iCandy Fanny Farmer at 4 months

author Sara Thornton DVM            iCandy RagaMuffins

RagaMuffin kitten iCandy Fanny Farmer is six months old now. As a small kitten she had “the look”. As she grew, I became more convinced that she would have what it takes to be a show cat. At her first show, she was relaxed in the atmosphere, did not mind the handling by judges, and had a good photo session with cat photographer Chanan

Her second show was the Cat Fanciers’ Association International show in Cleveland, Ohio. It is a huge venue with tons of spectators and noise. For Fanny, it was no big deal. She even managed to do some winning at her young age.

These days, Fanny is a full fledged show kitten. Honestly, it is such a joy to take her to a show. She handles the bathing and blow dry like a pro (which most are pretty good about). The venues don’t phase her with all the noise and people. She even spends much of her time in her show tent kneading the bed.

And when it comes to judging, she is amazing! I put her in the show cage behind the judge’s table. Fanny sits alert in the front, sometimes playing paws with the kitten next to her. She tries to knock her number down on top of the cage, rolls around and generally has a good time. When the judge takes her out to put on the table, she is a party girl, climbing the pole, standing up on her hind feet to catch the toy, or leaning on the judge’s chest. It just doesn’t get any better.

Most of my show cats have been lazy, not nearly as interactive with the judges. It really is fun to see Fanny Farmer put on a show.

author Sara Thornton DVM               iCandy RagaMuffins

I was sitting around chatting at a cat show with friends recently when one mentioned having a canned food heater that she used to make the food more attractive for her cats. I had never heard of such a thing!

A quick Google search revealed that, yes, there existed an Animal’s Instinct Pet Food Warmer. I read through the web site, learning that putting pet food cans inside what looked like a small incubator, warmed the food to 102 degrees, which is approximate body temperature for cats and dogs.

My friend that has been using one for years told me how happy she was with it. It has a small footprint on the kitchen counter, it is easy to clean,  and the cats seem to really enjoy their  food more.

That did it. It was closing in on Christmas and I decided my cats NEEDED one for their holiday gift. They didn’t ask for one. After all, how could they ask if they didn’t know the product existed?

It was delivered promptly and put in use immediately. It is easier when using multiple cans than microwaving and there are no hot spots that can happen in the microwave.  Do the cats prefer their canned food more? Honestly, I’m not sure. But, I feel like it is certainly possible.

author Terri Cassiday         Xpressions RagaMuffins

Often times when people discover that I show my cats, I’m met with that “look”. Their faces are a mixture of “why and how”. At that point, I realize that I have ten minutes or less to explain my passion without sounding defensive. That is where the show etiquette begins.

In the show hall, exhibitors have many opportunities to be good ambassadors for their breed. Spectators come by the hundreds to ask questions about our breed. It is up to us to answer their questions and be courteous in doing so. They don’t realize that you may have answered the same question endless times. Often times pictures of their beloved cats emerge and they deserve our time to look at them. After all, cats are our common bond. I honestly enjoy spending time with most spectators. It is time to promote our breed not just our cattery.

Our cats should be good examples of the breed standard and presented well. Being respectful to the judges and being kind to other exhibitors bodes well for our breed. Learning to accept losing is paramount because the odds are that we will lose more often than we will win. Congratulate the winners. A congratulations from your fellow exhibitors, especially from your own breed’s exhibitors, is customary of proper behavior.

How people perceive our breed often correlates as to our behavior as breeders, exhibitors and owners. Let’s put on our smiles.

author Sara Thornton DVM       iCandy RagaMuffins

Last weekend was the annual Santa Paws CFA cat show in the Baltimore, Maryland area. I go to this show every year, not because I expect to win a lot as it is a tough show, but because it is a fun time.

I enjoy hanging out with friends, cheering each other along. The show hall is festive with Christmas decorations. There is always an awesome raffle to buy tickets for. Simply put, it is an enjoyable weekend with cats.

I took both my young adult Solo and my kitten Fanny Farmer to compete. Both girls are a pleasure to show. They have fun between rings waiting to compete. They play or nap or even, in this case get dressed in holiday outfits.

When it is time for judging, I carried the kitty whose turn it is up to one of four judging rings. I placed her in a cage behind the judging tables where she waited until it was her turn. Both Solo and Fanny were relaxed, looking out of the cage or playing with the number over the top of the cage.

The judge evaluated the cat in each cage behind him/her in order. Both Solo and Fanny are happy campers when they get on the table. Both are party girls. They play with any toy the judge offers, they climb the sisal covered pole and in general, strut their stuff.

