TestimonialsDonald Berg, San Antonio, TX
Thank you very much Mark. From the beginning of our conversations via email until introducing a beautiful new Bengal kitty to our family. I emailed about 6 catteries in Texas looking for a Bengal kitten. You were the only one who answered me back and no less than 24 hours.
When he got to his new home he explored a bit, but mostly he followed me around the house. When I took out the trash for a short bit, I could hear him MEOWwwww all the way the parking lot! He's a loud boy indeed. When I came back he was content and quickly nestled to my chest as I watched TV with him. The socialization is amazing! He wanted to be with someone to feel comfortable, even in his new surroundings. He loves people. That is something I have noticed you don't see in most of the breeders, animal shelters and pet store pets. Most of cats there are scared to come to people and be handled. It is very apparent what socialization means and how it makes a huge difference in buying a cat that is loved and handled from birth. Lightning will be a very friendly cat as he gets older.
Please feel free to contact me at Donald.Berg@gmail.com for anyone who want a first hand personal experience buying a kitty from Mark. I will be glad to vouch for the professionalism, passion, and dedication this man and his family has for the Bengal breed and his cattery.
Thanks a million Mark, I will always be in touch and I will recommend your cattery to anyone looking for Bengal cat,
Donald Berg
Mystre Bengals Reply: It was a pleasure to meet and get to know Don. It was apparent from the start how much he loved this boy. Lightening is one of the neatist kittens. He is very vocal and will make sure you are listening to him as he trys to tell you what he wants. He slept with me from the moment he left the birthing area and would play hard but always come back to sleep under my chin. I could sit and stare into his eyes for hours. He has great type, and his skin is darkly spotted. He has a great profile and he is more fun than you can imagine. I have been very blessed to have shared a small part of my life with this incredible creature, and I am also blessed to know that he has a wonderful home with Don and his wife, Lu.
Lightening is a testiment to the difference genetics makes in temperament. Socialization plays a big part in behavior, but the reason that kitten is so wonderful is the breeding. This match between kitten and his new forever home is what makes breeding a joy. We will sure miss Lightening but know he will be very happy in a great home. See a video of them playing (takes a while for it to download, please be patient its worth it) Kathy M. of Houston, Tx
Katherine Martinelli Mystre Bengals Reply: Zorro was the biggest boy of the litter. He was the first to do everything from the first steps the babies made out of their closet in our bedroom. He was the first to learn to climb a baby gate, the first to learn to jump, use the litter box, eat big kitty food and even the first to purr. He is an amazingly beautiful boy and one I should have kept as a show cat. However he has gone to a wonderful forever home and will be very happy there and that is always the bottom line for us, that the kittens have a great forever home. I loved to have Zorro here and he was always running to get in my lap and give me headbuts and would just fall all over me to get attention. What a blessing to have such a great stud as their daddy is with a temperament that is passed down to his kittens like this. I miss my babies so very much and always will. Update Hey Mark, Kathy
Leisa Mellberg - Colorado Mark, Thunder finally has a name, Dylan. He seems to like it since it is the only one he acknowledges. It was a pleasure to meet your and your family. It is good to know that he has and always will be in a loving environment. Thank you for allowing Dylan to be a part of my family. Mystre Bengals Reply: What a special and amazing boy he is. You are so lucky to have such a loving little guy. He loved to sit and cuddle with me for as long as I would let him stay, and being the softy I am, he stayed as long as he wanted and whatever I had to do could just wait. We named him Thunder while he was here because when he was born he was quickly noticed as being the most vocal at the time. We got to the point where we new each kittens particular sounds and meows. He was very distinctive to us and it always gave us something to smile about. His soft coloring and very expressive eyes can draw you right into his big heart. He had the biggest feet in the litter and I think he will end up huge like his daddy is (20+lbs) so break out the checkbook and buy that food because that little boy is a chow hound. Thank you Leisa for giving our little guy a loving and wonderful home. You took the time to drive all the way to Houston from Colorado just to pick him up and drive him home rather than let him fly alone. What a wonderful expression of your dedication to this sweet boy. Bless you for caring so much. Leisa Mellberg An Update: Dylan is doing great, although I cannot get him to believe I am not a tree. He is also convinced that he needs to have some beer. I have never seen any animal so determined to get beer. Leisa Mellberg Mystre Bengals Reply: I guess I failed to mention that Bengals are little thief's. If your missing things like watches are jewelry, find his hiding spot and you will find all that is missing. LOL He would steal my wife's watch every night and hide it when he was growing up here. He is such a lover. I am really jealous of you having him. I love his personality. I am so thrilled to have these babies with such wonderful folks. Makes this breeding thing really worthwhile to me. Thank you for giving him a great home. It is obvious he is loving every minute.
