Palm Springs June 25 to 28

I'm packing for a trip to Palm Springs. I'm picking up an award for Sammy, he earned Best of Breed Selkirk Rex shorthair this year. Steve will be picking up 2nd Best of Breed and 3rd Best of Breed for two of his Turkish Vans.

I updated photos of my kittens this week. Check them out at http://www.dramatails.com/ Here are some of my favorites!

Chehalis Show June 13-14

I'm still not employed but had an opportunity to show one of my cats in exchange for clerking at this TICA Chehalis show. I brought Seamus, my manx alter. He had a fantastic time and ended up 3rd best in show. A great way to celebrate his 4th birthday. I have to say that I was not too energized to go to this show, its getting a bit old. I'm sure once I have a job and some cash, showing will be more fun again.

Long time no post

Still no job, but I've had a lot of time to play with the cats. I sent Blondie down to California to be bred to Bangles Terraincognito of KittiKat. The owners thought it was a good match and they are judges and have more Selkirk experience than I do, so who am I to argue! June 4 I flew into Idaho Falls to meet up with a friend to drive to the CFA Regional Award show in Reno. The Reno show was fairly political with lots of popular cats and judges cats being finalled - as opposed to the best cats which should have been finalled. I clerked for Carolyn Lyons - LOVE her...although I don't want my photo taken with her anymore because she is so tiny she makes me look like a whale. The awards banquet was ok, definitely not the best. It was fun to get dressed up.

Ok, now I see why so many people have complained that my blog is out of date. I'm going to back date some posts to let you all know what trouble I've been up to.

Issaquah, Wa - May 8-9

It was weird going to this cat show as I did not have any cats entered. But it was a chance to see a number of my friends, make some money clerking and hang out with Steve all day. Steve drove up from Idaho Friday and arrived about 3pm. He showed 5 cats this time, which is not a lot for him would you believe! It was a fun show. Racing Rat No Reservations who we fondly call "my boy" became a Grand Champion. "Res" is a bit small in stature but huge in heart. He's incredibly affectionate and I dote on him shamelessly when my other cats aren't looking. Steve left Racing Rat Tar Baby with me to find him a home and get him neutered.

Crystal had her kittens

I really did not ask for this litter, it was a volunteer. I thought that "oops" breedings happened to irresponsible breeders but now I see that it can happen to anyone. I don't know if Grissom flipped the lock on his cage or I just didn't latch it but...about 68 days ago, I caught him and Crystal on the dining room table doing the nasty...and here is what it got me!!





This last one is going to hang out here at Dramatails to see how he develops. But the other three, all girls, will be available in July.

Another Fire Kitten gone

The beautiful long haired curly torbie died today. No idea why. I went to weigh them and she was just dead. Another Mother Nature cruelty. But I have 5 left and they look good and strong. Fire is an OK mother. She's not a good cleaner and does not keep herself too clean, but she's doing enough to keep the kittens happy.

Pixie had her kittens

Pixie, my cream and white girl from Kitti Ruttan and Bonnie Smith, gave birth to five healthy kittens today. She popped these kittens out in ONE HOUR! Cleanest birth I've ever seen. All babies are beautiful and stunning colors. Photos at www.dramatails.com.

One baby lost

Kitten #7 died today. From what I could tell, he had aspirated and had a lot of fluid in his lungs. He was not gaining weight and would not nurse. Mother nature had other plans.

Fire's kittens born today

Fire, first time mom, gave birth today to SEVEN kittens! She did such a good job and popped out the last one about 7pm. Labor started around noon. Kittens are beautiful. She took care of everything herself, but I wasn't there for many of the kittens so I'm hoping they all came out ok, without fluid in the lungs. With first time moms, you can't always be sure how dedicated they are going to be to the birthing process. Photos on www.dramatails.com

Longview, WA - April 11-12

I went to the Longview show mostly to spend time with Steve. He was showing 4 kittens and 2 adults. I brought Seamus along to show for fun. We all had a great time. Seamus got along fine with all of Steve's crazy cats. Seamus took home 5 finals out of the 7 rings I'd put him in. He did not get a final in Hillary Helmrich's ring since he hissed at her. He would not stand up for Karen Lawrence. I didn't put him in Wain Harding's ring since he has never really liked him anyway and Seamus doesn't like Wain for some reason. We ended up the day with a "BEST CAT" from Betty Denny, that was sweet. Steve's cats did "ok". One champion picked up 11 grand points. His premier won her Grand Premier title in grand style. His kitten, Classic, picked up a few finals as well. I still think he should show fewer cats at once, but he loves it - he does his own thing, fine with me. He brought along 4 kittens he had that had caught nasty colds. Diane used to do all of the veterinary treatments around the house and he'd asked for my help with these babies. I've taken these kittens home and they are recovering nicely. I cried pretty hard when Steve had to leave, but we'll meet again in two weeks - he is such a great guy, I am truly blessed.

