Catch up Post 5: Springtime in the Rockies – Cat show.

Note: HHP=Household pets.

So – April 13th and 14th was the spring cat show.   This show I had a friend from bible study helping me.   She enjoyed it immensely.  And I admit I do like showing better with a friend.   It is easier to set up, tear down and carry both cats the show ring. 

This show started with 16 (gasp!) cats so this is what the points were based on – though 1 cat dropped out after the first ring due to non-cooperation  (hissy kitty), so most of the show we were really competing for 10 out of 15 slots.    Even so, we did really well!  I was stoked. 

Onyx seemed to hiss the first ring and did not place.  But after that she was fine.  In fact she did better with the two lady judges that cuddled her a bit.  She doesn’t like seeing the crowd of people and always wants to hide.   One Judge even pet her after putting her back in her cage – this is what she needs. 

Jay was his normal – “touch me in the right spot and I’ll respond” self.   I really think it’s a “knee jerk” reaction.  Just like when the doc taps your knee – you will kick, regardless if you want to or not -   if you touch the base of Jay’s tail on his back – he will arch his back and raise his tail.   I jokingly call it the “sweet spot”.   On the first day, Jay received 3 7s and an 8 and missed one ring.   Onyx was all over- earning anywhere from a 2 to a 10 and also missed in one ring.

The 2nd day was interesting.   Jay finaled in ALL the rings.   I should back up here.

Because there were so many cats we were not all called up to the rings at the same time.  There are only 12-13 cages up there.  So they called most of the cats, then would call the rest.    On the first day most of the judges were simply flipping down a few signs, then calling the rest of the cats and – then if they decided against one of the cats in the 2nd batch, they would put that cat’s sign down and might call one of the cats from the first batch back.   Thus they would narrow it down to 10 cats.   Well I had thought that my cats were sneaking in the finals, because most of the time the cats that went back from the first “group” were  at the low end – the cats that were first called.   (cats are numbered males then females, in the order registered.  I registered later so both my cats had higher numbers – but not so high that they were in the few cats of the second group.)  So I wondered about that.

The next day though – Sunday – most of the judges really did send all the cats back, then figured out the 10 finalists and call them back.   So this felt more real if I made a final.   But it was a bit of a pain because at this show, the rings were all along one wall.   This meant that two rings I was benched close to, and two rings were far away – with one in the middle.     My helper went to church Sunday morning (I went Sunday evening – because my church has an evening Mass.)  and I didn’t have her help for what turned out to be 2 and ½ rings.   

If I recall correctly the first two rings were a near ring and the next to last ring.    Because of the format with the Judges having all the cats go back – I started just keeping Onyx out.   I didn’t want to put her back and then haul her out 5 minutes later if she got called back for a final.  (and she made 4 out of the 5 that day.)  

The third ring was the last one in the line.  And I had been hoping that my friend would have shown up by then.   But we were called earlier then I expected.   This guy took out the cats and looked at them briefly and put them back.  I noticed with Onyx that he held her up stretched under the lights.  (Which she let him do without fuss, thank goodness).   He was more of a “coat” judge.   At this point I had Jay on my lap because the judge had put down the sign with the cat’s number – which is the indication that you need to take your cat.   Anyway I didn’t want to walk alllllllll the way back to the benching area --- and then come back and get Onyx.  So I waited.  Then I thought.. .now what.    I decided to go ahead and attempt to carry both. (I’ve seen people carrying two cats before – just the cats are normally smaller…..)   I had asked someone else about carrying two cats at once and they told me that they typically avoid it due to the possibility of the cats fighting.  Well mine are brother and sister and tend to cuddle together and step on each other etc.   I probably could stuff both of them in the same cat carrier ok.   So I figured carrying them together would be ok.   It was… up until I almost was to my benching area with the show cage (which btw is made of mesh and material)  -- which for some reason I had zipped closed.  Jay tends to recognize it and start pushing off me toward it.   I think he’s trying to use me as a spring board to jump to it.    At this point I’m struggling to hold on to both cats – and somehow unzip one of the doors to let Jay inside.

