Meowy Christmas to all

Well.....I just realized that I haven't updated in quite awhile. You've probably been sitting on the edges of your seats wondering what happened at the Arcadia and North Carolina shows. Both shows went fairly well.

We'll start with Jon and North Carolina. Before I even left work that Friday Nicky already had three finals including a Best Kitten. It was a nice way to start the weekend. All in all Nicky ended up with 14 finals including 5 Best Kitten awards. Overall he was the 3rd Best Kitten in show. There were over 54 kittens entered. Not too shabby. With all the stuff they gave out at the First in Flight show Jon needed a second suitcase to bring everything home. It was quite a haul.

Here on the California homefront went pretty well also. With four cats entered I believe we brought home 25 finals. Frosty got 9, Alexandra got 6, Sorbet got 5 and Polar got 5. Two or three of Frosty's finals were Best Cats. Again, not too shabby.

It was a good weekend filled with great cats, good friends and a good meal on Saturday night.

Now everyone is just kind of resting their paws during their mini vacation until the Lodi show. Nicky and Alexandra will be taking some time off as they have graduated from the kitten class. Most likely you'll just be seeing Polar and Frosty and maybe PJ out for the remainder of the show season. Honestly, Jon and I need a break. Running four cats in one show, especially cats that have been finaling has been pretty grueling. But it's been a fun kind of exhaustion.

Now we're gearing up for Christmas. The cats all hung their stockings this weekend. I already caught Polar and Finnegan, my Maine Coon, trying to peek inside to see if any early mice were left. Frosty and the girls went home on Sunday. I miss Frosty already. He is such a sweet cat. The upside is that we have our PJ back. Boy is he happy to be home with Momma. The cat won't leave me alone. All he wants to do is give eskimo kisses and hug me. Some of the other cats are looking a bit jealous.

Can't wait to see if he tries to help me make Christmas cookies. That ought to be fun.

Hope everyone has a great Christmas. Try to keep warm and enjoy yourselves.

Merry Christmas to all.

melissa and the furry herd
and
Jon and Jan Kokopellies American Bobtails & Siberians

Tucson show

Sorry for the delay in meowing. It's been really busy here. Came back from Monterey and only had a couple of days until leaving for Tucson. Jon was going to be picking up the boys on his way to Tucson so I had to have everything ready to go before I left for work on Friday. I would follow on Friday afternoon. Well......circumstances changed and I was able to get the whole day off on Friday so I was able to help show instead of showing up with only an hour or so left.

Tucson as always was great. We had 5 cats entered. Poor PJ didn't make any finals. :-( He's at that weird teenage stage right now. So.....between the other four cats we brought home 46 finals. Miss Sorbet was the surprise. She made 8 finals!! Not too shabby. Polar brought home 10 out of 18 and both Frosty and Nicky brought home 14 out of 18.

Frosty and Nicky each started the show with a Best and ended the show with a Best. We ended up with 10 bests between the 3 boys. Polar got 2, Frosty got 5 and Nicky got 3. It was a really great weekend.

Another fun thing that happened at the show. There were, in most of the cat and kitten finals, a Maine Coon, a Norwegian Forest Cat and a Siberian. In some cases, those were the top three. It was really nice to see the three related breeds next to each other. It really gave people a chance to see the actual physical differences in the breeds.

Dinner on Saturday and Sunday nights was great. It was spent in the company of good friends and good food. What more could you ask for?

We have one more show this weekend before we get a little break until after the first of the year. Jon and Nicky and our newest little man, Mufasa are in North Carolina. I'm in Arcadia with Polar, Frosty, Sorbet and Alexandra. Two Siberians, two American Bobtails. We have to keep things even. :-) We're hoping for great weekends on both coasts.

Good friends+great cats=one fun weekend!!

meow for now,
melissa

The Monterey Show.....Woohoo!!

So......who needs to fight thousands of people the Friday after Thanksgiving to go and spend money that you don't really have. I certainly didn't. Instead, I headed up the coast on a beautiful sunny California day to Monterey, CA. The East of Eden Cat Club was kind enough to throw together a show for us the weekend after Thanksgiving. Instead of spending money I didn't have I spent the weekend in the company of good friends, great cats and gorgeous weather. I even ate sushi and liked it. Go figure.

Now....the best part of the weekend........Nicholas finaled in 10 out of 10 rings and was Best Kitten in show. Polar finaled in 8 out of 10 rings and was Best Alter in Show. Frosty got 7 or 8 finals and PJ got his first 2 big boy finals. It was a great weekend. The other cats in competition were incredible. I even had some specatators approach who, after looking at the name on the cage said, "you're that ad in Cat Fancy". It was a fun weekend.

Can't wait for the next show.....oh wait, it's on Friday. :-) See you in Tucson.

meow for now,
melissa

updated standings

I just love when the estimated standings get updated. Especially this season. With the most current update, this morning, I'm pleased to announce the most current rankings of the crew.

Kokopellies Polar Express aka Polar is currently the 12th Best Alter and Best of Breed American Bobtail Alter

Cooncreole Zhivago aka Frosty is currently the 19th Best Cat and Best of Breed Siberian

Kokopellies Czar Nicholas aka Nicky is currently the 24th Best Kitten and Best of Breed Siberian kitten

Kokopellies Polar Frost aka PJ is currently the 37th Best Kitten and Best of Breed American Bobtail kitten

Woohoo!!! Of course some of these numbers will change as they still have yet to score the Albuquerque show from a month ago. PJ, Polar, Frosty and Alexandra will rise in the rankings as they were all at the show. Nicky sat that one out.

PJ is now done with the kitten class. He makes his big boy debut in Monterey Thanksgiving weekend. We'll see what he can do as a big boy.

The show report from the Arcadia show posted yesterday. It was a nice report. :-) Nicky was 2nd Best Kitten in show. PJ was something like 9th or 10th. I forgot to count. Frosty was 2nd best Cat in show and Polar was 7th Best Alter. Not too shabby. We're very proud of the Fab Four.

A big congratulations to Miss Blue Angel who was Best Alter in show. Quite an achievement for such a beautiful young lady. She is a lovely Balinese owned by Pat and Art Still of the MP region. Yay Angel!!

That's enough bragging for now. I uploaded new baby pictures to the website, www.kokopellie.com Check the American Bobtail kittens page and the Siberian Kittens page. I've also updated the numbers on the Show Cats page. Just for kicks and giggles we decided to keep track of the number of finals this season. We're already up to 357!!. This is going to be a fun season.

meow for now,
melissa

What a weekend

Well.....once again we had quite a memorable weekend. Jon and Alexandra went to the Livonia show. The Fab Four and I stayed here and went to the Arcadia show. Between the two shows and five cats we brought home 44 finals! Woohoo!!

Here's the breakdown: Alexandra and Polar each got 7 finals. One of Polar's was a Best Alter from Heather Roberts. PJ and Nicholas each got 9 finals. Nicky got 4 bests, 3-2nds, 1-3rd and 1-4th. Frosty brought home 12 finals including a Best Cat award.

It was a fun and exciting weekend at both shows. Out east in Livonia, Jon got to experience snow for the first time. He also got to meet a lot of my old friends from the Great Lakes region. I'm particularly grateful to those who were nice and showed him a great time. For those who didn't.......karma is all I will say. Out here on the west coast we definitely didn't have snow. We had fires. There were four fires that started either Friday or Saturday that were rather close to the area we were at. But we weren't in any immediate danger. Some of our friends weren't so fortunate and were unable to come back to the show on Saturday or Sunday. We're hoping all is okay with them.

On Monday we were able to start the day here in San Diego with two very minor earthquakes. The first one, a 4.1, was so minor I slept throught it. The second one, a 3.8, I didn' feel. There was a loud bang and then a shdudder and that was it.

Now we're going to plan the next shows. Nicky and Frosty go home on Sunday. Jon will drive down and pick them up. And then I'll pick them up again on Friday and take them to Monterey. It's a never ending cycle. But it sure is fun.

I almost feel bad about enjoying myself at the shows. It's hard not to smile and be happy when the cats are doing so well. How can you possibly hide your happiness. But on the other hand, I don't want it to appear as if I'm gloating. What I've started to tell people is that I've waited 13 years for a season like this. I'm going to enjoy myself and not apologize for it. We just happen to be blessed with 7 awesome cats this season. We're not even actively showing the other three, only sporadically. They'll get their turn to shine.

Now it's time to restock and re-pack the show supplies, pick out an appetizer to make to take to my brother's house for Thanksgiving and to continue to hope for another great showing.

meow for now,
melissa

It's show time and kitten updates

Well....show time is upon us once again. Tomorrow is day one of a 3 day show. Actually day one of two 3 day shows. Jon is in Michigan with Alexandra. They're on their way to the hotel as I type (Christian just called). The Fab Four and I are going to the Arcadia show.

Two of the four baths are done. Polar and Nicky were last night. What fun. Nicky was none too happy about getting a bath. I think I managed to flood half the kitchen in the process. At one point while trying to keep him in the sink I dropped the sprayer. Of course it had to turn so the water was spraying up, instead of in the sink where it belonged. All over my glasses, face, hair, shirt, refrigerator, floor, mini blinds, etc. The only place it didn't seem to go at that point was on the cat. :-)

PJ and Frosty are tonight. Should be fun. PJ is usually very good. Frosty......I'm not sure. Jon says that he's an angel for his baths. Just stands there and complains a little with the occasional half-hearted attempt to get out of the sink. We'll see how good he is for his Auntie Melissa.

For anyone who has been checking the website to see the new baby pictures. They're coming. I actually spent a couple of hours the other night and none of my changes saved for some reason. Grrrrr........so now I have to do it over. Not fair. The babies are absolutely adorable. At this point, and probably because they're the oldest and have more personality, I really love the white litter of American Bobtails. They are so sweet and so fluffy. They're pure white, except for one lynx point. Can't wait to see how all those little short tails develop.

