The Daily Meow

The End of Season Wrap Up

2010-05-12T16:11:00.000-07:00

I just knew I was asking for trouble when I named this the Daily Meow. I guess I was being overly ambitious at the time and truly thought I would have time or daily content. Oh well.......you can also catch us on Facebook for more up to the minute Kokopellie happenings.

Since the last post we've been to two more shows including the last show of the season in Tucson. We ended the season on a high note. Polar was Best Alter in Show, Nicky was Second Best Cat in show and I believe PJ was 8th Best Cat in Show. Between the three of them they brought home 42 finals. Woohoo!! 16 out of 18 for both Nicky and Polar and 10 for PJ. Not too shabby. We are mighty proud of the boys.

The kittens are growing fast and furious. Lots of cute little furballs in the group. There is some show potential in there. Our favorite, a brown classic torbie Siberian, Nicolette, will be going to live in CT and start her show career with Linda Levine. Nicolette is Nicky's daughter. She is the spitting image of him. Linda should do very well with her as a show kitty and later as a breeder. Keep watch here all summer. We'll be posting Nicolette updates.

We're still on kitten watch for PJ and Chocolat. Turns out she wasn't pregnant and we didn't have chocolate Easter kittens. :-( We're hoping that PJ hit his mark the second go around and that we will have early June chocolate kittens. Keep your fingers crossed.

Now....for the end of season wrap up........way to go Team Kokopellie!! We had 14 Team Kokopellie cats/kittens/alters showing this past season. In 25 shows they managed to bring home 399 finals and 37,846 points. Woohoo!!!! Not too shabby.

We have some great plans for this season. In our first show of the season we're bringing out a couple of our ladies. Kokopellies Sasha and Cooncreole Stalina. Sasha is Frosty's daughter and mother to Nicky. We have our eye on a little Siberian that we're currently calling Peter the Great and maybe a Bobtail or two. We have some very anxious people in England and France hoping for Kokopellie babies this season. Who knows.......we may go international this year. We will also have Bob showing. Bob is a seal lynx point Bobtail. He will be showing with Anthony Hutcherson for part of the season as Anthony is in the process of meeting his judging program requirements and wanted to show a Kokopellie baby. We'll also have Miss Nicolette showing in the MA region. And who knows where else.

I will do my best to keep a more up to date daily Daily Meow. We'll see!!!!

meow for now,
melissa

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

2010-03-25T11:11:00.000-07:00

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

Bobtail Love

2010-03-05T11:02:00.000-08:00

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

February recap

2010-02-22T16:10:00.000-08:00

Since I haven't posted since Feb 1st, looks like I should recap how our month has been going. To start off the month, PJ was still trying to figure out what to do with Chocolat. Ah...the ongoing breeding saga. Around Feb 3rd Chocolat went into heat. For the next week, she wouldn't leave PJ alone. Well.......as of last night, it looks like her persistence paid off. Looks like the Easter Bunny could be bringing us a chocolate litter. Cadbury anyone??

We also had a couple of shows this month. Nicky and Polar headed off to the bright lights of Las Vegas to compete at the Cats in Sin City show. They did great. Nicholas finaled in 10 out of 14 rings and Polar finaled in 8 out of 14. We're very proud of the boys. The hotel was very nice and we did get to experience a bit of the strip on Saturday night with great friends. Would highly recommend the restaurant Mon Ami Gabi at the Paris. Yum!!

This past weekend we stayed close to home and went to a show in Arcadia. Nicky finaled in all 10 rings, Polar finaled in 9 rings and PJ finaled in 3 rings. The boys did great. We are very, very proud of them.

The show season is winding down. A couple of shows in March, a couple of shows in April and lots of litters due in those two months as well. We needed a couple of new show cats. Kittens coming soon!!

Hope everyone is staying warm and happy. Cuddle those kitties, they deserve it.

meow for now,
melissa

Catching up on recent events

2010-02-01T15:56:00.001-08:00

Well.....here we already into February. Time is flying already. Since my last meow we've had two shows that the cats competed in and one show that Mom and I were just vendors.

The January 16th Arcadia show went very well for Team Kokopellie. Kokopellies Polar Express was Best Alter in Show!! Kokopellies Czar Nicholas was 4th Best Cat in Show. Woohoo!! Way to go boys!!

The Arcadia show this past weekend was also great fun. Nicky got 8 out of 10 finals, including a Best Cat. Polar got 6 out of 10 finals, including 2 Best Alters. Painted Feather got 2 finals and Nicky's Mom, Sasha got a final in the Female Congress.

We also got some amazing photos the last two shows from Diana Starr of Starrlight Photography. Once we settle on the images we want we'll be posting new photos of everyone. She has pretty much photographed all of our Siberian girls and a few of our Bobtail ladies and most of our Siberian boys. One of our favorite photos is the one she took of Feather two weeks ago. It can be viewed on our Facebook page....

The show this past weekend was a blast. We had so much fun. We celebrated Nicky's supreme with a few appetizers, caught up with old friends and just in general had a great time.

The video and stills from this weekend can be viewed on my personal Facebook page. I'll also post links on the Kokopellie page soon as well. Our friend Emmons celebrated his birthday this weekend. Some friends sent him a singing telegram. That's what is on the video and still photos. Hope you all enjoy the silliness that goes on at the cat shows.

We have a bunch more shows for the season. We have a few girls due soon so we're hoping for a new show baby.

An update on PJ and Chocolat. They're still dating, but things seem to have shifted into high gear this past weekend. When I got home, PJ ignored me all last night and this morning. Pretty much like he did the day I brought Chocolat home. She seems a bit more responsive to his advances.......We could have some breeding action soon. I can't wait for all those chocolate babies to come our way.......Keep your fingers crossed.

meow for now,
melissa

I finally got one!!

2010-01-15T11:53:00.000-08:00

Well....if you do something long enough you're bound to run into all things possible. I guess the same applies to owning cats as well. If you have a large number of cats over your lifetime you're going to run into the whole spectrum of cat problems, both behavioral and health.

I have been quite lucky in my cat ownership. I have had my trials and tribulations with them but I was able to avoid one cat owner headache. The toilet paper cat. You all know what I'm talking about.

The toilet paper cat is the reason for the empty toilet paper holders in most cat owning households. There is one cat who, for some reason, likes to unroll it. They claw it, they chew on it, they unroll it.

PJ's new girlfriend likes paper. She chews on boxes, she mows down my kleenex, now she's going after the toilet paper. I guess I can't really complain. She is after my one and only in all these years. I'm just going to have to figure out something clever to do so I have something to use.

Since we are the subject of PJ and his girlfriend, Chocolat I'll use this time to give an update. They are still dating. They haven't moved up to consummating the relationship yet. My poor little man just can't quite figure it all out. However......this morning he did come a lot closer to his target than all during the week.

They will be honeymooning in Arcadia this weekend. I entered PJ and Polar and decided to bring her along to keep him company. We shall see what happens.

meow for now,
melissa

Team Kokopellie

2010-01-12T16:36:00.000-08:00

Well....let's hear it for Team Kokopellie. Last year we had the Fab Four. This year we have Team Kokopellie.

This past weekend was a fun one for Team Kokopellie. I went to the Lodi show with Czar Nicholas and Polar Express. We had a blast and brought home 18 finals. Also in attendance was Kokopellies Arctic Chill aka Chilly. He is owned by a junior exhibitor in the Mid Pacific region, Jorie Shepherd. Chilly is a handsome young man who just turned 8 months old and graduated from the kitten to cat class. Judge Fate Mays sees some potential in him as he awarded Chilly Best of Breed in his ring on Sunday out of 4 adult Siberians. Way to go Chilly!!

On the other side of the country, Kokopellies Anasazi Spirit, a black and white American Bobtail longhair, was competing in the TICA show in Milwaukee, WI. Annie brought home two finals at her show bringing the Team Kokopellie total to 20 for the weekend.

We love to see those Kokopellie cats all over the country showing.

The show was so much fun. Our friend Emmons will be celebrating a milestone birthday at the end of the month. He was a pretty good sport about all the extra cage decorations that made it on to his cage Friday night. And although I missed it, I hear that he had quite some trouble eating the special cake that was made for him.

I took lots of pictures and even some video this weekend. Once we figure out how to add videos to the website you'll see some of those popping up. Also once I edit the pictures down in size I'll be posting some of those as well.

So much fun!! I just love this hobby sometimes. :-)

On to Arcadia this weekend. Should be lots of fun.

meow for now,
melissa

my little man grows up

2010-01-07T10:04:00.000-08:00

I knew the day would eventually come. Jon and I had been discussing since PJ was 7 months old. Now he's almost two years old. The time has come. It's time for PJ to become a man.

So....off I went to Jon's last weekend to pick out a bride for PJ. We decided on sweet little Chocolat, Kokopellies Painted Cave. She's a chocolate classic and together with PJ we should get some beautiful American Bobtails. The whole litter should be chocolate in some degree or another. I'm already thinking of names, Nestle, Hershey, Godiva, etc....LOL.