So I decide to plunk Jay down by the show cage as I think he will just try to get in and not go anywhere.   I do that, but by this time Onyx is squirming so much that I drop her and she slinks under the table.   I grab her like 2 seconds later.    Then I manage to get Jay into the cage and carry Onyx over to the raffle area because I thought I might as well look at the prizes while I’m waiting. 

This guy took awhile.  So I wondered back to the benching area and sat there with Onyx on my lap.  – BTW a side effect of me doing this is that Onyx will bug me at home to sit on my lap – which I consider to be a good thing -   though she seems to prefer me sitting at my desk then on the loveseat – which means she bugs me while I’m tele-working.  Oh well. 

So I’m sitting there, petting Onyx and kinda zoning out – when I hear over the loud-speaker:  “crackle, babble, snap, 158 – household pets”.   I’m like…. What!?   158 btw was the cat of the people I was benched next to-   my cats were 145 (Jay) and 155(Onyx)  so I decided I’d better go over there and check. 

Still carring Onyx I wonder over, trying to see the numbers before I got there.   But I had a hard time doing so.    I found Onyx’s number – 155 – and was looking for Jay’s.  I didn’t think Jay made it but finally found his number (it was the only cage the judge was in front of – he was setting up and walking back and forth and every time I moved he happened to be at the right angle to block that cage! Lol.)   So I quickly put Onyx in her cage and went back for Jay.   By the time I was heading back – they did a third call for him! :o   I didn’t even  hear a *second* call.   I’m like “I’m commmminnnng”.   

So we started the final and the judge first went through all the cats in line, commenting on their color, markings etc.  He seemed to be more of a “coat judge”  that is, he judged more on coat and appearance then personality.   When he got to Onyx he kept mention how shiny and smooth her coat was.  Black shows well under the show hall lights. 

Jay came in 10th.   The further he got the more I thought.. .ok Onyx has to be next.   I figured she had to be relatively high because of how he talked about her.  Still I knew other cats tended to get higher.  He went past 5th place, 4th place and 3rd.    Finally we were down to 1st and 2nd.   So the judge presents the top two:  Onyx and Jasmine – my neighbors (and mentors – they helped me figure out this show thing) cat.  She – Jasmine wins a lot.   So I was thinking another 2nd place – Onyx had received a 2nd the day before.  

The Judge talked about each of the cats at this point, commenting again on their coats and color and health etc.  Then he says he knows Jasmine and he’s given her top cat in the past.   Then he pauses – the suspense builds and - ---   no today Jasmine is his 2nd best cat --- Onyx got best cat!   This is the first time either one of them had received a best of the ring.   I was ecstatic.   As I was processing that, someone tapped me hard on the shoulder.   I thought it was one of the other HHP people tapping me to congratulate me, but no it was my friend!   She had come in during the finals and had been standing quietly in the back.   I think she was more thrilled then I was.  (I had her carry Onyx for most of the show, as she – the cat – is the least sociable of the two and I like to give her exposure to other people.  )  She (my friend) was starting to think of Onyx as her cat.  :)  All in all it was a great show – better then the V-day show.   – Also I found out my kitties got points even though I wasn’t registered and that they were just HHP.    The points are based on how many cats you beat – which is based on the highest shown in any ring.  Thus since there were 16 cats shown – even if it was just one ring – then the first place cat beats 15 cats and gets 15 points.  After that the points go down 5%.  So the 2nd place cat gets 95% of the points the first place cat got – in this case 14.25.   The lowest place: 10th would be 55% of 15 or  8.25 points.  

After the show – my kitties were in 10th (Jay) and 13th (Onyx) place!  Top 15 get an extra prize.  (No money however.) 

The next weekend was the last Region 3 show for the show year.  (Which is May through April – so May 2012 through April 2013 in this case.)   That show was in TX and of course I didn’t go to it.   But even after that show there was little movement and officially my guys placed 10th and 13th for the year for HHP!   I don’t know if I can attend the awards show though (which is also in TX), if I can’t I will have to have someone accept the awards for me as apparently they are not mailing them this year.  – I’m working on it.