Thursday, May 29, 2008

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

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

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

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

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

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

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

Monday, May 12, 2008

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

Friday, May 9, 2008

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

Monday, May 5, 2008

A forgotten Kokopellie cat and updates

It was brought to my attention that in all my bragging about the great season that the Kokopellie cats had that I had inadvertently left out a Kokopellie cat.

My apologies to my little brother Theo. Theo will probably be the 17th best HHP in the SW region this season. Theo was in only two shows. Way to go Theo. Theodorable, I'm sorry that I forgot about you. You need to nag Mom for me. I've been asking her for cute pictures of you and Sophie for the website, but she never sends them to me. Could you please ask? Maybe if you ask, she'll send them.

An update. A kind reader of the Meow asked for an update about Polar and his food experiments. No, I never did cook that ribeye for Polar. I was so mad about him ignoring everything else that I cooked for him that week, that I put it in the freezer for a later meal for myself. He will of course get to try it when I cook it up for myself. Polar has decided that the favorite bulk up food is the Whole Life/Liv a Littles Chicken Treats. He was loving the liver as well, but too much of a good thing was producing too much of a bad thing in the litterbox. PU!!!! Liver will be given sparingly from now on. :-)

Other updates. Tank, the beautiful brown classic tabby of Jon's, that would have been my next alter, after Polar, is now going to be someone else's alter. Tank will be going to live in Maryland with Steve and Sherrie Zabriskie. All they had to do was to see a picture of that handsome mug.... So be looking for two Kokopellie bobtails showing in the alter class this season. One in the SW and one in the MA region.

Anyone from a region other than the SW, if you're looking for a new alter, contact us. Jon has an incredible deal for anyone wanting to show an American Bobtail alter in a different region. If you know of someone in a different region or CFA that would be interested in a Bobtail, please contact us, americanbobs@aol.com . We've had so much fun showing our cats and doing very well with them, that we would like to share in the joy. We want to see the Bobs being shown in every region. If you would like to consider showing a kitten or cat, that can be arranged as well. Have as much fun as we are!! :-)

A clarification for those wondering why not in the SW region. Well.......I'm going to show Polar again for another season. I really do want to get an IW on him. Multiple bobtails in the same region will take away finals and prohibit us from accomplishing our goals.

meow for now,
melissa

Thursday, May 1, 2008

something to consider

This is what I love about this blog. I get to write about whatever is on my mind. About anything and everything. Something that is on my mind as we wrap up the season and start a new season. This is something to consider for those who are fortunate.

Many people show for years without an international win. Some don't even make regional wins. But they continue to show. They come to every show. They smile, they buy raffle tickets, they cheer on the other cats, they have a great time. But they don't get awards at the end of the season. I've been lucky to get a regional award just about every season that I've showed in. LUCKY!! This year I'm extremely blessed that I'm finally getting an international award. I'm getting the IW because Jon was kind enough to allow me to co-own Painted Pony with him. Now all he has to do is figure out how to get her back!! :-) I've tried desperately for the last two years to get an international on Polar. He has gotten an International breed win last year and he will this year as well. I've been blessed. I've been blessed with a great cat named Polar.

There are some people who are equally blessed. There are some people who don't realize how lucky and blessed they are. They sit in the rings at the shows and pout if they don't get first. They walk around all mopey if they don't take every ring. They're disappointed because they didn't finish first. Too bad, poor baby. You're finishing in the top 20. Be grateful. Be thankful. Be considerate. Realize that there are 1130 alters who weren't so lucky. If you're showing in the cat class, realize that there were 2857 cats that weren't so lucky. I could go on........

So here is your something to consider: Life will go on even if you didn't finish first. If you're not happy with your placement, realize that there are 1130 other alters that would gladly trade places with you. So please stop looking for people to pity you because you didn't finish first. There are thousands who would love to be in your predicament.

There, I've said my peace. For now.......:-)
meow for now,
melissa

Waiting for the dust to settle

The season is over. The season has begun. Now we wait. We wait for the dust to settle and for the final placements. We wait and watch the mailbox for those letters announcing all of our accomplishments for the season. We do have unofficial standings. The standings that are based on the show reports from the past season.

Based on the unofficial standings, we have much to cheer about with the Kokopellie cats. We'll start with Frosty.
Cooncreole Zhivago-Siberian
28th Best Cat out of 2877 cats
16th Best Longhair Cat internationally
3rd Best Cat in the Southwest Region
Best of Breed Siberian internationally and regionally
plus numerous color awards

Kokopellies Polar Express-American Bobtail longhair
30th Best Alter out of 1150 alters
11th Best Longhair Alter
4th Best Alter in the Southwest Region
Best of Breed American Bobtail longhair internationally and regionally
plus various color awards

Painted Pony-HHPK
9th Best HHPK internationally
3rd Best HHPK Southwest Region

Kokopellies Polar Mist-American Bobtail longhair
co-owned with Gay Hill
2nd Best of Breed American Bobtail longhair internationally and regionally
plus various color and other breed awards

Kokopellies What About Bob-American Bobtail shorthair
owned by Pam Sharp
2nd Best of Breed American Bobtail shorthair internationally
plus various breed and color awards

Lots to cheer and brag about. All of the awards were earned fair and square. None of our cats had to be drugged to show. Jon and I are very proud of the accomplishments of our cats. We're looking forward to celebrating with everyone at the regional and annual. On to Arlington!!

Hooray for the Bobtails and Siberians.

meow for now,
melissa