* * * * *Where We Are * * * * *

Copied from the book "The Definate Guide to Ragdolls" by Lorna Wallce, Robin Pickering and David Pollard 1995

Pat Brownsell, co-founder of the British Ragdolls, emigrated to the Costa del Sol on mainland Spain in the late 1980's and after several years break has recently gone back into breeding Ragdolls. Pat's renewed interest and love of the breed augurs well for fanciers in Spain, who up until 1993 would have had to import Ragdolls, but can now source a very knowledgeable lady who is enjoying the challenge of improving the size, temperament and eye colour of the breed that 15 yars ago she was instrumental in introducing into the United Kingdom. Pat and her partner, Mike got the chance to buy a small kennel which they have converted into a cattery, nestling below the backdrop of the Sierra Nevada of Southern Spain, and it is from this idyllic setting that Pat is concentratingher new found energy and enthusiasm to concentrate on her breeding program.

Rimminielace Caspar of Patriarca
Blue Colourpoint.

Group of Ragdoll females of Patriarca Cattery.

Pat's first love is the Bicolour pattern, which she hopes to concentrate on. She has recently bred a High White which she intends to incorperate into her breeding program in 1996 and by mating to her Blue Colourpointed stud, she will reduce the level of the white spotting gene back to that of a normal bicolour and the progeny will be 100% Bicolours.
Alreadt Pat has had to modify her breeding practices to cope with the intense heat. She likes to feed her cats cooked food once a day, but she has to be careful that she removes any left overs quickly as it sours very easily. Another problem created by the hot climate is that she has to keep a constant vigil for parasites, as the cat's coat is the perfect breeding ground under these conditions. It is therefore essential that an effective parasite control programme is strictly adhered to on a regular basis.

Pat has also found that with such high temperature rising rapidly, especially during July and August, the cats enjoy lying on concrete floors which remain cool. Another difficulty aggravated by the heat, is that the cats coat length remains short. In an attempt to boost showing Ragdolls, Pat has discovered that doing so from a remote area in Southern Spain is particularly daunting. Shows are normally held over 2 days and travelling to and from the shows adds on a further 4 days because of the vast distances involved in driving to France, Switzerland or Italy. It is also an extremely expensive exercise, and there are added difficulties in that Pat and Mike cannot leave the cattery without experienced help for such a long period of time.
With her renewed enthusiasm, Pat intends setting up a Spanish Ragdoll Club which she hopes to affilaiate in the near future to The British ragdolls Cat Club for international continuity.

The authors of the book with Patricia Brownsell and Mike
at Villa Patriarca in Cartama, Spain

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