Uhmmm…from what I have read about the Honeybear cat I feel pretty free to be less than scientific in this short article on this rare breed. In fact a lot of it is pure opinion. There is no mention of the breed in the best books, unsurprisingly. Being reliant solely on the internet is not good.
This is because there is very little sound information about this breed.
Update: I have a picture of a real Honeybear cat and he is beautiful. This cat should be better known.
This gorgeous cat lives with Caren Di Lauro who says this about her cat:
“I got him 7 years ago from a breeder in Oregon, one of the very few breeders at the time, called Honeybear Starz Cattery. They were a certified breeder and had the most beautiful honeybears of all. However it does not look like they are selling anymore, hopefully still breeding and will sell again one day. I would never get another cat after having a honeybear, I am so in love with him. We have a 6 year old and she asked me if I could get her a honeybear when she grows up, so I looked on the internet just out of curiosity and it looks like no one is breeding or selling 😉 I send you another photo….he is just absolutely beautiful <3....FYI: They DO shed (I vacuum every damn day, lol), BUT they do not matte so that part is correct."
Here is another picture:
His name is Pacha (the big lovable peasant from the Disney move Emperor’s New Grove). He is 8 years of age at March 2013.
On some sites they even say, in all seriousness, that it was in part created by artificially inseminating a cat with the genes from a skunk. This comes from the preferred coat type for this cat, which is a white spotted stripe on the tail resembling the skunk’s coat.
This wild story exists because the creation of this breed is embroiled in the myths and mysticism of the founder of the Ragdoll cat breed, Ann Baker. Anne Baker probably liked to create a bit of mystery to heighten interest in a new breed. Many breeders do this but in more subtle ways.
It is said that Anne Baker created the Honeybear breed. I have no idea if that is true. Perhaps one of her colleagues did it. It appears, however, that it is related to the organisation that she founded, the IRCA (International Ragdoll Cat Association). It was founded, I believe, in 1971.
As there was a good bit of argument in the Ragdoll cat breeders camp due to Anne Baker’s unreasonable demands (it is alleged), it may be true that Anne Baker decided to create another sweet cat along the lines of her now famous Ragdoll cat breed.
The Honeybear cat is claimed to be extremely sweet natured, the most sweet natured of purebred cats. Like Ragdolls they are large and cobby (the opposite to slender), similar to Persians.
The head is said to be “flattish” and the ears small and set on the sides of the head.
They have a ruff and a thick and silky coat that is claimed to be non-matting – sounds too good to be true! Another site says that they don’t shed and so the coat needs grooming to avoid matting. This is obviously incorrect information.
I have not seen a photograph of this cat. Sorry. There are no current breeders (Feb 2011) as far as I am aware and they are not accepted or registered by the mainstream cat associations, it appears.
Please correct me if I am incorrect, by leaving a comment.
The actual bear called the Honey bear can be either the Sun Bear or Sloth bear. The Sloth Bear is a slow moving animal that climbs extremely well so my guess is the name was created from that or I am barking up the wrong tree!
I know the odds are extremely slim, but yet I hold out hope. I have one of the last Honey Bears from the breeder in WV. (She no longer breeds bc she worked with the breeder in OR that disappeared and got stuck with no studs.) Such a sad story. Anyway, my honey bear is my fluffy love.
Hi Ali. I just lost my 18 yr old Honey Bear cat & I am so sad. She was bought as a kitten from the breeder in WV. She was born 9/17/2005. We bought her from the original owners in 2013. She was the sweetest, most loving fur friend one could ever hope for, & enriched my life for her 10 yrs with us. If this wonderful breed is no longer being bred, she must have been one of the last in existence. What a shame! The article I’m responding to is not recent, but I hope you’re still interested.
Good luck E. Espey. And thanks for commenting.
What is the name of the breeder in Arizona?
Hi Ali, thanks for commenting. Honestly I don’t think we are going to find this Arizona Honeybear breeder. This really is a fringe cat breed if it is a breed of cat at all. Sorry. Good luck.
That is not a “Honeybear cat” a Honeybear cat was an old and former name for the Ragdoll cat breed. But pretty cat.