As a family hobby and lifestyle, RoyalLions is a small high quality Florida Maine Coon breeder that raises and shows Championship Maine Coons in TICA. We are honored to have been properly mentored by Broadway Cats who have 30 years of reputable experience in the Cat Fancy producing dozens of Regional and International winners including OS, IW, SGC Redding who sired TICA 2017 #1 Cat in the World, MTNest Midnight Cowboy. During a two year period of mentorship, we became educated, showed cats as a hobby, and slowly started our own cattery after submitting a formal cattery design plan that had to be approved before we could buy breeding cats. We are now the proud home of FOUR INTERNATIONAL WINNERS. International Winners are the most difficult and highest distinction a cat can earn in the Cat Fancy where cats are objectively evaluated for breed conformation, structure, disposition, and must fall in the top 25 kittens or cats (depending on the age class) in the World out of 72 breeds and thousands showing internationally at the conclusion of a show year. RoyalLions Count Blackula and RoyalLions Lunar Eclipse of MTNest, a solid black male and female obtained these prestigious titles. In 2016, we campaigned our beautiful blue silver outcross Cloistercoon Graymoor of RoyalLions and he became an International Winner. In 2017, after retiring Count Blackula who successfully sired for 8 years (like his father) with proven health and reliability, we showed his son, a dark chocolate brown ticked tabby named RoyalLions Count Chocula. He rose to the top of the rankings in the kitten class and earned the distinction of the No. 1 Maine Coon Kitten in the World for 2017, and 4th Allbreed. Later, he became the 8th Best Maine Coon in the Adult Championship Class despite a very reasonable show schedule.
Regionally, we have a number of Southeast Regional and Best Maine Coon Cat Winners: CascadeMtn Love Shack of RoyalLions and RoyalLions Count Blackula, RoyalLions Count Chocula and Cloistercoon Graymoor of RoyalLions. Other Regional Winners include: RoyalLions Jewel Thief of Tanstaafl and RoyalLions Victoria Secret of Broadsway. Our Broadsway Redford of RoyalLions is two-time Southeast Regional Award Winner in the Alter Class, we have also produced a good number of Grand Champions as well. We refrain from using unhealthy inbreeding practices that guarantee type just to win shows nor do we utilize growth hormones to size up our cats to market and exploit the breed. Excessive weight can stress the heart and joints, besides it's cheating! Health and disposition are priority and the Maine Coon can take five years to fully mature so size can never be guaranteed.
Former Queen RoyalLions Big Kahuna Photo by Helmi Flick
Despite achievements in the show world, our primary goal remains steadfast: though we live in a relatively modest home, our cats believe they reside in a castle! With multiple cat trees and custom window perches in every room, the lions occupy the best seats in the house and enjoy a special freedom many breeding cats are not afforded. We refrain from using outside kennels, garages, crates, or isolation areas nor do we raise kittens off-site which is becoming more and more common. Our sires roam free in their designated domain within our home and a secure outdoor play yard customized to keep their muscularity and minds stimulated. They are included in family life yet appropriately segregated from breeding females. We agree with the philosophy of an exclusive indoor life because it prevents outdoor threats including: parasites, contagious diseases such as Feline Aids & Leukemia, wild/rabid predators, and vehicles. In addition, indoor life significantly enhances socialization and bonding leading to cats that become very childlike and emotionally attached. Our Maine Coons join us in just about every activity we do including family vacations necessitating our permanent litter box in the back of our vehicles. They have freedom to all living areas and are full family members with nicknames, self-declared chill-ou spots, and their own personal china. Our Redford in fact has his own stool at our dinner table. We feel a cat has a natural right to the finer things in life and making these accommodations is a privilege for in return they reward us with astounding love and affection!
More about the Lion keepers...
Allen has a background in Commercial Construction, Pet Integrated Home Design, and Living Solutions. He completed schooling at FSU, Florida A&M, and the Univ. of Tennessee with an emphasis in Architecture. Allen enjoys fishing, hunting, boating, Eagle Scouts, Cat Shows, and refiguring our home for the lions. His first reaction to a Maine Coon as a former dog person, "Who needs a dog when you can have a Maine Coon?!"
Janie has a background in Higher Education, was an Administrator at FSU College of Engineering, and now is the full time lion keeper and forever mother of three daughters. She completed her B.S. (1988) and M.S. (1992) at Florida State University. She is interested in environmental and wildlife conservation, cycling, soccer, track and field, boating, and of course showing and raising the Maine Coon kittens.
Savanna is the oldest of three daughters. She completed her B.S.N. at Florida State University in 2017 and is now a Pediatric ER nurse and is currently attending Duke University's Nurse Practitioner Master's program. While in college at FSU Savanna was a part of one of two collegiate circuses in the country. She performed for three years in Hand Balancing and Spanish Web acts. Savanna enjoys going to Disney World and the beach. She also loves having her very own RoyalLion "Tally" and is the ultimate foodie, especially when it comes to cupcakes!
Madison, the middle daughter, graduated from FSU in 2018 with a B.S. in Biology and Chemistry minor. She was a 4 year varsity athlete with the Track &Field and Cross Country teams at Florida State, serving as the Cross Country captain her junior year. She recently graduated with a M.S. in Aquatic Environmental Science in Decemebr 2019. She hopes to attend Veterinary School in the near future. Madison enjoys running (obviously), soccer, boating, ice cream, and some serious Netflix binging!
Dallas, the youngest of three daughters, is currently attending Florida State with hopes of attending Law School after completing a Bachelor's degree in Political Science with a concentration in International Relations. She has been an integral part of our show cat campaigns and even desires to become a certified cat show judge one day! Dallas enjoys cooking, gardening, naps, and all things candy!
"For a person deserving of their friendship, they pour out a really deep and beautiful affection!"
Carl Van Vetches
Support
We support organizations such as Friends of the Florida Panther Refuge in an effort to increase a dwindling species population, to increase and protect refuge areas, and support radio collars and secure barrier fencing to I-75 and highways bordering refuge land where Panthers get hit by cars in South Florida. We are proud adoptive parents of "Wanderer" and other Florida Panthers.
We support the Winn Feline Health Foundation via two ongoing funds. The Bria FIP Fund (Feline Infectious Peritonitis), and The Ricky HCM Fund, which provides support for the Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy research. HCM is a heart defect that can affect all cats, which leads to premature death. HCM is common among all felines but can be a risk in the Maine Coon breed with a genetic component but also may randomly occur via spontaneous mutation. Heart disease is the No. 1 cause of death in all felines. It is our dream that new medicines and therapies are discovered in our lifetime to decrease the uncomfortable effects of this disease, prolong the life span, decrease the rate of the disease, and perhaps even one day find cures. HCM and the support of this fund is everybody's responsibility; any person who has ever loved a feline!