The Person Behind Monella Persians - Connie Gauci de Brincat

How did this great passion for cats come about? This is a question people who know me well often ask me. My life was, and still is, filled with art. My late father, a man of culture and great lover of nature saw that his three daughters were well versed in the arts. I learnt Ballet Dancing, music and painting. The three of us inherited my father’s love for culture and nature. I love collecting antiques, Melitensia and things of beauty.

My grandmother’s house was full of books on ancient civilizations and Greek literature. To me it was an Aladdin’s cave and as a confirmed bookworm, this was manna from above. My father’s family were well steeped in French culture as my grandfather was a respected businessman whose business dealings were with French people or people of French culture. My father and uncles inherited this business and “the French culture”. Being surrounded by French speaking people is one of my earliest recollections. I remember lovely gifts of perfume and Persian rugs to my mother’s delight.

My mother to this very day cannot understand why my sisters and I are surrounded by a “Zoo”. My mother loves the good life. Animals are “de trop.” To her they are a bind.

I got married quite young and am the mother of two sons whom I absolutely adore. They have inherited my love for animals and nature. I have had hamsters, frogs, fish, and tortoises in our home. The latest additions are two Shih Tzu puppies, absolutely adorable.

I am an Honours degree graduate in Philosophy and studied at the University of Malta and also studied at the University of London. My area of speciality is the French Enlightenment and its impact on the Maltese Islands. I have written a number of articles about this subject. I have enjoyed writing about interesting people, animals, and reviews about art, to mention a few subjects.

I love travelling, having travelled all over most of Europe and the USA. Hugs and kisses to the people of Rochester Minnesota, who took me to their hearts during my four month stay there. My favourite spot is Switzerland, in a skiing resort where I have spent idyllic moments. I will not divulge the name. It is a secret hideaway. I also love London, Vienna and Paris. London is my second home.

So where do cats fit in? In 1989 my dog Sooty, a Yorkshire Terrier died. I was heartbroken and I was given a surprise present, my first two cats Laodicea Pepita a dilute Calico and Laodicea Popples, a blue /white Bi colour. I was amazed by the grace and intelligence of these two cats. I had my first litter of kittens and helping Pepita giving birth to such tiny creatures filled me with awe. From then on it was a learning experience with each new litter. I imported new cats from the UK and the USA. Learning about the Persian Breed and genetics was a wondrous experience. And most important of all I had to alter my lifestyle.

I had the pleasure to have had as my mentor Mrs Penny Bydlinski, the former Secretary-General of FIFe, as I was club secretary and registrar of NCS. I introduced FIFe and Mrs. Bydlinski in the Maltese Islands and was the first person to organize both National and International FIFe shows. Together with a group of other persons I helped found M.F.F., however due to personal reasons I resigned as Secretary/ Registrar. I wish continued success to this club.

I have achieved all Honours in FIFe Shows breaking new ground each time. My thanks go to Elaine Gibbons of Laodicea Persians who came to Malta several times, to Julie Anthony of Sharamka Persians and Dorothy Perrson of Harwood Persians who entrusted me with their cats. Dorothy is a friend and my mentor teaching me new stuff as new experiences crop up. What Dorothy does not know about cats is not worth knowing. Thanks Dottie.

I also would like to thank Cynthia my right hand, who adores my cats. I only entrust them to her. She is an animal lover par excellence. Monella Symphony In Blue is alive due to her intransigence and staying up all night with him when he was just days old.

Another thank you goes to my gardener who keeps my garden in tip top condition and tells me that he enjoys watching the garden on the internet and how to further improve it.

I believe that life is a learning experience and happiness is maximum communication. Through cats, I have had the pleasure of meeting new friends. Friends who invite me to shows abroad or spend holidays with them. We have long chats via email and exchange photos and news. I have had the pleasure of translating from French to English my friend’s Monique Collibeaux’s website. This is a new experience. In Philosophy we teach that one question leads to the next and so is life - new experiences keep cropping up. What one makes of life is the secret of a happy fulfilled life.

I love all cats, my advice to the Maltese people is if you want a cat, adopt one of the cats from the many sanctuaries we have on our island. They will thank you with much love. If that is not what you want and are thinking in terms of the different breeds of pedigree cats you happen to prefer. Ask yourself how does this living creature fit in with your lifestyle? A cat is a live animal, and I will not tolerate anyone declawing my cats or any cat. Declawing a cat is maiming a cat for life.

I feed the stray cats in my garden. My thanks go to Mrs. Goia, wife of His Excellency the Ambassador to the USA, my next door neighbour who feeds and neuters the cats which roam from her garden to mine. She is a feline lover of the first order. Malta will miss her when His Excellency’s term of office is up.

My excitement with cats has not waned; it is still as fresh as when I first started. Next on my agenda is entering my cats in shows abroad, to meet the many friends who have invited me to their respective countries and am preparing the way already. Again new experiences.

Another import is also on the agenda and I am looking to the Scandinavian countries or the USA for another beautiful feline beauty.

I will end this introduction to my world which is all about the search for knowledge with two quotes from Nietzsche one of my Favourite Philosophers about morality versus life:

“Life has not disappointed me! Year by year I find it truer, more desirable, more mysterious – from the day when the great liberating thought dawned upon me that life may well be an experiment of the knower – and not a duty nor a predicament nor a swindle! And as for Knowledge: whatever it may mean for others – a bed of idleness, for instance or a road to a bed of idleness, an amusement or idle pastime – for me it is a world of perils and victories, where heroic feelings too have their arena and playground. Life is a means to knowledge – with this maxim in one’s heart one can live bravely and even joyfully!“ Nietzsche.

The other is from my favourite singer Elvis Presley “...the image is one thing and the human being is another...it’s very hard to live up to an image.”

Welcome to my world of feline beauty and my truly Mediterranean paradise. Enjoy.

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