Cat Shows

[purrley]

Morning all you wonderful cat fanciers out there. Just getting a feel for your cattitudes on Cat Shows. There's one here at the SLC Fair Grounds this weekend and I'm going to be there. Anyone else out there like to go to cat shows? I bought my Spencer at a Cat Show when he was about 10 weeks old. Also bought Frisco - and another, Kirbee (at RB) from the same lady. Sure wish one of you lived closed enough to go with me - my daughter's getting sick of em. I try to go to every show - they always have great cat toys, cat beds, cat T-Shirts and other great cat things to buy. I'll be hanging out mostly around the Siamese area :) :) :) and thinking about my friends here at Pet Talk ;)

[ November 08, 2001: Message edited by: purrley ]

[Former User]

WOW, sounds like you're REALLY crazy about cats!
Have fun in the show then! :) :)

[purrley]

You gotta believe it :D That's where I do my Christmas Shopping for my furkids :) :)

[purrley]

Oh one more thing - I read that the International Cat Show will be held in Houston Texas this year on Nov. 16, 17 & 18 so all you Texas people living near the Houston area, it would be a wonderful experience to be there. Purebreds from all over the world will be shown. This is my all time dream - someday I will attend an International Cat Show - I'm kinda holding out for when the show will be in the San Francisco area - then I will go!!!!

[NoahsMommy]

I would totally LOVE to go to a cat show! How do you find out about them???

I bet there are lots of wonderful things Noah "needs" there! :D

[purrley]

Noah's Mom - well fly on up here this weekend and go with me. Just go into the internet and ask for cat show schedules - I think Ask Jeeves will take you there :)
:)

[ November 08, 2001: Message edited by: purrley ]

[wolflady]

Oh I wish I could go with ya Purrley!!! :D :D I've only ever been to 1 cat show, and I had to basically 'club and drag' my husband (boyfriend at the time). So, needless to say...I don't really have anyone out here to do 'animal' activities with :( I hope a show comes to San Fran...I'd definitely meet ya for that one! :D :D :D ;)

[AmberLee]

There's usually one at the San Jose fair ground in mid-December. I didn't want to go alone last year and couldn't talk any of my friends into going. [Got a HUGE lecture from one cat loving buddy who believes they are little short of torture for cats and I was a HORRIBLE person to even want to go... Sigh. :rolleyes: ] Shall we see if it's on the same schedule as last year, wolflady?

[wolflady]

AmberLee...Yes!!! It will be nice to have a cat-loving friend in the area :D Hopefully it's before December 15th, because I'm going back to Indiana for the Christmas holidays then...but definitely count me in for any cat-related activities here in the bay area!! My husband just doesn't understand and I don't want to have to 'club' him and force him to go! LOL LOL LOL

[Cougie Wechsler]

Hey guys! I went to the Enchanted Halloween Cat show at the New Mexico State Fairgrounds here in Albuquerque two weekends ago and it was a blast! The hardest part was going by the cats in their cages who were not competing at the time and not being able to pet them (most have signs that say "do not touch"). One of them had a sign that read "no matter how much I beg, please do not pet" and he was begging up a storm. I also met the Abyssinian Grand Southwestern Champ and darned if he didn't look like Cougie. The actual rings were pretty neat with the cats competing.

The other nice thing was that they did have tons of cat goodies and the rescue agencies were there with babies for adoption. Pretty fun. Some of the proceeds went to the Rio Grande Zoo big cat displays so the show was subtitled "Little Cats helping Big Cats"

:D :D :D

[ November 08, 2001: Message edited by: Cougie Wechsler ]

[AmberLee]

Wolflady (and any other Santa Clara/Alameda county cat enthusiasts) --

Good news, bad news, weird news:
Cat Fancier Assoc. ?(CFA) held their No. California Cat show in San Jose last weekend! I can't believe I missed it so closely...

