23/08/2026
𝗜𝗻 𝗟𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗠𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗚𝗿 𝗖𝗵 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗔𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗮 *𝗥𝗨 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗕𝗹𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗺 𝗼𝗳 𝗩𝗮𝗹𝗸𝘆𝗿𝗶𝗲 (𝗜𝗺𝗽) 𝗮𝗸𝗮 “𝗞𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗮”
𝟎𝟖 𝑨𝒖𝒈𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒 – 𝟐𝟏 𝑱𝒖𝒍𝒚 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔
“𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦.” 🤍🌸
It has taken me weeks to find the strength to write this...
On 21 July 2026, we said goodbye to one of the most extraordinary cats ever to grace our home.
Katia was family. She was my companion, my pride, an exceptional mother, and an irreplaceable part of the dreams I had for the future of Valkyrie Maine C***s.
Titles, pedigrees and show achievements tell only a very small part of Katia’s story. Because what made Katia truly extraordinary was simply... Katia.
She had the sweetest, gentlest nature imaginable. At two different cat shows, under two different judges, Katia received a Judge’s Favourite award because of her lovely personality. Those awards meant more to me than almost any title she earned because they recognised something that could never be measured against a breed standard. They recognised the beautiful little soul behind the beautiful Maine C**n. Within minutes of meeting her, people fell in love with her. She didn’t just win ribbons. She won hearts.
At home, the elegant Grand Champion disappeared and our wonderfully quirky Katia took her place. She talked constantly, always convinced that every conversation required her opinion.
She believed coffee was meant to be shared, especially if it belonged to me.
Tea towels somehow never stayed in the kitchen because she delighted in carrying them around the house.
She even managed to “murder” our flat-screen television by chewing its corner.
Every visit to the litter tray began with an enthusiastic nose-first excavation, earning herself the affectionate nickname “Drol Mol.”
And then there were her springs... Katia absolutely adored her little plastic springs. Whenever we moved the coffee table or wall unit, she would come running from wherever she was because she knew some of her precious springs were “hiding” underneath.
To us, we were simply moving furniture. To Katia, it was a treasure hunt, and a sure sign that a game of fetch was about to begin.
She loved bird-watching through the screened security gate and could sit there for ages, completely captivated by everything happening outside. We will never forget the first time she laid eyes on a Guinea fowl. She simply stared at it with complete fascination, trying to make sense of this enormous, peculiar bird that had suddenly appeared in her world.
She loved sleeping along the back of the couch, sometimes dreaming so deeply that her little paws and whiskers would twitch while she slept.
She had her own wonderfully unique ways of showing affection. One of her favourites was giving us face and scalp “exfoliations”, with the same determined enthusiasm she seemed to bring to everything she loved. It was such a small, funny ritual, but one we would give anything to experience just once more.
She filled our home with conversation. With mischief. With laughter. With love. She made ordinary days extraordinary simply by being part of them.
Perhaps the greatest testament to Katia’s beautiful nature came during the final weeks of her life.
Throughout countless blood tests, intravenous catheters, examinations, scans and blood transfusions, she never bit. She never scratched. She never stopped trusting the people trying to help her. Even when she was frightened. Even when she was hurting. She remained our sweet Katia.
In July 2026, Katia became critically ill with profound anaemia.
We fought for her with everything we had.
Veterinarians and specialists searched for answers. Advice was sought from across the world. Blood transfusions were arranged. Friends offered their own beloved cats as potential donors. And so many people prayed for our girl.
Every small improvement gave us hope. Every setback broke our hearts all over again.
We kept fighting because Katia kept fighting. Until eventually, her little body simply couldn’t anymore.
Despite every treatment, every transfusion, every effort and every prayer, there came a point when there was no reasonable treatment left that could save her without prolonging her suffering.
On 21 July 2026, surrounded by love, we made the heartbreaking decision to let our beautiful girl cross the Rainbow Bridge.
Her time with us was heartbreakingly short. Her legacy will not be.
Katia leaves behind her beautiful offspring, each carrying a little piece of the remarkable girl who came before them. Through them, a part of our Apple Blossom continues.
But her legacy reaches far beyond her offspring. It lives in the people she charmed at shows, in the judges who fell in love with her, in the friends who rallied around her, in the people who prayed for a cat they had never met. And of course, in the home that will never feel quite the same without her.
No tribute to Katia would be complete without acknowledging the extraordinary people and cats who stood beside us during those impossible weeks.
𝘛𝘰 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘶𝘴𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘥, 𝘑𝘰𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘯...
Thank you for your unwavering strength, love and support, and for carrying both your own heartbreak and mine when I could no longer carry it myself.
𝘛𝘰 𝘕𝘪𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘦...
Katia wasn’t only my little girl. She was yours too.
We celebrated every milestone together, dreamed about her future together, rejoiced in every success, worried over every setback, cried over every blood result and ultimately had our hearts broken together.
