Kisatru Norwegian Forest Cat cattery was born of an ongoing love affair with cats.   The name was a tough one for me to come up with.  Kisa (pronounced Keesa) is an Icelandic folk tale about Kisa the cat.  One of the first names I was interested in was Asatru which is a Scandinavian religion.  I was mostly interested in a name that would exemplify the origin of the breed.  Asatru was already taken, and I dearly love Kisa the Cat.  I put the two together and came up with Kisatru (pronounced Keesatru).

I (Merrelyn) have always had cats, from the time I was a very small child.  I was always the one bringing home stray cats and kittens.  This developed into a love of the veterinary field.  At one time I had the desire to become a veterinarian, but after working at a vet clinic for a few years as a vet tech assistant, I was encouraged by the doctor to pursue a career in the technical aspect of the field, as a veterinary technician.  He saw things in me that he thought would make a fine tech.

SO…I went to tech school, and graduated in 1990, and began my career as a licensed (certified) veterinary technician.  This was my love for a long, long time.  I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of working.  The most gratifying aspect of the field for me, was working in emergency and critical care.  Though I am not currently working, there may be a time in the future when I may decide to return.

The love of animals (felines in particular) made me curious about pedigree breeds.  I love larger boned cats, and that, of course led me to Maine Coons.  I began researching the breed back in 1993, and then we had an 18-month period when we lived in Japan, so the pursuit was put on hold.  While in Japan, we adopted a 6-month-old kitten, which had approached my son and I while at the local market.

I happened upon the NFC breed by chance.  I had been reading a fictional novel, and there was a brief mention of a Norwegian Forest Cat.  Well, I had never heard of such a breed, and being very curious, I decided to do some research into the breed.

Lo and behold…there was such a breed!!  This led me in search of breeders in the U.S., and I narrowed down the search to breeders in Colorado.  Which, of course, brought me to Lisa Vasa of Lostwoods Cattery.  It was pretty much all downhill from there.  I fell in love with her cats, one boy in particular; see Treven T (who has now passed on to Rainbow Bridge).  After having him in our home for a short time, I began discussing my plans with Lisa, and my husband Nathan…and this led us in search of a little girl to compliment our boy.  After long searching and deliberating, we were blessed to have Cheryl McConnell of Vanir Cattery allow her lovely miss Déjà Vu to come live with us.

We live in the country, in a small town about 65 miles northwest of Denver, Colorado.  We live on two and a quarter acres at the base of the Rocky Mountains.  We have a lovely view of Twin Peaks, and are butted right up against 40 acres of open land.  We are blessed to have our home in such a lovely setting.

We have 2 children, our daughter goes to high school, our son we home school, and I stay home full time.

Both of my children have a love for animals, which I believe is very healthy!  I plan to keep my cattery small.  My goal as a breeder is to breed for temperament, and confirmation.  To stay true to the NFC standards, and to keep the cherished personality that these amazing cats have to offer.