The International Cat Association (TICA) seems to have frequent cat shows within a range of about 30 miles of San Jose, and they seem to be at the end of each month if I read their calendars right. Their Nov and Dec cat shows rather interfere with my family/holiday plans but the January show will be in Pleasanton:
January 26-27, 2002

Fog City Cat Club

Theme: "Putting on the Ritz"
Showhall:
Exhibition Hall, Alameda County Fairgrounds
4501 Pleasanton Avenue
Pleasanton, CA 94566

I don't see times or pricing info yet, but there's time to get it later.
What do you think? If you are interested, my e-mail's available in my profile...

[ November 08, 2001: Message edited by: AmberLee ]

[AmberLee]

Excellent link Spence,

Some are also listed at
The International Cat Association (http://www.tica.org/regularpage.htm) home page

[See the link for Cat Shows in the upper left corner]

[ November 08, 2001: Message edited by: AmberLee ]

[AmberLee]

Ooh, I kept hunting and found this cat show in San Jose in early January:

http://www.tailsandnotales.com/images/Jan%202002%20flyer%20page%201.jpg

[wolflady]

Oooooh!!! Looks good!! :D :D :D

[NoahsMommy]

Cool! I'll keep my eyes open for one close to me...

[wolflady]

Noah's mommy, are you in northern or southern Cal?? We might have to plan on a west coast POTD gathering sometime!! :D :D

[AvaJoy]

My 3 are all rescues, still I love going to the cat show (once a year) here in NJ. :) I just check my local newspaper as it is always advertised. So many innovative toys and accessories that can't be found in Pet Stores!! Also free samples of various premium cat foods, so you can see if your kitty might be interested in switching brands without being stuck with a bag full of food . . . :cool:

Can't wait until March when the show comes around, because last year I bought what has turned out to be Meeshe's favorite teaser toy there and I want another one in reserve in case this one breaks; it is holding up amazingly well so far!

Pam from Blackwood, if you read this and want to make plans to go together, let me know . . . it is held at the old Cedar Gardens on Rt. 33 in Hamilton/Mercerville.

[ November 11, 2001: Message edited by: AvaJoy ]

[purrley]

Well - I went to our Cat Show here at the Salt Lake City Fairpark yesterday and enjoyed myself immensely. So many beautiful, beautiful babies. The best kitten was a gorgeous white Persian with a couple dark spots on her head. There were several beautiful Maine Coons, Cornish Rex, Siamese, Abbysinians, Britsh Shorthairs, a couple Rag Dolls, and so many more. A beautiful Ruddy color Somalie took high honors. Wish you guys could have been there with me - just love Cat Shows!!!!! Oh and Amberlee - your lecture you got from a cat loving buddy about torture in the cat shows. I've never heard of anything so ridiculous in my life. These cats are the most loved, pampered, and spoiled babies I've ever seen. Their owners are very proud and obviously live for their cats!!!!

[ November 12, 2001: Message edited by: purrley ]

[NoahsMommy]

Marius's Mom,
I am in Southern Cal, that would be so cool!!! When are we thinking of doing this?

[AmberLee]

Dear Purrley,

:confused: ??? I'm not completely sure where she was coming from, either. It seemed like her point was that all cats are timid and afraid to be around strangers (human and feline) and in strange to them locations, therefore a cat show in and of itself is torture to cats, just for the enjoyment of humans. Could be misinterpreting her comments, though, so... It seems to me that some cats wouldn't enjoy it and some cats would.

I'm looking forward to attending my first one soon, anyway. Thanks for the impetus to scope one myself!