The Siberian litter is the Nicky litter revisited. The male kitten already looks like Nicky. His new family will love him. The Bengal litter is beautiful. So many spots!! And the silver American Bobtail litter is too cute, even if one of the little guys doesn't like me. I picked him up when visiting on Saturday. He hissed. So I started laughing. Then he spit at me. So I laughed harder. Then he swatted at me. Keep in mind his eyes are barely open. Too, too funny. The next day no problem. At this age they go by smell. He didn't know me. Can't wait to see him in a couple of weeks.

That's it for now.....happy showing to anyone who is going to a show this weekend. Have a fun weekend for anyone who isn't going to a show this weekend.

I'll post updates on both shows on Monday.

meow for now,
melissa

Well....one election is over and past and one election still sits before us (for those of you who read this that are a part of the cat fancy). At least our TICA election isn't filled with as much hate and accusations as the national election. Although there are some who are campaiging for some of the candidates who are spreading hate and lies instead of talking up the reasons why the candidate of her choice should be elected. I would also bet that the candidate doesn't realize what type of campaigning is being done on her behalf. It's really too bad that people can't leave personal feelings aside and just talk about the issues.

Oh well....on to better and happier things. The arrival of Mufasa. Well....he actually hasn't made it Jon's house yet, but he is in the country and staying with his Auntie Judy until he can make his way here. S Stimics Mufasa was in his first show this past weekend in Mississippi. From the show report he made four finals. Woohoo little king. Can't wait to meet him and cuddle him.

Siberian camp was set up at my house last night. Frosty and Nicky came back with me from Jon's house. Instead of going to Arcadia this weekend, Jon will be taking Alexandra and going to the Michigan show. I will be taking the Fab Four with me to Arcadia. So.....the boys are staying with me this week. It was an interesting night to say the least. PJ and Polar did their best to remind Nicky that he was in their house and had to abide by Bobtail rules. Poor little Nicky. Poor Frosty has to spend his time in a crate or my bathroom. Can't trust those whole boys!! :-)

So....there will be Kokopellie cats all over next weekend. I know one set of Kokopellie cats will be much warmer than the other Kokopellie cat. :-) I'm no dummy. I chose the show where I could wear shorts and not have to bundle up. Brrrrr.......but...Jon has vowed to wear shorts. We'll see how long that lasts. :-)

I got to see the kittens this weekend. Oh my God....how adorable. I'm going to edit all photos tonight and I'll post pictures tomorrow on the website. They are all so beautiful. The white bobtails are most adorable. They are just getting to the fun stage and they are so fluffy already. Great coats. And the muzzles!!! Nice wide muzzles. Jon is calling them the vacuum cleaner litter. Come mid January you'll be able to choose from a Hoover, Dyson, Kirby, Eureka, Dirt Devil, or a Bissell. :-) We just might have to keep back a Kirby for ourselves to show.

meow for now,
melissa

Don't forget to vote

Well.....it's finally here. The day we've been hearing about for the last year and a half, almost two years. Election day is tomorrow. Some already know who they're voting for. Some are still deciding and some will wait tomorrow and decide when the name is sitting in front of them.

Those of us in the cat world are also facing another election. The ballots were mailed to the membership to choose the President and Vice President of TICA. Unlike the national election, I actually like my candidate choices for the TICA elected offices. And I am very happy to say that I can call all three candidates my friends. Which actually makes things a bit tougher. :-(

So......go to the polls tomorrow and vote for the candidate of your choosing. All I would say is to put some thought into your choice. Think long and hard about who you're going to vote for. Choosing someone because of the color of their skin or lack of color in their skin is the wrong way to vote. Way the issues, research voting records, think about what they can bring to the office, then make your decision. Just as long as you vote. If you don't vote, you have no right to piss and moan about who won the election. Because you weren't part of the process.

Remember to vote tomorrow. And.....for those of you who aren't all that excited about any of the candidates, may I suggest a write in? I truly believe that my Polar would make an excellent President with my Pierre as his Vice Presidential pick. Pierre would bring the experience that Polar is lacking. :-) So.....vote for Kokopellies Polar Express and Pierre tomorrow!! :-)

Introducing.....Kokopellies Anasazi Spirit

I have been sitting on this information for over a month. I wanted to scream from the mountaintops that we had placed an alter in the Great Lakes region, but I was asked to keep quiet until she debuted at the Wisconsin show this past weekend. So.....debuting this weekend was Kokopellies Anasazi Spirit. A black and white longhair American Bobtail and sister to our Painted Pony.

The reports out of Wisconsin are all positive. Sazi got one final from Debbie Lopeman and several honorable mentions. She was well received by exhibitors, spectators and judges.

We look forward to more happy show reports in the future. Congratulations to Vivian Frawley on opening her heart and home to the wonderful world of American Bobtails. :-) Vivian and Sazi were meant to be together.

I'll have to post a picture of her on the Show Cats page of the website.

meow for now,
melissa

Albuquerque show and other updates

Well....we're back from Albuquerque. It was a long tiring weekend. Flying in for me, driving in for Jon. Poor Jon drove over 1800 miles to and from the show. Poor thing was pretty tired. Plus he had to show the cats himself on Friday as my flight didn't get in until 11:00.

The end result....it was worth going. First of all, Nicky couldn't go because of an eye injury. So we were able to substitute his sister, Alexandra. Well...the little adorable alternate took home 12 finals!! All total we brought home 47 finals including 5 best cat, kitten, or alter awards. Everyone got at least one best, Frosty got 2. I don't have the catalog with all the notes in it. Jon took it. I believe, if memory serves, PJ got 13 finals, Alexandra got 12 and Frosty and Polar each got 11. Something like that. Given that there were 4 Siberian kittens in attendance and 4 Siberian cats in attendance, we're pretty honored that the judges liked our cats enough to final them. They actually had a choice.

Jon had two litters born while he was on the road. A litter of Bengals were born on Wednesday and a litter of American Bobtails were born on Saturday. A litter of Siberians is due any day now from Sasha and Izzy should be due in a few weeks. It's an exciting time for us right now.

Can you believe that it's the end of October already? Where does the time go? The show season is half over with the toughest half yet to come. We'll be fighting for every final and point that we can get. But it will all be worth it when the dust settles and we have some cats in the top 25. The main one to get into the top 25 this season would be Polar. Frosty already has an IW, but another one wouldn't be too bad. Nicky and PJ probably won't make top 25, but we're sure going to try. We're definitely hoping for breed wins on everyone. Time will tell.

There is other exciting news that will be coming from the Kokopellie Cattery soon. I'll meow about it next week. It's something that we're really excited about. Can't wait to share it with everyone.

New updates will be on the website shortly. I'm hoping to re-do all the photos in the next few weeks. Some new pages will be published soon. I'm adding an "At the Show" page. It will show photos taken at the shows or on the way to and from the shows. I'm also going to add a page that shows all of Jon's show cats from the past. It's taking some time to gather all those pictures, titles and awards. Should be kind of fun and a walk down memory lane for Jon. I'm also going to try and create a photo page. I'll post all the old photos that I'm taking down from the site plus any others that we have. We love to share photos!!

And I'm thinking about another exciting new update for the website. Something that I haven't even told Jon about yet. It just came to me while typing this. I'll have to try it and see if it works first.

meow for now,
melissa

show this weekend and tribute to Jim Ashley

Well....it's show weekend again. What a shocker. This weekend is Albuquerque. Jon and the boys are already there. I'm flying out tonight after work. We did have a bit of a line up change for the weekend. Little Nicky apparently put his face too close to someone that he shouldn't have and got popped in the eye. :-( So.....he stays home. Taking his place in the line up is his sister Alexandra.

It should be a great weekend. There is a terrific lineup of judges, the weather is supposed to be beautiful and we're showing four wondeful cats. What more could you ask for? Oh...good friends as well. That helps to cap off a great weekend.

On a sad note......the cat fancy lost a valuable member this week. Jim Ashley of the Mid Pacific Region and husband to TICA Judge and Mid Pacific Regional Director, Linda Kay Ashley passed away on Monday. We heard at the Arcadia show this past weekend that he was in the hospital. There was even a get well card being circulated. On Monday we got the news that he passed away. It was definitely a shock. I just saw Jim a few weeks ago in Lodi. I got my final hug and kiss from him. Jim was a true treasure to the cat fancy and will be greatly missed.

There is a show this weekend in Pleasanton, CA, Jim's region. Many of our friends will be there participating in a celebration of Jim's life. In a way, I wish I could be at that show this weekend instead of Albuquerque, to take part in that celebration. But.....I am doing what Jim loved so much. I'm at a show, showing my beloved Polar. Life goes on.

Many people have their memories of Jim. A good many of us have been almost run over by Jim in his motorized wheelchair on numerous occasions. The sight of Jim and Dunn, zipping through the show hall is one I will never forget. The mischevious grin and laugh of his is something that I will never forget either. He was definitely a sweet man with a bit of the devil in him. I do mean that in a good way.

So here's to you Jim. Take good care of our kitties that have crossed over the Rainbow Bridge. We will miss you greatly in the show halls.

meow for now,
melissa

I'm not crazy, it's hands free cat showing.....

This is what I was saying most of the weekend at the Lodi show. As most of you may know, California initiated a law and it went into effect on July 1st for hands free when talking on your cell and driving. You of course may text while driving but you may not hold the phone up to your ear. Anyways.....because of this law I had to get what I considered one of those dreaded bluetooth things. The little ear things that make people look like they're talking to themselves.

Well.....I have found the blue tooth to be most useful when I'm at a show that Jon isn't. This way I can keep my phone in my pocket, the blue tooth in my ear and show the cats. It's hands free cat showing. I can call and give him updates when the boys and I are out of town. It really is quite useful. Of course......with no phone in my hand and my hair covering the blue tooth, people have no idea that I'm calling in the show report. :-)

Christian came up to me at the show and said that I was either crazy or talking into my blue tooth. I'm not crazy. It's hands free cat showing. By being hands free I can now move freely about the show hall, carry multiple cats and catalog and still talk to Jon or Mom or whoever. Makes life a lot simpler.

So......I'm not crazy. It's hands free cat showing!!!