Our biggest fear with breeding PJ was wondering if it would change him. Up until now he has been the perfect gentleman at my house. No spraying, no inappropriate behavior with the other cats. Of course, he hasn't had any undue influence. No other whole males, no intact females. Would introducing a girl change things? Well....I was going to find out. And....it definitely changed him. How? My little PJ is no longer Momma's baby boy. :-(

Before Chocolat arrived, according to PJ, the sun rose and set on his Mom. He tucked me in bed every night with an eskimo kiss and cuddle. He woke me up every morning with an eskimo kiss and cuddle. On Sunday, after I got home, things changed. I housed Chocolat in the bathroom so she could get acquainted with the house. I was in my chair in the living room, PJ was stationed outside the bathroom door. He positioned himself so he could keep an eye on both his girls. I called him to come over for a hug. Just as he was on his way, Chocolat called from under the bathroom door. There poor PJ stood, looking at the bathroom door and then looking at me. Back and forth his little head went trying to decide which direction to go in. The pretty little chocolate paw that came out from under the door won. Momma was no longer number one in PJs heart.

When it came time for bed there was no tuck in. PJ stayed outside the bathroom door all night. I finally gave in at 2am and put them together. They stayed together all Monday while I was at work as well. And no.....anyone who is waiting for a cute little chocolate American Bobtail will still have to wait. We are starting the kitten clock countdown yet. You see.......PJ is still a virgin. He knows what his "special purpose" is for. He's not quite sure what to do with it. He's trying, just not accomplishing. I'm sure once she goes into heat things will change. :-)

On Monday when I came home from work I went to the bathroom and opened the door. PJ came running out. He was happy to see his Mom. I also decided to release Chocolat into the rest of the house.

I am always amazed at how easily Jon's cats transition into a household. Every cat I have brought home has just moved in without very little fan fare. I really didn't see a potential problem with Chocolat as she is about the sweetest little thing. Any cat who lets her receives a head butt. PJ is her new best friend. They hang out together. He follows her around like a little puppy. It's been pretty entertaining.

By Tuesday PJ remembered who his Mom was. I got the biggest hug and cuddle from him after dinner. Things have been back to normal ever since. PJ loves me. PJ loves Chocolat. Chocolat loves me. Chocolat likes PJ. Someday she'll love him and I'll be able to do a kitten announcement. Until then I have one more sweet American Bobtail roaming the halls of the house. Life can't get much better.........

meow for now,
melissa

Happy New Year

2010-01-04T16:27:00.000-08:00

Now that the holidays are over just wanted to take a few minutes and wish everyone a Happy New Year from the Kokopellie cats. And from us as well. :-)

2009 was quite the year for the Kokopellie American Bobtails & Siberians. We saw our dreams come true with 6 international wins, two Lifetime Achievement awards, multiple regional wins, including Frosty being named Best Cat in the Southwest Region. And the list goes on.

We consider ourselves very blessed to have these accomplishments. We realized, after some conversations with people in the showhall, that not everyone who shows is as lucky as we have been. There are some who have waited 15 years for a Supreme. We've been lucky to average at least one a season. Some haven't even won regional awards. Yet they keep on showing. Why? For the love of it. They love their cats and love to show them off to people. They love the camaraderie in the show hall and the friends that they have made over the years.

This is what showing should be about. The fun, the friendships, the cats. That's why we do it. Of course, the awards and wins are always welcome and greatly appreciated. They are the icing on the cake.

2010 will find the Kokopellie cats starting off the new year in Lodi, CA. January 8-10th Nicky and Polar will venture north to take on the best that TICA has to offer. Check back to see how they did and to see what kind of fun and mischief we got into in Lodi.

So here is wishing you a wonderful 2010. We hope that all your dreams come true.

meow for now,
melissa

The night before, the night before Christmas

2009-12-23T10:06:00.000-08:00

Twas the night before, the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, except for the Bobtails. While all the other cats were nestled in their beds with visions of catnip toys dancing in their heads, the Bobtails were all through the house, climbing cat trees, opening cabinets and opening boxes.

One by one they each did their best to see what kind of mischief they could get into. From Pierre, the oldest to PJ the youngest, Bobtail mischief making at its very best.

You simply can't do anything in a house with Bobtails without them offering to help or at least supervise. They are social creatures. When they want to be. When you want a Bobtail, they're nowhere to be found.

I was working in the garage yesterday for a few hours and every time I came back into the house, there they sat, waiting for me. When I finally sat down, do did they; one on top of me, presumably to hold me down, the others stationed within arms length.

Gotta love that Bobtail love.

Bells on Bobtails ring!! Yeah right, bells on Bobtails, will get quickly removed and dropped into the bathtub for some noisy nighttime action. :-)

meow for now,
melissa

I miss my tree......

2009-12-18T13:39:00.000-08:00

I miss my Christmas tree. I have a beautiful 4 ft Christmas tree with little bits of snow on it. I also have these cute little white lights that look like pinecones. To go with the tree are ornaments from my childhood, from my grandparents, and from past clients.

So....why do I miss this tree? Where has it gone? It is in boxes in my garage. The reason.....I have cats. I did try for awhile. Two years I think. The first was Sean. I had the tree sitting on a coffee table in front of the sliding door. The area in front of the door was tiled. This is important. On the tree I had these little glass ornaments that someone had given me. HAD is a key word here. Sean, experiencing his first Christmas thought the little glass ornaments were pretty. And proceeded to spike them off of the tree like little volleyballs. Now he had two choices. He could have stood on the tile and spiked the ornaments towards the carpet. Or.....he could have stood on the carpet and spiked them towards the tile. Bingo.....he spiked towards the tile.

Needless to say, no more glass ornaments. We then got Elsa. Or....Elsa No as she became known as. Elsa, no. Elsa, no. Elsa, no. I kept finding her looking at me from the tree, about two branches up. That was the last year I put up my pretty little tree.

I did try a cheap, cute, two foot tree once. They managed to take off many of the decorations and then break the trunk.

Now please keep in mind that I'm talking about the regular cats. Not the Bobtails. God only knows what my Bobtails would do with a Christmas tree. Part of me wants to find out, the other part really doesn't want to know. This crew of mine.......let's just say I love them dearly and want to keep on loving them dearly.

Although everyone is older now. This will be the first Christmas in about 10 years that I don't have a kitten running about. The youngest is 1 1/2 years, the oldest is 13 years old. I might just try it........next year.

Of course, if I put up the tree on Sunday, that should give me plenty to write about for the next few days..........for a few hours on Sunday..........maybe for a few minutes. :-)

I'll have to think about it.........

meow for now,
melissa

Let's hear it for the boys!!!

2009-12-18T13:29:00.000-08:00

So.....let's hear it for the Kokopellie boys. Polar and PJ went to Tucson. Nicky couldn't make the trip to Arizona with us. Poor Jon just wasn't up to driving 3 hours to drop Czar Nicholas off in Escondido. The good news is that his right wing is mending nicely. He even made an appearance in Arcadia last weekend.

So, the Bobtail boys who went to Tucson did quite nicely. Both of them managed to bring home 11 finals each. Woohoo!! They both behaved wonderfully as well. The show was fun. Not as much fun as when my partner in crime is there but Mom and I did manage to enjoy ourselves.

I took over Jon's roll of orchid provider. Jon always donates orchids for the raffle. They adorn the judges' tables all weekend and then on Sunday we raffle them off. In addition to 6 beautiful orchids we had a gorgeous Christmas cactus available as well. There was a fight over that one with Mom coming out the winner. :-)

The show after Tucson was Arcadia. It was the annual Kat Knappers Christmas show. We had a great time. The count was low, but the quality was exceptional.

Czar Nicholas came home with 9 out of 10 finals, including Best Cat in show. Polar followed along with 7 out of 10 finals and 3rd Best Alter in show. PJ brought home 4 finals, Boris got 1 final and a new forever home and Silver Tiger, an alter being shown by his new parents, Richard and Janet Martinez also got a final. Nicky, Polar and PJ each also got at least one Best as well. This officially Supremes Nicky. We thought he had done it last month, but our calculations were wrong. Oops!! So you know what that means. There's a party in our future. Stay tuned for details.

Now the boys are on Christmas break. We have a show coming up in Lodi. We're hoping to be there. We'll have to wait and see. Otherwise we'll be showing twice in Arcadia in January. Looks like some of the ladies of Kokopellies might be joining us for some of those Arcadia shows. Stay tuned.......

meow for now,
melissa

Where has the time gone?

2009-12-01T14:31:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it's been a little over two months since I last posted. Where does time go? I guess it could be because this season hasn't been quite as exciting as last season. Remember.....this is the place for me to brag about the Kokopellie cats.

For the last three years we have been actively campaigning Polar and Frosty for International wins. Joining them this past season were PJ and Nicky as well. Campaigning can take a lot out of you physically, emotionally and financially. Plus it's tough on the cats as well. But through it all the boys all did fantastic. Not a grump in the bunch.

The plans for this season and next are to relax a bit and try for a regional win on whoever we show. So you won't be seeing us all over the country. Time to stay home and recoup.

