Welcome to Thorsgard Show Cats!

Hello and welcome to Thorsgard Cats.  Currently Specializing in Abyssinians and Norwegian Forest Cats - we have also been very active and successful with our Maine Coons.  We have even been known to show a Birman!  Here you will be able to see information not only about our show cats - but also about available kittens and cats we might have available for you to take home for your very own!

About Our Cats

Thorsgard Cattery originated in 1997 and is located in West Des Moines, Iowa -- about a 3 hour drive from Kansas City,  a 4 hour drive from Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN, and a 6 hour drive from St. Louis, MO, or Milwaukee, WI.  The owners of Thorsgard Cattery are Deb Dursky and Libby Watkins.  Our goal at Thorsgard is to breed healthy, well-socialized cats who are at home---whether in the show ring or simply as a beloved member of the family. We currently show exclusively in the Cat Fanciers Association (CFA).

Our cattery (which in this case is our home) has been inspected by a licensed veterinarian.  For the past several years we have been certified with the highest rating possible as a "CFA Approved Cattery of Excellence."  We treat our cats as members of our family and do not believe in the use of cages. 

Our kittens are carefully examined by a veterinarian before release to their new owners between the ages of  12-16 weeks old.   The majority of our kittens will be going to their new homes already altered (spayed or neutered).  We want the kittens to be fully recovered from their surgeries and their last vaccination prior to leaving to ensure that they will be happy, healthy and ready to explore their new homes. 

We also try to find good homes for our retired show cats when the season is over as well as retired breeding cats and have been quite successful at this. While it is hard to part with these cats, we often feel that a cat needs a home with fewer cats (or no other cats in some cases) as companions. Prices vary based on sex and age of the cat, but are always significantly less than the cost of young kittens

There are many advantages when adopting an adult cat. Adults have well developed habits, so it is easier to match them up with the right adoptive family. Also, adults to do not require the patience that an active kitten demands. And in the case of the Norwegian Forest Cat, they take 3-4 years to fully mature!

We prefer to place our young adults locally or within reasonable driving distance to West Des Moines, Iowa. This way we are able to take back any cats who weren't happy or able to adjust to their new home. We will not ship our cats and they must be indoor only cats. If you are interested in any of the following cats, please email us at ddursky524@aol.com (email preferred) or call us at (515) 225-9387.

Click HERE for a pdf of our sales contract.

Available Cats

Layla is a very sweet and affectionate female (spay). She is probably the most beautiful example of a Norwegian that we've had the pleasure to own!! In fact, she is the mother of our last CFA National Winner – “Grand Premier Thorsgard Tipper" who was 4th Best Cat in premiership.

Unfortunately, Layla is on the bottom of the totem pole in our house. So we feel she would be happier in a house with fewer cats (one or two other cats would be okay, no dogs).

Since Layla is an older retiree (she was born Nov. 2001), she would need a longer adjustment time than a kitten, but would be a loving addition to any family. She has never been around a dog so we don't know exactly how she would react to one. Layla has a very thick, wooly coat, which would require weekly combing.

We are asking $100 for Layla. She does have her claws and cannot be declawed and is an indoor only kitty!! As always, we would take her back if she isn't happy or couldn't adjust to her new home. Please email us at ddurky524@aol.com or call us at (515) 225-9387 if you are interested.

Tipper is our famous “Cover Cat”!! He is a very sweet and loving male (neuter). He is probably the most handsome example of a Norwegian that we've ever produced! In fact, he is a former CFA National Winner and was 44th Best Cat in the country in 2006.

Now that Tipper has retired from the show ring, we feel he would be happier in a house with fewer cats (one or two other cats would be okay, no dogs).

Since Tipper is an older retiree (he was born Nov 2002), he would need a longer adjustment time than a kitten, but would be a loving addition to any family. He has never been around a dog so we don't know exactly how he would react to one. Tipper has a very thick, wooly coat, which would require weekly combing.

We are asking $300 for Tipper. He does have his claws and cannot be declawed and is an indoor only kitty!! As always, we would take him back if he isn't happy or couldn't adjust to his new home. Please email us at ddurky524@aol.com or call us at (515) 225-9387 if you are interested.