Congrats on a great season

I'm continuing the thread of the earlier post. I wanted to congratulate everyone on a great season. It was fun going head to head with you. I felt privileged whenever Polar finaled in such good company. For all those who fought the good fight, brought competition to the ring fairly and played by the rules, I salute you.

I'm sure to some, this seems like an odd sentence. But to others it's not. There were some this season who don't know what the spirit of fair competition means. They needed to be best. They didn't get it, but that was the only thing they could focus on. Whether it was drugging their cats or talking up the judges while their cats were on the table or whatever tactic they decided to use for their gain. What did it get them? A loss of respect for one.

Oh well. I for one believe in karma. What goes around comes around. I play fair. I put a great cat in the ring and let things take it from there. I don't have to be number one. It would be nice, but not necessary. The purpose of my existence isn't dependent on whether or not Polar is Best Alter. Polar could be 20th Best Alter and I would be happy and proud. He will get the same amount of praise and kisses from me whether he was best or 10th in a ring.

So anyhow. Thanks to everyone who competed this year. I loved seeing all the great cats. I was very honored by the kind comments from many of you about Polar. I am in love with this cat. He is the cat some wait forever for. He's a dream to show, he's a perfect example of his breed and he's the cutest thing on the face of the earth. I feel very privileged that Jon and Jan chose me to be Polar's Mom. It was the greatest gift that anyone could have ever given me. I also feel very privileged that they allowed me to haul Frosty to all the shows with me. I almost feel like he is mine. I just adore Mr Frosty Paws. It was an honor to show such a wonderful cat this season for them. I of course have been teasing Jon that Frosty loves me more.....:-)

A special nod to some of my favorite alters: Scottie, love those cheeks. Nippy aka Jet, such an elegant cat. A wow cat. Nanuk, the second softest cat in the show hall. Chester, hooray for the red cat!! Valerie Horton, your girl was just to die for. I'm so sorry, I don't remember her call name. Judy and Diane, I loved meeting Simba. He's such a cool dude. There are many others. My brain is still mush from the weekend. I'll be posting more nods in the days to come.

meow for now,
melissa

It's over........for 3 weeks

Well, we did it. We made it through the last weekend of the show season. What a weekend. It was one of the more fun shows this year. Why? What made this show so different from any other? Well.............where to begin.

First, Jon was finally able to travel to one of the out of town shows. He's still hurting, but he's on the mend.

Second, Coatimondi Cat Club always puts on a great show. Thanks to Bobbie and crew for a fun weekend.

Third, people actually made me think that I'm a good cook with all the compliments about my guacamole and the pasta dish. I promise to post recipes for both shortly.

And lastly, Frosty and Polar did great. Some of the finest cats in the world were in competition this weekend in Tucson. It was almost like being at the Annual. Both Frosty and Polar were facing about 10 of the top 20 in their respective classes. And......they both managed to hold their own quite nicely. Frosty spent the rather warm weekend sleeping away the hours, both in the benching and judging cages. Yes, I really do think that Frosty is narcoleptic. :-) You have to see him in the judging cages to understand.

It is such validation to go into a show like the one this weekend and to be able to hold your own. Frosty and Polar went head to head with the best cats in the world and did fabulous. Overall for the show, Frosty finished 5th out of 60 cats and Polar finished 9th out of 33 cats. What tickled me the most about Polar's finals is that judges who have never used him before finaled him. I told each judge who finaled Polar, "thank you for including me in this group." It was an honor to be with these cats in a final.

Now all we have to do is to wait and hold our breaths for the final tabulations from the EO. We're hoping that Frosty held onto his footing in the top 20 longhair cats internationally. We're pretty confident that he will hold on to Best of Breed Siberian for the 2nd year. He should finish 3rd Best Cat in the region. We know that Painted Pony is safe as an International HHPK, probably 9th and Polar will be the International Best of Breed American Bobtail alter again for the 2nd year running as well as 4th Best Alter in the region. Time will tell.

And now it all starts over again. The Albuquerque show is in two weeks, which we can't go to. Then the Arcadia show is on May 18th. It will be fun. In addition to showing Polar again this year, it looks like we'll be bringing out some new faces....Thunder, a JJ/Snowy baby, maybe a Frosty baby. Mr Frosty Paws will get the summer off and probably hit the circuit again come the fall. He's worked so hard and done so well, Jon's going to give him a vacation.

