Grooming videos January 23, 2012

It was a dreary weekend and I got bored so Harry and I made a few preliminary grooming videos. This is my first attempt at video making, so don’t expect much. I used my webcam since it was so dark and dreary all day and the bathroom offered the only good light in the entire house. It actually turned out to be a pretty good place to do it because the mirror offered an additional vies in some shots. My next videos will be made in the kitchen in front of a window to bring in some natural light so hopefully they will be better. I also have a new HD video camera to use as soon as I figure out how to use it . . .

I can’t embed the videos on the blog without upgrading from a free account to paying $59/month, so I opted to put them on the website. You will notice a new large button on each page titled “Grooming” – that’s the one that will get you to the videos.  As I explained on the webpage, I don’t know why all of the videos start playing at the same time as soon as the page is loaded – I have the code set to not automatically start them, so I guess they must be haunted or maybe it’s just my computer that’s haunted/cursed. And I don’t understand why they downloaded in two different sizes, but they did. So until I get a little smarter or I exorcise my computer, things are going to look a little awkward around here. No matter . . . I had a dandy time figuring out how to make my little videos and it kept me busy all day and into the night. Harry’s just glad it’s over!

No kitties were harmed in the making of my videos.

It’s a Grand event January 10, 2012

This is your invitation to Harry’s Grand party. Bring all of your furry friends! You can watch the party LIVE on KittenCam. I will try my best to record the party for those who are unable to make it to the party on time but no guarantees – it’s tricky!  Joining us at the party are the guest of honor, Harry, and his friends Joop, Feebs, Lyra, Star, Summer, Drifter, and Raven.

Click on the invitation to view it full size.

Click for full size view

To ride a pink bunny January 6, 2012

I bought the cutest pink bunny pillow during Easter many, many years ago and although I thought it was was cute, I didn’t really have a use for it. Time passed and the pink bunny hopped into the cat room where the cats took it upon themselves to use it as a bed. I always loved seeing a cat laying on the pink bunny because it looked like they were going for a ride. The bunny started looking sort of dingy and way too furry so I washed it a few times but it still didn’t look that great any more. I thought bunny had seen better days.

I got tired of seeing the pink bunny covered in cat hair so I decided to retire it to the trash but somehow it ended up under the furniture in the living room (it must have been one of those hurry-and-clean-up-real-quick-for-company sort of days).  And that is where I found Harry the other night – under the furniture on top of the pink bunny. I pulled them both out and into the room and set the bunny aside in preparation for the trash this week.  As you can see, I wasn’t quick enough and Harry has once again taken over the pink bunny for his bed. Good old Harry, going for one last ride.

Harry riding the pink bunny

Santa arrived early this year! December 23, 2011

She arrived the day before Christmas Eve, wrapped in splendor.  A cherished silver bell named Jupiter Moon has been welcomed into our home. It was a long journey, arriving at 2:30am at the airport. It took 10 hours of flight time from Germany to Atlanta, then another 8 hours to wait for the cargo office to open and get through customs so she could be rescued from the trenches of the Lufthansa warehouse by her new family. She  was safely in her new home by 11:30 and exhausted from the long journey. What a sweet little girl, a precious reminder of the friendship I cherish and honor with my friend, Karin Sinn. She promised this little girl would get to me before Christmas, and she delivered, as usual. We will name this new kitten, Jupiter Moon and affectionately call her Joop.

As soon as my husband got back from the airport this morning, I opened the car door and removed the carrier from the back seat with Joop inside. Then, I heard a strange rattling noise!  “What is that strange sound?” I wondered, and it didn’t stop – not when I went up two flights of stairs, and not when I got to the kitten room. It was only when I opened the carrier that I realized this sweet little girl was purring her little heart out! How sweet is that?! She can purr SO loud!

Already 6 months old, Joop will be shown at the next Atlanta show in March and maybe again in May to see how she fares. Later in the year, she will hopefully have kittens. I don’t have any good pictures of her at the moment, but I took a few immediately after she arrived and was placed in her isolation suite.  Joop will stay in isolation for a week or so until she gets used to things around here. Then she will go into isolation in the cat room so she can get to know everyone in there, too. This way she will know all of the boys and feel comfortable with them when it is time to breed.