Solo went into the two day show with 99 points. She needed 101 more to earn her grand championship. I knew it was possible, but unlikely due to the high quality of the cats that would attend. Saturday started off with her getting called to finals in the first couple of rings where she earned points. In four rings on Saturday, she finaled three times.  I added up her points (yes, there’s an app for that) and realized it was still possible for her to get to 200.

Sunday started out well. In true dramatic turn, it was down the wire at the last ring for the weekend. Solo needed to final and earn 12 points. I used the app to figure out she needed to win either 1st place long hair cat or top three of all breeds. She was called to the final. Whew. Next step….find out how the judge placed her. And…..she gave her best long hair and 3rd best all breed! Gentlepurrs Solo Purrsuit of iCandy was a Grand Champion! My friends were cheering for her and even other exhibitors that I do not know were enthusiastic in their congratulations.

To top it off, Fanny had a great weekend in kitten class. She finaled in seven of eight rings, even under judges that are not traditionally keen on the RagaMuffin breed. The published results were out this morning. She was third overall out of a large entry of 56 kittens! To say I was happy with the results would be understating it.

The best part? Bringing those joyful kitties home and having them snuggle up with me last night.

Solo

Fanny

author Sara Thornton DVM      iCandy RagaMuffins

Petals

After Thanksgiving sales were too tempting to ignore. I went Internet shopping for my pets. My oldest cat, a rescue named Petals, has arthritis. While she is getting medical treatment, I thought a heated pet bed might helpful as well.

Nougat

I looked at several that were available. One seemed to be just perfect for a kitty. And it was on sale for a very good price. So, I bought it and in a couple of days it arrived. I initially put it on a chair to test it out. It was immediately occupied by RagaMuffin Nougat. I let him enjoy it for a bit , but then moved it to Petals favorite resting spot, on top of one of the cat trees in my den. I had to move Petals to put the bed there, plugged it in and replaced Petals. She immediately left.

The next I looked, Puzzles (another rescue) was sitting on the tree enjoying the heat. I was hoping that eventually, she would get down and Petals would return to her spot.

Puzzles

The following morning Ganache was lounging in the new bed. He didn’t look anxious to move. Finally, later in the morning, I found Petals enjoying her new found warmth. She was still there when I got home from work in the evening and only got up for her dinner.

I’d say the bed is a success. And I’m thinking I will have to get more!

Ganache

author Sara Thornton DVM              iCandy RagaMuffins   

I have been a pedigree cat breeder for a while now. After breeding horses and dogs as well as being a veterinarian for well over thirty years, I doubted I could be in for many surprises. Well, the difference in the queen attitudes toward their families has been startling.

I started with Squidgy, my UK import. Squidgy was a fierce protector of her newborns. She was determined to keep them from harm …that included me. She would leave her birthing box once a day to use her litter box. I put her food in the box so she would eat. I needed to put it near her face as she would never disturb her kittens to reach for it. As her kittens matured, she was horrified that they would leave the box. It’s like the first grade child that is happy to get on the bus and leave mom. As much as she would try to keep them home, they were determined to leave. As they started their adventures in the house, Squidgy’s role became that of the playground monitor, carefully observing the kittens and looking out for predators.

My next girl to have kittens was the total opposite. Only a couple of hours after birth, Beignet would be asking to leave the room for an outing, I swear, she wanted to hire a nanny right away. While she seemed to like her kittens and do the necessities, she was demanding of frequent coffee breaks, nail appointments, and dates with her friends. She would leave their room to go sun in my outdoor cat yard for hours. I would need to call her in when leaving for work to put her back with her babies. She had a very casual attitude toward parenting for sure.

The third mother was CC. She was a bit anxious, never satisfied that she had picked the right spot in the room for her litter. She was fine giving birth in the birthing box, but soon after moved the kittens to a new spot, on the bare floor under an end table. When I attempted to put a blanket there, she moved them again. This repeated itself several times, until I caved. Mother knows best, I guess.

When Buttons queened two weeks after CC had her litter. CC decided she was an expert on parenting. She stole Buttons first baby immediately after birth. I retrieved it and held vigil for the remainder of the process. After that, CC would walk up to Buttons and stare as if telling her she wasn’t doing it right. I’m not sure what made her believe she was an expert, but she did. As it turned out, Buttons did just fine. She turned out to be a caring, relaxed mother. That, however, did not keep CC from once again stealing the same baby she had absconded with previously when he was about a week old. This time I let her keep him. Both moms seemed happy with the situation, so who was I to change it?