Audrey Kaiser of Wisconsin Mark, We just returned from an evening at my friend's home in Fontana, WI on Lake Geneva....and a great time was had by all! I took my pup and our little girl with; she needed a break from her bedroom prison(ed note:due to isolation prior to introduction to rest of cats); I knew she'd have kids and adults to play with.
Audrey akaiser1@wi.rr.com Cecilia Strahle Engquist, Houston , Texas
This testimonial is a tribute to the extraordinary temperament of our 5 month old kitten Dragonfly who has a heart and bravery the size of a tiger. On Thursday 21 September at 4.30 my husband, Dragonfly and I began what ended up being a 19-hour long nightmare in form of evacuating from Houston in an attempt to escape the wrath of hurricane Rita.
When we finally arrived to my parents-in-law’s house at 11 pm I let him out in our bedroom to recover. But hey, “recover from what?” he seemed to ask. In 5 minutes his tail was confidently straight up in the air, he kept speaking softly, he started playing with his favorite toys immediately after having eaten and gone to the litter-box and then he dashed right past me to curiously go explore this new cool place. There was not a sign of stress. At night he stretched out his long body along my spine and slept the whole night through. To me personally it meant en enormous deal to have him with me in the car. I felt I was not alone during that gruesome drive with daytime temperatures between 102-108 degrees F, no way of knowing if there would be any gas available before I ran out and with no telephone network making it impossible to speak with my husband or anyone else for that matter.
Dragonfly is our first cat. The help and generosity we have received from Mark is beyond words as far as assistance, information and time spent on the phone and in Mark’s home is concerned. He and his whole family have been extremely helpful. It is obvious that Dragonfly has been gently and lovingly handled from day one. We have no problem trimming his claws, brushing his teeth, and he lets himself get handled without protesting (at least for a little while). He is a confident and loving kitten, full of curiosity and trust. He loves playing fetch, especially while running up and down the carpeted stairs where he can tumble and have fun while chasing the favorite furry toy-mouse.
If you are getting a Bengal kitten I highly recommend getting it from Mystre Bengals. You can rest assured that the cat is from a fantastic cattery where the health and well-being of the cats is of outmost importance.
Ps. Pray your kitten inherits the same trait as Dragonfly as far as taking medication goes. He had been coughing just a little bit the days before we picked him up and was on liquid medication. “Nightmare!” you may think to get that into a cat. Well, think again. We quickly discovered that the easiest way of getting the medication into Dragonfly was to measure it up on a teaspoon, put that on the floor, call his name, and wait for him to come running to contentedly lick the medication to the last drop and then meowing for some more J . cecilia@coachingexcellence.org A Dragonfly update: Just wanted to give you an update on Dragonfly as he is about to turn one year next week. I will begin saying he's an awesome cat and both Erik and I love him dearly. He's a cherished member of our family. Some of the things he does are:
In the morning he gets up when Erik gets up. After a while he ventures back to bed determined to get me up with insistent meowing and threading on my chest until I wake up enough to stroke his whole body. This is his way of getting a morning massage. When I get up we usually play our morning game. He sits on the bed and I throw a small crinkly ball high in the air above him. He'll take a giant leap and smack the ball with his paw to send it flying and then he chases after it, returns to the bed and waits for me to throw the ball again. We do this for 10 minutes or more.
Every evening he'll come running when either of us brush the teeth. He'll sit next to us on the sink and then drink from the faucet. He'll stay around until nobody has any more business around the sink. And yeah, another favourite game is to steal the tops of my make-up remover bottle or the contact lens bottle, bring it over to the sink and let go so it flies around. Then he'll pick it up and go hide it somewhere.