Apparently, Drifter and Raven are the official welcoming committee around here.

Raven wants to play with Joop so bad she can’t stand it, and Drifter is keeping a close eye on this new arrival. I can tell that Raven thinks Joop is going to be her new friend since she’s become disenchanted with her pal, Drifter. Drifter doesn’t know how to play nicely any more and always grabs Raven by the neck and sits on her; Raven doesn’t appreciate this sort of treatment and avoids Drifter’s grasp as much as possible. Silly boy – no manners at all – save that sort of behavior for the bedroom.

I’ll keep you posted on Joop’s progress and post pictures when I get some good ones of her. Until then, I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday!

It was a GRAND weekend in Dixie December 15, 2011

This past weekend (December 10 & 11, 2011) was the Dixieland Silver and Gold spotlight show in Concord, North Carolina and Harry attended in all his glory. Entering the show on Saturday, Harry needed 5 points to Grand but he was awarded just 4, since he made only one of the 6 finals. ARG!  Sunday dawned a new day and Harry took 5 out of 6 finals not only getting his one needed point, but ending with 27 points to spare!  Now Harry has the title of Grand Premier: GP Alchemist Golden Opportunity.

It was a great show, and I had a wonderful time with my friends, each holding our breath as the numbers were called for finals in each ring. Everyone was rooting for Harry to get those last 5 points. When the first ribbon on Sunday was placed on his cage and the judge pronounced him Best Long Hair Premier, we all clapped and yelled “NEW GRAND!” as we cheered Harry on to victory! It was so much fun that we did it in every ring he finaled in that day, all 5 rings, and made quite a stir in the show hall. This made all of the judges feel like they were the special judge to complete his journey to stardom. It was a little sneaky, but lot of fun!

Grand Premier Alchemist Golden Opportunity (aka: Harry)

We will be hosting a GRAND party after the holiday so expect to get an email invitation. If I don’t have your email address, send it to me and I will put you on the list. Party time and date will be posted on the blog also. The party will be via webcam so it will be a lot of fun to watch the cats share in the festivities with Harry. Canned cat food and goat milk will be served.

Thank you to all of my readers and show visitors for your undying support and friendship. This wouldn’t be fun without you!

Share the fun December 3, 2011

Ravensong, known around the house as Raven, is a sweet little Solid Black kitten who just happens to be looking for a home.  She is a show kitty, and I will show her if she stays here much longer, but I’d rather she find her forever home where she will be loved and adored.

Raven started out being a little on the nutty side, like her mother, Casey, whom one has to catch with a butterfly net sometimes. Still, Casey is a super sweet kitty and she brings me great joy for I too, and a little on the nutty side. I’ve been working a lot with Raven to get some of the nuttiness out of her for several months, and it is finally paying off. She has been a house kitty since she was tiny, and Drifter thinks she’s a big, fuzzy toy for him to chew on. As she has matured, she has calmed down a bit and appreciates the attention of people more than cats. I guess now that some of her nuttiness is gone, I should now say that she  “has a lot of personality.”

Looking at our website, Raven and I are checking the daily stats. Fibonacci is hiding behind the computer.

I find that one of the most the interesting things about little Raven is that she loves electronic devices like TVs and computers; especially laptop computers. I only use the laptop when I’m too lazy to go upstairs and use my PC or when I need to take a quick peek at something online. Whenever she hears me typing on the keyboard, she comes running from another part of the house and jumps up on the arm of my recliner to settle in for some shared computer time. She will sit there for as long as I will permit it, watching the cursor fly across the screen and occasionally attempt to walk across the keyboard to investigate things more closely. That hasn’t helped me much, so she is learning to stay off the keyboard. But it’s hard not to touch something that is so interesting.

Raven is learning how to do internet research with Google, but gets a little bored with email. There’s just not enough action with email to keep her interested for very long.  I suppose she might like to read a book online if it had pictures, but I don’t have the patience for that.