Nicky and PJ, kittens at this time last year, have come along quite nicely. Check out the website and the Show Cats page to see their big boy photos. Grrrr..........very, very grrrrr........

Let's see......I've been trying to put together a cookbook to aid research in HCM and FIP. It has been completely overwhelming. I expected to get 200 recipes max. I received over 600!! Now I have to pick and choose and edit. And....not all the recipes came via email. Some need to typed into the computer from handwritten notes as well. Ah.......it's a labor of love. I had been hoping to get it out by Christmas. That's not going to happen. Unfortunately. I'm also thinking that it's going to be multiple volumes as well. Just to keep the size down. Otherwise it could rival the yellow pages.

What else has been keeping us busy? Hmm.......lots of local Arcadia shows. And of course I'm the vendor coordinator for those shows. Never a dull moment here that's for sure.

Jon just had surgery on his shoulder. Ouch!! He's recovering and doing well. Unfortunately he'll miss one of his favorite shows this coming weekend in Tucson.

Other than that........the rest remains the same for now. The Bobtails are up to their usual antics. Last night was quite an event. I didn't have to look outside to confirm that there was a full moon. I was ready to put the whole herd up for adoption. LOL. It is really quite amazing how the Bobs all stick together. They run in a little pack.

So now we're gearing up for Christmas. Lots to do in the next 25 days. Two cat shows, a trip to Disneyland, guests for Christmas Eve dinner and Christmas breakfast. Fun, fun, fun.

meow for now,
melissa

TICA Annual-post weekend wrap up

2009-09-17T16:39:00.000-07:00

I almost forgot to post about the TICA Annual held over Labor Day weekend in Orlando, FL. We had an absolute grand time. The trip out was uneventful. The hotel was nice. Mom and I met up with Jon and Jan on Thursday for dinner after they came back from an airboat ride. Sounded like a lot of fun.

The whole weekend was a whirlwind. Arrive on Thursday. Dinner out on Thursday. Epcot on Friday. Welcome reception Friday night. Dinner with friends Friday night. Show on Saturday. Meet and greet our new kittens that we picked up on Saturday. Banquet on Saturday evening. Collect all the awards. Show on Sunday. Dinner on Sunday after the show. Monday fly home. Monday evening come down with bad cold. :-(

I was really happy that we were able to do some sightseeing. The hotel was really nice and tropical. We ate at some great restaurants. The banquet on Saturday evening was nice. We went home with some great memories. Got to see Cindy, Claire and Debbie again. Haven't seen Cindy in 5 years. It was like old home week. Put in an order for a Maine Coon with Cindy. Took lots of pictures, etc, etc, etc.

Now it's back to business. There's a show in Vegas this weekend. Alas.....we won't be there. Eventhough the counts are phenomenal just kind of decided that we needed a break. We have Arcadia next weekend and Lodi the weekend after that.

I'm going up to Jon's this weekend to check up on our future show babies. We have two little fluffballs from Mufasa and Sasha that are showing a lot of promise. If they shape up accordingly they'll debut at the November Arcadia show. The only problem will be which one to show? They are both really nice. Time will tell.

JJ, Polar's Mom, is due any minute. We bred her to Snow Fox, PJ's Dad. Hopefully we'll get a whole litter of show babies. I told Jon to rub her belly and wish for 4 show babies. I know someone in England who has been waiting forever!!

Sometime in all of the preparation for the Annual I decided to put together a cookbook to aid FIP and HCM research. Why? I have no bloody idea. Like I don't have enough going on right now. It seemed like a good idea at the time. :-) So now I'm collecting and organizing recipes. So please share your recipes with me. You can email them to me, megncats@cox.net Be sure to include your city and state or country on your submissions. I'll meow more about the cookbook another day.

Cuddling babies this weekend!! Can't wait. I think we'll be naming the little fluffballs this weekend. They are so incredibly adorable. Can't wait to hold them again!

Have a great weekend. Stay cool if you're in a hot area.

meow for now,
melissa

The day that changed our lives.....

2009-09-10T21:27:00.000-07:00

I can remember that moment as if it was yesterday instead of 8 years ago. It was 7:36am and I was reading my TICAMEMBERS emails. I had WGN news on in the background. I had just finished reading an email from JP Demers when I heard something in the background about a plane hitting a building in New York. I stopped emails and went and watched the news for awhile. I changed channels to Good Morning America. I admit it. I changed channels because it looked like an interesting news story and I knew that the network morning news shows would be covering it because it was local.

Then I heard Diane Sawyer's voice talking about the second plane. I saw it on live TV, but it didn't register in my mind what I had seen until I saw it again. Just unbelieveable.

The flood of information that kept coming at you minute by minute, second by second. I still can't believe what I was seeing. Sometime during all this I called and made a reservation for a hotel for an upcoming cat show. Then the Pentagon got hit. Then there was another missing plane. Then the first Tower came down. Then the second Tower came down.

Was this really happening? What was next? Then all the planes were grounded. Grounded for days. It was eerie. We lived close to O'Hare Airport so the sound of airplanes was common place. The day we heard the first plane over head was creepy. We were in Franklin Park when that plane went over head. It sounded so loud, so close.

Our lives turned upside down that day. I remember keeping my TV on for days afterwards. It never went off. I slept with it on for the first few days, just in case they found a survivor in the rumble. I didn't want to miss it. Instead we saw the flag draped stretchers that carried out the firemen that went in and never came out.

I will forever remember that day, that minute, that second. Hopefully this country will never forget what happened. In spite what over inflated Hollywood egos seem to think. The US government did not orchestrate this tragedy. Religious zealots did this.

In my opinion, this day and December 7th should be national holidays. A day to remember a tremendous loss for our country.

I hope everyone will remember this day and what happened and how it changed our lives forever........

meow for now,
melissa

All is well once again

2009-08-25T10:12:00.000-07:00

I know my last post was a bit ominous. It was a bad week. To hear my best friend sound so down on something that he absolutely loves. It was heartbreaking. Luckily.......it was a bad week and things and feelings have passed and all seems right with the world again.

We are so looking forward to the TICA Annual sneeking up on us in just over a week. Very exciting. Plans are being made. Restaurants are being sought for some good old fashioned fun. Theme parks are being investigated for which will provide the best time. Mental lists are being made for what needs to be packed. A great time is being planned.

Plans for the future are also being made. We have several Siberian kittens that are showing great promise. We anxiously watching the two from Sasha and Mufasa. They're little butterballs with the thickest, fluffiest coats I have ever seen on 5 week old kittens. They look better than some adults. And the heads!! Round with perfect profiles. We can't wait to see these little ones get bigger. It's always exciting to see something with so much promise at such a young age. I'll post pictures soon of these little shaggy bears.

So.....luckily our little dark cloud that was hanging over us has passed. Sometimes it helps to take a breath and think things through and to realize how lucky and fortunate we really are. It also didn't hurt to receive TICA's newest brochure in the mail on Saturday. It has a picture of Jon holding Frosty and receiving a Best Cat rosette from Hisako Yamada. He was truly touched and honored that TICA would choose to use that photo on the 30th Anniversary brochure.

On to Orlando and tons of fun!!!

meow for now,
melissa

What do you do?

2009-08-18T09:11:00.000-07:00

What do you do when something you love, something that is a part of you is no longer fun? When you feel like you're being passed by and left behind? Unfortunately a dear friend of mine is facing that right now. He said that the cat fancy isn't fun anymore. There are cliques and hierarchy that nobody can get into.

In some ways I very much agree with him. Let's face it. The cat fancy is a bit like high school. You have the in crowd and everyone else. Sometimes the in crowd will let you in briefly, to give you a taste of what you're missing, and then send you back. No matter how hard you work to achieve your goals, nothing you do matters, unless you know the right people.

We have tried very hard to achieve that level. Never in a million years did I think I would be going to an Annual show to collect four awards. When I entered my first show over 14 years ago, I didn't even know if I would get a regional award. Now.......with lots of hard work, I've achieved a certain level. Definitely not the in crowd, but a higher level. If you think of it in high school standards, perhaps a junior. My dear friend is the same way. He has struggled and fought for every win, every point, every award. When you work with minority breeds, it isn't easy.

He finally thought that he had reached the senior level. Only to be basically told to go back to the sophomore level. It's made him rethink being in the cat fancy. It's given him a new perspective on things. It's making him consider leaving the fancy.

It does make one wonder. Why are some people told that they have to put in their time, to pay their dues, so to speak, before they're rewarded with the higher wins, while others are welcomed with open arms and lavished with finals and praise? It's discouraging. You hear stories from people who just celebrated their first supreme. After 16 years they just received their first supreme. Then you hear others who brag about 3 show supremes.

Is it all really about the cat? Or is it about who owns the cat? We do need to be honest. Everyone knows it's not just about the cat. Anyone who thinks otherwise should take off their rose colored glasses. Showing cats is political. A friend, who is also a judge, has told me time after time, the Best Cat, Kitten, Alter, etc isn't necessarily the best. They just happen to have more money and opportunity than others.

