Posted by Michelle Merkel on Thursday, July 9, 2015,
2012... ::sigh::
I miss getting to write here! I have had a crazy couple of years, personally - and am glad to finally be seeing things calm down and even out. Still very busy, but not insane. I hope to be writing a lot more, as well as adding some new features to my website. Stay tuned : )
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Posted by Michelle Merkel on Friday, June 29, 2012,
Hi All :)
I can't believe how long it has been since I last made a blog post. It is something I am always trying to get around to doing, and never quite make it :) I've been super swamped again--kittens, kitties, work, home, family... you name it. The spring's kittens are all amazing individuals! Luna's babies are a bunch of characters--all very nice quality, all super loving and attention hungry, all strong personalities. They get SO excited to see me, EVERY time I am within eye shot :... Continue reading ...
Posted by Michelle Merkel on Monday, May 7, 2012,
Hello All =^..^=
Just a quick note to let you know that Luna and Rockstar's babies arrived safely--mom and babies are all doing well. They had 4 kittens--2 blue and white (can already see classic tabby racing stripes on the big boy!), and 2 cream and white. I have posted inital information on my "kittens" page on my website, but they will have their own page soon.
I can already see purrsonalities emerging, tiny kittens tho they may be :) Everybody purrs, we have a boss already, a worrier, a...
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Posted by Michelle Merkel on Monday, April 23, 2012,
Keeping your kitty vaccinated is really important. Even kitties who don't go outside or have visitors should still be vaccinated to protect them against many diseases. The problem is, cats have a weird response to shots. The most worrying is that some cats will develop a fast growing cancer at the shot site. So it is important to keep kitty up to date on vaccinations, with as few actual injections as possible.
Popular belief up until recently was that you needed to run a series of 3 vaccin...
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Posted by Michelle Merkel on Tuesday, April 17, 2012,
Yuck, right?
Feline acne is a common concern for cat owners. It often shows up, just like human teenagers, when kitties are making a fast push to adulthood. For some kitties, it is very temporary. For others, it will be an issue on and off for most of their lives. Fortunately, it is pretty easy to control in most cats, and is not usually serious--although it does require treatment! (Or it can get very serious!)
Chin acne is usually caused by oils in the food and bacteria. It is not gener...
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Posted by Michelle Merkel on Thursday, March 29, 2012,
"Nesting" is not uncommon for women who are expecting--an urge to get everything ready for the new baby--cleaning, organizing, and making a nice environment. I find myself doing this behavior, too... for my kittens coming. Three litters of kittens this spring--two litters of Exotic kittens, and one litter of pure Persian kittens. I am so excited! Last year I gutted a bedroom, painted and decorated it. I chose a soft aqua and cream for the walls, with bright white trim. Soft lighting. A ...
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Posted by Michelle Merkel on Friday, March 16, 2012,
Happy little story...
I took in two exotics that had been neglected and abandoned. They were incredibly skinny, incredibly dirty, and incredibly shy. One had a big open gash on her shoulder/leg--to the degree you could see the muscle underneath. A real mess--I was worried maybe I wouldn't be able to find them homes, and I couldn't keep them long term--but I couldn't say no, either, because they were going to have to go to animal control if I didn't step in--and given their condition, they w...
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Posted by Michelle Merkel on Friday, March 9, 2012,
Bringing your new kitten home is a very exciting time, but it can quickly turn sad if you do not take the proper precautions and ready your surroundings. I always recommend that kittens be confined to one or two rooms to start, and then have their territory expanded slowly, with supervision. Even a small apartment is a big place for a little kitten, and it is amazing how many potential dangers lurk around every corner. To help keep your kitten safe, and to help minimize your stress, I have...
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Posted by Michelle Merkel on Saturday, March 3, 2012,
Spring is here in the desert--lots of flowers - blooming, lots of bunnies - hopping, lots of hair - shedding :) The girls are starting to cycle, so soon kittens will be on the way. I am really looking forward to this spring's litters--I have 3 planned--2 Exotic litters and one pure Persian. I know I am excited, but apparently others are, too, as I have already taken a few deposits for kittens in the upcoming litters. It is so rewarding to hear that others love my kitties, too. For me, I ... Continue reading ...
Posted by Michelle Merkel on Wednesday, February 15, 2012,
Wow, I’ve had a busy few weeks! Holidays were a busy time for me, and then January just shot by in a blur!
The kitties have been busy growing like crazy. The two litters this fall have been a lot of fun, and I am having one heckuva time trying to figure out who to let go of!
I did let Gus—now Bo—go to a new family, which was hard :) He is a beautiful boy, and I think he had a lot of potential for show and maybe breeding. But sometimes the right people just come along, and—for me—my ...
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Posted by Michelle Merkel on Thursday, December 22, 2011,
Hey, I can see I have a couple people checking in to my blog regularly--Hi! And I apologize for not keeping up a little better :) I DID post some updates to each kitties page in a timely manner, just slow on getting a blog post out.
Had a fantastic show here in Phoenix Dec 10-11th! I took too many kitties (6), and didn't get to spend as much time enjoying the show--but it was GREAT!
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First, my Persian boy Rockstar (above) is now a Grand Champion! It was perfect-- judge Betty White gave him...
