We are a very small cattery located in Sandefjord, Norway (in the county of Vestfold). Our goal is to breed contented, healthy cats which are typical for the breed. The cats live with us as a part of our family; thus any cat from our cattery will be fully socialized and given lots of love. All cats used for breeding are GSDIV normal and tested for HCM.
If you are unfamiliar with Scandinavian languages, you may have noticed that we have a rather unusual name. Haapsdatter is Norwegian for "Hope's daughter", and there is a very good reason why we have chosen this name for our cattery. Our two girls, Fern and Hajime, both come from NO*Haapet's and they came to us originally as host cats. Although my husband has often teased that I would one day fill our house with cats, I never set out to start a cattery. All I did was call a very nice lady named Gunborg Pedersen in Moss because I had fallen in love with a picture of one of her cats. My daughter had insisted that our family needed another cat after the death of our Maine Coon three years earlier and that a Norwegian Forest Cat would do just as well as a Coon. My search didn't last long. I found Fern almost immediately and fell absolutely head over heels. What an expression she had for such a young cat! Gunborg generously took us on and suggested I might try coming to some shows to help her with Fern and the other cats.
Thus began almost two years of traveling to shows in Norway and Sweden, during which we also acquired Hajime because Gunborg could not let her go and Fern needed a companion. (And let's face it, Hajime is just adorable!) I think "cat people" are sometimes given an unfair reputation as odd, but I never saw any of that. I met a lot of very nice people who were determined to breed responsibly and who, like Gunborg, knew an awful lot about cats. Along the way, I also learned a lot about cats, breeding and shows, and when one day after a show, I streamed a plethora of knowledgeable comments about how the day had gone and Gunborg declared me "ruined", I knew there was no going back.
Sadly, Gunborg is no longer with us. In July of 2013 she lost her battle with breast cancer and the cats became mine. I found I did not have the heart to sterilize them. Both have a unique pedigree through CH (N)Kamrøysas Nika and both have very interesting qualities that are worth preserving. Gunborg was one of the most generous people I have ever met, and she was always, always full of hope. Our cats are a part of her legacy, hence our name.
So that's basically our origin story. That's how we started and as this site fills up, you will see how we get along.
-Karen Christiansen
If you are unfamiliar with Scandinavian languages, you may have noticed that we have a rather unusual name. Haapsdatter is Norwegian for "Hope's daughter", and there is a very good reason why we have chosen this name for our cattery. Our two girls, Fern and Hajime, both come from NO*Haapet's and they came to us originally as host cats. Although my husband has often teased that I would one day fill our house with cats, I never set out to start a cattery. All I did was call a very nice lady named Gunborg Pedersen in Moss because I had fallen in love with a picture of one of her cats. My daughter had insisted that our family needed another cat after the death of our Maine Coon three years earlier and that a Norwegian Forest Cat would do just as well as a Coon. My search didn't last long. I found Fern almost immediately and fell absolutely head over heels. What an expression she had for such a young cat! Gunborg generously took us on and suggested I might try coming to some shows to help her with Fern and the other cats.
Thus began almost two years of traveling to shows in Norway and Sweden, during which we also acquired Hajime because Gunborg could not let her go and Fern needed a companion. (And let's face it, Hajime is just adorable!) I think "cat people" are sometimes given an unfair reputation as odd, but I never saw any of that. I met a lot of very nice people who were determined to breed responsibly and who, like Gunborg, knew an awful lot about cats. Along the way, I also learned a lot about cats, breeding and shows, and when one day after a show, I streamed a plethora of knowledgeable comments about how the day had gone and Gunborg declared me "ruined", I knew there was no going back.
Sadly, Gunborg is no longer with us. In July of 2013 she lost her battle with breast cancer and the cats became mine. I found I did not have the heart to sterilize them. Both have a unique pedigree through CH (N)Kamrøysas Nika and both have very interesting qualities that are worth preserving. Gunborg was one of the most generous people I have ever met, and she was always, always full of hope. Our cats are a part of her legacy, hence our name.
So that's basically our origin story. That's how we started and as this site fills up, you will see how we get along.
-Karen Christiansen