I've always known that the cat fancy is political. Let's face it. It's a competition. There is bound to be politics involved. Some of it is who you know and who knows you. I guess the biggest thing for us, is that it never really effected us until this past season. When we were briefly let in to run with the seniors. Now that we've been sent back to be with the underclassmen it's a bit of a hard pill to swallow. Makes you even wonder at times is this all worth it? Is it worth the heartache? You bring something to the show that you've worked on producing only to be told it's not any good. Eventhough you were told months ago that it was great. What's changed?

Are the only ones who do well in the cat fancy those who prey on others to get ahead? The ones who play the game dishonestly? The ones who are in the good graces of the judges? The ones who can afford to go somewhere every weekend? The ones who offer you their friendship and then stab you in the back?

We had an incredible show season last year. We showed some incredible cats. They are the epitome of the standard. So what changed? We're still showing the same cats.

I guess there comes a time in everyone's life when they need to step back, take time off and make decisions about their future. It's when you realize that life will go on without you. That your shoes will be filled by the next person in the door. That nobody will miss you or what you have to bring to the table. It makes you wonder if all the praise and good things that were said to you were to make you feel good so you keep coming back and bringing entries for shows. How does one know if what is being said to them is the honest truth or a slick way to get you to spend money at the shows?

It really makes me wonder if this is all worth it..........

meow for now,
melissa

The SW Regional

2009-07-31T09:59:00.000-07:00

Well.......what could I possibly say. It was a great weekend. Starting on Friday we went to Porto Alegre for Brazilian food, followed by cheesecake and champagne in our room. This started the weekend off.

The show on Saturday was fun. The banquet........we had the best time. My dress was very well received. The champagne flowed at our table. It was just magical. Jon and I had to go up several times. That probably made it the most fun.

When you're so caught up in the moment, it's very hard to visualize the things going on around you. I'm fairly certain and Jon confirmed it that Polar was very much applauded when he was called out for 2nd Best Alter. It seemed pretty loud to me and I think I saw several people standing for him. I do remember it being loud because I was very touched and teared up a little on my way up. I do know that everyone liked the photo that I used of Polar for the Powerpoint. It was just an extreme closeup of his face. I'll have to see about posting it here. I'm also going to see about posting a picture of me, in the dress, with my partner in crime Jon.

With as wonderful as the weekend was and with how much we were looking forward to it, I am amazed at how little there is to say. It lived up to all our expectations to say the least. We had a big box of awards and rosettes to bring home. Our benching area was covered on Sunday. We had lots of people coming over and congratulating us all weekend long. It was almost like a wedding. Too funny.

Now we're concentrating on the upcoming Annual. Again, should be another fun filled evening. Can't wait.....

meow for now,
melissa

special offer from Regional vendor

2009-07-31T09:55:00.001-07:00

I will chat more about the incredible time we had at the regional in a separate post. I wanted to highlight an offer that one of my vendors has for everyone.

I invited a Tastefully Simple representative to the show. Karalee Johnson is my rep from where I live. She trekked the two hours north to help out and vend at the show. Karalee loves cats.

So......she is holding an open book catalog show until Friday, Aug 7th. A portion of the proceeds from the sale will go to an animal shelter.

You can order online and use her representative # 1205, not sure if you have to mention cat show somewhere. Or if you have any questions you can call her at 760-735-5998 or email her at catshow@lovethatgarlic.com

Tastefully Simple has very easy to prepare mixes that taste incredible. They also have some great seasoning blends and sauces.

I'm encouraging anyone who can to order and help the kitties.

meow for now,
melissa

The SW Regional is upon us....

2009-07-24T11:35:00.000-07:00

Well, tomorrow is the day. The SW Regional. We have been busily preparing for months. Planning party favors, choosing a dress, etc. We are set to go.

For now I just have to endure the pre-event stress stuff. Need to finish the party favors. Need to finish stuffing the cat beds to sell. Need to make my fur toys to sell. Need to paint my toe nails. Need to leave work early to do errands and then go home and pack and feed the cats and scoop litterboxes and hit the road. Ugh.....I'm tired just thinking about it.

But by 7:30 tonight it will all be worth it. That's when our weekend officially begins. We have reservations at a Brazilian restaurant across the street from the hotel with a group of our friends. Then back to our room for champagne and cheesecake. We are celebrating.

Tomorrow we will round up all the cats that we brought, herd them down to the show hall, kick back and relax with our friends. Tomorrow night is the banquet. This should be fun. A time to celebrate the great season that not only we had but the great season that our friends had as well. I know there are some who are getting their first Regional win ever. It's a very exciting time for everyone.

Of course there will be the special awards as well at the banquet. Can't wait to see who won the Piggy Award. I'm pretty sure we were edged out. Thank god......I don't want to wear the piggy snout. Then we'll see who wins the SW Judge of the Year, Member of the Year and who knows what other special awards await us.

It looks like we're in store for a fine weekend. I've been to many regional awards banquets. For some reason this one seems just a bit sweeter than the rest.........

I'll report back on Monday!!

meow for now,
melissa

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

2009-07-20T11:40:00.000-07:00

It has been suggested that I change the name from the Daily Meow to the Not So Daily Meow. Sorry Meowers. Just been so busy trying to get ready for the SW Regional and then the International after that.

We've also had a few litters of kittens getting ready to leave to their new homes, more kittens on the way (we're trying to produce the next Polar or PJ) Keep your fingers crossed. We're fairly sure that JJ is pregnant.

So let's see, what else has been happening.........since the last post.......trying to get entries coordinated for Jon and I for five shows. Also trying to put together a table for the Regional and Annual banquets. And then there are the party favors associated with being Best Cat in the region, plus all the other wins. Right after the Regional I start on the party favors for the Annual. It's busy business having winning cats!! LOL. But I wouldn't trade a second of it for anything. We are having the time of our lives.

Sometime in all of this I need to concentrate on making cat toys for our vendor booth, working on three websites and being vendor coordinator for several cat clubs. Oh.....did I mention that I also need time to work in my real job, take care of the cats and find some time for myself? Too funny.

It's all good reasons for being busy. If the toys weren't selling, I wouldn't have to make more. If the kittens weren't selling, we wouldn't have a need for the website. If the cats weren't winning we wouldn't have a need for party favors. Etc....

Even though you plan things out so they don't fall to the last minute, things always seem to work out that way. Of course I think I do some of my best work under pressure. I ordered the cards for the party favors weeks ago. They're still not here. Should be here Wednesday or Thursday. That means I have 150 party favors to finish either Thursday night or Friday night. Grrrr.....

And sometime this week I need to get my dress to my Mom so she can put straps on my strapless gown. I was going to rely on "the girls" to hold it up, however......if I carry Frosty up for his Best Cat Award, I don't really want him exposing me to the whole room. Frosty always did have a fondness of putting his paw down my shirt when I showed him. I could just see him doing that to me at the banquet. I did entertain the thought of writing something across my bra, just in case. Something like Best Cat. That would have provided a chuckle or two. :-)

Oh well......things will fall into place and all will be right with the world.

Sometime this week I'll have to bathe two cats as well. In spite of me saying that Polar was retired......he will show this coming weekend. I miss showing him and I was asked to bring him.

It's going to be a fun weekend. Frosty will be making an appearance. His last one in a show hall for a long time. Our new kittens, Polar Bear and Arctic Princess will be making their show hall debut to get their training wheels. Two white Siberians courtesy of Frosty.

Sometime during all of this chaos we have managed to get to some local one day shows. Czar Nicholas had his big boy debut at the show on July 11th. He finaled in 8 out of 10 rings. There was a Best Cat in there somewhere. Pj finaled in 5 out of 10 with 2 Best cats. Rudy, our Ragdoll also brought home a few finals.

We can't wait to see what this season has in store for us. Jon and I have both said that we're staying home this season. Just doing our local, driveable shows. We'll see what we can do out of that. We have some interesting kittens coming up. And we can't wait to see what JJ will give us this time around. Seeing as we have a rather long list of people wanting showable Bobtails......I am still looking for the next Polar for myself. I just can't get enough of these Bobtails!!!

I will try to post more regularly. Definitely after this coming weekend.

meow for now,
melissa

the Meow is back!!

2009-05-28T15:18:00.000-07:00

Wow....April 20th was my last post. I guess I am stretching the Daily part of the Daily Meow a bit much. But I did say in the very beginning that this wouldn't be a daily Daily Meow. I can't just come up with that much stuff.

So lets see, where to begin since April 20th? Well the show season ended and things didn't exactly end up where we were hoping. We did do exceptionally well, but there is still that tiny black cloud hanging over this season's great accomplishments. I'll get the bad out of the way first. Yes, Polar lost out on Best Alter in the Southwest Region. And he did so by less than 20 points. Very disappointing. I would have absolutely no problem with coming in second if it had been done honestly. Jon and I play fair. We don't cheat or do thing deceptively. It just really hurts when it comes from someone whom I considered a friend. So even though the standings may say that Polar is 2nd Best Alter in the region, we all know that he was really the best.

Now for the rest of the stuff worth cheering for!!!

