About Macadamia
My Maine Coon cattery has been around since 2017. I currently live in Voorburg, near The Hague, The Netherlands. I grew up with cats and my love for these animals was born from an early age. Unfortunately I have not been able to keep cats before because of my previous cat allergy. Fortunately I was able to get rid of that so that my life is now joyful with my furry friends.
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The Maine Coon is my favorite breed. They have a tough and impressive appearance, but they are the sweetest treasures you can imagine. Sociable, very gentle and terribly funny! They are also very nice to each other, which I have not experienced with domestic cats before.
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After a thorough preparation it became clear to me what kind of breeder I wanted to be and which I don't want to be. Everything I do I try to do consciously, with an underlying goal and based on my principles and ideals. I try to breed as responsibly as possible, but besides my mind also with all my heart because the cats are part of my family. The cats are my pets first and their well-being always comes first. Every day I enjoy my Coons.
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Read more about our philosophy or about Maine Coon health .
Acquire knowledge
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I invest a lot of time in acquiring as much knowledge as possible about the Maine Coon breed, pedigrees and health. In addition to attending webinars, knowledge sessions and reading scientific studies, I have also followed a number of courses. Especially the Pawpeds courses are indispensable for every breeder and they have been of great help to me.
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Followed courses:
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- Pawped's G1 (2017)
- Pawped's G2 (2018)
- Pawped's G3 (2020)
- Professional competence of breeding dogs and cats, Citaverde (2020)
- Bottlefeed kittens, EduPet (2021)
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Pass on knowledge
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In addition to acquiring knowledge, I think it is just as important to pass on knowledge. When I have the time and motivation, I do research and make analysis in the field of health. I describe my findings in my articles that you can find on this website.
I also like to help breeders on their way to start their cattery. Breeding is not an easy hobby, it is a profession in which you never stop learning. Together with a few other breeders we guide a group of beginners to start up their cattery, by sharing our knowledge and experience. I also occasionally give webinars for this target group.
In addition to passing on knowledge to breeders, I also try to make many enthusiasts aware of what is important when purchasing a Maine Coon. With this intention I've made a website which helps enthusiasts in their search. It has an associated facebook group as well.
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Volunteer work
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My love for the breed goes far beyond breeding a few litters a year. I spend a lot of my free time volunteering for PawPeds. Since 2019 I have been registering HCM ultrasound results in the PawPeds health database. Since 2021 I have been the lead coordinator of all PawPeds health programs together with Åsa Ohlsson.
This means that I perform the following tasks:
- coordinating the registration of the results of all health programs
- onboarding new volunteers for PawPeds
- setting up new health programs (for various breeds)
- solving complex cases of HCM results
- managing the mailbox hcm@pawpeds.com and the PawPeds FAQ group
- assisting in the registration of HCM echo results and/or HCM1 DNA results.
I also coordinate the translation of the PawPeds courses into Dutch.
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Enough about myself! To learn more about my cats and kittens, carry on and click to the relevant pages.
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Have fun on this website!
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Debbie
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