There is so much to cover, I'm thinking that there are going to be a few meows today.

meow for now,
melissa

Last show of the season

Well, it is finally here. The last show of the season. Whew!! And just think, it all starts again in a few weeks. Sorry for not posting more this week. But.....it's been crazy trying to get prepared for the show this weekend. I've been busy putting weight on Polar, cleaning, packing, getting food together to bring to the show.

It was requested that I bring avocados to the show this weekend. So of course, I can't just bring avocados. I have to make something with those avocados. Attendees of the Tucson show will be able to feast on guacamole and a pasta dish that has an avocado cream sauce. Yum!! This is one of my favorite dishes. It's good either cold or warm. Which is good because they're getting it cold!!

Most everything is done. Just some final things once I get home from work. Polar is all clean and pretty. Show bags are packed. Just need to load the car, feed the cats and hit the road for a beautiful drive across the desert at night. The drive should be nice. We should be hitting the California/Arizona border close to sunset. The weather has been perfect. Can't ask for much more than that.

Hope everyone has a great weekend. If you're going to a show have fun and get some good points. Most importantly, have FUN. It's only a cat show. If you're not one of my crazy showing buddies, then hope your weekend is good, no matter what you do.

Happy Birthday on Sunday to my niece Shannon. She's going to be 14!! Oh my God, 14!!! Where has the time gone? Pretty soon, driving. I think I just sprouted a few more gray hairs, just like I did when I got the notice about my 20 year high school reunion.

Update: I can't remember if I mentioned the little pregnant cat that we rescued at the Lodi show a few weeks ago. Just heard that she is finally a Mama. She had 6 little kittens. Happy Ending.

Until Monday or Tuesday,
meow for now,
melissa

Frosty Conquers Maryland

Hail the conquering kitty. Jon and Frosty came home from the PACE show in Maryland this weekend rather victorious. Of eligible rings that would count for Frosty, he had 16 chances to final. Frosty came home with 9 finals including a 3rd, several 4ths, some 7ths and a 9th. We couldn't be more proud of our Frosty paws than we were this weekend.

From what Jon was telling me, the competition was fierce. Many of the top cats were there. Many of whom we'll see in Tucson next weekend as well.

According to the show report, Frosty was 8th best cat in show overall out of 71 cats. Not too shabby. This in turn now puts him as Best of breed Siberian and 17th best LH cat going into the final show of the season.

We're keeping our fingers crossed and hoping for the best in Tucson. With the caliber of cats going to Tucson, any final received will be an earned one.

The same will hold true for the Alter class. Rumor has it close to half of the top 20 international will be present and competing. Any final won will definitely be earned in this crowd.

A special hooray for Jet. I noticed on the PACE show report that he ventured out east for the show and managed to pick up a best alter in one of the rings. Go Jet!! Big hugs for that elegant meezer.

Off to start preparing for the Tucson show. I've got pasta, guacamole and brownies to make.....

meow for now,
melissa

Polar food update

As I posted earlier in the week, I was going to be attempting the seemingly easy task of getting Polar to gain weight. I mean, how hard could it actually be? I personally have absolutely no problem gaining weight. Most of my other cats have no problem either. Polar on the other hand must have an extremely high metabolism. He eats, he runs five feet and has burned off all of the previously eaten calories. I did consider restraining him from any exercise this week. He and Pony of course had other ideas. You just can't keep a Bobtail inactive if they don't want to be.

So, the great quest of calorie packing food started on Monday. Polar was offered ground sirloin. He said no thank you. Polar was then offered a hard boiled egg. He sniffed it and looked interested, but again said no thank you. The next offering was cottage cheese. No thank you. I bought him tuna packed in oil instead of water. He ate some but the look on his face said that it tasted funny. So, no thank you. I also bought him some chicken livers and a ribeye steak. These I have yet to try. Last night I cooked up a chicken breast. He was following me all over the house and begging. Yet, when I would offer him some, he picked at it.

I even went to Kahoots and bought some of the premium, higher protein canned foods. We're 1 for 4 so far. The Tiki Cat, tuna with rice and tilapia was a hit. Everything else.......

He hopped up on the counter this morning wanting to know what was available today. So I got him some of the boiled chicken out of the refrigerator. Um, no thank you. What else? So I caved. I got out the jar of Halo Chicken treats. He sang, he chirped, he danced all over the counter and then inhaled the treats. Little brat.....

