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Silkenfur is a small business owned by Colleen and our daughter Natasha, who wants to be a vet.  Our cattery has only 1-2 queens at a time, which translates to 2-4 batches of kittens per year.  Our mission is to teach Natasha and other kids money management and entrepreneurship, this is one of the ways we can get her exposure to animal husbandry.  I also try to instill the love of DIY and being willing to try something new!

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When I (Colleen) was growing up on a farm in Montana, my dad raised Black Angus cattle.  My mom had a Jersey cow that she would sell the milk to the neighbors locally.  Her calves were given to my sisters and I to help care for, and we then bred the cows and sold their offspring to help raise money for college.  Mom always told us, "You're going to college and you're going to have to pay for it too."

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Fast forward to today, and now I have the chance to help Natasha earn money for college (and with dreams of becoming a vet, that's a big bill)  We do that by raising Bengal cats, but also by creating crafts and selling at local events and farmers markets.  Natasha has been in 4H for several years, and we have completed the cottage industry training, so we can sell food items in state.

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Natasha has also learned horsemanship and fundraising skills with her involvement in Westernaires, and is paying it forward by helping teach teammates and younger members how to talk to people and to raise funds to help pay for the horses.