Champion & Imperial Grand Premier Dushenka Xander, 2 OGPCs
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Pet names: |
Xander aka Xinder-Xander, Xandle, Xandi-kooks, Kookie-monster, Senior Snoogle, my big ol' Snoogle-kook... and keeper of my heart |
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Major awards: |
● Best of Variety Foreign kitten,
Edinburgh show 2008 ● Kitten wins: 9 open class wins, 7 Best of Breed wins and 31 x 1st prizes ● 3 Challenge Certificates, 8 Premier Certificates, 3 Grand Premier certificates and 2 Reserve Grands, six Imperials, five reserve Imperials, two Olympian certificates, two reserve Olympians |
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| Notable offspring: | Champion Dushenka Ysabella, one Grand Challenge and one reserve Grand; Best Foreign Kitten, Chester 2009 |
Xander's story
I knew pretty much from the moment he was born that I wanted to keep Xander - although common sense told me I shouldn't be keeping him sometimes common sense just goes out the window! His dad was the beautiful Shoelina Independence - better known as Dippie - and his mother Tasha was, of course, my adorable Crazy Crasher.
Xander is a poised and elegant-looking boy, with the most amazing green eyes, who oddly enough has inherited his mother's habit of sitting with his front paws crossed. He inherited a few of her other habits as well, in his younger days crashing around the house doing rather too good an imitation of a herd of buffalo on occasion!
As a youngster he was definitely my 'Little Boy Star', winning the RACCS annual points competition for Best Russian, Top Kitten and Top Adolescent, and the RBBA annual points competition for Top Kitten and Top Adolescent, as well as all the other awards listed above. He is only too well aware of his own gorgeousness, mostly because I have been daft enough to tell him how wonderful he is so often. He did sometimes get referred to as King of Smug when he was sitting enjoying his own beauty too much! But he is actually a very gentle, sensitive soul, and is always the first cat to come and comfort me when I am upset - his fur has helped dry many a tear, and the gentle, quizzical look he gives me from his limpid green eyes always makes me feel a bit better.
Xander did well at shows as a young adult, winning two titles before he was even 18 months old, and going on to win the Grand title too. I had retired him from shows, but after a gap of over four years brought him back out and he delighted me by winning the reserve Imperial and 1st in all his other classes - and snoogling and purring at everyone he could get his paws on and has purred and snoogled his way to his Imperial title at the age of 8. I was so very proud of my special boy, who is also very definitely the Man of the House and happily spends his time playing and cuddling up with me and all the girls of an evening. Xander takes his responsibilities towards all his descendents very seriously, helping to bring up all my kittens, and indicating his approval (or otherwise!) of would-be kitten owners.
January 2018 saw Xander celebrate his 10th
birthday in style, by winning the Olympian certificate at the RACCS show
(specialist breed show). This was a super-special win, in memory of his
super-special sister«
And in 2019 just when I was starting to think about retiring him from shows, he decided to win the reserve Olympian at the Edinburgh show - and Best in Show Section 4 Exhibit at the Cheshire show - at nearly 12 years old, there he was in a Best in Show pen! My special boy continues to delight and support me.
June 2021 - I can't believe I am typing these words. My special boy is gone. He was my world.