I guess I could be like some people and cage him, so he gets no exercise. But that just doesn't seem right. Winning isn't that important.

I'll keep everyone posted on how the chicken livers and ribeye went over. Also some time this weekend I'll probably post an update how Frosty is doing in Maryland at the PACE show with all the heavy hitters.

meow for now,
melissa

Kitten Season

Well, as many of you know, kitten season is upon us. I have several great examples of kitten season at home. :-) For those who might not be quite so sure what I'm talking about. Every year, starting around Super Bowl time, the stray cats start to celebrate the coming of Spring. About 63 days later........we have kitten season.

This is the time of year that the shelters begin to become overwhelmed. Not only were they overflowing with adult cats before the spring, but now they have kittens as well. And everyone wants kittens. The adults have a tendency to get forgotten about this time of year.

What can we do?

Get involved in TNR programs. That stands for Trap Neuter Release. This is what is done for the feral cat population to help get a control on the numbers. Or, if you can afford it, catch a local stray and get it neutered or spayed. Help the rescues by absorbing some of the cost. Some vets, knowing what you're trying to do, might cut you a break. Or, if you don't want to get physically involved, donate money to a group that does this work.

You can contact your local shelter, cat rescue, etc and see what kind of help they need. They almost always need foster families for the bottle babies. These are people who are willing to play mama to orphaned kittens. This is tough work. Depending on the age of your kittens will depend on how often they need to be fed. Also, depending on age, you may have to help them go to the bathroom several times a day, until about 4 weeks old. This is a huge time investment. And unfortunately, in spite of all of your good care and efforts, your kittens might die.

Another thing you can do is donate. Not just money. These shelters and rescue groups need material goods as well. Towels and baby blankets are always needed. Heating pads. Laundry baskets. Kitten nursing bottles. KMR (kitten milk replacer). Cotton balls. Royal Canin Baby Cat. This is great for those over 3 weeks old. You've never seen a cuter dry cat food before. Small, low sided pans that can be used for litter boxes. After about 6 weeks they can go to a slightly higher sided box. Until then, they need something that can't be tipped over and that is easy access. Canned kitten food. Science Diet has one of the best kitten foods. Interactive toys for age 5 weeks and up.

As you can see, it take a lot to raise a kitten. A lot of it depends on how old the kitten is when you get it. Of course, your time will be well rewarded once they reach 3 weeks old. From 3 weeks to 8 weeks, you will have the time of your life.

First, their little teeth start coming in. In another week you can start introducing canned food. Of course my Danny started on Royal Canin Baby Cat at 3 1/2 weeks old. About this time you can start litter box training as well. At four weeks the fun starts. They start to run and play. Of course, the back legs always seem to run faster than the front legs. From 3-8 weeks, they learn everything they need to know. It is amazing. It's like watching a baby go from birth to 16 years old in 6 weeks time.

Other ways to help. If you know of someone looking for a cat. Encourage them to look at an adult instead of a kitten. Kittens are fun, but they're a lot of work. Young adults to adult are just as wonderful.

If you have extra time on your hands, offer to help your local shelter/rescue group organize a kitten shower, if they don't already do this. Advertise what things they need and have a special day or weekend. Have refreshments (donated of course), perhaps some raffle prizes. Turn it into a fundraiser.

There are many ways we can help during kitten season. Find which way works best for you and go ahead with it.

meow for now,
melissa

National Geographic documentary

I know some of my readers are aware of the National Geographic documentary. For those who aren't......

In December, Polar was videoed for a National Geographic documentary about cats. Something about the science of cats and how they evolved from domestics to the breeds we know today. They had some of the more unusual breeds in attendance at the shoot. Polar was the only American Bobtail. Our little man wowed the producer from the start, even before they placed him in front of the camera. Once we got in front of the camera......he was all charm.

We went into the room and there was a black velvet backdrop surrounded by lights and camera equipment. I put Polar on the table and he promptly walked off. The next go around, he walked to the center of the table, laid down and looked at the camera man as if to say, "here I am". They got all sorts of shots of Polar. They did extreme close ups of his eyes, nose, ears, feet. The producer was sitting behind me watching the monitor giggling and clapping her hands the whole time and making notes.

