Above: Mount Kilimanjaro, 5895 m, the highest mountain in Africa First on the left: Shyshaman's Uhuru Peak Second on the left: Shyshaman's Kilimanjaro Bay

I have always been fascinated by words and languages - they have indeed been a passion of mine since the age of five (or perhaps even earlier ...) and I mean Passion with years of studying and working on them, not just dreaming of knowing them. Languages ranging from Classical Greek, from French to Latin have filled my life, and the choice of career was not a difficult one to make. Being a professional translator in the fields of International Law and Trade is a great opportunity to “taste” and enjoy words and phrases, but I must admit it gets rather tiresome and theoretical from time to time, and so I enjoy wholeheartedly naming our kittens with the sweetest, most fitting and yes, respectful names. It would be lovely to give all our kitties mythical Finnish names, but as this breed of Ragdolls is very international, I have chosen to give most registered names in English, so that their meaning will be understood. After all, nomen est omen, they say ... Our general theme in naming is Nature - be it mountains, lakes, forests, oceans ... Our first three litters have all names in the Water Element because of my particular love for the sea. I usually make the names up by myself, but get sometimes inspired by music, art, literature or mythical places. The official registered names are the crowns of our cats, but the nicknames or the names their families use to call them by are in many respects even more meaningful. Those are the names that the kitties get to know and accept, those are there own special codes. In addition to giving all our kittens registered names, we always pick out some cute sounding nick names to give to each new born, and when the kittens move on to their new homes, their families either keep the names or change them to suit their purposes better. It is advisable to tell your breeder about your name preferences so that the kitten will get used to its name at the earliest age possible. Some of my favorite names include Shyshaman’s Rain Rain Rain, Shyshaman’s Cool Cool River, Shyshaman’s Oceans Wide and Shyshaman’s Cry Me A River ... but all the names are special to me as it is the very name of that very kitten for his or her whole life - a real omen. That is why these names carry strong and beautiful qualities and are full of life. Two of the most special names that a Shyshaman’s kittens could have are undoubtedly the name of Shyshaman’s Kilimanjaro Bay and Shyshaman's Uhuru Peak (see top of page). I have my dear sister, Susanna, to thank for this grand theme - her unbelievably courageous expedition in January, 2000, onto Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa, and her breathtaking plan to climb up to the summit (Uhuru Peak) of that mountain (almost 6 km) was the inspiration behind the name. And she did indeed climb it: Susanna - WONDERFUL !!! For our kitten names, see Our Litters So Far

Shyshaman's River Haiku - a name that combines our themes Nature, Water Element and Art