And once again I am without my boys. :-( They are at their Dad's until tomorrow. They've been there since Sunday after the Arcadia show. Jon and the boys leave for Albuquerque tomorrow. I fly in after work on Friday and meet up with them. So not too long of a separation this time. Thank God!!! The show in ABQ is a three day show. Hopefully I'll have plenty to meow about after the long weekend.

The show in Arcadia this past weekend was a normal show. The boys all took about half of their rings. Nothing too spectacular. There were some amazing cats in competition this past weekend. Very worthy of every final and every point that they earned.

meow for now,
melissa

Updates on the boys

Wow....I didn't realize that it had been so long since I meowed about the babies. They all continue to do wonderful. We have a show this weekend, surprise, surprise and one next weekend in Albuquerque. I'm hoping to go to that one. We'll see.....But the boys and their Dad will definitely be there.

Nicky and PJ are growing like weeds. I was cuddling with PJ the other night. He was being so cute. He looked into my eyes and did his eskimo kiss thing that he does. He doesn't lick. He takes his nose and taps it all over my face. Way too cute. Anyways, we were cuddling and chatting. Actually, I was doing all the talking, as Bobtails, with the exception of Polar and a girl in heat, don't say much. I was telling him that he needed to stay little. That once he grows up and has big boy duties to attend to that he will need to go live with his Dad. :-( The original plan was to show him as an alter after Polar retires. But......PJ is developing way to nice to neuter him. We'll let him sire a few litters to see what he's capable of. If the kittens aren't the greatest, then off to the alter class he goes!!!!

After the wonderful showings that the boys have had the last four shows their place in the standings has really reflected this. Polar is currently sitting at #10. Frosty is #11, PJ #27 and Nicky #25. These are all internationally!! Within the region, they're all sitting top 3 and best in their breeds. Its has been incredible. It's like a never ending dream sometimes.

Our biggest hope this season is for Polar to get his International win. We'll just keep our fingers and paws crossed and hope for the best.

meow for now,
melissa

American Bobtails 22, Siberians 19

That is the score from this weekend in Lodi. Polar and PJ brought home 22 finals, Frosty and Nicky brought home 19. Yes....we had another great weekend. We brought home 41 finals out of a possible 80. We are still flying high on cloud nine.

As always, the competition was incredible. There were some truly remarkable cats in attendance. We even had a judge from France, Jean-Marc Legarde handle our cats this weekend. He has never handled them before. He was very impressed with the cats, particularly the Bobtails. He even asked for one of our cards to give to someone in England. Pretty exciting stuff. Overall the cats were well received by the judges. They had some very nice things to say about them during the finals.

It was a nice show as always. Lodi is a small, kind of nothing town, but they have a couple of really good restaurants. If you're ever there, check out Feed & Fuel or Back Bay. Both are incredible steak houses. Everyone looks forward to a visit to Feed & Fuel every show. The restaurant is decorated with movie memorabilia. They also have the restaurant broken down into movie sections. We sat in the Indiana Jones section this time. Really neat for movie buffs.

Any how.....the good fortune just keeps rolling along. Four shows in a row. To date, from the first show in May until now, we have 242 finals for all the cats we've shown. And the season is only half over!! I'm just keeping my fingers and toes crossed that this dream won't end.

It's kind of like The Polar Express. I have to admit, I have never read the book or seen the movie that my cat is named after. But....I did do some checking. Apparently the main theme behind the book is that if you believe you can obtain your dreams, or something like that. Anyhow.....I am truly believing in Polar's chances of making an International win this year. And besides, if he does make it, it just gives me a reason to put a Josh Groban song on the website. :-)

Oh.......the show report just posted for the Arcadia show from last weekend. Kokopellies Polar Express and Cooncreole Zhivago were Best Alter and Best Cat in show. Woohoo!!!

meow for now,
melissa

Another great weekend and the boys are back!!

Well......I can't believe it. We did it again. We had a show in Arcadia this weekend. And.......I know the number 33 isn't as impressive at 40 or 52, but......we brought home 33 finals for 5 cats. We had a total of 50 possible finals and we brought home 33. Not too shabby. This is almost getting embarassing. I kind of feel bad about bragging so much.

But.....that is the purpose of The Daily Meow. To brag about the accomplishments of the Kokopellie cats and to write about whatever I wish to write about. And since it is hard enough to come up with new and interesting ideas for a daily Daily Meow......bragging it is.

We had the Fab Four with again this weekend, Frosty, Polar, Nicholas and PJ. For kicks and giggles we brought along Alexandra, Nicky's sister. Kokopellies Alexandra brought home some finals of her own, including a 2nd allbreed final from Elektra Hammond. I can't remember the exact breakdown of finals. I know Polar finaled in 8 out of 10. Frosty, I believe finaled in 8 out of 10 as well. I'll have to check the book and find out for sure.

The other great part about this weekend was that I got my boys back!! They have spent the last two weeks with their dad. It's part of the custody arrangement. He gets them for a week or two occasionally. :-) I was met with purrs and chirps and little meows. When I got back to the hotel room Saturday night after dinner all they wanted to do was cuddle. They didn't even want to play. Way too sweet. They certainly knew how to melt my heart.

So now we're on to Lodi this coming weekend. I'm hoping that it will be as fun and exciting as the last three weekends. I know it will be busy. Just as Jon took the Fab Four up to Reno by himself I am taking the Fab Four up to Lodi by myself. I may have to tap on the kindness of others. I'm actually hoping that I will because this will mean that we are getting a ton of finals!! :-) Keep your fingers and toes and paws crossed.

meow for now,
melissa

The Reno show....we did it again

Well.......Jon came back from the Reno show very tired. The boys came back from the show very tired. The reason??? 40 finals!! That's why they're so tired. The Fab Four remained fabulous for the second show in a row.

The Reno show was an 18 ring show. PJ finaled 8 for 18, Nicky finaled 9 for 18, Polar finaled 9 for 18 and Frosty finaled 14 for 18. So for those keeping score, that's Siberians 23, Bobtails 17. If you remember from the Tucson show, the Bobtails won they point fest. Of course, they did have Sorbet batting clean up for them......:-) Will Arcadia be the tie breaker? Stay tuned to see if it's the Slobs or Bobs who come out on top at the Arcadia show.

Jon tallied Frosty's points for the weekend. Give or take in either direction I believe Frosty came close to 2600 points for the weekend. Not too shabby.

I know I who a huge debt to those who helped Jon show the cats. Handling/showing 4 cats isn't a big deal. As Jon pointed out, the big deal comes when they start finaling. Well.....it was a big deal!! There were several exhibitors who went out of their way to help Jon get the cats to the rings. We/I are truly grateful for your assistance. There is a special place in heaven for those who help others.

We have another show this weekend in Arcadia. Slobs vs the Bobs. The Slobs will have little Alexandra batting clean up for them. Should be fun. Stay tuned for more reports. I finally get my boys back on Saturday. I've been missing them something awful.

meow for now,
melissa

Missing......

The house is too quiet. It's full of cats but it's spirit is missing. In case you haven't figured it out.....Polar and PJ are with their Dad this weekend. He took them to Reno. He has them for the next two weeks until the Arcadia show and then I get my boys back. It's kind of funny, if you didn't know I was talking about cats you would probably think this was some kind of custody arrangement.

The whole energy level in the house is different. They're not loud cats. They just have a presence about them that's hard to miss. Since PJ went to stay with his Dad, Pony and Smudgie (who really does need a home) have just blossomed. Pony went back to the Pony before PJ. She follows me all over. She comes over and taps me when she wants attention. It's too cute. I keep reminding her that he's coming back......Of course, PJ's stay may be shorter than originally thought. He's only 6 months old and is starting to realize what boy kitties do. He actually realized that at 4 1/2 months old. Now he's starting to realize that he can enjoy it as well. At my house it hasn't really been a problem so far. All the girls are neutered. At Jon's house......it's a different story. The girls there are much more interesting. Only problem is that they're either his half sister, his mother, too young or the wrong breed. Poor little PJ hasn't been given free roaming privileges. :-(

He probably heard us talking about maybe having him sire a litter or two and see what he produces. Knowing PJ he wants to get started right away. Little horn dog. Just like Snowy.

So anyhow.....Jon and the fab four are up in Reno this weekend. They're trying to repeat last weekend's performance in Tucson. Keep your fingers, toes and paws crossed.

I'll try to update this weekend if Jon calls with great news.....

meow for now,
melissa

Didn't have to wait too long....

Well.....I didn't have to wait too long to see the show report for the Tucson show. Jeane just posted it.

As I was hoping for......Kokopellies Polar Frost was 2nd Best Kitten in show. Kokopellies Czar Nicholas was 3rd Best Kitten in show. Cooncreole Zhivago was 2nd Best Cat in show. Kokopellies Polar Express was 2nd Bets Alter in show. Woohoo!!!! Not too shabby.

Once again, an incredibly unforgettable weekend. We'll still be talking about this come April.

meow for now,
melissa

52=9188

Just back from Tucson. Well....actually yesterday afternoon, but I was too tired to post. Too tired in a good way. We came, we saw, we conquered Tucson. We brought 5 cats to Tucson. We came home with 52 finals and 9188 points.

It was an unbelievable weekend. Everything seemed to go right. Jon and I are still flying high.

The break down of finals is:
Kokopellies Polar Frost, PJ, got 13 finals.
Kokopellies Czar Nicholas, Nicky, got 12 finals.
Cooncreole Zhivago, Frosty, got 12 finals.
Kokopellies Polar Express, Polar, got 11 finals.
Kokopellies Sorbet got 4 finals.

Poor little Sorbet couldn't compete with the big boys this weekend. Although we got some wonderful feedback from the judges about her. She championed in her first big girl show. Way to go Sorbie.

Jon and I were running crazy all day. Barely anytime to sit and relax. But it was a good crazy. It was one of those shows that you dream of your whole show career. One of the better parts of the weekend came not from the finals but from the judges. We (Jon) received so much positive feedback on his breeding program. To hear several judges tell him that the American Bobtails that he puts in the ring epitomize the standard just confirms all the hard work that he has put into the breed. It has been a long lonely road for him in the Bobtail community. He has accomplished so much within the breed on his own. Not an easy task.