Tukwila & Monroe, WA - March 28-29

Oh my, crazy weekend I'd planned. Friday in Tukwila, Saturday in Monroe, Sunday in Tukwila, all the while having a house guest. Friday was fun, but I only brought two cats, Blondie and Grissom. Grissom picked up one final and Blondie picked up three. Steve stopped by on his way to the house to say hi to everyone. It was really nice to see him. We both went to the Monroe show together, I brought Grissom and Blondie. Sammy was entered into both shows but his tail is infected again, that boy needs to be neutered (Sammy, not Steve!) Blondie picked up some nice finals and Grissom picked up some points. I decided to skip the show on Sunday. This is something I've NEVER done before. But spending time with Steve seemed so much more important. Who knew I'd ever say THAT about a man...who knew?

Steve and I dropped by the show on our way up to Idaho Falls to check out his place. It was nice to see everyone again and see the smiles on friends faces when they realized that Steve and I were together. We seem to have at least 50 friends in common.

Boise, ID - March 20-21

Ok, did I say that Eugene was a long way? Boise is insanely far from home. My friend Jovannah and I set off in a rental car Friday around 3pm. We saw every type of weather we could possibly have run into, then drove into Boise around midnight. I drove most of the way. Thankfully, the rental was very comfortable. The radio sucked, and the GPS unit took us odd places, but the companionship was fun and the trip, uneventful. During the show we experienced thunder and lightening outside, but it didn't do much to affect the goings on inside. I had brought Grissom and Blondie with me. Blondie picked up 5 of 7 finals and Grissom picked up 62 points. A very successful show for both of them. Donna Bass was there with another breeder (Donelle?). They were both very nice to me and helped me with grooming and showing, great comraderie.

Saturday night found Kay, Jovannah, Phyllis and I at Joe's Crab Shack on the water. POURING down rain. We had a great time though, drinking too much, eating too much, and watching Phyllis dance on the table and spell her name with her butt. It was her birthday after all!! After dinner I met up with a cat friend at the nightclub in the hotel. We talked for about 5 hours and decided to call it our first official "date." I will see him again this weekend. I would say more but I know that lots of my cat friends read this blog and you'll just have to wait and wonder. I like him, he likes me, its a good start.

Ride home had some scary parts. Like Jovannah saying very quietly.."I don't think we should be doing 80 through the snow." The trip was a gentle reminder that if you speed, you only win about 5 to 10 minutes per hour and it really isn't worth it. I'm glad I went to the show. A successful show, a little romance, great friendship - woot!

Eugene, OR - March 14-15

Eugene is a long way, a long boring way. But add a good friend (Wendy Heidt) and the trip is a very pleasant one. My cats kicked butt!! I brought Sammy and Blondie to compete, Cassie for fun. Sammy and Blondie each picked up about 120 points each. There were many compliments from the judges and exhibitors. Lots of fun, no stress, love Eugene.

Las Vegas, NV March 7-8

In hindsight I saw this show as an experience rather than a cat show. Jazzycats cat club is awesome and I really like the members, so I try to go to their shows. This time it was in Primm, NV. Primm is about 45 minutes south west of Las Vegas in the middle of nowhere. Blondie, Cassie and I flew into Las Vegas in the evening on a crowded flight. It was such a trip to see slot machines in the airport the second I got off the plane. "Ding Ding Ding" as soon as you leave the plane! I managed to avoid the slots, got my luggage, and made my way to the Avis counter via a shuttle bus. Avis gave me a red Prius. I gave no thought to how to operate the thing, I just wanted to get out of the airport. The Las Vegas airport has to be, by far, the most crowded airport I've ever travelled to.

The Prius proved to be a challenge. I had to call my Brother In Law to find out how to start the damn thing because I was too proud to ask the attendant! The car is not one I would purchase for myself. The spedometer is at the base of the windshield and the windshield is at a sharp angle. If I sat up straight, I could not see out the windshield. Add to that it has huge blind spots on either side. Granted it felt very smoothe at 95 miles an hour down the vacant Las Vegas highway - but still...don't like it.

