, from a breeder I was writing to often. She was called “Clair de Lune”. I also found white Persians in Italy. White is something precious. There’s something magical about a white cat with blue eyes.” However, she quickly found out that her favourite felines were not welcome in cat shows. “Deaf cats are not allowed in cat shows, and blue-eyed white cats often carry the deafness gene. So now I’m more interested in copper-eyed white Persians.” After the victory of her first Persian, she became addicted to cat shows. “I wanted to become an International judge for the Federation Féline Internationale 25 years ago. 5 years later, I opened a branch on the south coast of France. And now I’m the chairwoman for the region Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur / Corsica.
Even though her job as a judge takes her a lot of time, Lysiane still dedicates most of her time to her cattery. “When my first kittens were born, it was one of the most beautiful days in my life. I have a small cattery, with only six cats : a male, a 15 years old female, named Tam Tam and which is my favourite, and four other queens, among which one that belongs to my son. He gives her to me every time she’s pregnant, because he wouldn’t know how to deal with it, even if he really loves his cat.”
Her queens have only one litter per year, so as not to tire them too much. “They’re happy when they have their babies. They’re extraordinary mothers who pay a lot of attention and give a lot of time to their kittens. They really seem to be happy when they’re pregnant.” Lysiane makes aall she can to help her queens during and after their pregnancy. When they have more than four kittens in their litter, I feed some of the kittens myself. Fr forty years now, Lysiane never owned any other cat breed. And if she likes long haired cats so much, it’s not only because of the beauty of their coat, but also for their unique character. “ I love Persians for their beauty, for their coat, of course. But unlike what you can hear sometimes, it’s a thoughtful cat. They have subtle and deep eyes. I love their quietness, it cools me.” Lysianne is under the charm of the Persian’s calmness and patience. She admits they’re really cool cats. “Two of my queens just had a litter, and they share the same basket to cuddle one another. They’re made of love, tenderness and softness. Persians are docile cats. And that’s quite fortunate, because you spend a lot of time grooming, combing them, etc.”
Did Lysianne find the real gem? “As time goes by, one becomes more difficult to please. Before buying a cat, I always look for what’s the more beautiful. I’m still looking, by the way. Nothing is never perfect, perfection is not from this world.”
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