Tusenkatts got it's start through a cat show in New York City, a local historical society, Betty and Bud Cowles and the Garden State Cat Club of New Jersey's 50th anniversary show. Otto and I saw our first Birman at the Yew York City Passenger Ship Terminal and after oohing and aahing over the Maine Coons, Norwegian Forest Cats and Russian Blues, we decided if we were only going to have three pedigreed cats in our home, they had to be Birmans. Thanks to some mutual interests, we kept meeting Betty and Bud Cowles, Oxdowne Cattery who invited us to the Garden State Cat Club Show that July. Two days after the show, Betty called me at work to tell me she had found a lovely show quality blue point female and did I want to come see her. I left work immediately and came home an hour later with my first Birman, Chocolair Jazmine of Tusenkatts. Several months later, Betty called again and wanted to know if we would like to go to a show with them. She offered lessons in show bathing as well as how to show. We went with her and Bud to the show at the Javits Convention Center in NYC and the rest is history.

Within a year, we realized that we needed to get some new lines if we were going to avoid inbreeding. On a vacation to Sweden in 1989, we visited several breeders and saw our first chocolate point. At 10 weeks old, Trollehojds Kisse C of Tusenkatts flew home with us from Scandinavia! Within one day, she had Otto wrapped around her paw. Well, now we had a seal point female carrying chocolate but without a chocolate carrying boy, we would not be able to produce chocolates or lilacs. So….in July, I joined Betty Cowles for a week tour of English Catteries. We covered miles of English countryside; saw lots of breeders and both came home with new studs. GC Namrib Koko of Tusenkatts, a chocolate boy became our first stud and eventually the first chocolate point grand champion in CFA.

Since we started breeding in 1986, we have specialized in developing chocolate and lilac points. Koko, Jinbirlee Texas Tiara of Tusenkatts, Tusenkatts Xia Xiang, Tusenkatts Ode du Choklad, Tusenkatts Nougat Choklad, Tusenkatts Meringue Choklad, Tusenkatts Venus, Tusenkatts Quartz, Tusenkatts Pastille, Lauralas Trillium of Tusenkatts, etc.) Because of intensive inbreeding in England to reestablish these colors, we felt it was very important to outcross to a variety of lines and we have worked consistently to expand the gene pool for our Birmans.

On that fateful trip to England, we also saw our first lynx point and red spectrum Birmans. I fell in love with the lynxes and supported their development as well as the red spectrum cats. Finally on a trip to Australia 1999, Otto fell in love with a gorgeous red point neuter and wanted to know how we could get one like "HIMSELF". Well his niece, a seal tortie point female was available and she flew across the Pacific about a month later to start us into the red spectrum with Tashmira Torti Shantung of Tusenkatts. If you have never lived with a tortie point, you have no idea of what you are missing. We are really pleased with the kittens that our girl has produced and we are looking forward to welcoming her grandkids and others into our family and breeding program.

We would also like to thank all the breeders in the US and around the world who have trusted us with these wonderful Birmans and their lines. Special thanks to Lisa Guffasson, Sweden; Heather Horton, Cecelia Travers and Beatrix Kitts, England; Ulrike Muller, Germany; Sue Thompson, Cheryl Oliver and Olwynn Rogers, Australia who have been willing to work with me