Kokopellies Czar Nicholar (Nicky)
brown mackerel tabby Siberian
2nd Best Kitten in the SW Region
Best Siberian Kitten in the SW Region
23rd Best Kitten Internationally
2nd Best Siberian Kitten Internationally

Kokopellies Polar Frost (PJ)
chocolate silver lynx point American Bobtail
6th Best Kitten in the SW Region (I think, somewhere right around there)
Best American Bobtail kitten SW Region
Best American Bobtail Cat SW Region
somewhere in the top 20 LH Cats in the SW Region (still waiting on those results)
Best American Bobtail Kitten Internationally
Best American Bobtail Cat Internationally

Kokopellies Polar Express
blue silver lynx point American Bobtail
2nd BEST Alter SW Region
Best American Bobtail Alter SW Region
18th Best Alter Internationally
Best American Bobtail Alter
and yes, if you just read that Polar was best Bobtail Alter and read PJ's accomplishments, then you read correctly. WE SWEPT THE BREED internationally!!!!!!! Woohoo!!
Lifetime Achievement award winner

Cooncreole Zhivago (Frosty)
seal lynx point Siberian
Best Siberian Cat SW Region
BEST CAT SW Region
Best LH Cat SW Region
Best Siberian Internationally
14th Best Cat Internationally
He also gets a LH Cat award Internationally as well!!
Lifetime Achievement award winner

We also have in the Regional winner placings, Kokopellies Alexandra, top 20 kitten award, 2nd Best Siberian kitten SW Region and Kokopellies Sorbet, 2nd Best American Bobtail Kitten, 2nd Best American Bobtail Cat and quite possibly in the top 20 LH Cats in the Region as well.

It's been one hell of a ride. At the awards banquet in Orlando, Jon will have his name called no less than 5 times. My name will be called 4 times (I don't co-own Frosty). We have been so blessed it's unbelieveable.

At the beginning of the season we were just really hoping to get Polar his International win, for his Lifetime Achievement award, and to get a regional win on Frosty so he could get his Lifetime Achievement award and maybe get a regional win for Nicky and PJ. Well.......we did meet our goals. We may have gone a little above and beyond but we did reach our goals. :-)

The only things that marred the season were things that were out of our control and things that I guess only happen when you start to do well and people consider you a threat. I've been showing for 14 years. I know there are things that go on. The politics of campaigning you could call it. I never in a million years thought that someone would start to play those games with us. First the questions, "where are you going next?", start to come. Then accusations, behind our backs of course, "we bought all of our judges", "we drug Frosty". And then the ringers get brought out to stop us when competing the honest way doesn't work. It's been eye opening and hurtful. Would I ever want to work so hard for an International win again? I'm not so sure.

This season has really opened my eyes to whom I can and can't trust. I know I can count on Jon and trust him with my life and with my best interests. The rest........not so sure. When it all comes down to it, this is a competition. Everyone is in it for what they can achieve for themselves. And of course we are in the thick of that competition. But would I sacrifice friendships and my integrity for a higher placing? I would like to think not. I guess what I learned is that just because you call someone your friend doesn't mean that you are their friend. I consider most people in the show hall my friends. I consider some of them my family. Not everyone shares in those feelings. To some, going to shows is just another hobby or another way to make some money.

To me and to Jon, showing should be about fun. If you can't have fun at the show, why go? We love going to the shows, competing against the incredible cats that people bring out, having some laughs and sometimes sharing a great post show meal. To us, it's all about fun and friendships. And, okay, after this season, maybe a few wins to boot!! :-)

Please take a look at the website and check out the 2008-2009 Champions page. I do have some things planned for some of the other pages. The first batch of Siberians are on the ground and growing like weeds. The second batch is due in the next month or so. This should take care of the waiting list and maybe give us something to show as well.

We're going to take it easy this season. We ran hard all last season. PJ will be out at the shows. we'll see how high we can take this incredible little Bobtail. He supremed before the end of the season. So that goal has already been accomplished. It was accomplished in 5 shows. Frosty and Polar are retired. They will be at the Regional for one last hurrah. We might be able to coax Frosty into wearing a tuxedo. I'm going to try. :-) Nicky will also be out starting with either the regional or the annual. There may also be a Siberian kitten thrown in. Time will tell.

That's all for now.

meow for now,
melissa

the season is winding down.

2009-04-20T15:52:00.001-07:00

What a difference a year makes. Last year at this time, I was hoping that I would finish in the top 5 in the region. Now......here we are. Polar currently is #2 in the Region and 16th International in the Alter class. He should be sitting in the number one spot in the Region but apparently the owners of the Siamese alter in the region only think that they can beat Polar by agenting someone else's American Bobtail alter the last few shows of the season.

That's right sports fans......they brought the cat to the Phoenix show. Polar and the cat split their rings and Polar lost out on 3 finals he usually gets. Now the owner of the cat has been encouraged to let the owners of the Siamese alter bring it to Tucson. Nice.....the cat has nothing to gain by going. He won't make a regional win, he can't get best of breed either in region or international. But the agents have everything to gain by bringing the cat along. Hmmmm.........just being nice and helping out or being ultra competitive and backstabbing. You be the judge.

All I want in Tucson is a level playing field. I would be more than happy to go head to head with the Siamese and see who is sitting in number one after the dust settles after the last final. But now they've decided to win by backstabbing and being under handed. All we can hope is that Karma will be keeping an eye out for them and that eventually they will get what's coming to them.

So off to Tucson I will go, head held high, and hopeful that little Polar can take back his lead and beat the pants off of them and be the number one Alter in the SW Region as it should have been. We will see what happens in 7 more days......stay tuned.

There was much to talk about after the Easter Arcadia show. Frosty turned in another stellar performance bringing home a bunch of Best Cats and taking Best in Show again. The bright star in the weekend came from the one Best Frosty didn't get. PJ got the Best Cat in Alex Chisholm's ring. That Best Cat made PJ a Supreme Grand Champion. You know what this means.....yet another reason for a party!!! Woohoo........

That Best also moved PJ into the Best American Bobtail slot internationally. Which means.......we could sweep the breed category internationally. Best Kitten, Cat and Alter. Little Nicky is still holding on to an International Kitten spot. He's at #23. Frosty is currently 15th International and #1 Cat in the Region.

It's been a whirlwind of a season. We never in a million years thought we would have a season like this. It's been truly unbelievable. We are truly thankful that we have so many good friends to share all the joy with.

When the backstabbing occured over the Best Alter position in the region, many people came forward with words of encouragement and support. All those words have been taken to heart and are truly appreciated. What goes around comes around.........unfortunately, those who did the deceiving were considered to be friends. That makes it all the more heartbreaking to me. I supported their cat and cheered for it for three seasons. I thought they were doing the same for me. Unfortunately I was wrong in thinking that they were our friends. Kind of makes me wonder sometimes if people can be trusted. Is Jon the only person in the show hall that I can trust?

I have to admit, this whole thing really wanted to make me re-think the whole showing thing. If I consider someone a friend, then they're my friend. No strings attached. I get very hurt when someone who is considered a friend does something deceitful towards me. Probably because I would never dream of doing something like this. I did consider borrowing a Siamese alter and entering it. I had many offers from people. I chose to take the high road and to not bring a Siamese with to Tucson. I had several people contact me and say that they could get me a Siamese alter to show. I turned everyone down. This way I can walk into the show hall with my head held high and know that however it turns out, I did my absolute best and I did it with honesty and integrity. I can live with my self and sleep well at night. They on the other hand.......that's their problem.

Anyhow.......on to bigger and better things. Tucson this coming weekend and then time to plan the festivities for the Regional and the Annual. I can't wait. It will be a great time for sure.

More on Frosty at the PACE show and PJ and Polar at the Orange County Pet Expo in another post.

meow for now...
melissa

Good news and Frosty's world tour continues

2009-04-01T10:34:00.000-07:00

So....this season has been so busy it's been terribly difficult to keep up and post as much as I would like. I am also, hopelessly addicted to Facebook. I admit it. So....if any of you meowers out there are on Facebook, add me as a friend, Melissa Eichler, so long as you promise to sign up for Mob Wars, Mafia Wars, Dragon Wars and Pirates so I can get more crew members. :-)

Anyhow....on to the exciting cat news. First off, I'm a grandma. My beautiful Izzy, Cooncreole Iziza, had three beautiful kittens early this morning. I got the call this morning. When I answered the phone I heard, "Good morning, Grandma". She had two browns and a lynx point. I don't want to gush too much and jinx anything. The first few days are critical, but so far so good. Jon said at first she didn't want to stay put with the babies. We were afraid of hypothermia. But he put Izzy and her babies in with Basha and her babies and all is right with the world now. Just what the world needs, three more Siberians. I'll keep you all posted.