[wolflady]

Purrley, I'm so happy that you had such a great time at the cat show!!! I'm excited about going to one out here, and AmberLee we can go together! :D
Noah's Mommy, I'll actually be down in LA for Thanksgiving weekend :D LOL LOL But, it would be neat to plan a weekend for a west coast POTD meet maybe after the holidays :D What do you think? Any other west coasters interested?? :D :D

[libracats]

The only breed cat show I've ever been to was about a year ago. It was an Abyssinian cat show. And since I have Pippi, my abyssinian, it was an extra treat. I loved it. I have also been to a couple Pet expos at the Pamona fair grounds. They have a cat building where they hold judging. I enjoyed those too.Marius' mom, I am in the LA area and would love to join the POTD get together. I'd also love to hear about more cat shows in this area. Preferably in the South Bay.

[wolflady]

libracats, all of your babies are just so precious! :D I'll be sure to keep you posted on any cat shows that I see in the area. So far the only ones that I know about are the ones that AmberLee posted, and I'm planning on going to those :) I'll also check my cat fancy show calendar. They usually list what shows are happening each month and where :) After all the hullabaloo of the holidays is over, a west coast POTD meeting is a must!! Any suggestions on where we should all meet and what dates are good for everyone?? :D :cool:

[AmberLee]

Holiday overload is anticipated, so Marius' Mom and I decided to focus on the later show in January. Any other Santa Clara/Alameda/Contra Costa county cat fanciers want to get in touch with us and make a mini-Pet Talk visit at the:
January TICA show in Pleasanton:
January 26-27, 2002

Fog City Cat Club

Theme: "Putting on the Ritz"
Showhall: Exhibition Hall, Alameda County Fairgrounds
4501 Pleasanton Avenue
Pleasanton, CA 94566

Feel free to contact either of us.

[tuxluvr]

Theme: "Putting on the Ritz"

I should be a shoe-in for Master of Ceremonies at this event! Even have my own built-in tuxedo! Ritz the Cat :) :)
http://wsphotofews.excite.com/033/7b/6S/cw/IU18205.jpg :D
http://wsphotofews.excite.com/011/3B/Y2/Z8/qy48481.jpg

[ December 01, 2001: Message edited by: tuxluvr ]

[ December 01, 2001: Message edited by: tuxluvr ]

[AmberLee]

Heh, heh! You know, I was thinking that when I copied the data. Uh, oh, could get scary around here if we keep on thinking alike!

:D ;)

[AmberLee]

Hi all,

Marius' Mom and I are planning to attend the Sat. 26 Jan Cat Show in Pleasanton, CA. I believe we plan to get there either 9 or 10, will confirm and update this message. [Full details on the show are posted 2 or 3 messages above this note.] Any other central California Pet Talkers interested in joining us?

[ January 07, 2002: Message edited by: AmberLee ]

[Heather Wallace]

I have only ever been to one cat show before, I enjoyed it as I got to meet a famous cat called Arthur. He appears on TV advert advertising Arthurs cat food. I enjoyed it but some of the cats didn't, some where histerical and that's the part that is a bit inhumane.

[yumyum6970]

I would love to enter my kitten in a cat show but she is mixed ...still trying to find out what she is and its hard!!

[purrley]

YumYum - they have a household pet category at the cat show. That is one of my very favorites to visit when I attend the shows - look into it ;)

[NoahsMommy]

Anyone near Ventura, CA? There is a cat show on Saturday there!! Cool!! I'm going! :D

[AmberLee]

Have a marvelous time. Marius Mom and I are up here at the southern end of the S.F. bay. Do let us know what you think of the show when you've been. Paws crossed that you love the experience!

[Pam]

Avajoy, Somehow I missed your post from two months ago. Sorry. :( I have only gone to one cat show and it was at the Expo Center in Pennsauken. I really enjoyed it thoroughly! I think it is held every January and will start looking for info about it in the paper!

[AmberLee]

Dear Noah's Mommy,

Did you get to the Cat Show last Saturday as you'd hoped? How was it? Any "Lessons Learned" for Marius' Mom and me when we go on the 26th?