He is absolutely fascinated by the printer. He'll come running when he hears it go off and then he'll just sit there watching. He is also a proficient cockroach-catcher I've noticed ...He is good being on in a harness on a leash. He loves being outside and will race me to the front door every time I approach it and he always tries to sneak out. I've have had to bring him down from the tree outside the times I've not been quick enough closing the door. He annoys the workers coming in to the house, insisting to check out they're doing their job right by sitting staring at them, running off with their tools or simply trying to get into whatever bag/tool-box they're carrying. He hates being in a travelling bag and will scream like mad until he is allowed out of it. Then the thinks car travel is fun. He is as noisy as ever and even will attack his toys at times, jumping at them with a mighty meow as if he was a hawk trying to scare his prey. Never seen a cat doing that - they're supposed to be silent hunters!
I will never forget how supportive you were during that scary time last winter. I hope all your cats are healthy and happy. I have been thinking of getting another (don't tell Erik :-) but it'll have to wait as I just bought a horse that is consuming all my money at the moment.
I'm sending some pictures of Dragonfly taken last weekend in Austin at my parents-in-law's house. He went canoeing with me and was a bit reluctant at first but then seemed really pleased to be out on the water.
cecilia@coachingexcellence.org
Mystre Bengals Reply: WOW! These are truely the most amazing and wonderful cats there are. Thank you Cecilia for the love you give our obviously special cat. We are so blessed you made him part of your family. Veronica Nemeth of Houston I never imagined that I would have such a sweet little guy like Maximus as my pet. While the first few nights were a bit difficult for him once he was acclimated and introduced to his new friends (China the Chiuaua, Jinx the Himalayan and Madeline the Persian), he was elated.
He is my snuggle bug, the snooze on the alarm clock, my bath tub buddy, and roadie who rides with me everywhere. He also needs to be convicted for grand kitty theft lasagna as he ENGULFED nearly an entire serving of my lasagna while I momentarily stepped outside.
He is so intelligent and loving its unbelievable. He is also a bit on the lazy side like myself in the mornings and in the evenings. We love that snooze button.
In addition to the affection and attention he demands, the thing I love about him the most is his little dreams of catching mice that he must have because his paws, lips and eyes wiggle as he sleeps. I love Maxx a lot and I am so glad we took the trip (1 hour, lol) back in September to pick out these unique creatures that became companions. Thank goodness Kody the Roadie did not make it all the way back to Katy...lol. (Mystre Bengals note: Kody is a boy of ours that had tried to stow away in the carrier they took the cats home in lol)
Thank you for your help throughout the process and reassurance upon homecoming. I hope I do not become a crazy cat person! MEOWWWW!
Kind Regards,
Veronica Nemeth Update: He has such a personality! He tries to meow to get his way, bless his heart. He gets up in the morning with me when I need to get up, he snoozes that extra ten minutes when I feel like snoozing. He is the best cuddler ever!
This morning as I woke up, I hit snooze and moved around a bit so Max fell off the covers onto the pillow next to mine. When I turned over to lay on my back I looked over and it was perfect, Max was sitting up against his pillow in a human like position, just perfectly perched against the pillow! All that was missing was a cigarette in one paw and a martini in the next. I could not help but crack up hysterically and he just sat there, too lazy to move.
I have these mirrors in my dressing room and he likes to play with his reflection. Well, I caught him doing it earlier this evening and as I looked at him and laughed, he got sooooooooooo embarassed, he ran off with that wild "running and meowing at the same time" meow. Later on I went in the dressing room as it also serves as my computer area and as I was getting some work done I glanced over at him from the corner of my eye, and bless his heart, he caught me looking and laughing at him again and ran off, lol.
While at work, or away from my home, I crack up on occassion just thinking about how goofy he is sometimes.
He is always in my lap or running by my feet and he never ever turns down any attention I want to give him. He always goes along with whatever it is that I want to do which amazes my other bengal owner friends because they can not seem to control their bengals!