Polar's session ended when an intern came in with the coffee, closed the door a little too loudly and scared Polar. Polar backed up off of the table and took their backdrop down. Session over. I found out that Monday after that the producers were still talking about Polar. I'm hoping that means he won't end up on the cutting room floor.

I did contact Leslie Lyons at UC Davis this week to ask about the documentary and any new updates. The newest update is that they are still in editing as of today. Documentary is to be submitted to the National Geographic Channel by the beginning of May. And then it's a waiting game as to when they put it into the schedule.

Once we find out, everyone, and I mean everyone will find out. Especially if Polar is in it. :-)

meow for now,
melissa

Happy Birthday Milo

Today is the old man's birthday. Milo, our first show cat, is 14 years old today. He was also the first cat that I brought home from work that never left.

Milo came into the animal hospital as a stray. A healthy 12 week old stray kitty that was named Mel, after me. Milo was tested and checked and put up front with the other kittens for adoption. One Saturday, someone asked to see him. So I took him out of the cage and felt skin and bones. Milo had dropped a lot of weight. Living with the other kittens, nobody had noticed that he had stopped eating. Milo was what they called a Fading Syndrome kitten. For no apparent reason, they just stop eating and start to fade. I told the woman that I would take Mel home that weekend and see if I could get him to eat. Well.......14 years later, that lady is still waiting to hear if she could adopt him or not. Just kidding. I told her that Monday that he wasn't leaving my house.

The rest is history. Mom and I went to a cat show and said that we should enter Milo. We were hooked on showing after that. Milo became SGM Milo in short order. We showed him for four years. He had his favorite judges. He was very fond of Beth Hicks, Lynne Sherer and Patti Andrews. Milo also had a thing for Judy Chappetta. At one show when she was clerking for Roz Drusch, he shamelessly flirted with Judy. In his second show, Milo was in a HHP congress. Beth gave him an award for being the shyest. It was a silver glitter ball. Milo still has it. It's one of his special toys. He had a great show career. Until one day Milo decided that he didn't want to show anymore. While on the judging stand, Milo turned around and punched the judge. He retired himself. Sorry Al, it wasn't personal.

There was one thing about Milo that some of the judges, Beth, loved. He had these ear wings that came from behind his ears. I know a lot of Maine Coon kittens get them, but then they shed them. Not Milo. I actually had to trim them they were so long. He had them for ears. They did eventually thin out, but he still has some wisps there.

Milo even had a fan club. One of our friends, Laura, even rewrote Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and turned it into Milo, the Long Haired Show Cat. Too funny. I can still hear it now.

Very unique, very special. That's Milo.

Milo of course is now retired. He's enjoying his time in San Diego. He does have some health concerns and Mom and Dad are doing their best to keep him comfortable and happy.

Happy Birthday Mo.

meow for now,
melissa

Arcadia show this past weekend

Well, another show weekend, another exhausted Monday. :-) We had a show in Arcadia this past weekend. And as usual, the competition was fierce.

Frosty came away with 6 out of 10 finals. Woohoo!! Frosty spent most of the weekend sprawled on the grooming space enjoying his catnip and charming spectators.

Our little Polar had a harder time this weekend. :-( He only finaled in one ring this weekend. When you go into a show, knowing that the top cats won't be there, you start to feel a little confident. Then reality strikes. A beautiful Persian that hasn't left his home state to show ventured out and did exceptionally well, and deservedly so. Chester, the Maine Coon, was as usual, his normal red self. I love this guy!! And Dun, the Pixie Bob, was just shining this weekend. With competition like this......

We did reach a conclusion that perhaps Polar is a bit on the skinny side. It didn't occur to me until this weekend, even though Jon has been saying that Polar was thin, that Polar has maybe lost some weight since Pony came to live with us. Of course, since the arrival of Pony, we've had the Bobtail Olympics. More activity and the same amount of food taken in equals a thinner Polar. :-(

So, starting today, we're going to try and bulk up Polar. I had several suggestions of what to feed him. Thanks to those and their suggestions. We'll see if they make a difference by Tucson. I have his ground sirloin defrosting in the refrigerator as we speak. I will make him some hard boiled eggs when I get home and purchase the Nutro kitten on my way home as well. I believe someone even mentioned cottage cheese as well. I'll also add some cooked chicken to his diet as well.