Raven would like to find a new home with a family who was interested in the things she is – electronics – so she can maintain her present activities. She is open to studying computer programing and maybe even computer repair. Online courses would suit her best with some on the job training, of course. She is very bright and I dare say, gifted in the field of computer science. Computer graphics probably wouldn’t be a good career choice for her, because she has yet to develop the necessary attention span that field requires and she has no thumbs to properly work a mouse or track ball. Still, I’m sure she would be very interested in learning about computer graphics and giving it a whirl. This little girl isn’t afraid to try new things.

Raven also likes to watch TV. When she isn’t walking behind the TV trying to figure out what makes it work, she is sitting in front of the screen watching the action. She is particularly fond of commercials and we haven’t found any of the new programs this season that please her – neither have I.

The other night, I was trying to take pictures of Raven watching TV, and it wasn’t as easy of a task I thought it would be since I needed a light colored background. The images on the screen changed faster than I could point and shoot so it took forever to get something to come out clearly and have a little black kitty show up. Commercial after commercial passed but I was determined to get my shot. She would occasionally take a break from TV watching and wander behind the screen looking for goodness knows what, and somehow managed to loosen the wires to the sound box thingy so the sound cut off and on for a few days until we figured out what was going on, but finally, I got my shot during a commercial about I have no idea what – I was too busy watching Raven to put any of my attention on what was on TV.

The next day, I was downloading the images of Raven and the only one that came out well enough to use for the blog was this one. The cool thing is that it was the perfect commercial for this little black kitty, Ravensong, to have her picture taken in front of since she one who is always happy and loves running around the house. I think you’ll agree that it could not be any more perfect.

Raven watching a little TV with me the other night.

Watch your language – cat education November 20, 2011

I was updating my jewelry site tonight by adding my newly created rosaries (check it out: www.infinitelyspiritual.com) and as I struggled with finding the right words to describe them, I thought it would be interesting to post a quick blurb here on the blog about some of the phrases that cat breeders use and seem to confuse the general public:

• “This cat/kitten is typey” -  conforms to the breed standard.  This generally means that the cat/kitten looks like the breed should look and usually applies to the structure of the head and mostly the placement of the nose.  Show quality.

• “Pet quality” – this cat/kitten is not show quality and doesn’t have enough good genetic qualities to be used for producing show quality kittens. Normally, if the cat/kitten has one or more of the following less than favorable qualities, it is considered to be a pet: long nose bridge, too much of a muzzle, ears are too large and/or set too high, eyes not being round or large enough, body is too long, or the legs are too long.

• “Breeder quality” – breeder quality cats can have some of the qualities of pets, but they will then have other qualities that balance the lack of greatness in those areas. For instance, a breeder may keep a pet quality kitten that has a long nose because it has perfect eye color. Selectively breeding it will put that perfect eye color into the gene pool and eventually improve the eye color of the entire bloodline as offspring are produced from that one cat. When this quality of perfect eye color is seen in better typed offspring, the original long nosed cat is no longer bred.  It is then spayed and petted out with the hopes that its less than desirable qualities  were not embedded into the gene pool along with the perfect eye color. This is known as “selective breeding” or breeding for specific qualities.

• “This cat/kitten is nice” – we’re not saying the cat/kitten is sweet – they’re all sweet. We mean is – nice quality (show quality).

• “Show quality” – meets the written CFA Show Standard for a particular breed of cat.

• “Champion” – a cat that has been successfully shown in front of 6 judges without having been disqualified for faults or insufficient merit.

• “Premier” – a spayed/neutered cat that has been successfully shown in front of 6 judges without having been disqualified for faults or insufficient merit.

• “Grand Champion” – a cat that has been successfully Championed and then been selected as being better than 200 other cats in competition.

• “Grand Premier” – a spayed/neutered cat that has been successfully Premiered and then been selected as being better than 75 other spayed/neutered cats in competition.

• “Kittens on the ground” – kittens are born. I have no idea where this statement comes from.  I’ll Google it – BRB . . . I’m back and found no historical  information on “kittens or puppies on the ground.” Let me know if you can find the origin of this statement and we’ll post it here on the blog. You must give reference for your findings.