[AmberLee]

Originally posted by AmberLee
Any other Santa Clara/Alameda/Contra Costa county cat fanciers want to get in touch with us and make a mini-Pet Talk visit at the:
January TICA show in Pleasanton:
January 26-27, 2002

Fog City Cat Club

Theme: "Putting on the Ritz"
Showhall: Exhibition Hall, Alameda County Fairgrounds
4501 Pleasanton Avenue
Pleasanton, CA 94566

Feel free to contact either of us.

FYI -- Marius' Mom (Karen/Wolflady) and I plan to carpool there this coming Saturday. If any other PT'ers could join us, it would be great.

[AmberLee]

Oops! Starting time is 9 a.m. (Registration for cats and their humans starts at 8.) MM and I (current plans) are getting there when the show opens.

They are planning a 'Roaring 20s' theme and the colors are black, silver, and hot pink. I am SOOOO excited!

[NoahsMommy]

Hi!

Yes!! We had SO much fun! We felt right at home in our cat-obsession! :) We got to see lots of kitties.

I'm not so sure about how people breed cats for shows, seems to me like they are missing out on the good parts. One lady we talked to about her big Maine Coone (my friend has rescue cat that looked EXACTLY like him) she said his human mommy was in Arkansas, he was just there for breeding and that she's sending him back after the year. How sad! :( Poor kitty! We were saying how much Clemintine (friend's cat) looked like her show-quality cat and she was totally offended...she said you never know with cats you find at the shelter, like they weren't good enough. It was really sad. We left, loving our kitties, GLAD they all came as rescue kitties. (We didn't see any tabby, tuxedo's, torties there! :D )

Of course, we spent too much money on our own furkids! Found a really great cat tent, feeding mat, handmade toys, feathers and even a cat dish for my kitchen! It was really fun! It was smaller, as Ventura is pretty small. My friend said there is a HUGE one coming in a few months in Pomona...cant wait!

I hope you and Karen have LOTS of fun!! I can't wait to hear all about it!! I wish I was up there so I could go too!!

P.S. All the kitties where in their cages and inside, they had home made beds made of PVC pipe, fabric and batting. We loved them! So, on the way home, we got kitty material and her hubby is going to build them for us!! If you see them on Saturday, let me know what you think. :)

[AmberLee]

Wow! We are getting SO psyched, sending e-mails like crazy. Planning some PT fun!

If any Central Calif. folks want to join us there, we'll actually be getting there 10ish or so.

[AmberLee]

Dear Chuck/Spencer,

Oh, I hope I'm misreading you or that you mis-typed or .... something. Spencer quote: plus being neutered reduces the cat's life expentancy by about 20%. Doesn't neuturing (sp?) increase a cat's life span: reduced cancer risk, reduction in run-away rates/accidents, bodily stress due to pregnancy(s), etc???

Sorry, I'm very tired and it's been a hard day so maybe I'm reversing what you want to say. What is the impact of neuturing on lifespan?

[purrley]

I know he meant neutering increases the cats' life span.

I'll be anxious to hear about the Pleasanton Cat Show. I'll have to call my sister-in-law about this show (she lives in Livermore) but she probably already knows about it. Wish I could fly out there, maybe next time - still waiting for the International Cat Show to come to San Fran or Denver (some place close to me). We'll be having our cat show in April here at the Fair Grounds again so I'm looking forward to that.

:D :D Cat people (that is Show Cat People) are really a strange breed - they're very defensive about their precious ones, which is understandable since these people put a lot of time and money into them. The lady I bought my Siamese cats from has made it a career in showing cats. She deals only in Siamese and man does she have some beauties. I bought Spencer when I saw him at a Cat Show (from her) 8 yrs ago. He was just a little 8 week old kitten, so friendly and sooooooooooo cute!!!! He still is:) :)

[purrley]

Right Chuck, that probably is the ONLY advantage of having a purebred (or so called purebred). I'm convinced that the purbreds have a whole lot of health problems than I'd ever want to contend with again. All future kitties will be the who knows what's in it cat:) :) - my 2 tabbies of unknown origins are the best - not that I don't love my Siameseeses cause I do, but I hope I never have another one like Spencer (the throwup Master of the Universe):D :D

[purrley]

I think a lot of people really like to have a conversation piece. The Sphinx is an example, the totally hairless cat, the ultimate in an attention getter where ever you go. Lots of people like that attention. Those poor Persians - they just can't breath properly, like the Pugs and Pekinese dogs, they snort and act like they just can't get enough air and their eyes run all the time.