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Posted by Michelle Merkel on Saturday, December 3, 2011,
I am STILL trying to get some pictures of my younger exotic shorthair kittens from Luna. We were planning on taking some this weekend, but the weather is very gray, and predicted to stay so. Sooo... that will make it more challenging. Next weekend is a big show, tho, so I REALLY need to get some nice pictures to take with me--both to show off Rockstar's ability, and also because there may well be buyers there. I think at least a couple of those babies may be for sale.
I DID manage to get so...
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Posted by Michelle Merkel on Friday, November 25, 2011,
te Litter Advice! Exotic shorthair kitties are pretty straight
forward to take care of. Persians and
Exotic longhairs take a bit more thinking--their very hairy feet and sometimes
long, long coats cat require a little accommodation. Also, there are lots of products on the
market these days, and it gets expensive trying everything. Having a house full of cats, I do some
experimenting with, especially with products I am hearing a lot of great things
about.
v I use and strongly
recommen...
Posted by Michelle Merkel on Saturday, November 12, 2011,
Luna, my bluecream Exotic, had a litter of three last month. Two boys, 1 girl. The boys are both shorthairs--one cream tabby with white, and one blue tabby who has high white. The little girl is a cream and white longhair.
The blue tabby and white shorthair--Gus, although Stephen keeps calling him Elvis--has gorgeous markings, and beautiful eyes. The cream tabby and white shorthair guy--Scooter--is uber compact, and very, very outgoing. He has the shortest tail I've seen, in fact a short ...
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Posted by Michelle Merkel on Saturday, October 29, 2011,
I will be making a more inclusive list of things I
really like, and why--and posting them to my "new owners" page,
coming soon!
Today, though, I
just wanted to recommend some clean-up products after my last entry.
For cleaning up stains in carpet and upholstery, I
cannot say enough about Bissell Eww! It is an enzyme based cleaner, so it
actually eats what is causing the stain, and nothing else. This means you can use it on most surfaces
without damaging them, and the WHOLE stain goes awa...
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Posted by Michelle Merkel on Tuesday, October 25, 2011,
Sometimes I find myself worrying about kitties--the ones that end up in the pound, put to sleep, or thrown out of homes because of behavioral problems. Yesterday (and today) was one of those times.
For... well... as long as I can remember, I've been involved one way or another with rescue cats. And dogs. Be it the kitty someone dumped on the block and I brought home, or spending time in the Humane Society or animal control, or being a foster or organizer for a breed or general animal rescue... Continue reading ...
Posted by Michelle Merkel on Saturday, October 22, 2011,
I had someone ask me the other day, "what is the difference between an Exotic and an Exotic Shorthair ?"
Exotics are a relatively new cat breed. The goal was to create shorthaired Persians--inspired, at least in part, by cats that came out of some American Shorthair breeders attempts to use Silver Persians to enhance their AS's coloring. To achieve this goal Persians were crossed with shorthaired breeds having a similar type (cobby, compact bodies and round heads)--Burmese, British and Ame... Continue reading ...
Posted by Michelle Merkel on Tuesday, October 18, 2011,
Persian and Exotic cats look best with a nice layer of fat over some good muscle tone. My cats tend to do the muscle tone just fine. It's the extra fat I never seem to be able to pack on them. Don't get me wrong--you don't want them to be obese or FAT, per se, but very round--it just goes with the look. Everything on them is supposed to be rounded. Persian and Exotic kittens, in particular, look especially appealing a little plump. My kitties are by no means thin, but I always feel like...
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Posted by Michelle Merkel on Monday, October 17, 2011,
We survived :) He was a tired boy--I got him up at 3:30am for his bath, and I think he had gone to sleep late, too. He was pretty good for it tho. I rushed it just a bit, and it showed--his coat was ever so slightly off in texture, and I didn't leave products on his feet and chest quite long enough to remove the bit of yellowing he gets from his food.
That said, I had 3 judges tell the audience about what a great job someone had done with him and his presentation while they were handling th... Continue reading ...
Posted by Michelle Merkel on Saturday, October 15, 2011,
Rockstar is looking nice. He is really enjoying all the attention I've been giving him :) He loves grooming and one on one time.
I wish I was a better Persian groomer. I have come a long way, but there are still things I really need to learn. No matter what I do, I still kind of feel like he is unfinished. It's his face. He is in kind of an in-between stage--his coat is much bigger than it was, but it still isn't enough to support a whole lot of face and head sculpting. So while I have ... Continue reading ...
Posted by Michelle Merkel on Saturday, October 15, 2011,
(written Tuesday, Oct 11)
I've decided I am going go ahead and enter
Rockstar , my Persian male, in the Superstition cat show this Saturday. I had been looking forward to it since last spring when I first started showing him in his short coat. Some background information--I originally took Rockstar on as a project kitty--he was a nearly 4 year old male who'd been living in a cattery environment, and one that had never been shown. He'd been clipped not too long before I met him, and had lots...
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Proud Proprietor of Mewz Precious Persians and Exotics Cattery.
Originally from Montana, have lived all over the west and midwest, but finally found "home" in the valley of the sun.
My degree is in Anthropology, with minors in Japanese and History. I am working on getting a dual Masters in Social Work and Public Admin. All of that is a long way from where I started--which was Pre-Vet. :)
Besides grooming, breeding and showing my Persian and Exotic cats, I enjoy photography, writing, DIY projects, and computer gaming.