If anyone else has some suggestions, by all means email me and let me know your successful formula. megncats@cox.net

Two weeks left in the show season. We're in the final stretch. See everyone in Tucson.

meow for now
melissa

Is it worth it? Play fair.....

This is something that I think about every now and then. Especially at the end of the show season. What is it about some people who think that finishing in first is the only way to finish?

I've been trying to get an International win on Polar for the last two seasons and we'll try again next season. He comes close, but just doesn't quite make it. So far, Polar doesn't seem to mind. When he minds, he will get retired and I will take a look in Jon's cattery to see what I can show next.

But, there are cats out there that do mind. You can tell, they hate the shows. They are beautiful examples of the breeds, but they hate to show. Why show them? Is finishing on top worth it? Every cat I have I got because I wanted it. Okay, I did choose Elsa because I thought she would be a great show cat. Okay, I felt I had to take Mila and Chauncey to save their lives. But other than that......I made a committment to these cats for the rest of their lives, not just their show career.

In the last 13 years, I have seen it all. I've seen people show cats into their graves. I have seen people hit their cats because they didn't final high enough. I have witnessed people blatantly stand in front of a judge in the ring, with their cat. I have seen people drug their cats in order to show them. What's this all about??? People, do you not realize the long term effect on your cat if you're continuously drugging it? Antihistamines are drugs with lasting effects.

If you have to resort to drugging an animal to show it then you have no business in the show hall. My personal opinion. Those who drug their animals have this inner desire to win at all costs. These are people who don't know how to play fair.

I have no problem coming in second or tenth, as long as it was done fair and square. Like I said earlier. I've been trying for an international win on Polar and will continue to try. Would I like number one? Hell yes. Am I realistic? Hell yes. I would be very happy with number 20 international. Anything higher than that would be icing on the cake.

Polar is a damn fine cat. He's one of the best of his breed. But, he's showing in alter class. The alter class is no longer the throw away class. It represents some of the best of the breeds. It is probably the toughest class in the show hall. Any final in the alter class is well earned.

I challenge any and all who are competing to do so fairly. Don't drug your animals. Don't resort to unethical tactics. Play fair and compete. If you have the best cat, the finals will prove it. It's pretty obvious to most which cats are drugged. I personally know of at least two in the show hall that are being shown drugged.

Play fair people. Being number one isn't what it's all about. Competition, fair play, having fun is what it's all about. If you have to be unethical, stay home.

Sorry about the rant, but if you know me, you already know my feelings on people who are unethical. I'll try to think of something happier for tomorrow.

meow for now,
melissa

Belated Brag for Scottie

I really meant to brag on Scottie last week, but I just kept forgetting. Mr Scottie, or HMS Prescott of Chaucer, had a fabulous time at the Edmonton show last weekend. Scottie came close to having a perfect show. Not quite perfect, but damn close. Not only did he final in every ring, but on Saturday, they were all bests. Oh well, who wants to be perfect anyways??

So, with that fabulous showing, Scottie managed to creep over 12,000 points for the season and therefore became the highest scoring alter ever in TICA. Woohoo, way to go Scottie. Just love those cheeks of his!!

Big kisses Scottie.
meow for now,
melissa

Jazzy Cats Show

Well, we're home and recovered from the Jazzy Cats show in Lodi this past weekend. What a great weekend. The weather was nice. The drive up was beautiful, once you got past Bakersfield. The hills are green and there were wildflowers every where. The show itself, as always was wondeful. I really like the new show hall. The Red Lion in Sacramento was nice because it was all in one, but this isn't so bad. The hotel is right around the corner. Unless you're at the La Quinta.

Any how, back to the show....It was nice seeing old friends again. The caliber of cats in attendance was exceptional. Jeff and Heather really had a tough time with the Maine Coon adults. I think Heather used 4 in her final and Jeff used 3. Any final received this weekend was well earned. The same was true in the alter class. Many of the top 30 were in attendance this weekend. Again, any final received was well earned.

Some well earned kudos go to Scottie. He received 14 out of 14 finals. Mostly best alters. I know for sure that there was one ring he didn't get best in. That's because Polar did!!!! Yes sports fans, that is correct. Polar received a best alter from Connie Webb on Sunday. It was a great way to start the day.