And now for Frosty's world tour update. Frosty and Polar traveled to the beautiful, cloudy and rainy NW last weekend to Tukwila, WA. The boys did well. Frosty finaled in 14 out of 18 rings and Polar finaled in 9 out of 12. Polar only attended for two of the three days. Frosty continues his retirement world tour this weekend in beautiful Lewiston, ME, where he and Jon will dine on crab and lobster rolls while I keep you all updated on how the show is going. Does that seem fair? Frosty's world tour will continue for the whole month concluding at the Inn Suites in beautiful Tucson, AZ. We hope many of you will be able to join us for the conclusion of the tour. If the tour does well and ends successfully, we will be hosting a party in Orlando, FL, over Labor Day weekend. :-) Keep your fingers, toes and paws crossed.

Not to be out done, Polar has been doing his own mini tour. He is Frosty's opening act at the more local shows. If all goes well for Polar's mini tour, he too will be co-hosting the party in Orlando with Frosty. Time will tell........

I can't believe how lucky and blessed we have been this season. We could have 2, maybe 3 International winners. We could possibly sweep the American Bobtail category internationally. Frosty and Polar should both receive International wins, their Lifetime Achievement awards and possibly Best Cat in the SW Region for Frosty and Best Alter for Polar. It's been an amazing season with only 29 more days to go.

Stay tuned......
meow for now,
melissa

Belated birthday for my Sean and Kate

2009-03-25T16:54:00.000-07:00

I'm such a horrible cat mom. I forgot to wish my Sean and Kate a happy birthday on March 17th. They're St Patricks babies. They came from a good Irish kitty family. Four red boys and a torbie girl.

They came to me at just three days old. I kept Sean and Kate to hand raise. Another family took the other three. Sean Thornton and Mary Kate Danaher if you please. They got their names from the John Wayne movie, The Quiet Man. A family favorite.

They turned 11 this year. Hard to believe where the time goes. 11 years ago, all five fit into two hands. Today, Sean's head is bigger than my two hands. :-) Sean....one of the loves of my life. Miss Kate, loves her Daddy. (My Dad). They adopted each other.

Belated birthday wishes to Sean and Kate.

meow for now,
melissa

Happy Birthday PJ

2009-03-25T16:47:00.000-07:00

Today is my little PJ's first birthday. PJ has been such a joy to show. For those who don't know his name stands for Polar Junior. When he was a baby we thought he was the same color as Polar, a blue silver. After a couple of months, when his color started to darken, it became apparent that he wasn't. He was a chocolate silver. Thanks to Jeff Roberts for pointing it out to us!!

PJ very much takes after his Dad, Snow Fox. He has Snowy's laid back, mellow temperament. Which makes for a great show kitty. We're really glad that we decided to keep him. Sorry Claire!! We are working on making you your very own PJ. :-) I promise.

Any how.....today PJ becomes a big boy. And is he ever a big boy. I'm taking Polar to the vet for a health certificate tomorrow. I'm taking PJ along to weigh him. We've been trying to guess his weight for awhile now. My guess is 12-14 lbs. We'll see tomorrow. Whatever it is, the boy is a chunk. He is such a joy, such a momma's boy. I wouldn't mind a house full of PJs. Heck, a house full of Bobtails. Of course I am close to that now. There are four Bobtails running around my house. They range from 1 year to 13 years. They all stick together. Nothing better than a house full of Bobs!!

Happy Birthday baby boy. Tuna cake for all tonight!!

meow for now,
melissa

Highs and Lows

2009-03-25T16:33:00.000-07:00

With every show season comes a series of highs and lows. You'll have a great show one weekend followed by several lousy shows. This season has been one season long high. The cats have risen to the occasion each and every time we asked them to. We've been pinching ourselves so much that Jon and I have black and blue marks all over our arms. :-)

It's not like we thought our cats never had a chance. Just the opposite. We know we have good cats. The obstacle is to get the judges to think that we have good cats. That is the opinion that matters when it comes down to it.

This season has been so incredible that I've been keeping track of how many finals we've gotten. To date we have had 608 finals. We have had 9 Best in Shows. Frosty has had 6 Best in Shows. It has been a dream season.

We have no idea how this magical season will end. There are still a lot of shows between now and the end of the season. We will have to wait until the end of the show in Tucson to finally breath and for the dust to settle at the Executive Office. Where will we end up? We're keeping our fingers, toes and paws crossed for the desired outcome. No matter what happens, it has been one hell of a ride, with no complaints.

Most people wait a lifetime for a season like this. I've waited 14 years. I'm enjoying each and every day that comes my way. One thing is for sure. When the dust finally settles, Kokopellies Polar Express will be the Best American Bobtail ever shown, kitten, cat or alter. He has proven to be the epitome of the breed. He is the standard to which all should strive to be. No, I'm not biased. :-)

Funny enough, we have some of our success owed to some Maine Coon breeders. About three years ago, Jon inquired to several Maine Coon breeders about getting a Maine Coon. He just really liked the breed and wanted one to show. He was turned down by all of them. Then he saw the Siberian and talked with Judy Chappetta of Cooncreole Siberians. Cooncreole Zhivago, aka Frosty, came to live with Jon. The rest is history. Three International Best of Breeds, two International wins, multiple Regional wins and now an International winning (hopefully) kitten from Frosty, later.........need we say any more? Without the Maine Coon breeders, we wouldn't be where we are now. Thanks guys. We appreciate it more than you know.

So.....time to prepare for more highs and lows, peaks and valleys. This season isn't over with yet. Can't wait to see how it ends. Hope you'll all stay with us for the ride.

meow for now,
melissa

The Quest for Best

2009-03-03T16:25:00.000-08:00

Okay, it's official. I'm officially bitten by the, "there's a possibility that Polar might be Best Alter in the region" bug. To make things even more exciting Frosty could actually get Best Cat in the region as well. It's a very tight race for both of them with fierce competition.

Frosty is in the middle of a three way race. It's going to be tight and down to the wire. We're keeping our fingers, toes and paws crossed.

Polar is still hanging on to that 14th position internationally. He's still hanging on to the #1 spot in the SW Region. I am not holding my breath. There are a couple of fantastic kitties close behind that have really come in to there own as of late. Again, it will go down to the wire. May the best kitty win.

However it ends we certainly can't complain. Jon and I have been extremely fortunate this season. We were blessed with an incredible crop of cats to show. Not a bad one in the lot. We actually had to leave some at home or pet them out.

The last two Arcadia shows have been fun. Frosty finaled in 9 out of 10 rings at the San Gabriel show and 8 out of 10, I believe, at the SoCal Exotica show. Polar finaled in 7 out of 10, I believe, at both shows. Both cats had very good showings. PJ came out to show again as well. His head is starting to catch up with the rest of his body and he looks more in proportion now. We'll run him for the last few shows of the season and see where he ends up.

He's getting so big, I may have to train him to get himself up and back from the rings. :-)

So our Quest for Best continues. Two shows in two weeks. We're off to Primm, NV this weekend, Phoenix in two weeks, Arcadia and Tucson in April. It's a full schedule but we're hoping the outcome will be most rewarding. If nothing else, we're going to have a great time at all the shows. Because after all, if the shows aren't fun, what's the purpose of going?

Traveling to the out of town shows with some wine, cheese, crackers and great cats is what it is all about. Oh.....and good friends as well.

meow for now,
melissa

The Meow is Back......

2009-02-13T13:39:00.001-08:00

Well.....I guess it's been some time since I last meowed at everyone. Sorry for the gap. Call it a circumstance of life. Or....the down side of owning pets. We bring them into our lives knowing that they will only be with us for a short time. It never does seem to get any easier. Anyhow....back to the brighter side of things. The show cats!!

To update everyone on the last Arcadia show, the boys did well. Frosty was Best Cat in show again. Polar managed to do quite nicely as well and picked up some nice points to keep him in the thick of the hunt for an international win. Since the January Arcadia show the boys have enjoyed some down time. Which I'm sure was well needed. Now, as we head into the home stretch, there will be no real down time. There are 11 weeks left in the show season. In those 11 weeks Polar and PJ have 6 more shows and Frosty has 7. Three of the shows are in back to back to back weekends.

But, if all goes well and the boys get the kind of finals we're hoping for then the payoff will be well worth it. In addition to International wins, we could conceivably be getting Best Cat in the SW region and Best Alter in the SW region. It could be absolutely incredible if it happened. I'm not holding my breath, but being hopeful and keeping my fingers crossed.

Unfortunately the end of the season brings out the ugly side of people sometimes. There are some who believe in winning at all cost. They don't seem to care how much money they spend or about the welfare of the cat in some cases, sad to say. We don't believe in that. This season has been expensive enough as it is. But.....we were blessed with 8 cats that could and wanted to do their best in the show ring. We showed as many as possible, with the main focus on the Fab Four.

So here we go, into the home stretch of the season. Only time will tell if we will end up on top. Even if we don't, there are some great cats in competition this season. To finish 2nd or 3rd to any of them would be an honor.

So Daily Meow fans.....please keep your fingers and toes and paws crossed for Cooncreole Zhivago (Frosty) and Kokopellies Polar Express (Polar) in their race to be the Best. :-) We could use all your warm and fuzzy thoughts.

On the cattery side of things.....we've had a new litter of Bobtails born at the end of December. Looks like we could have some show potential out of the litter. Frosty was busy with his harem the last month or so. Hopefully in the next couple of months I'll be bringing you news from the nursery.