And now....we (Jon) have the added joy of the Siberians as well. We had two judges tell us such wonderful things about Nicky. One judge told me that they don't normally like Siberians, but that Nicky was an exceptional kitten and that he was going places. Another judge said that the thing she liked most about Nicky was that when she looked into the cage, she knew he was a Siberian. Jon spends an incredible amount of money and time in his breeding stock. It was such recognition for him this weekend to have everything that he has been working towards rewarded so well.

This may be one of those shows of a lifetime. With a little help from above, perhaps there will be more in the future. Time and some good grooming will tell.

Until then we will just keep working as hard as we can to come up with the best cats that we can and see what happens. I can't wait to see the show report!!

This weekend of course has Jon all inspired. He is off to Reno on Thursday for the show, then Arcadia, then Lodi, then Arcadia, then Albuquerque, then Arcadia, then Tucson, then Arcadia, then.........:-) We're having the time of our lives right now.

The only down side to this is I am without my boys. Jon kept Polar and PJ to take them to Reno this weekend. He will have them for 2 weeks. Until Arcadia. That's when I get my boys back. The house is already too quiet. There is a spirit missing. But.....the one thing I want more than anything is an IW (international win) for Polar. He came very close the first season I showed him. Last season, he came close, but not that close. He was also missing 4 shows from the season before. All we can do is try, try, try. They are finally recognizing the top 25 for international wins this season in all categories. I would still love #20, but will be very happy with #25.

Soooo........52 finals equals 9188 points. PJ got 2147, Nicky got 2173, Sorbet got 658, Frosty got 2218 and Polar got 1992 pionts. Unbelievable!!! I'm not quite sure when the high from this weekend will end. Hopefully never.

meow for now,
melissa

Another day, another show

Well.......it seems like I just finish writing about one show when we're off to do another. We're off to Tucson tonight with five cats in tow. Appearing in Tucson this weekend will be Cooncreole Zhivago, Kokopellies Czar Nicholas, Kokopellies Polar Express, Kokopellies Sorbet and Kokopellies Polar Frost. Yes......I am going to sleep well on Sunday. :-)

It should be a fun weekend. We have one of the best crops of show cats that we've had in a long time. The problem is we have too many to show and not enough funds to show all the ones that should be shown. I know. Poor us. We'll just have to rotate some cats. Nicky's sister, Alexandra should be coming to the shows as well. Look for her at some future Arcadia shows.

Things have been really crazy as of late. The Annual seems to be the kick off for the season. Now we're going to be running hot and heavy for the rest of the year. We have two goals this season. Get Frosty a regional win so he gets his Lifetime Achievement Award and get Polar into the top 25 so he gets his International win and his Lifetime Achievement Award. Everything else will be icing on the cake.

I'll have to post more Bobtail stories soon. With the addition of PJ and Smudgie into the house, the Bobtail games have gotten even more exciting. And then there was all the fun while I was babysitting some of Jon's girls at my house. Pierre was in love!!

Miss Smudgie needs a home. She is the sister to Painted Pony. She is black and white and has the short tail. She is beyond affectionate. Maybe too affectionate. She has the most incredible gold eyes and a look that just says love me forever. So......Smudgie needs a forever home. She would make a great companion and even a decent show cat. She has a great head and muzzle and good tail length. I thought a great registered name for her would be Peppermint Patty.

Anyhow meowers......if anyone knows someone who could use a very affectionate lap cat, I have one for sale. She's already spayed. Just needs a forever lap.

meow for now,
melissa

The Annual

Well.....we're back from the Annual in Arlington, Texas. A great time was had by all. Those Texans really know how to throw a party and make you feel welcome. The weekend started off on Saturday morning when the local Councilwoman swore us in as honorary Texans. The swearing in came complete with a vocabulary lesson. Too fun.

Probably the most exciting thing that happened, happened to Jon. Our flights on Friday left within 5 minutes of each other. His arrived and hour later......My flight and I'm assuming his, were within about 1/2 hour of Dallas. Our pilot came on and said that due to weather in Dallas, we were put in a 30 minute holding pattern. Jon's apparently was as well. However........his pilot had some even more interesting news. Their plane didn't have enough fuel to circle. They were going to have to divert to Lubbock to refuel. Refuel????? His flight was from Burbank to Dallas and they barely put enough fuel on board for that? Way too scary. But.....Jon, Nicky and Frosty all arrived safe and sound. Polar and I greeted them at baggage claim.

Yep......just Polar and I. PJ's eye just wasn't fully recovered enough for me to make the trip. Of course it looked absolutely perfect when I got home on Monday. Go figure.

As previously reported, we knew we were going to be facing some very stiff competition. And we did. But.....the boys managed to get some finals and hold their own. Polar got 3 finals, two allbreed and one specialty. His allbreed finals were a 3rd out of 77, an 8th out of 75 and his specialty final was a 7th out of 28. Not too shabby. Frosty got three finals as well, including a 3rd best cat in an allbreed ring with a 90 count. Woohoo!! Not to be left out, little Czar Nicholas got a 10th in a specialty final out of 48 kittens. We're very proud.

We got to meet all sorts of people from all over the world. That's what I love about the Annuals. They truly are international events. We got to see some amazing cats, meet some newer breeds, make new friends and see old ones. It was a great time.

Now it's time to focus on Tucson. It's coming up next weekend already. The same weekend as the Humane Society's dinner. But.....I decided to go to Tucson this time. Just can't do the dinner.

I'll meow more later. Just wanted to update everyone on how the Annual went.

meow for now,
melissa

the final preparations have begun.....

I'm sorry for the delay in meowings. Things have been so busy as of late. And then throw in the Olympics to boot. I can't remember the last time I've existed on so little sleep. We can blame it all on Michael Phelps. But....I have to admit.....it was worth staying up to see. Such incredible moments in sports history.

Anyhow.....Nicky and PJ are growing like weeds. We are all in our final preparations to leave for the Annual on Friday. Little PJ may not be able to make the big trip like we had planned. Time will tell. One of my darling angels popped him in the eye the other day. It's red and swollen and he has to wear one of those collars to keep him from rubbing. We're hoping it will be better by Friday. If not....PJ will have to stay home. :-(

Nicky's preparations have included going to the vet for his rabies shot. You can't go to Texas without a rabies shot. He's also been making the social rounds. Jon has been taking him everywhere to get him used to sights and sounds and people. Frosty has been busy sleeping, eating and blowing his coat in final preparation. Polar has been eating his chicken and ground sirloin in hopes of packing on a few more ounces. I also have him hitting the weight room once a day for some circuit training. By Sunday at 5:00 we will know for sure if all of our hard work has paid off.

The realistic side of things.......we are bringing 4 great cats with us to the Annual. So is everyone else!! There are 144 kittens, 124 cats and 89 alters. That's a lot of competition. The poor judges have to whittle that down to 10 in each category. So everyone keep their fingers and toes and paws crossed for some finals this weekend. Quite honestly, knowing the caliber of cats that will be in attendance, we would be happy with 10ths all weekend. Something higher would be really nice, but.........

I'll try and get something posted before the weekend. We leave for the airport on Friday around 7:00am and I'll be really busy on Thursday night. I'll try for during my lunch on Thursday. The hotel does have a business center. Time allowing...maybe I can sneak in there on Sunday after the show and type something up.

However....don't hold your breath on that one meowers. Any of you who know me and how I am after a show, especially a big show, know that I will be asleep by 7:00 or in the hot tub thinking about going to sleep. Or.....I'll be out drinking and celebrating with all my buddies who are staying over until Monday. Honestly, I'm hoping for this scenario. Rumor has it there will be some GL friends at the show. I already know of a few old friends that are going to be there. Can't wait.

I'll try to meow before I leave for Dallas. If not, just in case, everyone have a great Labor Day weekend. Have fun. Wear your sunblock, drive careful.

meow for now,
melissa

Here they are!!!!

Well........we'll see how easy this is to post a picture in the bod of the message. We just got the pictures of Nicky and PJ from the photographer, Chanan. Way too cute not to share.

So........look out TICA, here come Kokopellies Czar Nicholas and Kokopellies Polar Frost.



Kokopellies Czar Nicholas



Kokopellies Polar Frost

We just can't wait to get these two little guys into the show ring. PJ got four finals in his first show. Nicky debuts at the Annual in Arlington, Texas next week. It will be a tough show for both of them. 144 kittens entered!!!!!

We'll see what happens........

meow for now,

melissa

No babies

Well.....sadly, no babies. Iziza had her kitten on Saturday morning, before I woke up. It was a lynx point male. No doubt like his Daddy, Frosty. He didn't make it. :-( After 6 more hours of labor, I took Izzy to the vet. The x-ray showed that there were no more kittens in there. Just a huge amount of stool.

Momma Izzy is handling it well. I gave her a spare Siberian kitten we had. Her name is Pink. Pink is her new baby and is happily nursing away. I guess someone should tell Pink that she is 12 weeks old. But....they're keeping each other happy. Momma Melissa is much better now. Saturday and Sunday were full of self doubt. Did I do something wrong, etc. I'm still concerned about Izzy. Just want to be sure that no permanent damage was done.

You can bet I'm going to be extra cautious with the next litter.

So......no chance of babies now for awhile. Not at least until late fall, early winter, if not later.

I'll meow later about the one day show that we had in Arcadia this weekend. Polar didn't have a great show, but PJ did!! And so did little Bubba.

meow for now,
melissa

first time Mom

Not!!! So, the day we were waiting for came and past. The first day that Izzy could have her kittens. Frosty and Izzy were first introduced on May 29th. The first day that they could possibly have kittens, assuming that Frosty hit his mark the first try, would have been on Friday, Aug 1st. Friday and Saturday came and passed. Days 63 and 64. For those who don't know, cats usually have their kittens in about 63-65 days. Lucky cats.

Sooo....Day 65, Sunday. Izzy had a large breakfast and was stretched out in her Costco box all comfy and cozy. Around 11:30 or so, she jumped up and started crawling under the towels in the crate and tearing up the newspaper. I opened the crate and she threw herself in my arms and just wanted to be held and have her belly rubbed.

