My name is Lindsey and I have been an Abyssinian breeder since 1999. I got my first Abyssinian, Abbott, from a local vet while I was still in high school. In 1998, I met Juanita and Dickie Henderson, Abbott's breeders. Our friendship was instant, and very soon after, I became a partner in Sterlingsilver Abyssinians with Juanita and Dickie.

Juanita and Dickie Henderson started the Torticka cattery in 1985 with Ridgerunner's Cecropia of Torticka (Pia), a ruddy female, being their first Aby. Around 1988 or 1989, Juanita saw the first silver abyssinian in the country at a show in Austin, TX. Windemere's Silverdream (Sissy) of Elora was a ruddy silver imported into the country from Norway by Chris Brooks, a veterinarian in Ft. Worth, TX. Sissy was bred to Juanita's blue, Torticka Micale. Later, Sissy was bred to a ruddy silver somali from Germany and Juanita was given Elora's Tiffany of Torticka. Several years later, Sissy was bred to a blue male, Highstepper's Blue Boy, producing Elora's Wallace (Lacy) of Sterlingsilver and Elora's Oneida of Sterlingsilver (first blue silver in the country). With the addition of these two kittens, the Sterlingsilver cattery was formed by Juanita specifically for her silver lines of Abyssinians.

Since the silver abyssinians were new to the country, neither CFA or TICA had standards for them. While CFA to this day does not allow silvers, TICA accepted them in the New Breed, New Color division. Around this time, Juanita, together with David Ashmore of Mystiquajoy, wrote the breed standard for TICA for all four silver colors of abyssinians.

In 2001, TICA decided to accept all four silver colors into their championship division. In June of 2001, in Ft. Worth, TX, Sterlingsilver Daylily became the first blue silver female abyssinian champion in the nation.

Sterlingsilver and Torticka Abyssinians