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
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Monday, January 4, 2010
Happy New Year
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
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
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
The night before, the night before Christmas
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
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
Friday, December 18, 2009
I miss my tree......
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
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!!!
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
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
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Where has the time gone?
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
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
Thursday, September 17, 2009
TICA Annual-post weekend wrap up
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 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
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