I spent way too much money in the casinos, nearly died from cigarette smoke inhalation and Blondie only got one final - not worth the trip, will not go again.

Photo of Blondie/Sugar Rush

Longview, WA - February 21

It is in these types of shows where I am greatly humbled and I am ever learning, still. I took Seamus and Blondie to a 6 ring show in Longview. Seamus, of course, took home 5 finals from 6 judges and had a really good time. Blondie, just had a good time, and picked up one lonely final. In my opinion her muzzle is lacking. I personally like the fleshy muzzle of the British Shorthair and American Shorthair on my Selkirks. Other people may disagree and think they are too big, but I like them, and apparently the judges like them too. While Blondie has magnificent boning, size, structure, and color - she also has a pointy nose. Her curl too, inherited from her parents, is very fluffy, and not a ton of defined curl. If she's anything like her dad, her curl will come in next winter. So here we sit in 7th place officially. Unofficially we are in 4th place - but that is because of the 140 points we will never recover.

Maumee Ohio - TICA Feb 14-15

Another WHOPPER of a show. 16 rings over two days. 16 rings going at once, 16 ring clerks, 16 stewards and 290 cats. It really makes CFA sound so wussy when they whine about back to back 12 ring shows. My babies flew with me on a red eye to Detroit via Minnesota, then we were driven to Toledo Ohio. We missed a few rings but the girls each hit at least 12 rings each. Then we flew back again. They were up and playing around this morning!!

Cassie picked up 14 finals out of 14 rings with a count of 25. Blondie did not fare as well, picking up 4 finals out of a possible 12. 1 out of 3...I'll take it!!! I believe now that Cassie is guaranteed to be the NW Regions Household Pet Kitten of the Year and will end up with an International win as well. Blondie is currently the 3rd highest scoring Selkirk Rex SH kitten in Selkirk history and we are going to shoot for #1. We need only 200 more points to get to that goal. She should stay as #1 Selkirk kitten in TICA and I believe at 5707 points we are also guaranteed a NW regional win. I did not plan to show so much in TICA, but we've done well and I'm very (tired) pleased.

Portland, OR - OCI TICA Show Feb 7 to 8

Wow..this was a huge show. Nice for the club, nice for campaigners, not nice for us little folks. My outstanding Selkirk appeared on most judges top 20 lists, but did not make top 15 in any but one judges final. We made one final out of 8 this weekend - I was pretty pissed. Blondie is a fantastic example of her breed - I think some CFA judges are just chicken to put them up in their finals because they don't know the standard as well as they should.

Sammy did not attend because his tail hair hasn't totally grown back from his infection yet and with competition at 100 adults, he would need to be in tip top shape to compete. So he stayed home and bred Fire!

On the plus side - I clerked for Walter Hutlzer and had a ball as usual. That guy is a kick to clerk for! My friend Phyllis had her Manx kitten there and he did well by picking up 5 finals. I need to pick it up and get to some more CFA shows if we're going to be #1 Selkirk Rex kitten.

San Diego CFA show Jan 24-25

Word from new mom Jan Mellinger is that Dramatails Wall-E of Spellbinding wowed the judges in San Diego. He picked up 3 finals out of a whopping count of 110 kittens - I wish I would have been there to see him. I'm so proud of both Wall-e and Jan for this accomplishment. Since my scoring snafu, this puts Wall-e over big sister Blondie in the standings. Its all Dramatails so I could not be happier.

Portland TICA Show Jan 24-25

Tough competition at this show with 70 cats and 63 kittens. That is a lot for a TICA show in the North West. Both Sammy and Blondie were in great shape for this show and performed well for the judges. Blondie picked up 5 all breed finals and one specialty final. Sammy picked up three all breed finals and one specialty. Sammy still did not get that elusive Best Cat but we're still going to try. I have not yet seen the show report so I haven't been able to see how they did overall compared to the rest of the cats.

Wanted: Large Bird for crazy woman

Oh no you din't...oh yes I did. Rescued another Macaw. Call me crazy? Yes.
Meet Carmen. Carmen is a female Scarlet Macaw, about 8-10 years old. I am her 5th home. She was picked up from a group of people who, unfortunately represent a growing population of those less fortunate. They wrote to Mollywood for help re-homing this bird. Conversations were something like this: "What is your work schedule so that..." -they don't work. "When can you drive the bird over..." -we don't drive. "Can you please fill out this..." -we can't read. Add to that, they have no teeth, so I guess they don't eat either, or have health care. It doesn't stop them from producing a baby however - as proven by the 10 month old kid they had. That child had very nice teeth, but a nasty case of pink eye. Carmen was on a pure seed diet. She had one toy, a plastic dog ball, and two perches, both made of concrete. For a breed that loves to chew, that really sucks.

