Cagaran Niamh (Niamh)
Niamh is Gaelic for 'Beautiful', pronounced Neev, like the human name.
ASH b 31 / 72bv
Asian Self, Chocolate with Burmese Restriction
Inbreeding Co-efficient: 3.6% (10 generations)
D.O.B. 02/07/15
Burmese Hypokalaemia Normal by parental DNA Test (both parents Normal)
Niamh is from Tilly's second litter by Donny. There were six kittens in the litter, three of each gender, and Niamh was the one who chose us: right from the start she would cry until both Richard and I had given her a cuddle, whereas the others were happy with a cuddle from one of us, and once they were big enough to come out of the pen she took around 30 seconds to find her way onto our bed and has slept in it every night since.
We were actually hoping to keep a Tiffanie but this year all the kittens were shorthairs (last year the same mating gave us two of each), so that wasn't an option. As well as having chosen us, though, Niamh is also the best in the litter, with a lovely short, blunt muzzle, a strong nose break, beautiful breadth and rounding to the top of her head, excellent ear placement, fabulous eye shape and an adorably sweet temperament. Her coat is a little long, though the texture and colour are both lovely: if only she was a Tiff, she'd be near perfect!
The GCCF has a rule that there can't be two identical breeds, and since Asian selfs of Burmese restriction are identical to Burmese, they are classed as 'Variants' and cannot be shown in the pedigree section. We're hoping to get Niamh out soon, though, to take advantage of the new 'Exhibition with Critique' option that is now available at shows. This allows a cat to be put on exhibtion and judged against the standard for its breed, even if it can't be in the pedigree section for some reason.
Niamh must carry longhair from her mum and could carry dilute from Donny. Beyond that, there's not much she could carry, except perhaps a pattern, though it's most likely that she's a ticked tabby 'underneath' her self colouring.