That's all for now.

meow for now,
melissa

Happy New Year

2009-01-15T16:05:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year to all my Daily Meowers. Sorry for the lack of posts. I decided to take a bit of time off from meowing. Plus with the holidays and shows and website work, etc, etc, etc.

Well......2008 proved to be quite successful for the Kokopellie cats. All three boys, Cooncreole Zhivago (Frosty), Kokopellies Czar Nicholas (Nicky) and Kokopellies Polar Express (Polar) are all still holding on to their respective international best of breed title. They all also continue to hold on to a top 25 international ranking. As we go into the final stretch, it's going to be a nail biter. With a little luck and some good finals we should have three very good reasons to go to the Annual in Orlando this year. Frosty and Polar also have a very good chance at being the Southwest Region's Best Cat and Best Alter. These titles will be hard to hold on to as we are up against some very, very good cats.

The show up in Lodi last weekend was a good show for us. Frosty was Best in Show in his category and Polar was 6th in his category out of almost 40 cats. Polar was also in the news spot that aired and Jon and Frosty were pictured in one of the local Lodi newspapers. I will post links on the website that will take you to both. I did post the picture of Jon and Frosty. You can find it on the Show Calendar page and the At the Shows page.

We have a show in Arcadia this weekend. Then a few weeks off and the craziness starts all over again until April 30th. All we can do is hope, pray and present nicely groomed cats. The rest is in the hands of the judges. Keep your fingers crossed.

Miss Sorbet sure did surprise us. She took 8 finals at the Tucson show and 5 finals at the December Arcadia show. Currently she is the Best American Bobtail Cat in TICA. Woohoo!! For those wondering....."where's PJ?" PJ is doing great. He's in a bit of an awkward phase right now.....little head, big body. We need to let his head catch up with the rest of his body so he is more balanced. Then look out. :-) He is the sweetest cat ever. I can't wait to show him in the big boy class.

Our newest Siberian boy, Mufasa, from Sweden, is beautiful. I finally got to meet him. What a love. He showed at the Lodi show and made 3 finals, two 5ths and a 4th. Not too shabby considering there were over 60 kittens showing.

Other than that it's been pretty normal. Miss Skitz gave us some beautiful kittens. There is a chocolate silver torbie girl that could break some hearts in the show ring. We're still waiting for those Siberians to decide that they want to give us kittens.

Mom and I will be vending at the big CFA show in Del Mar next weekend. It's the Food & Water Bowl. Too funny.

I'm still playing around with the website on a weekly if not daily basis. There is always something changing. Have to keep it fresh.

That's it for now.

meow for now,
melissa

Meowy Christmas to all

2008-12-23T09:36:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-11T16:22:00.000-08:00

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!!

2008-12-01T10:21:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-21T12:21:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-18T12:29:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-13T13:50:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-10T09:59:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-03T12:27:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-03T11:45:00.000-08:00

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

2008-10-28T16:37:00.000-07:00

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

2008-10-24T10:15:00.000-07:00

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.....

2008-10-21T16:30:00.000-07:00

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

2008-10-15T13:57:00.000-07:00

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

2008-10-07T08:58:00.000-07:00

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!!

2008-09-29T14:52:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-23T15:08:00.000-07:00

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......

2008-09-19T15:51:00.000-07:00

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....

2008-09-16T14:25:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-16T09:22:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-12T08:54:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-04T08:45:00.000-07:00

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.....

2008-08-26T14:24:00.001-07:00

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!!!!

2008-08-19T15:45:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-11T15:52:00.001-07:00

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

2008-08-04T10:15:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-28T15:35:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-25T14:31:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-21T14:06:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-21T13:56:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-21T12:52:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-09T22:26:00.001-07:00

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

2008-07-09T21:57:00.000-07:00

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

2008-06-27T14:01:00.000-07:00

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

2008-06-24T11:12:00.000-07:00

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

2008-06-18T08:44:00.000-07:00

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

2008-06-11T10:59:00.000-07:00

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......

2008-06-11T08:43:00.000-07:00

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

2008-06-10T13:35:00.000-07:00

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

2008-06-05T13:47:00.000-07:00

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

2008-06-03T15:49:00.000-07:00

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

2008-05-29T13:48:00.000-07:00

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!!!

2008-05-28T08:18:00.000-07:00

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

2008-05-20T09:22:00.000-07:00

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

2008-05-14T13:55:00.000-07:00

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

2008-05-12T08:28:00.000-07:00

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

2008-05-09T09:46:00.001-07:00

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

A forgotten Kokopellie cat and updates

2008-05-05T14:33:00.000-07:00

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

something to consider

2008-05-01T21:32:00.000-07:00

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

2008-05-01T21:19:00.000-07:00

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

Congrats on a great season

2008-04-29T14:06:00.000-07:00

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

2008-04-29T10:19:00.000-07:00

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

2008-04-24T14:32:00.000-07:00

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

2008-04-21T14:56:00.000-07:00

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

2008-04-18T13:17:00.000-07:00

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

2008-04-17T16:02:00.000-07:00

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

2008-04-16T16:20:00.000-07:00

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

2008-04-15T15:30:00.000-07:00

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

2008-04-14T10:58:00.000-07:00

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.....

2008-04-10T09:48:00.000-07:00

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

2008-04-08T15:18:00.000-07:00

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

2008-04-08T14:56:00.000-07:00

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

2008-04-03T13:49:00.000-07:00

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

2008-04-02T15:33:00.000-07:00

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

2008-04-01T13:34:00.000-07:00

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

The Animal

2008-03-28T15:23:00.001-07:00

Get the Animal. I couldn't help it. There I was sitting home on a Saturday night, channel surfing. I ended up on the Home Shopping Network. You know what a dangerous combination that is. They had beautiful silver jewelry on. Oooooo.......I was good. I passed. So I check the cable guide to see what else they were going to have on. There it was, for only 1/2 hour, Dyson. You know what that could possibly mean. An incredibly expensive vacuum cleaner, on sale. Woohoo!! Okay, for anyone who is reading this that doesn't have pets, you just won't get it. You couldn't even begin to comprehend the excitement. Just stop reading and go away. :-)

So there it was, the Dyson Animal. The king of all vacuum cleaners. The $600 vacuum. On sale for $435, no shipping and on 5 easy payments. My hand started shaking. I was on the edge of my seat. Should I go get my credit card? Should I change the channel and ignore it? I changed channels. But when I came back, it was still there. Grrr.....I got up and went to get my credit card. My wallet sat next to me for a good 10 minutes. It's such a huge committment. So expensive. What to do.

It took me a full 20 minutes to get the nerve to dial the number. And there you have it. Within 2 minutes I had a Dyson Animal on it's way to me.

I've used the Animal twice since it's arrival. It's much quieter than my old vacuum. It weighs about the same or a bit less. It seems to work as good as they claim. The extension wand is a bit tedious to extend and put back, but boy does it extend! I can finally reach the ceiling fan on my vaulted ceiling in my living room.

Sooo.....for those of you out there debating about getting a Dyson. It's worth it. It also came with a 5 year warantee. How could you go wrong? That's my kitty tip of the day. Stay on top of the cat fur, get a Dyson Animal. (The Animal is the purple one)

I suspect that you'll be hearing all about Sean tomorrow......

meow for now
melissa

Pierre

2008-03-27T14:02:00.001-07:00

Well, I couldn't think of anything earth shattering so today, you get the story of Pierre. There are some of you who read this who are quite familiar with Pierre. I believe you all have scars to prove your acquaintance. :-)

Pierre is my first American Bobtail. Of course at the time, we didn't know about American Bobtails. We knew he wasn't a Manx. He did look just like a Japanese Bobtail that we knew, JB. So, we just kind of assumed that Pierre was some sort of JBT mix. Now that I know the Americans, I know better.

Pierre came to me at about 3 weeks old. There were three in the litter. Robespierre, Robere and Jean Tom. The French kitty litter. Pierre had almost no tail. Robere's tail was a bit longer. I now know his tail was perfect. And Jean Tom had everything they were missing plus his own. :-) Pierre is a brown classic tabby and white with the cutest little clown mark over his left eye. Robere is red and Jean Tom is red and white. I know, those of you who know me are wondering why didn't you keep Robere? Because at the time I was anti-red cat. I know, hard to believe. I never wanted a red cat until I got one. But at this point I was only fostering and adopting out. I wasn't keeping any of the kitties. All three got placed. The people who adopted Pierre, paid to have him declawed and then changed their minds. So I kept him. Because Mom's cat Lily hated Pierre, he had to live elsewhere for awhile. I would get him on weekends for shows.

Pierre's very first show as a HHPK he was Best of the Best out of 17 kittens. Pretty cool. It was all down hill from there. Pierre developed an attitude. Grrrr.........The problem with Pierre was that there was no warning sign before he would bite. You could be petting him and the next thing you know, chomp. That's why I used to warn people, do not look away while petting him. Right Mom?

