I've been putting off writing about myself because it would need going back in time to completely explain my experience and how I ended up becoming a Maine coon breeder, but I'm finally doing it! This is the story of the individuals behind Regal Lane: my husband Dominic Daniels and me, Kaylee Sanabria.
My entire life has been overtaken by anxiety. Growing up, I suffered from several types of anxiety, including phobias as a child, general and social anxiety, and terrible panic attacks for far too many years. My desire to become a veterinarian changed completely as my social anxiety reached its peak in high school. School relies heavily on partner or group projects, as well as presenting tasks in front of the class, neither of which I would do. There is nothing that would get me up in front of a class or working in a group with people I didn't know, and I was punished for it with F's on assignments that I would pretend I didn't do so that I wouldn't have a back and forth with the teacher about why I'm not getting up in front of the class. I was portrayed as a disobedient child as opposed to someone who was battling with something over which I had no control. I had teachers bring me into the hallway and ask me how I would ever be able to do anything in life "how will you be able to have a job" "you know you have to present in college right" and from that point on, every aspiration I had as a young child to be a veterinarian completely vanished. I never wanted to go to school again, nor did I want to work a regular job for a boss.
I met my now-husband on Instagram when we were 16 years old in 2015, and he happened to live a few blocks away from me. We graduated in 2017 and moved into our own apartment in early 2018. At this apartment, almost exactly 6 years ago from when I'm writing this, I was scrolling through Facebook and saw a Maine coon for the first time on a Maine coon breeders page. I fell in love with them and began researching everything I could about them, but I was quickly disappointed to discover that every single breeder website I came across stated explicitly that no breeding rights would ever be granted to anyone, not that I would be getting one anyway because they were far too expensive at the time and I was living in an apartment, but it certainly crushed my hopes of possibly breeding in the future. I had always loved animals, but I did not grow up with them because my mom hated them at the time, which changed after she allowed me to purchase my first dog right after high school (while still living with her) and she fell in love. Despite the fact that my Maine coon hopes were crushed I knew I wanted to work with animals someday in some way.
In 2020, my parents purchased a property with two houses and moved us to 5 acres in Yelm, Washington. Finally, not renting from someone, having a house with enough room, and my parents being the owners gave me more options to pursue my dreams. I spent the majority of 2020 and 2021 researching everything I needed to know about Maine coons, including breeding, whelping, kitten raising, photography, marketing, and website development. In September 2021, we were finally able to make a major purchase, which was Madman, my first Maine coon and possible breeding male. We all know what occurred after that because I am now a breeder and owner of Regal Lane Maine Coons. Kaylee at her apartment in 2018 who had her dreams destroyed could never have imagined this.
As I previously stated, I suffer from severe social anxiety and that included communicating with people online, so when I started the cattery, I assumed it would be my husband who communicated with people. To everyone's surprise, I'm responding and handling all communications and social media-related tasks. It's almost as if starting this changed something in my brain and reduced my anxiety. Now I won't be on the phone with anyone, which is why I do live streaming, and my husband is still doing kitten pick-ups, but I hope to be there eventually!
My husband is a heavy duty diesel mechanic for semi trucks, and I operate the cattery. Maine coon breeding is my job, not a hobby. A hobby, to me, would be something I could do for fun without having to take it seriously, which is completely opposite of how my cattery operates. Our lives revolve mainly around managing the cattery, but I also like spending time outside and with my family. I like to refer to myself as a purebred snob since I am obsessed with purebred dogs and cats. I adore all of the dog breeds developed for specific purposes, as well as ethical breeders' contributions to breed preservation. I am also obsessed with George R. R. Martin's book series a song of ice and fire and the shows Game of thrones and house of the dragon which is why my cattery has the theme that it does.