Veronica Nemeth Mystre Bengals Reply: Well, Veronica is yet another who never believed me when I said that Bengals are addictive. She has put her name on yet another Mystre Bengals kitten and will be able to take her home around August '06. I am so lucky that Veronica sends me frequent updates on Maxx's progress and their life together. When I talk to her on the phone I can hear how Maxx hates for her attention to be off of him and he talks to her about it until she gets off the phone to play with him. He is a very beautiful boy and was one of the most photogenic cats I have had. Maxx could easily be a very successful show cat, but he is very happy being a pet to a very loving friend. A funny story (now) When Veronica first got Maxx home she started calling the next day in tears thinking she had to bring him back. She thought he hated her.. he was making lots of noise and having all kinds of fits.. he was in isolation (2 weeks of that is required) I told her that he was indeed unhappy because he wanted to be with her and not in the isolation, but it was a necessary thing that he go through.. she persevered and they came out the other side of that just like I told her they would, and he is her best friend and they are truely a match made in heaven. What a great companion Veronica is for Maxx. Lest we never forget, they own us, not the other way around :) Robin Chamberlain of Illinois Mark, I just want to say how impressed I am at the great job you do in socializing your kittens! From the moment that Windy, aka 'Bisquits', came out of her carrier at the airport, she was giving my husband and I kisses, head butts and making bisquits.
Each day that she has been home, she has continued to show us how well socialized she is. She has never hid or acted frightened at her new surroundings, and she continues to give kisses and head butts any chance she can. She wants to be with us all of the time, no matter what we're doing. And she didn't mind, at all, when we fitted her with her first harness...we can't wait to take her out for visits! So, thank you again for such a great girl. We just love her!
Robin Chamberlain
An Update:
Take Care, Robin Update, Bisquits is a mama :
Neil Appleby of Houston, Tx Dear Future Breeder: The purchase process/visiting: I am ready for the next one! Neil Appleby Emily Fumuso, Beaumont, Texas My adorable little Luci came as a surprise to me from my husband at Christmas 2005, and it is hard to believe she has only been with us for two months! She is of course the most spoiled member of our family now and I am unable to imagine us ever getting along without her. Thank you so much Mark for allowing us to adopt her!! We could not have had a better experience than the one you have provided for us! When we first brought Luci home, she tip toed around the house, but in no time she was completely comfortable in her new surroundings. Her social skills have amazed me from the start! She always insists on being in the same room of the house that we are in. If I get up and go to another room, Luci is right on my heels wondering what I will do next, or showing me what she wants to do next! She is very good at communicating her thoughts! She is also exceptional around other people! We have family members of all ages who visit frequently and Luci loves to play (our most recent favorite game is fetch!) and snuggle with them, just as she does my husband and I. She also loves to snuggle at night (which I love). I usually sleep on my side and as soon as I lay down she curls right up next to me and lays her head on my right arm. Her attitude about waking up in the morning is similiar to mine as well! I usually have to drag myself out of bed after hitting the snooze button three or four times. When I do finally get up, Luci is still sleeping, so I gently pet her and give her a soft shake. To this her response usually consists of her lifting her head slightly, opening her eyes half way, and giving me a look that says 'just five more minutes' before her eyes close once more and her head falls back onto my arm! Recently, I was sick for a day and had to stay home. Luci insisted on staying right at my side all day, leaving me for only five minutes in the morning and five minutes in the evening to eat. She definitely wants to be my best friend! The intelligence and personality of Luci still amazes me a little more everyday, every time I do something that she seems to understand, or she communicates to me in a way that I understand!
Once again, my husband and I could not thank you enough Mark for the awesome experience you have provided to us. We could not imagine our lives without Luci! The amount of training, time, and love that you and your family devote to these kittens is unbelievable. Please feel free to give my information to anyone who needs a reference for your services! I would be excited to share our wonderful experience with them!
Emily Fumuso emilyjfumuso@yahoo.com
Andrea Font Hickham We wanted to give you an update on April/Peanut. Peanut and Zachary are best of friends. He carries her with him from room to room. She loves him and they play together all the time.My vet told me that Bengals are aggressive, high strung etc., but I can assure you as I did her, that this is not the case. Peanut is a sweet loving kitty that we are really enjoying. She is certainly vocal, and lets you know if she wants something but she is a ball of love.She and Taz are getting along well. Sometimes Taz who is 10 years old gets a little mad at her, but Peanut immediately lays down in a submissive pose and Taz backs off. Other times they run up and down the stairs playing. It is making Taz a younger cat.
