I have a 16 week old Maine Coon silver patched female with white that had her first show today. In the first ring, she was an absolute angel. She was front and center in her show cage, nose pressed in curiosity. She was playful, friendly, and had a golden personality. In the second ring, she hissed and the judge ignored it. She continued to hiss. By the third ring, she was flat in the front of her cage, ears back slightly but not flat. That judge did not present her with any toys and her attitude to continued to worsen. By the fifth ring, it was clear she had enough. I declared her absent for the sixth and final ring. After each ring, she would be loving and playful when held. On the table, the judges could handle her any way they liked (she's great with handling) but she continued to hiss. She threw a literal hissy fit!
There were a lot of kitten in kitten class; I think maybe the smells got to her. She also stayed overnight in a hotel for the first time yesterday so we could attend the show. Perhaps, the tiredness combined with the amount of change in 24hrs caused the hissing? Also, currently, we only have her in our home, so I'm wondering if the other cats overwhelmed her. She certainly did not like to see the male next to her and she hissed once at him directly. She also hissed at a cat across the column from her.
I want her to have a positive experience and enjoy the show world. Any ideas? I don't want her to be traumatized.
Thanks!
First ring
Second ring when hissing first started.
There were a lot of kitten in kitten class; I think maybe the smells got to her. She also stayed overnight in a hotel for the first time yesterday so we could attend the show. Perhaps, the tiredness combined with the amount of change in 24hrs caused the hissing? Also, currently, we only have her in our home, so I'm wondering if the other cats overwhelmed her. She certainly did not like to see the male next to her and she hissed once at him directly. She also hissed at a cat across the column from her.
I want her to have a positive experience and enjoy the show world. Any ideas? I don't want her to be traumatized.
Thanks!
First ring
Second ring when hissing first started.