Thursday, March 25, 2010

Denver, Phoenix, birthdays, kittens.....oh my!!

Well.....things have been pretty busy here in Kokopellie land. Nicky and Polar went to Denver and Phoenix. My Sean Thornton and Mary Kate Danaher celebrated their 12th birthdays, we have kittens everywhere and..........well.....there is more but I can't quite comment on it right now.

We'll start with Nicky and Polar in Denver. Nicky finaled in all but one ring and was 2nd Best Cat in show. Polar finaled in all but one ring and was Best Alter in show. Woohoo!! The show was great. The Colorado Cats Club did a fantastic job hosting. We ate at an incredible restaurant called Emil-Lenes....or something close to that. We can't wait for the regional in July/Aug.

Nicky, Polar and I went to Phoenix without Jon. More on the reason why at a later date. We did have kittens due, which is a good enough reason for Jon not to go, but we have even better reason coming.....:-) The show was a 16 ring show. Nicky finaled in 15 out of 16 and Polar finaled in 13 out of 16. Nicky was 2nd Best Cat in show and Polar was 2nd Best Alter in show. Woohoo again!! They did fantastic. Nicky showed/slept well the whole time. Yes...he slept through most of his judging and finals. LOL. Also got to go to my favorite restaurant, Bobby Qs. If you're ever in Phoenix try to go to Bobby Qs. It's quite possibly the best brisket I've ever eaten.

Kittens, kittens, kittens. We have kittens. Bobtails and now Siberians. All colors and sizes. We've had so many requests for kittens and they all came into heat at the same time......well....springtime!! Hopefully we'll be able to deliver some beautiful babies to their new homes in the upcoming months. There may even be a show baby or two in the litters. We're keeping our fingers crossed.

We have some interesting things happening here at Kokopellie that I should hopefully be able to brag about soon. Don't want to go jinxing anything.......

Two more shows for the season, Arcadia and Tucson. Love the Tucson show.

News and pictures of the babies has been posted on the Facebook page. I'm having trouble uploading pictures to FB today for some reason. Once they let me the newest pics will be posted.

meow for now...
melissa

Friday, March 5, 2010

Bobtail Love

I can't believe how much my life has changed in just 4 years. Four years ago on March 3rd, I was promised an exquisite bundle of fur. All I had to do was to promise to show him in at least 10 shows. The rest is history.

So Polar Express and I just celebrated the 4th anniversary of the day we met. I guess that means that Jon and I just celebrated the 4th anniversary of the day we met as well. This was also the beginning of Bobtail love.

Now remember, before Polar and PJ and Pony came into my life I did already have an American Bobtail. I just didn't know it at the time. Pierre came into my life in 1996, when he was just 3 weeks old. What a little cutie he was. Of course at the time we didn't know much about the breeds so we just kind of assumed he was some kind of Japanese Bobtail. He did look exactly like a J-Bob that was showing at the time, JB. So we just kind of assumed.

Pierre was a little different from other cats. He didn't meow. He made these cute little chirpy, chattery noises. Nothing Pierre did seemed accidental. Everything had a reason. He was like a little dog. He is very social, even when biting his cat sitters. :-) (that last part isn't very Am Bob like) LOL. I always knew Pierre was a little different. Even once I became aware of the American Bobtails, I didn't put two and two together. I thought Am Bobs only came in brown tabby. Little did I know!!

Once I moved to the SW Region my eyes were opened to something a little different. There was a gorgeous American Bobtail owned by a guy named Jon. This Am Bob was Snow Hawk. (Polar's uncle). What a gorgeous hunk of cat. But I was happily showing my Maine Coon, Finney.

Well.......around March of 2001, Finney's show career was coming to an end. I was desperately trying to Supreme him. He was enjoying it very much and I was getting frustrated. I had nothing else to show. Then came the Cabazon show.

On Saturday Jon went walking by with two of the cutest kittens I had ever seen. Polar and his brother Bear. I proclaimed how cute they were and Jon offered me Polar. I was left speechless and confused. Did people really offer cats for free? I figured I had misunderstood and that Jon would soon be telling me how much I would have to pay to own Polar. I didn't misunderstand. The deal was that I had to promise to show him in at least 10 shows. I promised. We made the deal that Jon was going to finish showing him in kitten class and that I would get Polar the next month to start showing as an Alter.

From the minute he put Polar into my arms I was hooked. This amazing little creature absolutely captivated me with those blue eyes of his. And....he was so well behaved. When I brought him home I put the carrier down, opened the door and said welcome. He walked out and head butted the first cat he saw, walked around and instantly moved in.

The first thing he did at bedtime was to crawl under the blanket and cuddle. I have since found out that his Mom, JJ, does the same thing. JJ kittens are undercover kitties.

I now had a second cat in the house that didn't meow. He just made these cute chirpy and chattering noises. Hmmm.....similarities? Yep.....it was decided that Pierre was an American Bobtail as well.

Then Painted Pony came to live with us. She was a Bobtail that didn't bob. She had a full tail. We showed her as a Household Pet. Painted Pony was our first International winner. She was 9th Best HHPK. Pony acted the same way as Polar and Pierre. Once Pony came into the house the real fun began. Now with three Bobtails we could have the Bobtail Olympics. They had lots of fun. They had climbing events, running events and jumping events.

Bobtails love company. They're social cats. Whether it be people or other cats. They love to be a part of a community. The more Bobtails the better. They run in a little pack.

After losing my Sundance, Jon sent PJ home to live with me. What joy and fun a pack of Bobtails bring to a home. They're clever, fun-loving little clowns. They have so much fun creating mischief that it's hard to be angry with them for knocking over a lamp. :-)

I have a pack of Bobtails that range in age from 2 years to 14 years. I wouldn't trade anything for this experience. Of course things are about to change just a bit. PJ now has a bride, Chocolat. Chocolat is expecting a litter of Easter babies. The pack is about to get bigger. At least temporarily..........

So four years ago is when Bobtail love truly hit me. I can't get enough of this wonderful breed. There will be more to come about these incredible balls of fluff....

meow for now,
melissa