All in all our favorite little American Bobtail did pretty good considering the company he was in. Polar finaled in 7 out of 14 rings. He finished at around the 8th spot in show. There were some amazing alters in attendance. Jet, as always, magnificent. Scottie, those cheeks!! Ritzy, who really makes me want to get a Turkish Angora. Nanuk, one of my favorite Bengals ever. And the list could go on forever.

Now on to our favorite Siberian, Frosty. Frosty got a real treat this weekend. He got to see his former mama, Judy. Boy, was she proud of her boy. Mr Frosty paws didn't do to badly either. He too finished with 7 out of 14 finals. The whole cats were just as amazing as the alters. The Maine Coon class in its own right was beyond belief. And once again, the Turkish Angora....Kathryn, I'm not kidding, if she's ever missing.....:-) You can blame Frosty. He took quite a liking to her. I'm not so sure we would want to cross the Turkish Angora with the Siberian, but I know Frosty wouldn't mind. :-)

So, as I said before, it was a great weekend. Lodi isn't a bad little town. If you're ever in Lodi, go downtown. There is a restaurant called Feed & Fuel. The food is great, the decor is fun and their Bahama Mama's are wonderful. You can also try a restaurant called Back Bay. Like Feed & Fuel, they have great food, especially the steaks. The decor is nice and their bartender knows how to make a Long Island ice tea. Yum!!!

And just so you don't think that all we do on these weekends is show cats, eat and drink alcohol, on Friday, I even helped to save a stray cat. After dinner on Friday, a little cat came running up to Canie and I at the hotel. She was very hungry and very pregnant. She feasted on Fancy Feast, Friskies, Nutro and some of my leftover Filet Mignon. Lucky kitty. We managed to get her into a carrier and Gloria managed to get Christian to agree to take her in for the night. The shelter that was present at the show that weekend agreed to take in the mama, who I was told they named Sarah. So, in about a week or so, there will be a new litter of potential HHPKs born. :-) Then Sarah will be spayed and adopted out. Happy Ending!!

There's a show in Arcadia this weekend. Hopefully come next Monday I'll have more to brag about. Keep your fingers crossed. And then on to Tucson. The final show of the season.

meow for now,
melissa

Natural Remedies

Okay, I remembered the book I was going to share with everyone yesterday. The name of the book is: "The Veterinarian's Guide to Natural Remedies for Cats". It's by Martin Zucker. You can try Amazon or Barnes and Noble. I think I got it at Barnes and Noble.com For those who like to try natural remedies in conjunction with traditional meds or just natural remedies, this is a great book. You'll get many different vet opinions about treatment options. You can choose which one is best for you.

Speaking of natural remedies, the company I work for, Genesis Limited, makes and sells natural herbal supplements for dogs and cats. I personally have used the Feline Urinary Tract Support and Pain Plus on Danny. The Pain Plus sure beats pumping him full of narcotics when he has a flare up. There are some great formulas for cats, especially those who are in multicat environments. You can check out www.genesispets.com We don't sell directly to the public only to veterinarians. But, I can sell it at cat shows. Also, hint, hint, many vets now own online vet supply companies.

We do have some great formulas available for dogs and cats that could be worth looking into. I'm bringing my computer with this weekend as the La Quinta website claims that the rooms have high speed internet. That of course, doesn't mean that I will find the time to go online. It's something that I've been doing a lot lately. Pack up the laptop, drag it with me and not use it. I really do want to get some website stuff done for Jon, so there is a good chance that I'll be online this weekend. If I am, you might see a Daily Meow. If not, I'll meow about the show on Tuesday.

meow for now
melissa

Nigel and April

Okay, I lied. Today was supposed to be about the natural remedies book. I forgot the book and therefore the book's information at home. So today will be about Nigel. Well, Nigel and April.

I used to work in an animal hospital in Illinois, DuPage Animal Hospital. We were the holding facility for strays for the local police department. One night, just about nine years ago, one of the officers brought in three kittens that had been found. They were about a week or two old, very cold and very wet. There was a black and white female, April. The two males were a blue and white tabby, KC, later to be named Forest, and a red tabby, Patrick, later to be named Nigel. KC seemed to be the strongest of the three. So, they were dried off and warmed up and fed and came home with me to be raised and then adopted out. I had some doubts about whether or not Patrick would survive. Soon they began to thrive. April and Patrick were growing by leaps and bounds, KC, was starting to lag behind. It was also becoming apparent that perhaps Patrick had a different father. He was fast on his way to becoming twice the size of the other two and he was fast becoming a long haired cat while the other two were very much short haired cats.