I finally got her relaxed and calmed down and she started with contractions. There were a couple of pretty big ones where it seems like her whole body seized up. And she was panting. I called Jon to give him the news. He was excited. It sounded like kittens would be on their way shortly. I also called Barb Roth, my closest midwife for advice.

Within about an hour or two, things stopped. No more big contractions. She was still "nesting". She had to rearrange the whole crate. So much for that nice neat room I gave her. Then she took a nap. For the first 4 hours or so she seemed to panic whenever I left the room. I was stuck sitting next to her crate. Then she settled down and all was fine. But still no kittens.

Jon called in the evening to check up on us. Still no kittens. Soooo....he said Izzy would probably have them during the night. I checked on her at 2:30 and when I woke up at 6:00. No kittens. She enjoyed a large breakfast before I went to work. I told her to wait until I got home from work and I would help her.

Sooooo.....sports fans. No kittens from Iziza yet. Keep your fingers, toes and paws crossed.

meow for now,
melissa

Fun weekend at the SW Regional

Well.....we had a great weekend at the SW Regional. The show hall was nice. Very roomy with lots of light. The Sheraton Hotel was wonderful. The staff was helpful and the rooms were beautiful. Polar definitely likes Sheratons vs Motel 6. Momma raised him right.

The cats all had a great time. Polar finaled in 8 out of 12, Frosty 7 out of 12 and little PJ managed to pick up 4 finals, including an allbreed ring.

Kokopellies Polar Frost aka PJ, made his debut this weekend. The judges seemed to like him. The best part was that he had a great time. The whole thing was a game to him. Eat, sleep and play and go to the judging ring. They all loved his disposition and temperament. This is what not raising the kittens in cages will do for you. They purr and are happy and well balanced mentally.

Little Nicholas, Kokopellies Czar Nicholas, also made his debut this weekend. Although too young to show, Nicky was eligible to be in the show hall. He started his show career with a bang. The poor little thing hardly got any sleep. He was out constantly, getting evaluated and being introduced to his new cat show family. The consensus about little Nicky was that we have a potential winner on our hands. This really puffed Jon up. It was the type of news and attention that he needed this weekend.

Chanan was able to get some great pictures of Frosty, PJ and Nicky on Saturday as well.

We had a great time at the banquet. Given how regional awards show banquets usually go, this was darn right quick. Get in, get your awards, get out. It was really nice for those of us who needed a little extra shut eye. I was convinced that Jon was going to get Piggy of the Year again this year. But no such luck. Alex Chisholm was an even bigger piggy. Oink, oink.

With the regional out of the way, we now gear up for the Annual in Texas. We're really excited about the Annual this year. We actually have a reason to go this year. Jon and I have to pick up 3 international awards between the two of us. Cooncreole Zhivago (Frosty) is Best of Breed Siberian and 16th Best LH Cat. Painted Pony is 9th Best HHPK international. Polar was Best of Breed American Bobtail Alter, but they don't present those at the banquet. He already got his certificate in the mail.

All in all it was a really good weekend. Right now, I'm a little on the exhausted side.

meow for now,
melissa

Regional show this weekend

It's finally here. The weekend of the regional show. This is the weekend where we not only get to show our cats, but receive our awards for last year's wins. All in all, in the show ring, we've had a pretty good year. Outside of the show hall it could have been better, especially for Jon.

This years winners include:

IW SGC Cooncreole Zhivago
seal lynx point Siberian
SW Region 3rd Best Cat
SW Region 3rd Best LH Cat
SW Region Best of Breed Siberian
International 16th Best LH Cat
International Best of Breed Siberian

RW SGCA Kokopellies Polar Express
blue silver lynx point American Bobtail
SW Region 4th Best Alter
SW Region Best of Breed Alter
International Best of Breed Alter

IW Painted Pony
black and white HHPK
SW Region 3rd Best HHPK
International 9th Best HHPK

RW QGC Kokopellies Polar Mist
seal silver lynx point American Bobtail LH
SW Region 13th Best LH Cat
International 2nd Best of Breed American Bobtail longhair
International Best seal silver lynx point American Bobtail

This season looks quite promising as well. Polar will once again try to gain that International Alter title. Frosty will show part time this season. He needs to get a regional win for his Lifetime Achievement award. Our first crop of kittens this year have produced some phenomenal cats.
First up was Kokopellies Sorbet. She is one of Snow Fox's first litter. A real cutie. A chocolate torbie point. Second up will be PJ, or Polar Jr, Kokopellies Polar Frost. He's a little blue silver lynx point longhair. Hmmm....where have we heard that before. Following on PJ's heels will be Kokopellies Northern Light, or Bubba. Bubba is owned by the Bolen family and they're very graciously allowing us to show him. And bringing up the rear will be Nicholas and Alexandra. These are Frosty's grandchildren. There will be no doubt who Nicky is related to once you see the blazing white tail light that he has. Just like Grandpa.

There are a couple of shorthair Bobtails coming up that have great potential. Sabrina just had a litter of kittens sired by Frosty. At just a couple of hours old, we're kind of convinced that one of them has a tail light. Too funny. Our (my) newest girl Izzy is also expecting.

Hopefully the joy of the upcoming litters and the promise of the new season will bring some happiness back into Jon's life.

Soooo......hopefully we'll have much to meow about in the coming months. Come to the Pasadena Convention Center this weekend and have some fun.

Have to go dust off the heels, fancy jewelry and the dress.....

meow for now,
melissa

Kokopellies Czar Nicholas

Kokopellies Czar Nicholas. The name sounds so large. It should fit a large cat. Well.....that's little Nicky's name. Little Nicky. Hmmmm.......little.

Little Nicky and his littermates don't exactly seem so little. Okay, they're freakin' huge. Sorry for the use of freakin'. I thought of another term but just in case we have some junior meowers.......

We just weighed them this weekend. Nicholas and Alexandra, the two biggest kittens are 3 1/2 pounds. The smallest in the litter, Napoleon, was one meal shy of 3 pounds. Did I mention that these little chubs aren't quite 3 months yet? They're 11 weeks old. Nicky doesn't debut in the show ring until the Annual in Arlington. He's about half the size of his mother. And he is a charmer. What a sweet face and personality to boot.

Jon is remodeling the cattery so I have all the Siberians except for Frosty with me right now. We are having the most fun. Nicky and Alexandra and their brother, who doesn't have a name and their Mom, Sasha arrived yesterday with Iziza, my girl. Welcome to Siberia. Right in the heart of North County San Diego. I have a good air conditioner. :-)

Jon may have to fight me to get little Nicky back. OH.......I almost forgot one of the best things about little Nicky. He sure takes after his grandfather, Frosty. Most people know about Frosty's trademark tail light. Well.........:-) It's a shiner.

We are so excited about little Nicky getting into the show ring. Also excited about PJ stepping into the show ring. Oh and little Bubba, excuse me, Kokopellies Northern Light. The nice couple who bought him are going to show him for a bit for us. Woohoo for Liz and Roger.

So.....I think that's it for today. I'm going to try to upload Frosty's newest photo on the side bar today. And perhaps in the days coming I'll start posting pictures on the blog as well.

meow for now,
melissa eichler

I'm going to be a Grandma

Sooooo.....you don't get any posts for awhile and now you're going to get multiple today. How lucky are you??

So, yes. I'm going to be a Grandmother. My beautiful Iziza, that I got from Judy Chappetta, is pregnant. She and Frosty are going to make beautiful babies. Of course grandma here is a little nervous. What's the line from "Gone With the Wind"? "I don't know nothing about birthin no babies". Well sports fans, it's true.

I know. I worked in an animal hospital forever. Well.....clients didn't bring their animals to us for live births. We were there for c-sections. I'm a whiz at prepping and running a c-section. Not live birth. We had two live births at DuPage Animal Hospital. Both were on my day off. One was a bassett hound who was brought in to be checked and started giving birth right there in the exam room. The other was a stray momma cat who had them on a day I wasn't there. Sooo.....no witnessing of live birth.

And not even this weekend. I got the call from Jon while I was en route to his house that Sabrina had gone into labor and had already had two kittens. I'm thinking great, I have about two hours, I should get to see some of the others born and learn a little something. Not. By the time I got there, Sabrina had all five kittens and had them cleaned up already. Five kittens in 2 1/2 hours. Is this some new kitty record??

Secretly, we all know the real reason why Jon sent Iziza home with me. So I could witness the miracle of birth. Gag!! I'll witness it once, not want to do this anymore and then sign Iziza over to him once and for all. Instead of co-owning her with him. :-) Thanks Jon. I figured out your plan. Just for that I'm holding little Nicholas hostage. Ah, yes. Little Nicky. More on him to follow.

Sooo....my first little Siberians are on their way. We're figuring sometime in the next 2-3 weeks. So even more to Meow about.......

meow for now,
melissa

the arrival of PJ

Sorry it's been so long since my last post. I guess I should have called this the not so daily, Daily Meow. Things have been kind of tough here the last couple of weeks.

First, I lost Sundance and then we heard of the passing of Jon's son, Jeff. He was only 29. It was very sudden and unexpected. So......we've been kind of reeling from that.

Soooo.......to take my mind off of Sundance, Jon sent PJ home to me now instead of making me wait until the Regional on Saturday. PJ, stands for Polar Jr, or officially, Kokopellies Polar Frost. Yep, you guessed it, I got another little Polar. He's a blue silver lynx point. Way to go JJ (Kokopellies Snow Princess)!! She makes the cutest kittens.

So I brought PJ home July 12th. He walked out of the carrier and announced himself. Mr No Fear. Mr I'm going to purr even louder when I think you're mad at me. Or.....Tarzan. He recently found out that the sheers in my dining room, the same ones Sean has been chewing on, make great jungle vines. I don't know what possessed him to think that he could swing on them, but he did. He walks right up to them, jumps and grabs on. The jumping motion gives him a little swing action. Yahoo!!!!!