• “Cat show” – a black hole for your money where 200 – 300 extremely competitive people drive and fly to far away places with their cats to compete for 10 coveted placements 6 -8 times in one weekend.  Now look who’s crazy . . .

picture from cheezeburger.com

Show pictures from Cotton States November 13, 2011

FIRST,  I have a question for anyone who has purchased a kitten from me: Would you like to show your cat?  If Harry does not pick up 5 points in North Carolina, I will take him to the show in Lawrenceville, in March; he needs competition to get points. The requirements are: your cat must be spayed/neutered, be registered with CFA (I can help you fill out the blue-slip if you haven’t done that yet), your can must be either a Silver, Gold, Blue Silver, or Blue Gold, have at least some green to their eye color, and the coat must be in good condition without any mats or chunks cut out. I will do all of your cat’s grooming, help you enter the show, loan you cage curtains, and walk through the show every step of the way. It could be a great opportunity for you to Champion your cat, and Harry will be able to pick up the final points he needs. So think about it and let me know – it can be a lot of fun!

Last weekend was the Cotton States show, and it was wonderful. Harry didn’t get his last 5 points, but we had a great time visiting with our friends and colleagues. I met a great lady from Anchorage, Alaska who breeds Manx – really cool cats. Did you know that there are so few Manx breeders now that they can be considered an endangered breed?  And did you know that there are only 7 Devon Rex breeders in the world?  Another endangered breed.  We need more Manx and Devon Rex breeders!  Apparently, the gene pools are so small with both of these breeds that they are having a hard time finding new cats to bring into their breeding programs and this is forcing some of the few, out of business. This is not good news for any of us; we need the diversity in the Cat Fancy to continue for future generations.

Drifter being judged at Cotton States

We had very few visitors at the show this time: Sandra is a die-hard Harry fan and sent me the pictures for this blog entry. Drifter went along because he always adds a bit of sparkle to the show and nothing gets more attention than a beautifully groomed Silver.  As I brought both of my boys to the judging ring, I could hear gasps of wonder from the spectators – “Look at that cat!” Yes, everyone loves Silvers and Goldens.  Harry always gets lots of attention because few people have ever seen a Golden so I get a lot questions about him at every show.

Harry being judged at Cotton States

Harry and I are considering going to a show in North Carolina next month that is sponsored by the Silver and Golden cat club. It might be interesting to meet other Silver/Gold breeders and maybe Harry will be lucky and pick up those last 5 points!  It will be a 6 x 6 show, meaning there will actually be one 6 ring show on Saturday, and another 6 ring show on Sunday. We’ll stay for both, and Harry will hate it. He gets tired of being handled so much and gets crabby by the middle of the second day. Being handled by 6 judges each day is exhausting for both the cat and the person keeping him meticulously groomed. I can’t wait until Harry’s show career is finished and I can shave him!

Getting ready for the next ring at Cotton States - Harry, refusing to smile for the camera.

Next up for the show scene, is Summer Star. She should be ready for the show in Lawrenceville, in March 2012. That’s just a few months away, so I have to start bathing her every week. Star was shaved last spring, but her coat is coming in FAST!!!!!!  Hopefully, Fibonacci will be ready by March also, and maybe even Skeeter!  Yup, it’s gonna be a busy spring. With no kittens in sight, we are setting our sights on the show scene.

Upcoming Cat Show in Duluth, GA October 30, 2011

It’s been forever, I know!  I’ve been a slacker with the blog, but I’ve been busy replacing appliances for the past month. The washing machine bit the dust so we decided to replace the dryer at the same time since it’s been on its last leg for several years. We got the cheapest ones they offered at Home Depot (Lowes was out of the cheaper models) and called it a day. The connection to the hot water is rusted shut so we’ve been washing with cold water for a month. That wasn’t a problem while the weather was still warm but now that it’s getting colder, we need to have a plumber out to replace the valve. Then the refrigerator stopped working so off to Lowes we went for a new one – actually, I looked online and found a model almost exactly like the old one so I printed it out, handed it to my husband, and told him to buy it on his way home from work. Which he did – and it was delivered the next day. So now we have all new appliances – and all within 3 weeks. I guess one of the few good things about getting new appliances is that you get to clean the floor underneath them and that does make me feel better knowing it’s all nice and clean. I was amazed at how many cat toys I found under the fridge and washer/dryer.  What were these cats thinking?!