Anyone who would pet sit for me got branded by Pierre. Mom, Dad, Kelly, Bonnie and Emily's Dolly all felt Pierre's wrath. Poor Dolly got beat up one time. :-( There were also a couple of judges who felt Pierre's dentistry. So....Pierre retired from the show circuit.

This of course is no means typical of the breed. It's how they're raised. If you raise the cats in cages or limit the social interaction, you get a Pierre. If you love them, cuddle them and don't cage them, you get a Polar or Pony. I found out years later, while Pierre was still in a snit about life, from an animal communicator, that Pierre was mistreated in the home he stayed in for awhile. This of course was all during his formative time. I was instructed to apologize to Pierre for leaving him there. I did. After that, he mellowed out. Not completely, but somewhat. He's getting there.

Like all of my cats, even Mila, I wouldn't trade Pierre for anything. Even with all of his moodiness, there is nothing more special than having Pierre lay on my pillow, purring and massaging my temple. Who needs Advil???

meow for now
melissa

Escondido Humane Society dog walk and other stuff

2008-03-26T13:42:00.001-07:00

Greetings one and all. I guess it would be wrong of me to rave about how perfect the weather here is in light of the fact that I have so many readers east of the Mississippi. You guys got how many inches of snow the other day?

The last week or so has been perfect. The reason for packing up the cats and moving across country. Everything is blooming, the temperature is perfect, a slight breeze is wafting in the smell of orange blossoms and the chicken ranch across the street into my office. I'm sure I don't have to tell you which one smells better.

Last weekend was a great show. Polar finished 4th overall. Not too shabby. We won't know about Frosty until the show report comes out. Could be awhile. I will keep you posted. This weekend is the annual dog walk for the Escondido Humane Society. Mom joined one of the walking teams. You can help her raise money by going to www.firstgiving.com/joanneeichler1 The cats on her little web page are Sophie and Theo, also Kokopellie cats. I'm telling you, Jon is a dangerous man to know. Next thing you know, everyone in my family will have a Kokopellie cat. So if you can, please donate towards Mom's goal. It would be great if we could exceed her goal. Please do me a favor if you do go in and donate. Please put meow for now in the note section. This way we can track where the donations are coming from. It would be greatly appreciated.

I've been racking my brain trying to come up with ideas to write about. I'm guessing that you're going to start hearing about the rest of the herd shortly. I was going to break them down into groups, but since each one has enough of an interesting story, they might get their own day instead of having to share. And if you all have brags to share and I like you, that being the key phrase, I will be more than happy to share your good news. Email me and share, megncats@cox.net Story ideas would also be greatly appreciated.

If I can't think of anything substantial for tomorrow, you will be getting the story of Pierre, my first American Bobtail. We'll go in chronological order of appearance in my house.

Sooo.......meow for now
melissa

Phoenix Show this past weekend

2008-03-24T15:09:00.000-07:00

So, we're back from Phoenix. It was a long weekend, but fun. Jon wasn't able to go, even though he was really looking forward to it. He fell and cracked a rib on Thursday. Ouch!! Being the good kitty handler that I am, I drove up to Ventura on Friday morning, packed up Frosty and drove to Phoenix.

The drive to Phoenix was beautiful. The desert wildflowers are in bloom right now. The center divide on the 10 was a sea of yellow for most of the way. The weather was perfect all weekend. The days were warm, and the nights were perfect. Around the pool at the hotel was the scent of orange blossoms. Now tell me, doesn't this make everyone want to go to next year's show?

The competition as always was fierce. First, Polar. It used to be that the alter class was the throw away class, the purebreed rejects. Not so anymore. Now, just about any cat entered is the picture of breed perfection. Or at least that is how we, the mommies and daddies, feel. There were 23 alters in show and not a dog in the bunch. Okay, there were a few that were about the size of a dog...... And some I'm sure that would eat a dog if given the option.

We did have a new addition to the alter pack this weekend. There's a new Balinese in town. His name was Sehnsational Crescendo, or Jake. Or as his Mom, Carol Cox, kept saying, "MY SON" every time he finaled. It was very refreshing to see someone enjoy each and every final Jake got as much as she did. I can't wait to see what happens when she supremes. :-) Well done Carol and Jake. Can't wait for the Lodi show.

Jet, the most perfect Siamese, also did well. It truly amazes me how this cat doesn't take best in every ring. He is what I call a "Wow Cat". That's one of those cats that you look at and go, "WOW"!! An incredibly fine example of the breed.

Mr Wildfire owned by Charlotte also did wonderfully. He's a red exotic shorthair and just a clown. Can't wait to see how he'll do next season.

Several other alters did very well. There are just too many great cats to mention. And after all, this is my forum to brag about my cat, not yours!! :-) With competition like this, I am glad for each and every final that Polar got. His highest final this weekend was from Don Caruthers. Don gave Polar a 2nd. He was his best longhair alter and 2nd best over all. Jeff Roberts placed Polar as his best longhair alter and 3rd best in show. Over all, Polar did great. He finished the weekend with one 2nd, two 3rds, two 6ths, one 7th, one 8th. Not too shabby for a little cat with a bad head. Sorry folks, private joke. Those who know will understand.

Now on to Mr Frosty, Cooncreole Zhivago. Mr Frosty Paws, as you will hear me call him, is an amazing cat to show. He is sweet and wonderful and usually falls asleep in the judging cage. One has to wonder occasionally if Frosty is narcoleptic. You can almost give him a five count from the time you put him in the cage until the time he is asleep. Too funny!! Frosty did his best to charm and wow the spectators at the show. We even had a couple of people inquire about getting little Polars and Frostys of their own. In Frosty's incredible class, he was able to bring home one 3rd, one 4th, one 5th, two 6ths, one 8th, one 9th and a best cat. Marylou Anderson was the judge who placed Frosty best. He was sound asleep in her ring for the final.

We're now getting ready for the Lodi show. That is coming up in a couple of weeks. In between these two shows we have the annual Paws in the Park event for the Escondido Humane Society. The week after that is the Arcadia show and then two weeks after that, the Tucson show. The last show of the season. And then we get to start all over again. Busy, busy, busy.

meow for now
melissa

Two things....

2008-03-19T16:06:00.000-07:00

I have two things today to talk about. First, when I got home yesterday and opened my mailbox there was the new issue of Cat Fancy, with a Scottish Fold on the cover. I opened it up and looked at the kitties in the centerfold. There they were, Rover and Annie. I can brag that I have held and kissed and tried to steal the centerfold kitties in the new Cat Fancy.

Big congrats to Sally Patch of Owhl Scottish Folds and Cornish Rex. They are her beautiful babies on that page. Sally's website is www.owhl.com You can go there and drool over how positively adorable all of those little Fold babies are.

The second thing. After years of talking about it, Mom and I finally have a website for Hugs N Purrs. www.hugsnpurrs.net It is still under construction, but there are links up and working and some pictures on the site. Just no pictures of our actual products for sale. That will eventually be up. I just wanted to get something down on paper and get it published and linked to Jon's site to help get us some traffic.

Sooooo......coming soon, a way for you to order Whole Life and toys and beds on line.

Tomorrow will be the last post until after the weekend. The Phoenix show is this weekend and I don't think I'm taking my computer with me. I think I might actually want to enjoy the weekend!! :-)

meow for now,
melissa

Happy Birthday Sean and Kate

2008-03-18T08:33:00.000-07:00

I really meant to send birthday wishes yesterday. I gave him a big kiss in the morning and sang to him, but I kind of got caught up in telling you about the Bobtail Olympics.

So.....belated birthday wishes to Sean Thornton and Mary Kate Danaher. I got Sean and Kate when they were 3 days old. There were 4 red boys and 1 very tortie girl in the litter. A true Irish family. I kept Sean and Kate to raise and someone else took the other three boys. My intention of course was to adopt them out. Well....10 years later, they're still here. Mom and Dad have Kate and I have Sean. They are of course named for the characters in the John Wayne movie, "The Quiet Man". I love "The Quiet Man". My Maine Coon is Celticpride Quiet Man of ClubRed. Yes, ClubRed. I have so many red cats I gave myself a cattery name. And what happens after I do that? I get three non-red cats. Oh well, what are you going to do?

Back to Sean. Many of you who know me and the herd know how special my Sean is. I almost lost him 10 years ago to toxoplasmosis. We got him over that and I swore that he wasn't going anywhere after that. Too special. Once we moved to California Sean did something very interesting. He chewed off most of his fur. Very neatly and cleanly. I couldn't have done a better job with a pair of clippers. At one point he kind of looked like a giant Sphynx with a fur cape. My sweet Sean. I firmly believe that he and Kate are twins. They don't live together anymore. They haven't seen each other in about 8 years. But they do the same thing at the same time occasionally. I'll call Mom, "has Kate been throwing up?" So has Sean. For awhile when they were younger, they liked to crawl under throw rugs. Well.....you guessed it. They would do that at the same time as well.

Sean is much bigger. He is over 20 pounds. He should only be about 16. Kate is longer and leaner and moves like a cheetah. But Sean is the sweet one. Kate is the tortie. Enough said.

So hug your babies, give them extra kisses and......
meow for now
melissa and Sean