GC BW RW SantaCats Check Meowt of Xpressions (Piper)
GP Xpressions Check Meowt Too (Poppy)
Showing my animals is not new for me, but it’s always been exciting. I started with horses, then dogs and now cats. I’ve had the pleasure to Grand, be awarded Regional Wins and blessed enough to have achieved the CFA Top RagaMuffin award. As exciting as all that has been, this past year a cat we bred was shown to a Grand Premier! Not only did Poppy Grand, but she did it on her first birthday! To be able to be there to witness this was a dream come true for me.
You may be asking yourself why this is so special. There are several reasons. Diana and Dennis (Poppy’s owners) had gone to a show in Oklahoma as spectators. They shared with us that they’d hoped Piper (Poppy’s future mom) would be there. She was. Diana had followed Piper on Facebook and had named herself President of Piper’s Fan Club. The friendship was almost instantaneous. Months later, as the friendship grew between us, they asked to be put on our waitlist for a pet. Poppy became part of their family (along with their other two RagaMuffins) and Diana and Dennis became part of our family. They caught the show bug and gifted Xpressions RagaMuffins with a Grand Premier!
Another reason this is so special to me is as a breeder of RagaMuffins my vision was successful. Breeders don’t just put two cats together and hope it works out. Many hours are spent over lineage and genetic testing. They look objectively at their cat’s assets as well as where their cats may need improvements. After all this is taken into account, breeders hope that they will have at least one kitten out of the litter worthy of showing. Then they are shown to several different judges (typically over a period of time), hoping that the judges find that your cat fits the standard. You compete not only with other RagaMuffins, but against other breeds that meet their standards. The top cats are given placements, points, and you begin the journey to a Grand title. It’s one thing to think your cat is beautiful, but to have several trained judges feel that too, is amazing! Showing can be addicting, but to be able to meet new lifelong friends in this process is priceless! By the way, Dennis and Diana are addicted. They have another RagaMuffin to show.