PJ might look like Polar, but he sure doesn't act like Polar. Polar is Mr Calm, Mr Laid Back, Mr Perfect. Sorry, but he is perfect. He's definitely a B personality. I would have to say that PJ is a AAA personality. From his cute little face to his giant feet......He's taking after his Dad, Snow Fox. I can't wait to show him. That cute little face of his.......

Soooo......Daily Meowers, I'm sure you'll be hearing about the antics of PJ for awhile. Which is good. I needed more things to write about, so I got another cat. :-)

meow for now,
melissa

Tazmanners

I learned today that while I too was mourning the loss of a very special feline, that my friend Carol was doing the same thing. Carol was owned by a very special kitty named Taz. Taz was a great show kitty. He had this great presence on the judging table and in the benching area. He was a big fan of our catnip toys that we made and sold.

His eyes would light up when he say a new toy. He had to have a new one every show. Taz would hug and slurp the toy. He would roll all over his grooming cart. He was a great salesman.

I lost count of how old he was but I would guess close to 14 years old.

Taz was always a gentleman, always a crowd favorite. I'm glad that I got to see him last year when I went to Toledo for a show.

I like to think that Taz and Sunny met up at the Rainbow Bridge and crossed over together. Knowing Sunny he probably greeted Taz with a kiss on the head and said "this way".

meow for now,
melissa

Sundance...one of those special cats

Today I lost a piece of my heart. I had to make the decision for my beloved Sundance to cross over the Rainbow Bridge.

It all started with a tail that wouldn't work. Nothing else was wrong. And then progressively, day by day, something just wasn't right.

On Sunday, upon returning from a weekend away, I discovered that my Sunny was in severe discomfort and was having trouble walking.

X-rays showed spondylosis on his spine at T 13, L 1 and L 2. Our best guess is that it either encroached on his spinal chord or a piece of it broke off and was in the process of severing his spinal chord. Day by day, Sunny was becoming paralyzed. On Tuesday, Dr Gallerstein said that there was nothing more that could be done medically.

We spent the day together on Tuesday. It was a wonderful day.

Sundance was one of those special cats that leaves their footprints on your heart permanently. Today I lost a piece of my heart, but it was replaced by wondeful memories. Sunny wasn't in my life long enough. I do feel cheated, but blessed that this wonderful creature was in my life for any amount of time.

Sunny was my greeter cat. He greeted any human or cat who came in the door. All new kitties in the house were greeted with a kiss on the top of the head and a grand tour. They were shown where the litterboxes, scratching posts and dishes were. They were told which toys they weren't allowed to play with and where their spot on the bed would be. He was a big mellow mush that purred all the time.

He had the most wonderful purr. He purred all the way until the end. The last sound he made was a purr. It makes me feel that he understood why I had to make the decision that I did. He was suffering. His mind and heart worked perfectly. It was the back half that quit working on him. Because of the wonderful option that veterinary medicine offers us, I didn't have to see him lose his dignity. I could have kept him around, carrying him around, feeding him, putting him in the litterbox. I could have, but it would have been selfish. Sunny was one of the best cats. He was a wonderful friend. It was the greatest gift I could have given him. So.....his suffering is over and my darling Sunny crossed over the Rainbow Bridge. In a couple of weeks I'll have his ashes, a pawprint and a locket of fur to remember him by. But best of all I have a heart full of memories and a camera full of pictures to hold on to.

I will miss him terribly

meow for now,
melissa

Pierre-my first American Bobtail

How time flies. It seems like just yesterday that I brought home a box with three little kittens in it from work. They were the cutest little kittens. There was a red, a red and white and a brown classic tabby and white. Their tails also seemed to fascinate me. The little red guy had what looked like just short of half a tail. The brown and white guy had this short little tail and the red and white kitten had everything they were missing and then some!!

Welcome to the world of American Bobtails. Who knew?? Not even knowing at the time that the breed existed, we were of course thinking Japanese Bobtail, Manx, whatever. I immediately wanted to name the red guy, Bob. One of the vets I worked for said I should be more creative. Soooo.....Bob became Robere. The red and white guy became Jean-Tom, and the little brown and white guy became Robespierre, or Pierre. For those who might remember way back.....I was a fan of the cartoon, Gay Purree. That's where Jean-Tom and Pierre came from. :-)

They were such a fun litter. They learned how to escape from the tent I used to keep them in. They would each grab a hold of one end of a toy and run in different directions.

Most of you who know me would immediately start to wonder, why didn't I keep Robere? He's red!! At the time, I didn't want red cats. Who knew? I was completely unaware of how wonderful they are, especially the males.

There was something about Pierre. He had this little cap of brown on top of his white head and this little mark over one eye. I called it his clown mark.

When the family who originally wanted Pierre backed out, I decided to keep him. This proposed a bit of a challenge seeing that Mom's cat Lily hated Pierre. So Pierre stayed at the animal hospital and with a friend until I moved out and was able to reclaim my Pierre. I did get weekend visits with him. I tried to show him. His very first show his was Best of the Best HHPK out of 17 kittens!! Woohoo. It was all down hill from there. He finished kitten class, attempted adult class and retired. It's too bad. He would have been a kick ass show cat.

Little did I know that he wasn't being treated very well at my "friend's" house. I would find this out years later. Pierre became quite angry. After awhile we were able to work through the anger issues for the most part. He still has his moments. I still suggest to people not to look away while petting him. Pierre gives no warning before biting. Right Mom, Kelly, Bonnie, Dad, Dewane, Patti,.........

Little did I know that I was getting my first introduction to the American Bobtail. The breed that has wrapped itself around my heart. Pierre didn't/doesn't meow. He makes these little chirping noises. They're very curious, dog-like cats. They can be very demanding of your attention. They love their people.

About 4 years after showing Pierre, I was introduced to the American Bobtail by John and Bonnie Charvat. I loved their cats. Then I moved to California. Showed my Maine Coon. Loved my Maine Coon. And then I met Jon and Polar. I love my American Bobtails. I love showing them. Polar, Sorbet, Painted Pony, Thunder, Snow Fox. They've all been wonderful to show. And now at the end of July we'll be introducing Kokopellies Polar Frost, or PJ. Want to guess who he looks like? :-)

I'm also becoming quite fond of the Siberians. I guess I should be since I now own a breeding female. The personalities are so similar to the Bobtails. I just love them thanks to Jon and Frosty.

Sooooo.....anyways, what brought this whole thing up? Oh yeah. Yesterday was Pierre's 12th birthday. Where does the time go? Our little babies are growing up. Even Polar. He's going to be 3 in August. It seems like just yesterday that we met..........

meow for now,
melissa

The official letters have arrived

Well.....it's official. Our official notification letters from Vicki have arrived.

Kokopellies Polar Express is officially the SW Region's 4th Best Alter.

Painted Pony is officially the SW Region's 3rd Best Household Pet Kitten.

Cooncreole Zhivago is officially the SW Region's 3rd Best Cat, 3rd Best LH Cat and Best of Breed Siberian.

Kokopellies Polar Mist is officially the SW Region's 13th Best LH Cat.

I'm sure Mom's Theo got something as well, but she hasn't shared the good news as of yet. Mom?? I think Theodore might be 17th Best Household Pet, but not sure.

Now all we have to do is sit and wait for the official letters from the Executive Office regarding our international wins.

This past season was one to remember. We had great triumphs in the ring as well as personal ups and downs for Jon. Now we're in a new season. We've got a great crop of kittens already. Many are already in their new homes or soon to be. We've selected a few potential heartbreakers to show for the season. Nicholas, Alexandra, Bubba, Sorbet and PJ show all sorts of promise for us. We can't wait to get their little feet into the show ring. As we've got people lined up looking for Kokopellie show cats we're hoping that Thunder and Sassy will produce some little winners as well.

When cats are involved, there is never a dull moment. One of these days I'll actually think of something fairly clever to post instead of all these updates. Maybe I'll even take a try at posting pictures. Oooooo........how novel. :-)

meow for now,
melissa

Arcadia show-America's Finest Felines

Well.....we had yet another great weekend in Arcadia at the America's Finest Felines show this past weekend. We had Thunder, Sorbet, Polar and Clive with us.

Mr Clive, the beautiful Ragdoll that is on loan to us picked up three more finals on Saturday, taking him to a Grand Champion level I believe. He is so cute. I'm sorry that we have to send him back home. But he does have a girlfriend waiting. :-)

Shy, sweet Thunder also picked up a few more finals towards his titles. I think he brought home 4 finals. I'll have to check the catalog.

Miss Sorbet did her best to charm everyone as well. Showing off the personality that she got from her father, Snow Fox. She also managed 5-7 finals. Again, I'll have to check the catalog. We had so many finals this weekend it's hard to keep things straight. :-)

And Polar........Kokopellies Polar Express brought home 10 out of 10 finals this weekend. Woohoo!! He ended Saturday with a best Alter, from Candy Jacobsen, thanks Candy and started the day on Sunday with a Best Alter from Rene Knapp. Thanks Rene. After that it was all seconds for Polar. Not too shabby especially given the company he was in. There weren't many alters being shown but there wasn't a dog in the bunch. The two Ragdolls were beautiful. Mr Jake the Balinese was out of sorts but still managed to pick up some great finals. See Carol....never give up!! And Miss Picalow, the little Munchkin, enjoying herself as always.

What I loved the most was the reaction from some of the judges to our Bobs. There were judges in attendance who had never see a Kokopellie American Bobtail. They seemed quite impressed with what we're producing and rewarded us accordingly. As we don't get a chance to get out East much, it's nice when clubs bring in these judges so they can see what's being produced and shown on the left coast.

Two more weeks until the next Arcadia show. PJ will be coming home that weekend to meet and greet his new brothers and sisters and get used to Polar. His debut will be the SW Regional. We can't wait.

For those I may have told this weekend. Polar is fine and will be able to go the the July Arcadia show. No worries, no major surgery. All is well.

More later. It's getting pretty hot and I have much to do. Like work. LOL!! :-) At 8:00am it was 75 degrees. It's supposed to be close to 100 again today and for the rest of the week. Ick.

meow for now,
melissa

Did you blink part 2

I was re-reading some of what I wrote. So I want to clarify some stuff and make a correction. The Burmese didn't belong to Kathryn, but to a CFA breeder whose name Kathryn gave me, but I can't seem to find at the moment.

