Sun O'er Sea Maine Coons
It took us a long time to get here after that welcomed bump in the road, but 2023 summer saw Sun O'er Sea's return to the show-hall. Read more about our history in the show-hall here.
Sun O'er Sea's A Rogue Duke
If there's one photo to sum up the boys' personality, it would be this. Duke is totally tuned in on the feather (5) and Tony (3) is batting at the cage number, entertaining himself with the wall. Like all families, cats too have their own unique personalities, and it is this realization that sets Sun O'er Sea apart in our process of personality-- in and out of the show-hall.
Tony is more than just his pattern though; he has the characteristic personality of a Maine Coon. He has beautiful expression and loves to play.
He cuddles, he rides in cars; one day, he might even ride a horse. But you can ask his human dad about those plans.
He has been our special one since the day he was born.
Some days, he thinks he's an owl. Other days, he is nicknamed raccoon-- for how he walks and talks and chirps and tries to steal the trash.
We love him-- in and out of the show hall. When he was little, he would go for rides in his dad's robe pocket. Raised by a cowboy, he has the gentleness of the western spirit and his bookish mother's heart of a gypsy.
Tony's tail is a good example of where the Maine Coon breed gets its name: the ringed tail.
Duke has excellent boning and proper white; he doesn't even have a belly band. He does have the smudgies of his ancestors-- these little dots of color on his paws, thigh, and nose.
While Tony is a brown mackerel, Duke is a warm brown classic; he is Tony's half-brother and Nyneve, who is Tony's mother, is his grandma. He is the son of Charlie and of Masika who is the daughter of Nyneve's other son, Hades, my beautiful black with white whose father was GC Maine Delite Rooster's True Grit.
Originally slated as a pet, I was keeping Tony, so I wasn't going to keep Duke. But my friend Sherry said that I should at least see what he does in the showhall.
So I did; and by I, I mean she. Sherry traveled down from Homer, Louisiana to Houston, TX where we got a room with us, the boys, and Jack (Morwenna's son, our one-eyed cameo mascot) and we began the boys' show career.
What Tony didn't win, Duke did. And what Duke didn't win, Tony did. The boys took Houston by storm in kitten class, and we were quite proud.
Duke resides with Sherry in Homer, Louisiana.
Our cage curtains & show tents
I showed Sun O'er Sea's Sir Anthony Bridgerton, our beloved Tony-- the future brown mackerel stud of the cattery.
It took me six years to have a show quality brown mackerel tabby-- the whole package. Not just the color but the structure and the coat.
And Tony has a phenomenal personality; he will champion in October/November.
We've shown him in the Gulf and mid-west region, so far.
Our grooming stand, toys, banner, and Tony's bunny
Sun O'er Sea Show Time! 2023
Sun O'er Sea's Sir Anthony Bridgerton aka Tony Bologna Midget Fa-fony Raccoon
Brown mackerel tabbies are known for their thin mackerel lines with no breaks; it is the original color of the Maine Coon breed, and one that is rarely seen anymore.
We are specializing in this proper pattern, and plan to keep brown mackerel in our program for years to come. Tony is son of our high-white brown mackerel tabby queen, Nyneve, who is the daughter of Nimue, and was the first kitten I ever kept.