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Welcome!

I'm Patricia Salazar, I live in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Kalfumalen cattery was registered in TICA ( The International Cat Association) in 1997 and in 2001 in FIFe (Federation Internationale Feline).
Since then, all my cats are registered in both institutions.

In order to maintain a link to traditions I've chosen "KALFUMALEN" as cattery name, it comes from the "Mapuche" language (Mapzungun).
This language is now spoken by natives from the south, the Argentinian Patagonia.
Kalfumalen means "Blue Girls" in honour of my first blue cream cat: "Bruma's Aruba", she's the former queen of my cattery.

At first, I based my breeding program only in Persians, those beautiful long haired cats.
After a few years, I started with the first Himalayans an lastly, two years later, I decided to incorporate those lovely short haired cats: the Exotics.

The purpose is to breed with a constant work, high quality cats, respecting the breed standard, with excellent health condition, by means of a strict selection and constant veterinary care.
After all, the main purpose, is to breed sweet and socially adapted pets.
All of them, since to my first cat up to my last kitten are bred with love, consciousness, dedication and truly respect for these marvellous creatures that fill up my life.
On the other hand, what I expect for these beloved creatures when they leave my home is to be looked after with love and respect.

Kafumalen cats has participated from its beginning not only at TICA shows but as the AFA's (Asociación Felina Argentina - FIFe member-) as well, always with excellent performance, since some years ago up till now, Kalfumalen cattery stands within the top three Persian and Exotic argentinian catteries according to the AFA's ranking.

I would like to thank specially the person who inspired me and still guides me in this passionate activity, my dearest friend Graciela Troncoso (Bruma's cattery).
I also want to thank my dear Marcelo Prado, he with his professionalism, dedication, art, and his camera, was able to capture the beauty of my beloved cats, and the unforgettable moments that have taken place in the cattery.
And finally, I want to thank Mrs. Alejandra T. de Ayala (Inca Huasi cattery, FIFe judge Cat. I, III and IV) who has helped me with the english translation of this site.

Thank you for visiting my website. Come on and be my guest whenever you want, enjoy my cats.

Patricia

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Patricia Mabel Salazar
N. Avellaneda 531, PA - San Isidro
(1642) Buenos Aires - Argentina
Tel 00 54 11 4747 2673
E-mail: info@kalfumalen.com

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* The Mapuches
The Mapuches are the largest indigenous Argentinian and Chilean group and the third in South America, they were the original in habitants of the wide South Territory of the South American Continent, which belongs nowadays to the independient republies of Argentina and Chile.
The Mapuche Nation constitute a political ,linguistic, cultural and historical unit, this conjuntion happens by means of a geographical and territorial unit located on both sides of the Andes Mountain Range, and from the centre to the south of the Argentinian Republic and Chile, with the denomination of "Puel Mapu" and "Gulu Mapu" respectively. All this geographical area constitutes the Ancestral Mapuche Territory.
After the so called "Desert Conquest" and the " Araucania Pacification" , and as a result of drastic territorial reduction that this Nation had to face, their language was forced to be used almost in a clandestine way hiding it away from the " Wigka's" ears and instead of this speaking the "castilla" for their social relations to the "white" world . Because of this situation the people that was committed to "civilize this nation" had the strong feeling of the inminent extintion of the "Mapuzungun", this is documented in written works about the Language of this nation and kept up to the present.
"Mapuzungun" belongs to an orally transmitted culture and is one of the fundamental vehicles that supports the Mapuche's Educational System.
Despite a very strong process of ideological and cultural colonization, the Mapuche people has been able to maintain fundamental aspects that sustain its existence in this Territory. One of the main components of that existence up to the present is precisely their Language, the "Mapuzungun".