Cat Shows

[NoahsMommy]

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

[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! )

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.

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)

[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. (Cassy loves it, won't let Livvy in it. Such a gentleman! 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