She has adjusted really well to our family and we wanted to say thank you for such a wonderful cat. We know she will be with us for many years to come.I have attached a pic of Peanut in Zach's bed. Hope all is well with you.
Take Care and Thanks again,
Claudia Thompson Wow!! I can’t begin to tell you just how wonderful our little “Cosmo” is. We are hooked on Bengals for sure. He spends most of his day following me from room to room eager to play and to be sure he keeps his eye on me. Cosmo sleeps right between us all night long and we now have a built in alarm clock because as soon as daybreak creeps through the blinds, we are awaken by the cutest little meow and soft fur brushing our faces reminding us it is time for breakfast. He doesn’t know the meaning of the word “stranger”, everyone who comes over to visit is his new friend. We have been amazed at his social skills, he friendly to every one, he never runs and hides, not even from kids. All of our guests have fallen in love with him, when they sit down he is up in their laps wanting to be loved. When we got our little Cosmo from Mystre, I had just suffered from a life threatening brain hemorrhage. Cosmo has been the best therapy for me, his cute little antics and cuddling up to me has helped me to a speedy recovery. Thank you so much Mark for the best little sweetheart we could have hoped for. We now know what you mean by you are not buying a kitten, you are buying a breeder. We are so glad we chose to buy our
Sincerely, Keira, Malina, Serina, Truong Nguyen Dillinger's a total Ham! I am going to start keeping the camera by the bed in the morning because he is the sweetest most adorable baby you've ever seen when it's time to wake up. He crawls up from underneath the comforter and leans his back against Truong and looks straight at me, he Meows and then stretchs really far and meows again then climbs over Truong and kisses his nose as if to say "Daddy wake up!" the he climbs back over Truong and if I still haven't gotten up he climbs back under the covers cuddles up against me and puts his head on the pillow facing me then he just starts to purr he is the loudest purrrer I have ever had . No kitten in the History of the Nguyen Family has ever shown so much effection and joy when being with myself and my Husband together as well as the Girls. He knows the minute they get home because he can hear them yelling and announcing they're hungry and want a snack and he'll start calling to them from the bedroom, at which time they drop absolutely everything they're doing (Including they're homework, backpacks, jackets and lunchbags) and run straight for the bedrom! When he sees them there's a special meow he makes which he ONLY makes for my Girls and a look of sheer joy in his eyes. No cat in my house has ever loved these girls as much as Dillinger loves Malina and Serina! I've got to say you have done an absolutely incredible job of socializing this baby! He is our dream come true and the kitten that makes my Husband and daughters late for school in the morning because no one wants to leave and everyone wants to stay and play with "Dillinger" Update 03-07: Can't believe this is really happening finally.. Remember what you told me you wanted so much for Dilly and I wish you were going to be here with us to see him do his thing, he has the most awesome personality and any judge that doens't see that is crazier than I am :) I really do LOVE this BIG LUG. You know Mark he is my best friend!!! Thanks for the best cat in the world hope we can do you and Derringer proud...
We'll be thinking of you on Saturday and by the way we even made up business cards with our site link and The Nguyen Family with Dillinger's Picture.
We are changing the website name over Dillinger's picture it says "Cosmo's Legacy" in Cosmo's memory he did turn out to be everything Cosi would have wanted for me and I know Cosmo is watching us now and smiling down on us he is especially happy to see Dillinger has his new Brother Shaker they are sooo cute together I LOVE Bengals! Keira & The Dillinger Gang
Mystre Bengal Reply: This was an email sent right before Dillingers first show. He championed his first time out and his personality shined. The temperment of this boy is what makes him loved, his outstanding appearance is merely a wonderful icing on a fantastic cake. This boy is a special one, and he is blessed to have a wonderful crazy cat family so in love with him.
We purchased our male cat from you folks about 5 months ago, we've since named him Peanut! He was about 3 mos old when we brought him home and I've attached some recent pictures. We followed your instructions to the letter and he is a wonderful pet!! Very, very playful and curious but he loves to curl up with us on the couch too. Thank you so much for the oppurtunity to own such a beautiful and loving animal!!
