The summer of 2006 has been an exciting one for the the Siberian breed in CFA.

Within just a few weeks of one another, the first ever CFA Grand Premier and Grand Champion for the Siberian breed achieved their titles!

On July 29, 2006, GP Transsiberie’s Lunar Attack, a brown tabby neuter owned by Wendy Heidt and bred by Jay Collins, earned his final grand points at the No Pussy Footin’ Around show, in Everett, Washington.

At the time he granded, Lunar was 3 ½ years old and had been shown extensively in both the Miscellaneous and Provisional categories since he was a year old. He was shown an average of twice a month for those 2 1/2 years, contributing to the acceptance of his breed by CFA and somehow it seems only fitting that he become his breed’s first ever CFA grand.

Not to be outdone, on August 12, 2006, GC Siberkot Rocky Mountain, a brown tabby & white male also owned and bred by Jay Collins & Wendy Heidt, earned his final grand points at the Pacific Rim Cat Fanciers show, in Portland, Oregon to become the first Siberian grand Champion in CFA.

The Siberian, Russia's native forest cat, first appeared in recorded history around the year 1000 and hails from the unforgiving climate of Siberia. This is a cat that nature designed to survive, with no extremes in type.

The Siberian is a medium to medium large, strong triple coated cat with surprising heft for its size.

The overall appearance should be one of strength, presence, and alertness, with a sweet facial expression.

The Siberian, considered a semi longhair, has a rich full coat in the winter while the summer allows for a somewhat shorter less dense coat.

The breed is extremely slow to mature taking as long as 5 years.

Females are generally smaller than males and allowances should be considered when comparing females and young cats to the standard.

Size is secondary to type. The general impression is one of roundness and circles, rather than rectangles and triangles.

The Siberian was first imported to the United States in 1990. It was accepted into CFA’s Miscellaneous class on February 6, 2000. After the requisite 5 years in the Miscellaneous category, it was then advanced to Provisional status on February 6, 2005. At the February 2006 CFA board meeting, the Siberian was then advanced to Championship status by CFA, starting May 1, 2006, for the 2006-07 show season.