[AmberLee]

Marius' Mom, and her mom (Marius' Grandmom?), and I went to the cat show at Pleasanton this Saturday . It was wonderful. I had a blast. Recommend it highly to cat lovers.

Bought a 2-cat cat tent for my fur-babies. :rolleyes: (Cassy loves it, won't let Livvy in it. Such a gentleman! :rolleyes: Cats!) Also bought myself a tee-shirt -- dark slate blue with a front that's been worked to resemble a 'stained glass' effect with a view of a cat-patterned material peeking through.

I was particularly intrigued watching the judging. There was one judge who was particularly informative, funny, and clear-voiced whose sessions I made a point to sit in on. I'm still not clear on all the points they look for, but enjoyed watching all the lovely fur-babies.

Joked with Marius' Mom (MM) that I'd fallen in love with 400+ fur-babies. There was an adoption area where we almost lost MM: there was a senior cat who totally captivated her. We started teasing her that she should've brought a larger vehicle. We worked up to her driving a bus down the freeway with all the adoptible cats in it. I think we started a dream in her! If she gets a bus, watch out world!

More later ...

[AmberLee]

I saw a LOT of cat related goodies that were adorable, but the budget only goes so far...

One precious goody was a cat sized 'lazy-boy recliner'. For all the work that had to go into it, it was relatively inexpensive. Tons of cat toys, some GORGEOUS cat trees made out of driftwood. The vendor said they were designed to be placed in picture windows. The cats would love lounging there and passers by would be stunned by their beauty. (Maybe it's just as well we car-pooled. Marius probably wouldn't appreciate an older sibling and my budget would be staggered by another cat tree, albeit a breath-taking one!)
Cat toys by the dozens, grooming aids, fashion wear (some for cats, more for props for cat display areas, and tons for cat lovers...)

The display areas were rather a surprise for me. I'd expected the decorations, but was surprised that in some cases they were so elaborate you couldn't see the cat(s) inside them. There was also more of a range than I'd expected: some cats were in their travel cases (decorated), most were in show supplied cages with a wide range of decoration levels, and some had very elaborate personal show cages. MM was particularly taken with one that was wood and glass and looked like an enormous jewelry box with a living jewel inside. (I was more taken with the two-level hammock that the living jewel was lounging on inside the case ... Takes all kinds, right?)

There was constant mewing and noise. I'm not sure how anyone heard when/where they were to deliver their cats to which judging area. Reluctantly, I feel my fur-babies would hate this atmosphere. (I wanna ribbon for Cassy and for Livvy. (Excuse me, immature outburst here.)) But for cats exposed at a young age and with a temperment more mellow than my furry hot-heads, it seemed to range from phlegmatic to active enjoyment being there. (Okay, worst moment of the day: one fur-baby just hated it there and had a hissy fit. His/her daddy held him and said "Bad, bad cat" in such an angry tone... He got lots of glares from the surrounding humans and his kitty. Other than that I found the people friendly, knowledgeable, and delighted to talk "cat talk".)

I had a blast (you couldn't tell, could you?) and recommend it highly to all cat-lovers.

