The Amazing Kit Kat From the Farm to Guinness Star

Walking into professional animal trainer Trish Seifried’s spotless home in Eureka, Missouri, is a pet-lover’s dream. Visitors will be greeted by three happy dogs, a chatty green-winged Macaw, and a multi-colored clowder of domestic long and shorthairs, three Siberians, and a macho Bambino, Rogan, who at any moment may launch himself on to your shoulder.

- Lucy Drury

The first time I walked into Trish’s home to deliver her first Siberian, I was in awe. I had brought Snowball, a 9-month-old blue lynx point and white neuter who would eventually become GP, RW Cyberkoshki Moonlite Imaginations, there for a trial evaluation while I was attending the 2019 CFA Annual. We decided that he would visit her while I was in New York and if she thought he was a good fit, he would stay, if I could take him to shows to finish his Grand Premier title.

A Crash Course in Feline Behavior

I thought I knew cats after owning rescues for over 30 years and Siberians for the last eight years. I found when it came to cat behavior, I knew next to nothing. As Trish introduced me to her cats, my awe increased. I had never seen cats like this before. Many came right up to me to greet me. All of them were trained to do many tricks and behaviors, and many of them had their own, special signature tricks. Foxy, a black domestic shorthair who was featured a few years ago on the cover of Cat Talk, would extend his claws on command. Beans, a blue and white longhair, could do somersaults and rub objects on command. Rosemary, a tortoiseshell shorthair, was an expert at weaving through poles and Trish’s legs. Jimmy Choo, a brown classic tabby shorthair had a face that seemed familiar; then I realized it was the same face that greeted me twice a day from the can of prescription cat food that one of my retirees needs. Chow Chow, a solid blue longhair could leap off a high tower, tell you his name, or walk backwards to a mark on command. Most of these cats are rescues and have a story to tell. However, none of them can compare with the story of Kit Kat, Trish’s cream longhair neuter, who greeted me with purrs and high fives.