Her first two days with me, she did not touch a single toy, as if she did not know how to play anymore. Where her previous owners had handled her with a broom stick, she was eay to hand handle and, as it turns out, is a total cuddler. I have introduced her to the world of pasta, grains, fruits, vegetables and nuts. She has not seen a seed since she came here and is happily munching on pellets. Where she used to just eat crackers as a "treat" she has decided she absolutely loves pasta and grapes are a definite favorite. I was gone overnight this last weekend and when I came home, I found she had eaten all the wooden beads from her toys and had started pulling off the plastic ones - progress!! She has not splintered any wood yet, hopefully that will come next. You know a macaw is happy when they have something they can destroy. Her only down side so far is that she is a horizontal pooper. To her, this is a way to keep her cage clean. She hangs on the door, and poops outside the cage onto the floor. This is amuzing the first time, and it totally sucks after that. Hello vinyl flooring, trip to Home Depot is on the list.

Seattle TICA show Jan 17-18

Are you ready for this? Dramatails Sugar Rush (Aka Legally Blonde) came in BEST KITTEN IN SHOW!! This is the first time in my life that I've had a kitten come in best in show. I may never see this again in my career as a professional breeder so I am relishing this moment. Blondie picked up two BEST kitten awards, three 2nd best and three 3rd best kitten awards. Unfortunately she did not get much love from the northwest judges which was very disappointing. But she got love from the Mid Pacific judges and I thank them for it so much. Aline Noel gave her best allbreed kitten - that was just phoenomenal. Sammy only picked up two finals, but he's got a tail injury which makes his tail look funny - or else it was just a different set of judges. Cassie went best kitten in 9 of 11 rings. She did not get best in show because I did not put her in one ring. It was not a big deal though because with just 3 kittens competing, I could only use 5 best allbreed kitten ribbons anyway.

Next show is in Portland next weekend. I'm bringing Sammy and Blondie. Cross your paws!

Lucy

Jazzycats show in Lodi : Jan 9-11

The Jazzycats show in California is always a fun one. It is also very exhausting. Three days and 17 judges, flying, hotels, clerking, tired kittens. I took Cassie and Blondie. Cassie because I knew there would be a good household pet kitten count. Cassie was the superstar. Out of 16 kittens, she was one of only 3 kittens to make all 17 finals. She also came in best in show. This makes Cassie best household pet kitten in the NW, very cool. I don't know if I want to show her enough to get her an international win, we'll see. Blondie did well too picking up 6 finals and 1197 points. She ended up #13 kitten out of 64, not bad. I like looking at it this way...she was better than 50 other kittens :-) This makes her #1 Selkirk Rex SH kitten in the world!! I'm so proud:-) I had professional photos taken of both girls, I should get them soon. Next show is this weekend. I'm showing Sammy, Cassie and Blondie. Should be fun. Only 3 HHPK, but fun anyway.

Chehalis, WA Show Jan 3 - great show

Blondie (aka Legally Blonde, aka Sugar Rush) continues to wow the judges. This has been overwhelming for me since 2008 pretty much SUCKED from a breeders perspective. She is my first home grown success and I'm just so pleased with her. She picked up 4 of 6 finals this weekend at a CFA show in Chehalis WA. Two of the judges awarded her 2nd best allbreed! That means she was better than 51 other kittens, wow...just...wow. She loves showing, and even did well being shown by someone other than me. I met Jan Mellinger of Spellbinding on New Years day. She is going to take Dramatails WALL-E in exchange for 2 girls of hers. Hopefully we'll see some good variety here at Dramatails in 2009.
1/20/09 note - I did not notice that Blondie's registration number was missing from the catalog so we will not get credit for these points. So disappointing.

Sammy did not attend the show. I found a painful sore on his tail, likely due to a "stud tail" infection. I've never seen it before. I've put some ointment on it and it is much better. I will continue to show him and hope that his fluffy tail will cover up his little bald spot. I received a lot of advice this weekend so lets hope that the hair starts to grow back soon. Next show is this weekend in Lodi, CA with Cassie and Blondie.