We have another local cat show coming up at the Gwinette Civic Center in Duluth, GA next weekend (Nov. 5&6) – you should come and say “hi” to Harry and Drifter. Harry is still chasing those elusive 5 points to complete his Grand Premiership, and Drifter is a Champion now, just tagging along to add some sparkle to the weekend. This show will be put on by Cotton States Cat Club, and they are having a multi-holiday theme this year. Cotton States is always the biggest show of the year, and is always nicely done. “Established in 1938, Cotton States Cat Club, Inc. is affiliated with the Cat Fanciers’ Association, Inc. (CFA) and is the 2nd oldest CFA Cat Club in the United States producing consecutive annual shows.” Click here to print a $1 off coupon for entrance to the show.

Other than replacing appliances, it’s been kind of quiet around here. No kittens in sight at this point – we’ve been experiencing fertility problems and until that’s all sorted out, I’ll be concentrating on showing. Hopefully, Summer Star (aka: Star) and Blue Ginger (aka: Skeeter) will be ready for their big cat show debut at the next local show in March, in Lawrenceville, GA.  Fibonacci may also be ready by then!

Best Friends Forever - Lyra and Summer

Lyra had a health scare last month, and I thought she was a goner but she ended up pulling through just fine. I still don’t know what happened, but suddenly, overnight,  she was extremely sick and dehydrated. She went from begging for food while I cooked dinner one night, to being at death’s door the next afternoon. Of course it was the weekend and the vet was closed, so I pumped her full of sub-q fluids and kept a close eye on her. Within a few days, her strength returned and she was her old self again begging for her favorites – chicken or cheese while I fixed dinner.

Lyra is getting way up there in age – 12 years old now – so every year is a blessing. She won’t be having any more kittens, and I’m afraid to have her spayed because of the risks of putting her under anesthesia at this age, so I’ll just keep her away from the boys when she cycles (which is only once or twice a year). She had her last litter at the age of 11 and did great. That’s pretty old to be having babies, but as long as a female is healthy and has no history of delivery problems, they can do just fine and Lyra is proof of that. Her last two kittens were Blue Star Kachina (aka: Cheena), and Greenlee (owned by Gail).

Leaning on each other for emotional support - Lyra and Summer

I don’t know what Summer Moon will do when the day comes that Lyra does pass; she follows Lyra around like a shadow. They intertwine tails and give each other a “tail hug” as they lean against one another. And although Lyra tends to get annoyed with the all the attention, she knows Summer is just being thoughtful and genuinely caring. Every once in awhile, Lyra will have enough of all the attention and give Summer a swat on the head but Summer doesn’t care; she just squints her eyes, gives a moment of pause, and tries to go in for another “lean” with Lyra.  After this sort of brief altercation, Lyra usually throws back her head with eyes wide open and takes a step back as she turns to scurry out of the room. Summer normally just stands there like the innocent girl she is, wondering why Lyra is acting so crazy.

Summer having a snack while still keeping tabs on Lyra.

These girls are inseparable. They can’t even eat alone – well, Summer can’t eat alone; she’s the dependent one and has to know where Lyra is at all times. Except nap time. Then you’ll find Summer alone on the bed, snoozing away the hours. Lyra usually sleeps on the sofa in the family room with another cat or two, enjoying the change of company. Sometimes it’s Fibonacci, sometimes Drifter, and every once in a great while, it’s Harry. She’s the dominant cat of both the house and the cat room so everyone has a great deal of respect for her. Maybe some day I can be dominant and get some respect around here.

As it stands now, everyone has their preferred napping location which gives them all some privacy. Harry can usually be found on one of the wooden chairs in the living room, Raven will be on the upholstered rocking chair in the living room with Drifter always near by, Lyra on the sofa in the family room, Star on the window seat next to my chair, and Fibonacci is usually on the floor in the family room but when I’m in my chair watching TV, he lays on the armrest.