One thing I have learned through this process is that you just never know what to expect!

author Sara Thornton DVM         iCandy RagaMuffins

At the last cat show I went to, the show hall was dry, very dry. And the cats were full of static.  My cats, especially Solo, were getting shocked by me and the judges. I carry products just for this but nothing seemed to do the job. I wasn’t the only person with this issue. A friend that has been showing for years said she had never had static on her cats previously.

I borrowed products from other exhibitors. Some worked better than others. One of the issues with using any product is that you don’t want residue on your cat’s coat when they are judged. Water helped….a spray mist of Evian from my neighbor before each ring. It was very temporary.

I came home from the show and purchased more products to carry with me. I may have gone overboard just a bit. My grooming bag now has 5 small travel sized spray bottles of products to use just for static. By the way, my suitcase has one hair product for me…….”
I’d be interested to know what others have found to be helpful for this.

author Sara Thornton DVM                      iCandy RagaMuffins

Holidays are exciting times in the household. This is stressful for your pet. Keep  your cat’s play time a priority to help reduce the stress. Don’t put off cleaning the litter box! Keeping an eye on your cat’s toilet habits is important. Catching diarrhea or a urinary tract problem early can make the difference in life or death for your precious muffin.

Keep safety in mind with any toys or treats you buy for your pet. Some toys need supervision when your kitty plays with them. They can get tangled up dangerously in toys with long dangling string or ingest smaller toys, which can lead to an intestinal obstruction.

And then there are the decorations…..kitties love to climb Christmas trees. Be sure yours is well secured. Kitties also love to eat tinsel and ribbon. It’s best not to use these items in areas where cats have access. Ingestion of linear items can cause serious, life threatening obstructions.

Liquid potpourri is particularly dangerous for a cat; a small amount can result in severe chemical burns in the mouth, fever, difficulty breathing, and tremors. Lit candles are an obvious hazard. Always supervise!

Toxic plants are also on the holiday agenda. Lilies are particularly deadly. Other plants, like mistletoe, and holly berries can make a kitty’s tummy sick and can even cause heart arrythmias.

This list can be scary, but knowledge is power. In this case, it is the power to keep your feline family members safe during a busy time of year.

author Sara Thornton DVM                          iCandy RagaMuffins

I found it at last. The perfect traveling litter box is in my grasp. I’ve been traveling and staying in motels with my cats for years.  But, every litter box seems to have a drawback. Cardboard ones can leak,  plastc ones can be awkward to pack and difficult to cleanly empty at the end of a motel stay. The foldable ones are a challenge to clean.

And then I discovered Tubtrugs. They are flexible tubs that come in different sizes and colors.  Now known as gorilla tubs, they are easy to clean, handy to pack, a piece of cake to empty into a trash bag and the sides are high enough to prevent the cats from spreading litter everywhere.

I, of course, bought pink. The 4 gallon, 15 inch diameter seems to be ideal for travel. I also bought a spare, which the cats are currently using as a cozy bed with a towel in it.

While I can’t report on its long term sturdiness yet,  I can certainly say it fits the bill.

author Lucile Gordon Press

Hello friends, My name is Levi, my mom says I am half RagaMuffin and half traveling salesman, whatever that means. My mom is a quilter and of course she needs a supervisor so I keep a paw on things. This is my new baby brother, Tavi. He is a four months old RagaMuffin. His name means “good” in Yiddish. My human mom bought a playpen for the little guy so we could get to know one another without having to sniff under the bathroom door and wonder about each other. Besides, he hated being alone in there and cried and cried and cried. It was very stressful for me so mom put him in the playpen. Here is Tavi learning to be a quilt supervisor. Whew, there’s a lot of neat stuff to get into! Falling asleep on the job! All those odd bits of fabric are hard to keep track of so I need 40 winks before I get my next lesson. Ahhhh….so comfy!

After an exhausting day my big 
brother is making sure I don’t
have nightmares. I’m so lucky
to have him for a big brother.

Wow! Look at this! Things actually
move in there. I wonder how they
get in?

One of the first days my brother 
and I got to spend together 
outside of my playpen. I was
feeling a little insecure and
really needed a hug. 

The playpen. My big brother likes
kitten food so mom feeds me 
in there to discourage him 
from stealing my food. 

A little love after a busy day.
Ahhh, this is the life!

Hope you enjoyed our introduction. 
Our mom, Lucile, will 
write her story in a future blog. 
Life is purrrrfect for us,
Levi and Tavi