Recent Comments

1. 3 months ago on Breaking Cat News

   It’s not really the actual handling that bothers them, usually. Handling is different for different breeds. You’ll see the Orientals being “stretched” to show their “tubular” build — they’re the same around the chest as around the hindquarters — while the Persians will be kind of “bunched” to show their compact, cobby bodies.

   They also play with them on the table, luring them up the pole with teaser toys, and just petting them.

   But show halls are noisy and some cats just don’t care to be handled by strangers. While others soak up the attention!

   Cat lovers: if there’s a show near you, GO! They’re fun, and you’ll see breeds you’re not likely to see anywhere else. And if you happen to encounter a rescue group and the Cat Distribution System plants one on you, well… :-P

2. 4 months ago on Breaking Cat News

   As I pointed out yesterday, Sophie cannot be shown as she is declawed. The eye is not an issue, but declawed cats are not allowed.

3. 4 months ago on Breaking Cat News

   There is a special category in cat shows for “Household Pets” (HHPs), cats which have no known pedigree. Pedigreed cats which don’t fit the breed standard — for example, coated Sphynx — may also be shown in CFA as HHPs.

   HHPs have no set standards in terms of shape or color; it’s totally what appeals to a particular judge. The “best” HHP in Ring 2 might not even be in the top 10 in Ring 4. The cat must be clean and well-groomed, and all claws must be clipped. “Tipped” ears (ferals which have had an ear-tip snipped during neutering to show that they ARE neutered) is not a problem, nor any other physical “defect” (including missing parts!) which kitty may have incurred from an injury. Everyone knows an HHP might have had a rough start in life! And HHPs must be neutered by eight months.

   To be a showcat, the kitty has to be comfortable with being handled by strangers in a strange place (i.e., on the judging table). Some cats love the show, as though they know they’re being admired. Some tolerate it (special treats at the show, like baby food or “Churru” may help). If the cat really hates it, well, don’t show. But many do actually enjoy it.

   Showing is not cheap, but it is fun. Sophie, with her long history as a stray, may never be comfortable as a showcat. Puck, OTOH, might love it — being admired and petted and given treats all day.

   I will be interested to see if this story reflects the actual reality of showing cats. You don’t make money off it! And if Sophie is declawed, she is ineligible to be shown.

4. over 3 years ago on Breaking Cat News

   Caution: salt lamps can be toxic to pets:https://www.ovchsc.ca/news/salt-lamps-and-your-pets-safety

5. over 9 years ago on Luann Againn

   If the teen years were the best years of your life, you must have been miserable most of your life. “Grow old along with me/The best is yet to be/The last of life, for which the first was made.”—Robert Browning

6. over 9 years ago on For Better or For Worse

   I found this whole sequence very poignant, seeing Grandma alive and well, seeing Grampa Jim still active and capable. I’m really enjoying revisiting from the beginning!

7. almost 11 years ago on For Better or For Worse

   I think some readers aren’t realizing that these are OLD strips, rerun from (at this point) the early 1980s. There WERE no invisible fences. There were no microchips. The big push on neutering was still some years away.

   I really am enjoying “catching up” on these early years, but you do need to keep in mind that this is NOT “current” in terms of what’s going on in the world today.