I put the little heater in the hallway a few weeks ago when we had a cold snap, but it hasn’t been turned on since then. I could tell it was getting a bit chilly in the house last night when I saw Harry huddled up close to the heater asking for it to be turned on. It’s getting cold in the house again tonight but I have yet to even plug in the heater because my toothbrush needs to be recharged and there’s no spare outlet nearby.  Priorities.  In the meantime, Summer is enjoying the extra blanket on the bed. Stay warm, my furry little friends, it appears that winter is upon us.

Summer taking a nap on the bed.

Don’t forget about the cat show next weekend. I hope to see you there!

We’re Back! September 9, 2011

I know, it’s been forever  since the last post, but we’ve been plagued with internet router problems for the past month. Now that the router has been replaced, my computer is back online and I can catch you up on what’s been going on around here at the cute-asylum. First of all, my husband and I celebrated our 28th anniversary at the cat show in Simpsonville, South Carolina last weekend. Well, I did anyway, he spent the weekend in the hotel room getting caught up on his sleep. Still, it was nice to spend time together, and you may have already heard me say, my husband is a Saint. He never complains about the cats or thinks I’m crazy (not so that I notice anyway).

Pop-up Cabana similar to the ones I have.

What I realized this past weekend is that I don’t like traveling with cats – something I’d forgotten from not showing the past few years. Harry is not a very good hotel sleeper, and proved it at a show I took him to in September at the same place – Simpsonville, SC. He refused to be confined in that cute little pink pet play pen, and discovered how to tunnel his way out of it. Yes, further disappointments in the pet play pen. So far, the best think about it is the pretty pink color.

This trip to the show I put Harry and Drifter (silver boy) each in a pop-up cabana – they don’t seem to make the ones I have any more, but here’s a picture of one that’s similar to mine – you get the idea. These things are great, and escape proof. The cats didn’t like the cabanas although Drifter loved sleeping and playing in it when it was set up in the living room for several weeks before the show. So we were forced to let the cats run free in the hotel room which was better than listening to them meow and pick at the sides of the cabanas all night. If nothing else, they kept the cat litter confined.

The cats did well at the show, but Harry still needs 5 points to finish his Grand. Drifter just turned 8 months old a few days before the show so he needs to mature before he does anything noteworthy, but he did get his Championship that weekend so it was worth the trip. The next show we will be attending is Cotton States Cat Club, in Duluth, GA at the Gwinnett Civic Center on November 5 and 6.  If Harry doesn’t pick up his final points, we might go the more shows out-of-state but it all depends on how much coat he has – right now, he’s in his summer jammies and looks a little less than perfect.

CFA Champion Alchemist Snowbound (aka: Drifter)

I had Drifter’s picture taken the week before the show since I do a practice show grooming the week before and they came out great. The show photographer, Audra Mitchell, lives in Canton, GA, just 20 minutes from my house. She has a studio in her home so I took Drifter up to see her. It tends to be stressful at the shows which makes taking pictures more difficult than it needs to be and her home is quiet and relaxed. Her prices are very reasonable – $45 per hour sitting and that gives you proofs, and your choice of two finished copies for internet ready use. You can buy more copies if you want, and she’ll make prints for you, too.  Audra also took Harry’s pictures for me earlier this year.

Drifter is still in his kitten coat – footie pajamas – so he’s got it goin’ on. Hopefully, his adult coat will be coming in soon and he’ll be even better looking than he is now – then I’ll take him to get updated pictures taken. In this sitting, Audra took almost 100 pictures. Drifter was the perfect model, playing with the toys, and posing any way we positioned him. It was a great experience for us all. Drifter will change a lot over the next few year; his nose will come up and in, his eye color will come in more, and his ears will set lower on his head once he starts to breed and his head broadens.

Drifter, taking it easy after a hard day of posing for the camera.

Now that I found Aurda, I plan to get all of the cat’s pictures taken for the website. That will spruce things up a bit and help me make it look more professional. I may even take litters of kittens up for pictures – good pictures help sell kittens! You can find Audra on Facebook or you can contact me for her email address.

Anyone out there who has a neutered or spayed Golden whose coat is in good condition that would like to show their kitty in November, let me know – I need to find Harry some competition so he can pick up those elusive last 5 points!

That’s all for now, although I took some cute pictures of the gang tonight for the next post so I’ll be putting that together real soon. Take care, and give your cats a hug.

~ Jayne