 1999 - 2008 |
 Association Internationale du Mau Egyptien (AIME) fondée le 20 février 1998, membre du collège des clubs de race du LOOF Tel: O3 29 32 61 21 - mail : info.aime [at] orange.fr |
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|
1999 - 2008 |
Association Internationale du Mau Egyptien (AIME) fondée le 20 février 1998, membre du collège des clubs de race du LOOF Tel: O3 29 32 61 21 - mail : info.aime [at] orange.fr |
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New : our forum, Maus d'Amour on http://forum.aime.ws
AIME was founded in 1998 by Dianick Masson, Stéphane Masson, Marie-Christine Hallépée and Didier Hallépée, at instigation of the latter.
In 1997, the Mau was rare in Europe: some breeders were established in Italy, Netherlands and Switzerland. It is in Switzerland, with Dianick Masson (Nil Blanc cattery) that Marie-Christine and Didier Hallépée (Fondcombe cattery) discovered this magnificent race and decided to make it known in France. At Didier Hallépée's instigation, they founded AIME on February 20th, 1998. They were soon joined by Sandrine Maisnier-Dufour (Bélénus cattery), Becki and Stephen Bergeron (Tavaron cattery) then by many others.
AIME's purpose is the protection, the promotion and the breeding of the Egyptian Mau. As you may have noted, protection comes first and breeding last. AIME certainly gathers breeders, but also Mau owners or even fanciers who haven't yet decided to have a Mau. The most important for AIME, much more than the Mau owner or breeder, is the cat itself!
Our two main centers are naturally France and the United States. But AIME has (or used to have) members in Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Italy and Asia. AIME also maintained relations with England, Luxembourg, Scandinavian countries, South America and Egypt. Therefore, if we have relations with the LOOF, FIFe, CFA or TICA, we protect our independence and our values.
Protection of the Mau
Protection of the Mau first means for us the protection of its health, its quality of life. On the long term, it is our long fight against the consanguinity: the Mau is 4000 years old but is very rare in breeding, which makes the fight against consanguinity very difficult. But it's by doing so that we gave the Maus of our lineages the health and sturdiness which we are looking for.
Protection of the Mau also means to set up conditions of breeding and sale allowing to supply kittens in full bloom and full health. It also is to choose for our kittens homes where they can bloom surrounded with the affection which they deserve.
Protection of the Mau finally means to fight against hybridization: we refuse any external contribution in the Mau, which was smart enough to span over 4000 years without needing any, and we refuse any use of the Mau to create or improve artificial races.
Promotion of the Mau
Promotion of the Mau is everything that allows us to make it better known.
First of all, it's this site created in 1998: more than 800 000 pages visited in 7 languages. It's probably the most visited site among those dedicated to a race of cats. With the sites of our breeders, it represents more than 2 million pages visited since 1998.
Then, it is our participation in the various feline organizations: Loof in France, FIFe, CFA and TICA. We work with these organizations for the definition of the standards and the management of the race.
It's also participating to numerous exhibitions. Obviously, we are only a handful and we cannot go everywhere. But our breeders showed their cats in all the regions of France as well as in numerous foreign countries: Italy, Switzerland, Portugal, Monaco, Luxembourg, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Eastern Europe countries, the United States. Naturally, some of our cats acquired prestigious titles and won at exhibitions, but that's not the most important: what really matters is to make you acquainted with the Mau and then make you share our passion.
AIME also participated in the organization of Egyptian Mau Specials. We managed to gather up to 30 Maus! For that purpose, breeders and owners all participated actively. Imagine so many so beautiful cats offered to the eyes of the public! All the existing colours side by side! For us, it's also a great moment of friendship around our common passion, the Mau, and for me, the occasion to see again these kittens which I found so difficult to let go, as well as their offspring, results of (feline) generations of our common work.
To better share this passion, AIME has just opened a forum, Maus d'amour. What a program!
Breeding of the Mau
For us, breeding is not the end but rather the means that allows us to share our passion. We want happy cats. That's why we encourage family-type breeding and why we refuse intensive breeding for our Maus.
We are very demanding to ourselves as regards the conditions of breeding and sale of our kittens. We gathered our good practices in a charter of breeding which our approved breeders apply conscientiously. It's no wonder then that new owners accompany us within the association and stay in touch for a very long time. A good number of them became my friends.
Of course, one can breed cats differently and still produce beautiful subjects. But within our charter are our values to which we freely adhered. To us, being an AIME approved breeder is a label which has a real value.
The AIME Team
Executive
committee Didier HALLÉPÉE President founding member - Fondcombe cattery Chantal POISSON-PIOTROWSKI Vice-President - In charge of communication Bernard BOUCHER Treasurer Fort de la Bosse Marnière cattery Virginie LEROUX Secretary Christiane BOUCHER Deputy Treasurer Fort de la Bosse Marnière cattery
Members of the
Board or Directors
Dianick MASSON Honorary president founding member - Nil Blanc cattery (Switzerland) Zoran RADOVANOVIC for translations in english Brigitte ROULLEAUX board member Christelle CAILLEUX board member L'Arbre Perché cattery Sylvie SCHUTZ board member Minas Tirith cattery
Consultative
members of the Board or
Directors
Rebecca BERGERON US representative honorary vice-president - Tavaron cattery Dot BROCKSOM US representative honorary vice-president - Brockhaven cattery Dorothea MARDULIER US representative honorary vice-president - Maullenium cattery
all three in charge to represent AIME toward feline associations,
clubs and breeders in United States
It might look like a very (an overly (?)) large team of volunteers. But there's a lot of work to be done!
le chat et l'Egypte - cat in ancien Egypt
Nouveau : notre forum, Maus d'Amour
Concept, text and pictures of this web site at registered
at