Best regards,
Just thought we’d give you a quick update on how Mezzo is doing. We are very pleased with her progress. She was in quarantine for the full two weeks. She makes us laugh. Kevin found a mouse-like toy and put it on a string. She loves that. Of course, she is very active and curious and, as you warned us, quite a jumper. She jumps onto my jewelry box which stands about 4 feet off the floor with a very limited landing zone. Amazing! She talks to us all the time. We are still trying to learn what she is telling us.
She gets up on the bed with me at night. She lets me pet her while she purrs until I fall asleep. She doesn’t stay the whole night, but I think it’s incredible that she will voluntarily get up on the bed with me. I can even pick her up and put her on my lap or beside me and she doesn’t “fuss” at all. I haven’t tried picking her up and holding her yet (I think one reason she warmed up to us so quickly is that we didn’t try to push her to do anything before she was ready).
Thanks again for all your advice and instruction. She is doing well and we are quickly becoming very attached to the little rascal. Have a great weekend. Mark,
By Friday, we learned she had developed a unique skill. Remember when I said she enjoyed watching the water drip in the sink? Well, she figured out how to turn the water on! We have a faucet that just takes some upward pressure to turn the water on and Fury learned from us how to do it. Now, whenever she wants to play in the water, she turns it on herself.
At bedtime, we now have a short play period before the light goes out. Fury chases those evil toe-mice under the covers. But once the light goes out, she has learned play time is over and it’s time for sleep.
Mystre Bengals Note: Robert and Sharon join the ranks of those not believing me that they will eventually want another Bengal, they have their name on a baby due in May '07. This is a family we are thrilled that want another baby. Their cats live the good cat life there with a couple that are completely smitten with Bengals.
Hi Mark, Mark: Hi Mark, I wanted to send you an update on Cassandra (the green one from Reiny’s July 06 litter). The name Cassandra just didn’t quite suit her… so we call her Twinkie. Actually, we call her Triiiiiiinks after the long vowel-heavy mews she makes.
She’s growing up so quickly but she still surprises us everyday. Twinkie needs to be involved IN EVERYTHING we do. She needs to be involved in everything our 5-yr old calico does as well. Perhaps the most surprising relationship has been between her and our 3-yr old Aussie dog… the two of them chase each other around the house each morning. It’s amazing how well socialized Twinkie is! Other cats run when company comes over, but Twinkie treats it as an opportunity to get as much attention as possible. It is truly amazing! Twinkie plays fetch. I would have never believed it from a cat. Fetch. On the bed. She’ll take a Q-tip or her feather-toy, drag it onto the bed and then start howling. This is my cue that she wants to play, so I’ll then throw her toy out of the room and she’ll retrieve it in her mouth and bring it back to me. We repeat this about a dozen times. She’s also, on occasion, brought pencils, twist-ties and toilet paper tubes onto the bed. We’ve learned to check to see what she’s hoarded during the day before we crawl in at night! I wanted to share our trip to NY for Christmas. We drove from Texas to NY
with both cats in the car. During the 2-day trip there and 2-day trip back,
there was barely a sound from Twinkie. She was so well behaved we could
barely tell she was there. She cuddled up in her carrier and was a perfect
angel (unlike our other cat, which howled the ENTIRE time)! No other cat
I’ve ever had has been this tolerant of car rides and new places. As soon
as we got to our destination, she was so confident and self-assured… she
walked around the new house like she owned the place! Everyone there was so
impressed by her (and curious about the Bengal breed) and I think this is Thank you again Mark for trusting us with her; she has truly brought joy into our lives! |
After a one a half hour phone conversation, you made me feel very comfortable, and gave me great perspective into what the Bengal breed is all about. In fact I didn't want to spend this kind of money at first, but after hearing what you go through, the quality of cats you provide and passion you have for the breed, I quickly changed my mind. As I am sitting here now at my computer typing this email and Lightning is resting on my lap. 