Thank you for loving her so completely.
Thank you for trusting me through every impossible decision, every glimmer of hope and every devastating moment.
I couldn’t have asked for a better co-owner or friend to walk this heartbreaking journey with me. I know a piece of your heart crossed the Rainbow Bridge with her too.
She was so deeply loved by all of us, and that is a gift I will always be grateful for.
𝘛𝘰 Herlien, 𝘎𝘦𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘢 𝘢𝘯𝘥 Carol...
There are acts of friendship we will never forget, and what you did for Katia is among them.
Herlien volunteered Maya, Allegro and Leo, and Georgina volunteered Yellow, without hesitation, so that they could be tested as potential blood donors for our girl. Carol was also ready to bring Casanova Kid if another donor was needed, even though it would have meant he had to be shaved just days before Cat of the Year.
But you didn’t only offer your cats. Herlien and Georgina, thank you for keeping me company while I waited to visit Katia. Those hours were frightening, exhausting and seemingly endless, and simply having friends beside me meant more than you probably realised. Georgina, thank you for bringing chocolates. It was one of those quiet little gestures of kindness that meant so much in the middle of everything I was going through.
And Herlien, after we lost our girl, thank you for the beautiful orchid, chocolates and bracelet. At a time when there were no words that could make anything better, the beautiful gestures said everything words couldn’t.
Every cat brought for testing, every kilometre driven, every hour spent waiting beside us, every offer made, every gesture and every drop of blood represented someone saying:
“Your little girl matters to me too.”
We will never forget that.
𝘛𝘰 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴...
Thank you for every prayer, message, phone call, hug, tear and act of kindness. Thank you for checking on us, and for carrying us when we couldn’t carry ourselves.
𝘛𝘰 𝘠𝘶𝘬𝘪 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘊𝘩𝘦𝘸𝘪𝘦...
Our two brave blood donors. 🤍
You had no idea what was happening or why we were asking this of you. You simply trusted us and gave a little piece of yourselves to try to save our girl.
Yuki, your transfusion gave Katia precious extra time with us and another chance to fight. Chewie, when Katia desperately needed a second transfusion, you were there for her too. You bravely donated your blood, although heartbreakingly, Katia suffered a transfusion reaction and it had to be stopped.
Neither of you will ever understand what you did for Katia, or what your gift meant to all of us. You gave part of yourselves to try to save her, and we will be grateful to you for the rest of our lives.
𝘛𝘰 𝘋𝘳 𝘕𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘈𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘬𝘦𝘳...
Thank you for caring so deeply about a little girl you had never even met. You went far beyond what anyone could have expected, phoning colleagues, searching for practices that could perform blood transfusions, offering advice and helping us explore every possible avenue. At a time when we felt desperately helpless, you quietly fought alongside us. Your kindness, compassion and generosity meant more than words can ever express.
𝘛𝘰 𝘋𝘳 𝘉𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘦 𝘕𝘪𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥...
Thank you for treating Katia with such compassion, gentleness and dedication. You cared for her throughout her illness, listened to our concerns, explained her results and continued searching for answers. Even when our journey became one of heartbreak instead of healing, you continued to care for Katia, and for us, with extraordinary kindness. We will always be grateful for everything you did for our beautiful girl.
𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘒𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘢'𝘴 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘳, 𝘠𝘶𝘭𝘪𝘺𝘢...
Thank you for entrusting us with one of the most extraordinary little girls we have ever known. I hope you know that she was cherished beyond measure every single day of her life.
She was never merely part of a breeding programme. She was part of our family. Part of our home. Part of the heart and soul of Valkyrie Maine C***s.
Looking back, I realise just how many hearts Katia touched during her heartbreakingly short life:
Family, friends, veterinarians, breeders, and people who had never even met her all rallied around one little cat, hoping for a miracle.
Although Katia was ours, the love and kindness she inspired belonged to everyone whose heart she touched. Her legacy reaches far beyond ribbons, titles or pedigrees. It lives on in every life she touched, and in every heart she quietly changed.
She left this world exactly as she lived in it: surrounded by love.
People often remember champions for their titles. We will remember something more.
The little voice that joined every conversation.
The coffee thief.
The tea-towel hunter.
Our determined little “Drol Mol.”
The girl who came running whenever furniture was moved.
The dreamer sleeping along the back of the couch.
The scalp exfoliation expert.
The gentle patient who endured so much without ever losing her trust in people.
The beautiful soul who filled our home with more love than we ever thought possible.
That is the Katia we will remember.
Not for the way she died, but for the beautiful way she lived.
Our sweet, sweet Katia...
Your life was far too short, but what you left behind is immeasurable. And we were so incredibly lucky to have you.
If love alone could have saved you, you would have lived forever.
You will always be our beautiful Apple Blossom.
Forever loved.
Forever missed.
Forever unforgettable.
Forever in bloom.
