My name is Carol Pedley and I was born and raised here in Maine. I have always had a great love and respect for animals all of my life and was always "finding" some pet to drag home as a child. At times I think my Mom would get pretty discouraged with me--- especially when I brought home a hamster-- which she considered to be the same as a mouse in her eyes---something to be feared and hated!!! I thought he was pretty cute!!!

I had a few cats as pets when I was growing up but like most people didn't really know a lot about them. In 1969 I acquired two black longhaired kittens with polydactyl feet from a baby-sitter's mother. These were just House Hold Pets (HHPs), but they were very lovely and smart cats.

I named the male "Trouble"; he grew to about twenty pounds as an adult. I named the female "Cinder" for her blackness. I had never heard of cat clubs or shows at that time, but I had a friend who belonged to the local cat club and they were having a HHP Cat Show and she talked me into showing Trouble. I thought it would be fun for my children and myself so I entered him. Trouble did very well and was quite a hit.

After that show, Nancy talked me into doing a big 4 ring all-breed show with Trouble. Back then ACA ( the American Cat Association) was very big here in New England and I did enter him in one of their shows. Again he did very well. The judges loved him and marveled over his huge polydactyl feet. Through these shows I met Liz Bicknell who had Abnaki Cattery and she introduced me to purebred Maine Coons. I absolutely loved them and still do.

To my surprise they were just the same type of cats my grandmother, way up in northern Maine, had when I was a small child. I bought my first three cats from Liz and she introduced me to the "how to" of obtaining and registering of foundation cats. I registered my cattery in 1971 and started showing my first purebred Maine Coon -- " Abnaki Mr. Bo Jangles of Le Beau Minu "--- a blue classic tabby. He was lovely and he did well for me; but back then Maine Coons didn't stand much chance to Grand or to even make many finals.

Time went on and I obtained several foundation line cats which I implemented into my breeding program. I met my husband Tom in 1972 and we married in 1973. Tom joined me in showing the cats and has become a better mid-wife than I at times--- plus he is apt to spoil the kitties more than I do. The children helped out a lot in those days--- helping to feed and care for and always to socialize. Then they grew up and went on with their lives.

My oldest granddaughter, Alyson, has done many shows with me and shares my love for the cats. When Tom could no longer go to shows due to his job Alyson went with me a lot. I think I have bred almost every color there is over the years. However, now I keep a limited number cats and breed primarily for brown , red, silver , cameo tabbies and torbies with and without white. I occasionally get black smokes, smoke torties, and blue tabbies with or without white.

TGC Le Beau Minu Yankee Doodle Dandy

Eleven years after I started my cattery, I bred a lovely brown tabby w/white boy that I came very close to selling as a pet. I fell in love with him and the more I looked at him the less I wanted to sell him. Tom talked me into keeping him--- it didn't take too much twisting of my arm!!! I named him Le Beau Minu Yankee Doodle Dandy and I showed him in CFF (Cat Fanciers Federation),CFA (Cat Fanciers Association), and TICA (The International Cat Association) in the following two seasons.

He was Best MC in CFF two seasons in a row, had Master Granded by the second season and wound up as Third best Cat National and Eastern for that second season. He also made MCBFA (Maine Coon Breeders and Fanciers Association) and Cat's Magazine awards. He Granded in both CFA and TICA.

12 Week Old Kittens (Le Beau Minu Rhapsody In Blue - Ch. Essiecoons Sasafras)

My granddaughter, Alyson with her kitten "Le Beau Minu Johnny Walker Red"
at the end of the UMCCA cat show in Bath, ME on October 16th, 2005!