Obravo Samson x Nevskoe Chudo Rackel of Obravo
Breeding Program
Cartier Siberians
Black Silver Mackerel Tabby
Her Story
In 2007, I traveled to Obravo Siberians to purchase my first Siberian companion, a beautiful Neva Masquerade female named Obravo Riah. At the time, I had no plans to become a cat breeder. I simply fell in love with the breed and thought it might be fun to raise a single litter one day.
Carolyn Draper was a small breeder who happened to have several kittens available, something almost unheard of when most Siberian catteries had waiting lists stretching years into the future. After teaching myself web design for our family’s monument business, I offered to build her a website and help manage inquiries. The response exceeded both of our expectations, and Carolyn thanked me in a way I never expected.
Rather than allowing me to breed Riah, Carolyn instead offered me something far more meaningful. She entrusted me with Obravo Alena of Cartier, Riah’s beautiful silver mother and one of her own breeding females, so I could have the one litter of kittens I had hoped for.
Alena had formed a special bond with my young son, Blaine, and Carolyn knew how much he loved her. Believing our family would enjoy raising a litter together, she entrusted Alena to us—a decision that ultimately changed the course of my life.
On March 2, 2008, Alena delivered my very first litter, marking the beginning of my breeding program.
At the time, I didn’t even have a cattery name. The entire litter was registered under Carolyn’s cattery, with my first retained breeding female registered as Obravo Liliya of Cartier. It wasn’t until later that year, after deciding to continue breeding, that I registered Cartier Siberians with TICA.
Looking back, it’s hard to imagine that one unexpected opportunity would become nearly two decades of breeding. Alena wasn’t simply my first breeding female—she became the foundation upon which Cartier Siberians was built. She was a beautiful girl with many qualities I loved, but she also taught me one of the most important lessons in breeding: no cat is perfect. Every generation became an opportunity to preserve the qualities I valued while improving upon those I believed could be strengthened.
During the early years of Siberian breeding in North America, breeder Tom Lundberg began collecting Fel d1 saliva samples from breeding cats in an effort to better understand allergen production within the breed. Many of the relatively small number of American Siberian breeders at the time voluntarily participated by submitting samples from their breeding cats.
Alena tested at just 7.7 mcg, making her one of the lowest silver Siberians tested during that early project. Although the complete research results were never publicly released, her results remain an interesting part of Cartier Siberians’ history.
Alena’s first litter at Cartier Siberians, March 3, 2008. This photograph marks the beginning of my breeding program. Nearly two decades later, every generation I have bred still traces back to the foundation established by this remarkable silver female.
Alena was as devoted to her family as she was to her kittens. I will never forget one afternoon when one of my breeding males became agitated as I reached for a female. Before I could react, Alena stepped between us and forcefully confronted him, giving me the chance to leave the room safely. Once I was safely out of the room, she calmly followed me, as though making sure I was all right. It remains one of the most remarkable displays of loyalty and protectiveness I have ever witnessed in a cat.
Her Legacy
Every breeding program begins with a single cat whose influence shapes everything that follows. For Cartier Siberians, that cat was Alena.
Her pedigree combined respected Obravo bloodlines with generations of Black Cattery ancestry, known for producing healthy, well-structured traditional Siberians. Beyond her pedigree, Alena consistently produced kittens with substantial bone, expressive heads, strong coats, and affectionate temperaments.
More importantly, she established the direction of my breeding program. Nearly twenty years later, many of the qualities I continue to value can be traced directly back to this remarkable silver female.
Looking Forward
Although Alena’s breeding career ended many years ago, her influence continues through the Cartier descendants still breeding today. Every breeding decision involving this family is measured against the standard she established.
Every breeding decision I make today is measured against the standard she helped establish. While new bloodlines are occasionally introduced to strengthen the future, preserving the balance, health, temperament, and traditional type that began with Alena remains my highest priority.
Her Bloodline
Sire
Obravo Samson
Dam
Nevskoe Chudo Rackel of Obravo
Legacy Carried Forward By
Cartier Scarlet Kiss →
Cartier Luna Jade →
Cartier Emerald Raine →
Cartier Aurora Rose →
Cartier Arman Koral →
Descendants
Continue Exploring
Explore the foundation cats, breeding cats, and cattery journal that document the history and continuing evolution of my Siberian breeding program.
← Foundation Cats
Discover the cats whose bloodlines established the breeding program.
Breeding Cats →
Meet the cats carrying these bloodlines into the next generation.
Cattery Journal →
Read breeding updates, health articles, and the ongoing story of Dainah Rico Siberians.