Poor little KC seemed to be falling behind developmentally. Soon his name was switched to Forest by one of my co-workers. If you've seen the movie, you know why the change. Sadly, around 12 weeks old, Forest became very ill. He was acting like a blocked cat. It started on a Saturday afternoon. On Sunday morning when I got up, he clearly wasn't doing well. Into work we went. Forest never came home. His ureter had ruptured. Forest had what they call PKD, polycystic kidney disease. Now what to do, April and Patrick were supposed to be going to their new homes. April was going to my friend Laura and Patrick was supposed to go to my friend Carol. I had one kitten that died of genetic disease. How could I adopt out a cat that could potentially develop it? Laura said that she would take April anyways. I decided to keep Patrick. He was just too cute. There was one problem however. He didn't like his name. He wouldn't respond to it. It became clear that a name change was in order.

I started calling different names. No reaction. Mom suggested Nigel. I called Nigel and he turned around. So....Nigel it was. He was to be a show cat. His registered name was Lord Nigel Patrick Winfield.

Nigel showed great as a kitten. Not only was he sweet and adorable, but huge. At 8 months old, he weighed 13 1/2 pounds. Pretty much what he weighs now. He was kind of like Clifford the Big Red Dog. He finished his kitten season #2 in the region and 28th in the world. Not too shabby for a little weakling stray kitten.

At one show, we had a littermate contest. We put Nigel and April, who was a petite black and white shorthair in the same cage. Let the judge figure that one out!!

Nigel has been a dream. He's a wonderful cat. My little soul mate. He does have a bit more of an interesting story that I'll share at a later date.

April 5th, Happy Birthday April and Nigel. I love you babies. Laura, give April big kitty kisses from me and Nigel.

meow for now,
melissa

Sorry for the delay in meowing

Sorry for the delay in meowing. The weekend was kind of busy. The Escondido Humane Society had it's annual dog walk on Sunday and I was there taking pictures. I took 150 pictures on Sunday. We were also there to launch the upcoming black tie gala in September with our informational booth. We had a lot of interest so hopefully we'll get a good turn out for the dinner. It was a good day even though it started out icky. We had a misty type rain and it was only in the upper 50s to start. Brrrrr..... The one day in the last 2-3 weeks that wasn't perfect.....figures. But it did clear up for a nicer day. Not perfect but nice. Sorry Bonnie. I just couldn't make the promise to stop bragging about the weather. Let's see, on Good Friday I was wearing shorts and driving through the desert to Phoenix for a cat show. You guys were shoveling how much??? :-) Love ya!! Any time you want a little bit of perfect weather, you would fly into Lindbergh Field. :-)

Any how, big show coming up this weekend in Lodi. You still have a few minutes left to enter if you haven't already. You'll be missing my brownies if you don't go. Go to www.jazzycatshows.com for entry information.

I've been trying to figure out things to write. Still not that easy. You will be getting the story of my Nigel sometime towards the end of the week as his 9th birthday is on Saturday. I can't believe he's 9 already. Some of you know that I've been working on Jon's website. Or attempting to. I started last night on some new content. It's going to take me a bit of time to finish all the new pages, but hopefully within the next week, there will be plenty of new pages on his website for you to visit. So far I have 3 new kitten pages, a links page, a champions page, a Kokopellie Babies page and I'm hoping to revise the show cats page. The Kokopellie Babies page.....if you have a Kokopellie Baby, please share a picture. You can email it to Jon's email that's on the website or directly to me, megncats@cox.net . I was also thinking about adding a past litters page as well. This will give me a dumping ground for all the pictures of cute kittens that already have homes, but the pictures were too cute to take off of the website.

I'm always open to new ideas about the website. Jon and I can only brainstorm so much. Any thoughts or suggestions, bring them on. Because once I figure out what I'm doing on his website, I'm moving on to the Hugs N Purrs website.

Again, I'm always open to suggestions, it doesn't mean I have to listen to you, but I'm always open.......:-)

Tomorrow will be about a great natural remedies book that I have and some herbal supplements. Yes, I will be giving a shameless plug for my work.

meow for now,
melissa