Our Story
Panei Persians & Exotics -- Owners Patty Stewart & Michelle Smith.
A mother-daughter team of cat lovers. We live in Springfield, Oregon at the southern end of the Willamette Valley, nestled between the Willamette & McKenzie Rivers.
Contacts:
-Patty Stewart: 541-741-0928 [email protected]
-Michelle Smith: 541-741-0893 [email protected]
45+ years experience of CFA pedigreed Show & Companion Cats. PKD negative & Fungus Free. Fair & honest representation. National & Regional Winners.
See our Grand Gallery album for our 100+ Grand Champions.
View our DM(Distinguished Merit) album to see our Distinguish Merit Award Winners.
View our available album for our latest updates.
www.paneicat.com
Our Story:
Panei Persians (pronounced Paw-Nee) began in 1974 with the purchase of a Red Persian male named Edjo's Erich of Pa-Nei. We quickly added 2 Tortoiseshell Persian girls Edjo's Indigo Rainbow & Edjo's Oriental Splendor and that was our beginnings. Still to this date, we still have lines descending back to one of our
original girls, Indigo Rainbow. A beloved and sentimental line that produces easy going sweet dispositions.
We later added Whites "Our Speciality" to our solid breeding program and have also bred in the past; Silvers, Smokes, Bi-Color & /Calico Persians. I am an avid Line-Chaser (researching our cats ancestry). I am proud to be able to take our bloodlines back to the very beginnings of the cat fancy in the late 1800’s. I have a large collection of Yearbooks and old Out dated Studbooks from various long lost registries.
The (Pa) in Panei is for myself "Patty Stewart" and the (Nei) is for my husband Neil. We have 3 grown children, Tom, Michelle, & Christina. We have 11 Grand children. I do enjoy life other than cats as well: sewing, reading, camping, gardening, family historical research and proud to be a native 3rd generation Oregonian.
My daughter, Michelle, who is co-owner of Panei Cattery, was "literally" born in a house of cats. She went to most of the cat shows with me and as a young girl would steward the judging rings(Cage clean) and later in her teens she started clerking and hospitality at the cat shows. Michelle is a busy mother of 5 children, Brenden, Jissel, Sylas, Bryley, Saelah and 2 Step daughters Jackie, Samantha & now Michelle being a grandma herself.
In 1999 Michelle decided she wanted an easier care Persian and was gifted a Red Tabby Exotic female from our dear friend Peter Romich of Grandaries Exotics. "Ch.Grandaries Glitter & Be Gay "Gigi". Gigi was our Exotic beginnings to our cattery, we are now Panei Persians & Exotics. Thank you to Peter for our first Exotic Queen.
Update: Michelle's daughter, (my grandaughter) "Jissel Smith" is a 3rd generation breeder addition to our cattery. Jissel (Spring of 2011) has produced her first litter of Exotic-Persian at the grand old age of 11 years! Getting a very early start in the Cat Fancy. Jissel attends many of the shows with us.
We are very proud of our accomplishments having bred many Grand Champions, distinguish merit awards, and regional /national winners.
Michelle’s Story
I am a Mother of 5 Biological children and a Step-Mother to 2 step-daughter’s. I am a Grandmother to 4 Grandchildren. I enjoy Cake decorating, baking, cooking, mentoring, helping others and of course, traveling to Cat shows.
I have always had a passion for cats. Maybe that would be my Mother's influence as I was born and raised with them. I knew no different and I thought everyone had cats or at least everyone should own cats. It seemed normal. I am so thankful I am able to share with my Mother our passion to raise these wonderful kitties we have together. We have separate homes but the same passion. We travel together and spend so much time together and we have so much fun. They are our cats and passion together!
We enjoy traveling to the shows and we get to work together and strive together as a team. My Mother has worked so hard to get to where she is now with our beautiful cats. I feel like I have been given a gift from my Mom. That is to be able to have the knowledge and understandings of our passion in life. My Mom isn't just my Mom. She is my teacher, my best friend , my idol and my mentor. I just want to say
"Thank you Mom!"