Perhaps my wording about Nina Adkins and her cats were a bit strong. But....that's how I feel. Sorry, can't help it. Perhaps she's not a horrible person, I don't know, I don't really know her personally.

I am sorry if some of you working with newer breeds took offense. I don't like the munchkinized breeds. Just my opinion. My blog, I can say what I want. I hope my replies to your emails helped to clear up some of the misunderstandings.

My thoughts about the section at the end were apparently dead on. I've had several non-breeder people tell me what they thought. It wasn't good.

Usually topics of new breeds brings out the passion in some people. We will all just have to agree to disagree on this topic. I probably shouldn't have used the word horrible in describing her. I won't apologize for the rat cat comment. I'm sorry, that's what they look like and I won't use the breed name as I don't want to help it in the search engines. Using her name already helped.

Every one of us have topics that bring out the passion in us. I guess we found mine. :-)

To those working on new breeds, best of luck in your breeding programs. I applaud those who are breeding for health and temperament. To those of you who are doing it because you can charge an astronomical amount of money for your "hybrids", shame on you. For those of you who know me, you know which breeder/breed that I'm referring to.

Please do not take offense. This blog is simply to voice my opinions and to talk about whatever is on my mind for that particular day. If you want to discuss, email me.

meow for now,
melissa

Did you blink? Polar's 2 1/2 seconds......

So, here's the post game wrap up. First of all, if you blinked, you missed Polar's 2 1/2 seconds of fame. Oh well. At least I knew it was him. :-) A friend did tell me she saw him in the fast montage at the end. I didn't. Will have to do a slow-mo replay.

Over all we thought it was a good documentary. It was very interesting and it provided scientific data to confirm what everyone thought. That cats were domesticated in Egypt. The only disappoints that I have, other than the lack of Polar, were that they kind of mocked breeders and the use of that horrible Nina Adkins and her rat cats at the end. She did not represent the cat fancy in a good light.

On the positive side, Laurie Simes' Bengal got some beautiful air time as did the Burmese, which I believe belongs to Kathryin Amman. Jerrie Wolfe's little La Perm got some decent air time at the end as well.

As I said, I guess if you look at it that they kind of mocked breeders and purebreds, I'm kind of glad that they didn't use Polar as much. Of course, the main focus was on Dr Leslie Lyons and her research, not the purebred cats.

So, there are mixed reviews. Yes, I thought it was well done. Yes, I did get kind of teary seeing Polar on the television. I didn't like how breeders were mocked. I didn't like them using that horrible Adkins woman and her rat cats. And, her statement about those cats being good for someone with allergies, b*******. They still have the enzyme in their saliva that creates the dander that people are allergic to. Her main goal in life is to create deformed cats. It was disheartening to see that they gave her so much focus. Even if it wasn't in such a positive light. She still got undeserved attention.

I guess if I look at it this way I can say that I have one more thing to add to Polar's resume. :-)

Big show this weekend. Lots of cats that we're showing as well as delivering some babies to their new parents. Happy day. I know of two couples that are going to have a great weekend!!

meow for now,
melissa

Tonight is the night

Woohoo!! I can hardly wait. Tonight is the night for the National Geographic Explorer documentary, "Science of Cats". The promo is finally on the front page of the National Geographic Channel's webpage. www.channel.nationalgeographic.com Click on the kitty. :-)

I have a couple of people recording for me. I'm waiting to see if I can buy a copy of the DVD from National Geographic and as soon as I'm done here, I'm going to call my cable company and see if I can upgrade by tonight. I would love nothing more than to watch this documentary surrounded by the herd, with Polar on my lap. I told him I would have a bowl of popcorn and he could have a bowl of chicken treats.

I truly hope that he has more than just those two seconds in the promo video, but if not, I am still so proud that he was chosen to represent the breed by the National Geographic Society. Quite an honor. Heck, even if he was a rescue, it would be quite an honor to be included in something as prestigious as this.

Soooo.....set your TiVos or DVRs and watch this amazing documentary tonight. And for those who are dog lovers, "Science of Dogs" appears on June 24th. Something for everyone. :-)

Hugs to all, I have to go call the cable company.

meow for now,
melissa

National Geographic Explorer: Science of Cats

Well.......the day we've been waiting for has arrived. Tune in to the National Geographic Channel on Tuesday, June 10th, 7pm and 10pm EDT, check your local listings. National Geographic Explorer: Science of Cats will debut that night.

You can click on the link below to see an almost 5 minute clip of the show. It looks very interesting. If you click on the link below and watch, check out the kitty at the 4:35 mark. It's Polar, Kokopellies Polar Express. I can't believe it.

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/explorer/3103/Overview#tab-Videos/05409_00

There were 43 breeds who came out to UC Davis that Saturday in December. Over 30 were used in the documentary. I am so blessed and unbelieveably grateful that the producers, thanks Dana, felt compelled to use him in such beautiful company. In just the few minutes that I saw, I believe I saw one of Laurie Simes' incredible Bengals and an incredible Burmese was dominating the clip. Katherine is that your kitty? It was amazing company to be in.

Two years ago I was showing Finney, Celticpride Quiet Man of ClubRed, my big red Maine Coon. Then, at the Cabazon show, my life changed. I met Jon VanDuinwyk of Kokopellies American Bobtails & Siberians. He gave me Polar. GAVE him to me. It was on the condition that I promise to show him in at least 10 shows a season. I believe the first season I showed him he showed in 28 shows, was International Best of Breed and finished 28th International. This season he was in 24 shows, is International Best of Breed and finished 31st International. We have great hopes for this season.

These last two years would never have been the same without Jon VanDuinwyk and his incredible American Bobtails. Even in the show halls. Polar and I have received so much support from all of the other exhibitors. It's rather overwhelming at times. Now, in addition to having such an incredible cat I've been lucky enough to play agent for Jon's Siberian, Cooncreole Zhivago, aka Frosty. Frosty is truly a love. He's been International Best of Breed two years running. And this year, he's finishing in the top 20 Longhair Cats Internationally. The last time I checked he was sitting at 15th or 16th. We won't know for sure until the letter arrives.

And things just keep changing for the better. I'm now in charge of Jon's website. I've made numerous changes and improvements. More are coming!! I'm also working on another breeder's website. I just got my first breeding Siberian, Izzy. Jon and I are now partners in his cattery. I can't believe the generosity of this man. His belief in me and his support has been incredible.

We have some great cats coming up. PJ should be debuting at the SW Regional. Nick should be debuting at the Annual. Bubba should be debuting at the August Arcadia show. And of course, we'll try for that elusive IW for Polar. He's looking good and gaining weight. We'll keep our fingers and toes crossed.

Every day in the show ring is a blessing. We've been blessed with wonderful cats that are able to compete with the world's most amazing cats, TICA cats. Every final is a gift that is much appreciated.

To be included in the National Geographic documentary is one of the greatest gifts of all.

I hope everyone tunes in and watches. It looks like the producers did a great job. Well done Dana!!

Well....I'm on cloud nine.

meow for now,
melissa

Izzy is beautiful and other updates

Well, I traveled up to Jon's on Saturday to meet Izzy and play with kittens, I mean get some work done. I had a blast. Cooncreole Iziza, aka Izzy, is beautiful. She is a warm golden brown with giant owl eyes. And is Frosty ever in love!! He was so cute with her. He was nuzzling her and giving her little kisses on her cheek. It was love at first sight.

I'm really hoping that I'll be able to announce in about two months a new litter from Cooncreole Zhivago and Cooncreole Iziza. Keep your fingers crossed.

The kittens were adorable. Sasha's litter is finally just over 4 weeks and showing their little personalities. Dasha's litter is beyond amazing. They are all drop dead gorgeous. They look like little Frosty clones. Hopefully I'll be able to get some of the pictures that I took up on the website. Jon put a hold on the remainder of Dasha's litter. It seems that I kept selling his show quality kittens. Oops!! My bad. He was a real cutie coming from Sasha's litter. His name this week is Czar Nicholas. The couple who are getting Dasha's boy named him Kokopellies Northern Lights. I love that name!!!! I can't wait to show him for them.

An update on Polar. He is doing fine. His little butt blowout that he had healed nicely and only needed a couple of days on antibiotics. He's been taking his protein powder and doing his strength training to help bulk up. If this doesn't work, we may have to visit some of those websites that target bodybuilders. I think one of the ones I found was cheapanabolics.com. No, I'm not kidding. There really is a website like that. I found it while researching an ingredient for work.

I saw my little PJ while I was at Jon's. Way to cute. All I have to do now is think of a registered name for him. He looks so much like Polar.

Hopefully we'll see some major updates and changes to the website by the end of the weekend. I also have toys to make for the show next weekend and another website to create and get up and running.

So much to do.....so little time. Grrrrrr.....

meow for now,
melissa

She's here!!!!! Announcing Cooncreole Iziza

Well.....I got the call a little while ago. Izzy has landed. Cooncreole Iziza, my first breeding cat has landed and is in the car giving lots of love to Jon. I'm going up to Jon's on Saturday to meet my new girl. First reports are that she is very pretty and very sweet. Frosty is going to love her!! Once she gets settled we'll introduce her to her new man. Izzy is a full sister to Jon's Dasha. Dasha and Frosty always produce amazing kittens. I can't wait to see what Frosty and Izzy will produce.

Once I figure out how to post pictures in the messages I'll post a picture of her. Once I finish the remodeling of the Siberian page on Jon's website you'll also find her there as well.

And......even though I do have my own registered cattery name, all my new kittens will be Kokopellie Siberians. Not ClubRed. Maybe down the line somewhere. But for now Izzy and the kitten yet to come will be Kokopellie cats.

I'm sure in about 3-4 months I'll be sharing a litter announcement, Cooncreole Zhivago and Cooncreole Iziza of Kokopellies are proud to annouce.......Stay tuned.

