About Me
Catspell Exotics is the passion project of Katrina Ojaste - that's me! I have been involved in the cat fancy since 2007, and am beyond excited to start this new chapter.
I began my career in the cat fancy in the fall of 2007 with my very first cat, a calico Persian spay named Mia. I fell in love instantly - Mia, on the other hand, did not! We persevered and the following year I welcomed my first Himalayan, Bowie (GP RW SMGP Peppurrz Bowie in Space CNW). Bowie brought me to the big leagues, and I went from a teenager learning to groom to the exhibitor of a Canadian National and CFA Regional winning neuter. I truly discovered my passion for grooming and presenting cats at their best, and I will always take pride in ensuring my cats are in excellent condition.
I have worn many hats in the cat fancy, serving in many capacities as to help staff, run, and organize cat shows across eastern Canada. I have been a licensed ring clerk with CCA-AFC since 2010, which I enjoy very much. Today, I am a member of Motor City Cat Club, hosting shows in Durham Region, and the Show Coordinator for the Canadian National Exhibition cat show. In my "day job" I serve as Operations Manager for the Canadian Cat Association.
As my academic background is in Archives & Museum Studies, I greatly enjoy sharing the long history of the cat fancy, educating the public about our hobby and our breeds, and making available information that can help everyone be better, more responsible pet owners.
The Five Domains of Animal Welfare
Nutrition
High-quality food, hydration & positive feeding conditions
Physical Environment
Safe & engaging living spaces that support needs
Health
Proactive approach to disease/injury prevention
Behavioural Interactions
Promote positive & varied sensory & social interactions
Mental State
Encourage emotional well-being & lower stress with feelings of safety & freedom to choose
As an ethical breeder, we have the following goals for our program:
Preservation of historic Himalayan & pointed Exotic lines
Although the Himalayan was once the world's most popular breed, both on the show bench and at home, today many of these lines are nearly extinct. I would like to ensure that the legacy of these incredible cats and breeders is preserved for future generations, whether in longhair or shorthair form.
Improvement of overall health through rigorous testing & pedigree screening
Reduce or eliminate diseases in the Exotic breed through DNA testing and additional health screening. All of our breeding cats are DNA tested through Optimal Selection/Wisdom Panel for all standard included tests, with the relevant tests for Exotics being PKD (Polycystic Kidney Disease), PRA (Progressive Retinal Atrophy, Persian type), Factor XII clotting deficiency, and blood type (the Exotic has both A and B). By screening pedigrees and ensuring that we have personally met and interacted with the breeders behind our lines, we can help reduce the incidences of non-testable conditions affecting the Persian breed group including eye ulcers/corneal sequestrums, entropion, irritable bowel disease, periodontal disease, and early-onset arthritis.
Maintain type and structure that meets the breed standard without hypertyping
We firmly believe that it is possible to achieve both a beautiful, balanced head type that meets the CCA-AFC and CFA breed standards and a cat with clear, open airways with no difficulty in breathing, biting, or swallowing. We stand firmly against the trend seen in some parts of the world that raises the break of the nose above the upper part of the fully open eye. This "extreme extreme" look is referred to as hypertyping, and it produces exactly all the health issues we aim to avoid. At the same time, we believe there is no need to sacrifice the classic B profile and "crosshair" eye/nose placement. By selecting cats with large, wide heads, nose breaks of correct placement and depth, free of a "rope" wrinkle, we believe this can be achieved.
Our Values
At the heart of our program is responsible, ethical breeding, focused on preserving the traits that have made the Exotic one of the world's most popular breeds, while working to improve the breed's overall health and structure so that our cats live long, healthy, happy lives.
This framework developed by Dr. David J. Mellor et al (https://www.mdpi.com/855036) summarizes how we approach raising & caring for our cats.
Socials
(c) Copyright Katrina Ojaste / Catspell Exotics, 2026. All photos credit to their original photographers.
No images or writing on this website were generated by AI. We believe in ethical, human-produced content.