Valmegat Sphynx / Spain
by Carlee Marrer-Tising

Premià de Mar is a picturesque municipality in Catalonia, Spain. Situated on the coast 20 km (12.4 miles) north east of Barcelona, it is both a tourist center and a dormitory town. It is also the home of Mari Ramirez and her Sphynx cattery, Valmegat. Mari, a breeder with a very infectious passion for the breed, saw a Sphynx for the first time at an International cat show in Barcelona in the year 2000. She was already familiar with the breed, having collected and read all the documentation and information about it that she could find. Upon seeing an honest-to-goodness real-live Sphynx, she immediately fell in love with this enigmatic and special breed of cat and she began searching for a Sphynx of her own. It was not easy for her to find one because there was only one breeder in Spain at that time. She realized her dream in 2002 when she finally got her first Sphynx, a black female with green eyes named Gala. This little lady cast her spell on Mari, who immediately fell in love with the little black beauty. It was then that she decided to dedicate her time to the breeding of this good-natured and likeable breed of cat.

The most important thing for Mari in breeding her cats is health. She has found a wonderful veterinary hospital in Barcelona where her vet is skilled in the most advanced technology. She recently had one of her cats spayed, and her vet used the very latest laser surgery. The cat was awake when she picked her up only two hours after having taken her to the hospital; she had a very small incision with no stitches, and, as Mari stated, she was in perfect condition. A very conscientious breeder, Mari also scans her cats regularly for HCM.

In addition to her Sphynx cats Mari has a beautiful Exotic Shorthair female, Cuore Mio. She is an eleven-year old European Champion that has been extremely successful in the exhibition halls, having won many prizes such as the “Very Best of Best,” the “Very Best in Show,” as well as numerous “Best in Show” awards. Her Sphynx do not take a back seat to this wonderful cat in the show hall, however, because they, too, have won enough Best of Best and Best in Show trophies and rosettes to make Mari very proud of them. She has been exhibiting her Sphynx since 2003.

In addition to health, Mari strives to improve the morphology or structure of the Sphynx, her priority being to return to the original Sphynx morphology. In discussing the “perfect” Sphynx, Mari stated that the “perfect Sphynx Cat exists only in the mind of the breeder.” She has a handsome red male that is now two years old and five beautiful females. She feels that the most special thing about her cats and the breed in general is their fantastic character.

Although naked cats are not generally well known or popular in Spain, they are well received by the general population and by the Spanish visitors to the cat shows. People are very curious about them, and Mari has heard some funny comments, such as “It has skin like a baby!” and “wonderful gremlin.”

Mari’s cats are registered in CFA, TICA and Fifé. The most popular association in her area is Fifé. If you would like to see more of Mari’s cats, kittens and her lovely nursery, visit her website at www.Valmegat.com.

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