Gitalaya : In South Africa - A "Retrospective" Cattery Tour!


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	Gitalaya Cattery was established in the early 80s after sharing our suburban home with a brown Burmese, "Randy of Phitsamai", better known as Mischief - a name she truly lived up to! Mischief was bred only once in the mid 70s.
	Then we trekked to the farm and established K9 Kennels & Cattery (a boarding kennel and cattery) in the tranquil, rural setting of Muldersdrif where the enchantment with Burmese became the reality of breeding these magical cats.
	In 1986, two Burmese studs were imported from Britain after lengthy negotiations with their breeders. They were Ch. Gitalaya Timaling Viking Warrior D.M. - "Herbie" (a lilac - at left) now resides n Durban at Allie's Cats Cattery in the care of Alison Renwick.
	Gd. Ch. Gitalaya Starshadow Gorgeous Gus D.M. (cream). Gus was already an English Champion - when he came to South Africa - he with Ch. Isaldor Sinamone Soo D.M. (chocolate/champagne) were to be the winning combination of foundation cats for Gitalaya Cattery.. The love affair between our acclaimed "Patriarch" and our "Matriarch" of the Gitalaya breeding programme, Gus (left) and Soo (right) began a mere 24 hours after his arrival. Although we had planned getting Gus thoroughly settled, he had other ideas for Soo was in the adjoining run and she was in full call! and before Gus departed the green shores of England, had bred a girl for his breeder Michele Codd, so he already had the "taste of honey".

	Gus [left] Soo [right]
	Note: Gus unfortunately went to Rainbow Bridge in January 1998. He had "served" the Burmese breed well during his career as a stud. Soo travelled to New Jersey and sadly travelled to Rainbow Bridge in 2000 to be reunited [no doubt] with Gus ..

	Gus bred Soo and nine weeks later we had a beautiful litter of four: a blue, a chocolate, a lilac and a lilac tortie named Misty Opal.
	Misty Opal (pictured here at 8 weeks old) who was to become the first Lilac Tortie Burmese Champion and later gained her Distinguished Merit title. Misty was the dam of Gunga Din
	After a liaison arranged with Larkspurr Vintage Bhumibol (Imp UK) a chocolate (champagne) Burmese who resided in Port Elizabeth. Misty delivered a single chocolate kitten who was to become one of the most famous Burmese studs in Southern Africa, Sp. Ch. Gitalaya Gunga Din D.M.,
		(left, being cuddled by his mum - Gail - formerly Francois) he was the first Burmese stud to attain the prestigious title of Supreme Champion, a mere three weeks before another of our studs, an imported Red from England, Gitalaya Adversane Ambassador D.M