And yes. I will be bringing my camera and battery charger with this weekend to take plenty of pictures. So those of you waiting on pictures of your new babies....check your emails on Sunday.

meow for now,
melissa

Exciting news!!!

Sorry for the big gap between posts. It's been a pretty busy time since the Arcadia show. I've been working on Jon's yearbook ad and the website. The new pages should be ready to publish soon. I've been gathering pictures of past Kokopellie Babies to post on the website. We have gotten some really cute pictures. I should have those up in a couple of days. I'll also be debuting a Retired Adults page. Jon has several girls that just don't fit into his breeding program anymore and a few that were dumped on him by another breeder, so we're trying to find forever homes for them. They're all very sweet, but a little shy. They will need loving homes that will allow them to blossom.

I've also been trying to manage the waiting list for the kittens. What a task. But, I think I'm just about through it and have most everyone matched with their new kitty.

I've also taken on doing another website. It's getting to be quite fun. I'll post more about that website at another time.

It also looks like I'm taking a crack at being a breeder. Yes, that's right. My first breeding female arrives at LAX tomorrow at 11:45. I'm so excited. Now, for those of you who are starting to think thoughts about me being nuts, Kelly and Bonnie.......Jon will be co-owning them with me and they will be staying at his cattery. I just get a say in these cats and what becomes of them and the kittens. My (our) girl Iziza arrives tomorrow and I can't wait. I'll drive up to Jon's on Saturday morning to meet my new baby. My second breeding kitty isn't born yet, but rumor has it that he/she will be red. At least that's what we're hoping for. Or possibly red point. At least a red carrier. It's all very exciting right now.

I will be posting more for sure. I'll have to see about posting her picture. She is a real cutie.

meow for now,
melissa

So Cal Exotica Show-how we did

There just never seems to be enough time in the day to accomplish all that I wish to. Anyhow, sorry for the delay in the "show report" from this weekends show in Arcadia. We had a blast. To recap. We had entered in the show Thunder, Sorbet, Painted Pony and Polar. We were also showing a Ragdoll for Elise Favin of DC Dolls Ragdolls in Maryland. I love Clive. He was so sweet.

So, we'll start with Clive. Elise wanted us to show Clive to get him his Champion title. Well, thanks to Jeff Roberts and Alex Chisholm, he's done that and now we're going to work on his Grand Champion title. Jeff gave Mr Clive a best in specialty and a best in allbreed. He had some wonderful things to say about Mr Clive. Several of the Ragdoll breeders were also impressed with how handsome Mr Clive was as well. Although a bit timid to start, once you get him wrapped in your arms, he cuddles right in and starts to purr. What's not to love??

Thunder. Thunder wasn't so sure about this whole showing thing. He's a little over a year, chocolate spotted tabby American Bobtail. Very handsome. He got a couple of finals as well. I believe one was from Alex Chisholm. I can't remember and I didn't mark them down. Oops.

Sorbet. Little Sorbet with the giant feed did really well. I believe she took home 5 finals. Again, I didn't write them down. I know, bad kitty handler. The response to her was very favorable. They all seemed to love how big she was for a 4 month old kitten. We can't wait to see how she grows.

Painted Pony. Well.......like most of my HHPKs that do great, once they hit adult class, they don't seem to transition so well. Painted Pony is no exception. She is a wonderful travel cat. She sits in my purse between the two seats and puts her head on my arm rest. Occasionally she'll sit up, tap me on the shoulder and give me a kiss. She also keeps Polar calm and quiet in the hotel room. In the show ring, not so good. She doesn't enjoy it anymore. So....no more show rings for Pony. :-(

Polar. Well, Polar finaled in 7 out of 8 rings!! Woohoo. He got 4 seconds, two fifths and third. Not too shabby. Especially since he was nursing a ruptured anal gland. Not to worry. It wasn't too bad. More like a big zit that had burst. He's been to the vet and is on antibiotics and is getting his bum hot packed several times a day. Boy does he love me. Not. He does love the chicken treat rewards for taking his meds however. Whatever it takes.

Oh. Jon's newest Siberian kitten, Anastasia, from Cindy DeWolfe at TwoComrades also brought home a final. Ana is beautiful and adorable and we're hoping for great things from her in the show ring. And one day, beautiful babies as well. She's black silver Siberian. Very pretty.

I'm sure there's more that I want to share, but it's early and I haven't quite processed everything in my brain as of yet.

I'll meow more later.

meow for now,
melissa

Constantly Updating

I'm having fun. I have to admit it. A year ago I knew nothing about how to create or manage a website. Today......I still know very little, but I am able to execute ideas and figure out how to make them work. A little more practice and knowledge and this might become a side line business for me. Any takers??? :-)

Yesterday's new lesson and triumph was adding a sound element to a webpage. Actually, it was locating the sound element on the web in the type of audio file that I needed, downloading it on a CD, taking that CD home and trying to get it to work on the website. It only took two trys to get it to work on the website. And then to find out that they lied to me about what kind of file I needed. Grrrr......I wanted a version of the song with words. For now, we only have the instrumental version. But coming soon........Freddie Mercury and "We Are the Champions". Yes, I know. Kind of cheesy. But hey, what can I say. Jon loves Queen and that song. I have a page on the website entitled Champions. Put two and two together. I was thinking of another Queen song for the Kokopellie babies page. Just consider yourself lucky that I haven't quite figured out where Josh Groban will fit into the website. I'm still working that angle. So....go to www.kokopellie.com and visit the Champions page. If you're at work, you may want to turn down the volume. :-)

The new season officially kicks off for us on Sunday. A one day show. Polar has been getting ready. I have him doing cardio and strength training to help pump him up for this season. He's also getting his chicken protein powder on each meal as well as extra chicken. This is all I can do short of pumping him full of steroids, which I won't do. His name is Barry or Roger or Mark......

We've got some great cats coming out in addition to Polar and Painted Pony. Sorbet and Thunder will also be debuting. And.......coming soon, about 2 months, a Polar Junior!!!! I can't wait. Same color. Same sweet face. He's all muzzle right now. He'll have to grow into it. At six weeks old, everything is where it should be. And, he's sweeter than anything. Way to go JJ and Snow Fox.

Oh.....another reminder, for those who may be new to the Daily Meow. As I posted on the first day. This is a not so daily, Daily Meow. I just can't come up with stuff on a daily basis and still maintain a certain level of cleverness. So Emmons........be nice or I'll post the lyrics and link to the Bald Bald Emmons Brown song. Which I might still do. It was so entertaining in Tucson. Luckily the video is safe in the hands of those doing the power point for the Annual.....:-)

meow for now,
melissa

I did it......new pages for the website

Well, I did it. I had it set in my mind to finish and publish the pages for Jon's website that I had started. I wanted to have them up and running by yesterday. I saved and published the last page about 11:45pm on Saturday night. So now, each breed has it's own kitten page. That page is accessible through the kittens page or at the bottom of each page. I put site navigation keys at the bottom of each page as well as navigation keys on the side of the page as well.

I got all the fonts on the website to match. It was driving me crazy to have everything different. There is a Kokopellie Babies page. If you have a kitten from Jon and have a great picture, please email it to us and I will put it up on the page. We have some real cuties up there right now.

The site is by no means finished. I still have pictures to add, things to tweak. I still have some major overhauls to do on the Siberians and Show Cats page. I also still have 3-5 new pages that I will be adding. I also need to figure out how to add the sound elements to all of the new pages. We just can't have the website with out the signature music. I'm still working on that.

Any feedback that people have would be appreciated. Be nice. :-)

Lots to do this weekend. We have the first show of the season this coming Sunday, the 18th. It should be exciting. Sorbet and Thunder will be debuting.

Oh, Jon has managed to do it. He made another Polar. He sent me the picture yesterday. The little guy looks just like Polar. I'm in heaven, but a little sad as well. There is already interest in him. :-( Oh well. Jon promised to make me another one.

meow for now,
melissa

Hi Everyone, Updates

Hello Everyone!! I know, it's been awhile. Sorry. So much to do, so little time. End of season wrap up, kitten waiting list to go through, website to work on, cats to enter, Humane Society dinner to plan. And that's just the stuff that has to get done!! Oops, cat toys to make. It's a never ending cycle.

So, to update everyone. The Escondido Humane Society annual black tie dinner is starting to come along nicely. We're starting to get some auction items in already and we're almost ready to start hitting people up for ads and sponsorships.

Jon has finalized the starting lineup for this season. Frosty is going to get the summer off. He will probably make his appearance at limited shows this season. He's worked so hard and achieved so much, that Jon thought he deserved some time off. I'm going to miss him. :-( Starting off the season for Kokopellies on May 18th will be Deercreek Thunder of Kokopellies. Thunder is a chocolate spotted tabby male longhair. He's gorgeous and big!! And hopefully a father to be. Liz, I just don't know as of yet. :-) We are also going to give Painted Pony another try in the Household Pet category. Her first adult show after finishing with kitten class didn't go so well for Pony. She was kind of tired from all her hard work in the kitten class so we decided to give her some time off. She was kind of getting that teenager attitude. Also debuting that weekend will be Kokopellies Sorbet. Sorbet is a lilac lynx point American Bobtail longhair. She is just the cutest little chunk. Sorbet is one of our first Snow Fox babies. Born appropriately enough, one year to the day of her Dad I believe. We're hoping that she follows in her Dad's footprints as far as that great show personality.

Also coming up sometime this show season will be quite possibly another JJ baby. We know of another JJ baby that has done quite well in the show ring, Kokopellies Polar Express!!

Back to the topic of Household Pets......Jon has a couple of lovely Bobtails that didn't bob. They have longer tails. Jon, unlike some other breeders, doesn't believe in docking the tails just so he can make more money. He leaves them as God intended and sells them for half price. If you're interested in getting a Kokopellie baby to show in the HHP class, there are some cuties waiting for you.

The Website. Well.....I've been working on it. I'm doing some major changes and those take some time. At least they do for me. :-) I have about 5-7 new pages in the works. This takes a little time. If all goes well, I'm hoping to publish the finished changes this coming weekend, probably sometime on Sunday. So.........look for new pages and pictures coming soon.

meow for now,
melissa