When I adopted my cat at the beginning of December, cat shows weren't anywhere on the radar. I was looking for a cat who liked to sit on laps and who didn't try to bite me when I pet her (which happened once in our cat search)
Now, a month on, I've found that the Squeakster is an incredibly friendly cat with everyone who's ever met her. When my friends come to meet her, she'll stare at them for a second, and then be demanding attention. She'll come (in her own due time) when they call her, and lets them pick her up and stretch her around.
She isn't the most perfect physical specimen of a cat. She has a bit of a stomach pooch that at first I thought was just excess belly fat, but that a friend told me might just be loose muscles from her spaying. We're feeding her healthy food and giving her plenty of exercise, so we'll see if it goes away, but if it doesn't, how much would that hurt?
So basically I've got an incredibly friendly cat with some physical imperfections. Granted, she's never been in a room full of strangers, but from the second she came out of the cage at the humane society, she's been a love bug with every person she's come across. She isn't the most playful - except for the laser light, you have to practically bonk her on the head with a toy to get her to engage with it.
So, basically my point with all this rambling is am I crazy to want to show her in the HHP category? I know each judge has their personal preference, but I don't want to be completely stomped upon if we try. I'm going to 2 shows in the next few months, a CFA (Squeaky's declawed, so we couldn't do that anyways) and a TICA show, just to see how they'd run and how things go. I'm not thinking about showing her anytime in the coming months. I have my mom lined up to make show curtains for my birthday present in September, if I decide to do this, so it would be after that.
A few questions:
*what do judges look for in HHP? If you're a judge, what do you look for? If you've been to cat shows, what have you noticed?
*what can I do to get her ready?
*does she look overweight? The vet said she looked fine, but she's 10.5 pounds, and she isn't too terribly large bone wise.
*will people laugh at her name? I had a whole list of historical names picked out, but the husband and I couldn't agree, and I finally unilaterally called her Squeaky.
*how friendly are participants/judges at cat shows? I'm not the most out going person in the world, but I'd like to work up the nerve to ask people a few questions. I definitely wouldn't approach them while they were judging or getting a cat ready to show, but if they're just sitting there, is it ok manners to approach them and talk?
*any other general advice?
Here are some pictures of Squeaky. I tried to get a good picture of her pooch, but she wouldn't stand still long enough to get a decent shot
Thanks much for letting be blab on and on
She isn't the most perfect physical specimen of a cat. She has a bit of a stomach pooch that at first I thought was just excess belly fat, but that a friend told me might just be loose muscles from her spaying. We're feeding her healthy food and giving her plenty of exercise, so we'll see if it goes away, but if it doesn't, how much would that hurt?
So basically I've got an incredibly friendly cat with some physical imperfections. Granted, she's never been in a room full of strangers, but from the second she came out of the cage at the humane society, she's been a love bug with every person she's come across. She isn't the most playful - except for the laser light, you have to practically bonk her on the head with a toy to get her to engage with it.
So, basically my point with all this rambling is am I crazy to want to show her in the HHP category? I know each judge has their personal preference, but I don't want to be completely stomped upon if we try. I'm going to 2 shows in the next few months, a CFA (Squeaky's declawed, so we couldn't do that anyways) and a TICA show, just to see how they'd run and how things go. I'm not thinking about showing her anytime in the coming months. I have my mom lined up to make show curtains for my birthday present in September, if I decide to do this, so it would be after that.
A few questions:
*what do judges look for in HHP? If you're a judge, what do you look for? If you've been to cat shows, what have you noticed?
*what can I do to get her ready?
*does she look overweight? The vet said she looked fine, but she's 10.5 pounds, and she isn't too terribly large bone wise.
*will people laugh at her name? I had a whole list of historical names picked out, but the husband and I couldn't agree, and I finally unilaterally called her Squeaky.
*how friendly are participants/judges at cat shows? I'm not the most out going person in the world, but I'd like to work up the nerve to ask people a few questions. I definitely wouldn't approach them while they were judging or getting a cat ready to show, but if they're just sitting there, is it ok manners to approach them and talk?
*any other general advice?
Here are some pictures of Squeaky. I tried to get a good picture of her pooch, but she wouldn't stand still long enough to get a decent shot
Thanks much for letting be blab on and on