My Bengal (Zorrro) was born on 4/1/05, I had been looking for a kitten for some time and had done a lot of internet research trying to find the perfect one. I looked into another hybrid breed and was not pleased with the findings. I finally found Mark Pennington with Mystre's cattery who had new kittens. After talking to him I made an appointment to go out and see the lovely babies. I put my deposit down that very day. I had to wait until he was 12 weeks old before I got to bring him home. There were visits in between, even though I said that I wouldn't. Mark was very accommodating. His kittens are raised "under foot" and with help of all the other family members. They are loved on all day. I picked up my baby on 6/23/05. He had been neutered the day before and had no problems. When I got him home he looked around and explored, met my daughters and settled right in. He is very loving and playful. Already litter box trained and no accidents. His personality is great. He is a fast learner, and the water gun is working well as a deterrent. These cats are wonderful, loving, and highly intelligent.
Dylan is truly a special boy. He did remarkably well on the trip to his new home in Colorado, although his preferred way to travel is on my shoulder between the head rest and my neck. He immediately ran around checking out everything at the hotel rooms we stayed in before settling down to play and have something to eat/drink. The first night, I saw him checking out the toilet (there wasn't a lid) and quick grabbed him as he was jumping up on the seat. We then covered it for the night. The next night, before I knew what he was doing, he was up on the toilet with his front feet in the bowl! Other than he had to have his feet washed after that, I don't think it bothered him much. He has ! been very adventurous and loving. He definitely does not have a problem telling me when he doesn't like something. (There was no question when he was tired of being in the crate.) He is also showing his intelligence already. He has figured out how to get out of the carrier, so it is now useless. He sticks his little head out, looks around, and then he pushes the rest of his body out. It is pretty funny to watch. He seems very happy and content in his new home so far.
He chews on the bottle opening and tries to knock it over and will not let anyone deter his ambition. He evidently decided my cell phone needed to be cleaned since I found it in his water dish. His fascination with toilets continues and we have to watch him closely around them. He has introduced himself to all my co-workers already, insisting on speaking while I'm on conference calls. He checks everything out and loves to sit on my shoulder. He is still very affectionate and Jim and I think he is the coolest little guy.
This little girl wowed everyone! Not only is she a VERY pretty girl with a fantastic profile, but she also has the most spectacular personality! No matter who was holding her, she would either curl up on their chest and purr or climb onto their shoulder. Whatever situation she encountered, was taken with a sense of calm. 
I thought since she was handling things so well, I would take her with us to watch the fireworks; people thought I was nuts as cats are notorious for being frightened. She perched herself on my shoulder and watched them with me in wide-eyed amazement!! Not only that, but she purred most of the time! You have done a most incredible job of socializing this girl and I want to thank you.
We rode separate cars and Dragonfly rode with me. After the first 3 hours I let him out of his carrier to move about in the car. He checked it out and rubbed everywhere. Then he settled on my lap and lay there purring for hours on end. He kept speaking with me in his soft voice during the whole trip. He has an amazing habit of looking straight in your eyes as he speaks and communicates his wants and needs or just for the sake of having a conversation. 
And you can count on the kitten being well socialized. Dragonfly is – of course - an extraordinary kitten but I heard from Mark that his other cats had behaved the same way as he after their evacuation. That says something about the temperament and psyche of these amazing cats. 
Just wanted to let you know how Bisquits did this weekend at the show. She got two finals, one in Elektra Hammonds' ring and another in Dewayne Barnes ring...that one was WONDERFUL to get. She ended up with an 8th Best Kitten and a 6th Best Kitten. She had some great competition too...she was up against kittens from Hugh Price and Donna Syverson, so she did very well. Donna even commented on what a nice girl we had! The older Bisquits gets, the more and more I see Derringers' face and type in her. This will probably be her last kitten show. She is six months old now, so I don't think I'll be able to get to any of the shows in the area during April. So, by her next show, she'll be in the adult class. I can't wait to see how well she does. I'm sending along a newer picture of her so you can see how well she is looking.
I will get some more pics this week. They are just starting to walk..so cute. Bisquits is a great mom....you did a fabulous job raising her. We showed her up to her TGC and 3rd heat and didn't want to hold her off any longer. She was almost 14 months old when we bred her and at the last show I went to, one of the judges asked me where my beautiful girl was. She had remembered Bisquits...in fact, she always finalled her when she was in her ring. She said that she was one of the nicest girls she'd seen. 
Dear Mark and Karen, 
