The late Stella Slabber looks back

All breeds judge, Stella Slabber, founder member of the All Breeds Cat Club (ABCC), and "mother" of the Chinchilla cats in SA, died in August 2006 at the age of 84.

Stella, although not always in good health, still judged just before she turned 84 - "kierie"*, cigarettes and all. This made her probably the oldest cat judge on a championship cat show ever!

Stella imported her first Chinchillas in the mid seventies from Jean Ramsdale, USA. In 1980, her Cherie Dear Nikki became the first Persian supreme in South Africa, and he was also the 1980 cat of the year. The Dearheart and Cherie tradition lives on the Cherie-Finesse Cattery.

Stella, assisted by her children, wrote down her memories of the SA cat fancy for us.

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* "Kierie" is the Afrikaans for a walking stick.

v2 2006-12-06