[purrley]

Amberlee - sounds like you guys really had fun - those cat shows are a real blast. Next cat show I think I'll go by myself - my daughter likes them, but not like me. She's always ready to leave way before me. I love to watch the judging and I especially hang around the Siamese cat area. I always come home with a new goodie for the babies - last time it was a new donut bed and a new Sweat Shirt for me. Glad you guys had fun, we have one coming up in April - why don't you and Marius's Mom fly up - we would have a ball - got an extra bedroom:) :)

[wolflady]

OMG...the cat show was such and eye-opener for me, and I can tell ya that Amberlee is such a sweetheart!!! We had a blast!! Good recap on the show, girl!! LOL LOL We were entertained for a good 6 hours there, and the surprising thing is that it was a pretty small show...not like the huge ones that will have every breed of cat. I would really like to go to a big show to see what the difference is, and see all of the breeds. In any case, we'll definitely go to another show when one comes around!!
I was really surprised at seeing some of the cats "in person". A lot of them like the Bengals and the oriental shorthairs and Abbys(did you know they came in 4 colors??!!) were a lot smaller than I imaged them to be...of course, I've only seen pics of them. So, it was really neat to see what they looked like close up. Amberlee is right...I was so taken with some of the cats that was there with the SFO Persian rescue (they have all kinds of cats along with persians). There was this absolutely sweet himilayan cutie that I would have taken in a heartbeat. We also fell in absolute LOVE with the ragdoll kitties! Oh! So gorgeous!!! There was this lady that was showing ragdolls, and she was very nice. My mom and I talked to her a few times, and she laughed when she saw us walking by her kitties again! LOL LOL I said I had to have one last look before we left!
I always imagined people involved in show would be a little snooty, and granted...I did see some people that were like that, I also met some really nice people that were showing (like the lady with the ragdolls), and there were quite a few people that were really informative if you asked questions. So, all in all, my first cat show experience was a positive one, and you could tell the people showing their cats really loved them! I told Amberlee that I should enter my Marius in the HHP (house hold pet) competition! LOL LOL
There were lots of neat little booths with cat products and collectibles, and I gave in and splurged and bought a "cat lamp" candle holder and a really nice soft bed for my baby. Those cat trees that Amberlee mentioned were absolutely gorgeous! The prices were really reasonable too! I collected quite a few cards and stuff, so I'll post any URLs that I may have from my collection for ya'll to look at!!
Anyway, I should get off of here for now...but I just had to drop in and say hello and tell you all that that cat show was a blast and I'd definitely go again!!! Ya gotta come out for a visit Purrley!!:) Miss you!

[NoahsMommy]

Amberlee and Wolflady,

Did you see those pvc pipe hamock things?? What did you think of them?

[AmberLee]

The cat hammock inside the "cat jewel case" was one of those pvc ones. I found it fascinating. And the cat using it seemed to adore it! Didn't see any for sale though ...

:o Thanks MM, for the compliment. You and your mother are both delights. (Didn't see ANYTHING to make me doubt that PT people are simply WONDERFUL! (And is anybody here going to disagree?)) :D

[wolflady]

Hi all! I just wanted to post a few of the URLs that I collected at the cat show in Pleasanton.

http://www.members.aol.com/happycatsling/happycat.html there were 2 kinds, one for the window, and one that was a stand alone sling. My cat has a window one that he just loves! These are pretty reasonably priced as well.

http://www.claudiasanchez.com I love this woman's cat artwork! It's so colorful!

http://www.catscratchingtree.com This is the website for those beautiful cat scratching posts that Amberlee mentioned that are made out of driftwood. I thought the prices were really good, and I would have gotten one if I had the money. I think the prices for these are even better then those carpeted ones you find in Drs Foster & Smith and in pet stores...

http://www.meowtique.com A fun place for whimsical cat gifts

http://www.topcatsbymail.com More fun cat things. I bought a cat candle lamp from the exhibitor. It's really neat...it's a crouching cat with the candle holder being in its back, and when you light the candle...the green jewel eyes glow. It's really a neat item!

Happy browsing!:)

[NoahsMommy]

Amberlee,

My best friend and I are going to make one of those! I'll let you all know how it turns out...