Tag Archive: show

Things That Make You Go “Hmmm”

Written on March 5, 2012 by

Would one still refer to a Sphinx kitty as a “furkid”?

A few years ago at the local cat show, Travis and I had the once in a lifetime opportunity to interact with one. He was the most personable cat! He actually looked a lot like Oswald – all eyes and curiosity. Petting him was like touching the softest low-loft velvet you can imagine. He wasn’t completely hairless, like I’d thought he would be. To be honest, I’d a little worried that it would feel like petting a human baby. (Eep!) The skin/fur reminded me of Italian Greyhound fur. Very cool!

I have to say (no, I really have to), I’d like to adopt an adult one day. I mean, look at that face.

Do you have a Sphinx? What do you love about them? What drives you straight up the wall? I’d love to see a pic, if you have any you’d like to share. :)

If you want to see some in person, the Cat Show in Boise will be March 17 & 18th, this year.

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Eagle Bazaar: Day One

Written on November 6, 2010 by

The Eagle Holiday Bazaar was an absolute blast today! We met tons of people, and heard so many stories from cat owners. One in particular struck a cord.

The kitty’s owner (a woman) was stationed in Bahrain, and found a tiny grey tabby. It was too young to be away from its kitty mama. She tucked the kitten into her jacket to it until she returned to base. Then she bottle fed it and loved it back to health. It grew into a healthy adolescent. When her deployment was up, the baby boy came all the way back to the states with her! That’s a 24 hour flight. Tiger was good for nearly the whole flight, mewing a little just in the last stretch. The owner kindly shared a few photos of Tiger. You should see this cat now. He’s got a long, pointed face and very long body – very different from the usual moggie that one sees stateside. Tiger is one lucky kiddo.

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Fun Bazaar in Eagle

Written on October 27, 2010 by

I’ll have a booth at the annual Eagle Holiday Bazaar this year. It’s a fun (and huge!) craft show. They have all kinds of vendors, from dog treats to handmade soaps to breadmixes (my mom’s booth) to humble cat toys from yours truly. The door charge is only $1, and it goes to great causes: Idaho Food Bank and St. Luke’s Children’s Hospital.

Here’s my booth from last year:

I know, I know. Not the best display. I’m working on it. :)

Even though it’s still a couple of weeks away, I’m struggling with panic. There are only so many hours in the day to finish things up. I’m just going to have to let go of my visions of a booth display that includes dancing girls and dry-ice smoke. Alas. It would have been fabulous.

The main issues I ran into with the display last year were biggies. The number one problem is obviously visibility. I really need some kind of white backdrop behind the booth. Travis and I were trying to hash up something with PVC pipe and thrifted sheets, but I don’t think there will be time to actually do that this year. I think that, and bunting that says “Three Cat Limit” would help. The limiting factor here is that everything needs to be able to pack down into my econo-car, The Little Yaris That Could. I love my car. I just with it was a transformer. Is that too much to ask?

The second display problem, surprisingly enough, was the other vendors. My neighbor last year actually moved my booth to make herself an exit. Seriously. If she had had the courtesy to ask, I wouldn’t have minded. It was the idea that she was entitled to do so that had my jaw on my chest. Who acts like that? A PVC + sheet display would help frame in the booth and prevent that kind of silly buggers. At least in theory.

The third was stability and little hands. I don’t know how many times the basket displays nearly toppled when little hands grabbed on. Eep! So I’m doing away with the display of baskets, which is kind of a bummer. Live and learn! Ideally I would have counter-height display tables, but the budget just isn’t there yet and I haven’t seen any on craigslist. I’ll be setting out egg crates with little baskets on them, at child height, and fill the baskets with inexpensive items that (hopefully) appeal to kids. Decoy, anyone?

It will just have to do. Strangely, I think I stress out more over craft shows than I did over our wedding. I think because I knew that, however the wedding (as an event) turned out, everything would be ok. I mean, with a wedding, you just have to accept some surprises and let it go. The whole (bitty) amphitheatre we rented to be married in was literally torn out of the ground by backhoes the day before the wedding. I didn’t have a melt down. I didn’t take it as “a sign” [cue dramatic music]. I just laughed at the absurdity of it. I’m going to have to find the same mindset for shows or they will be nothing but miserable. What’s the point if it’s not fun?

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Idaho Cat Fancier’s Show 2008

Written on March 18, 2008 by

Before this year, I didn’t even know Boise had an annual cat show. The first thing I noticed about the show cats was how well handled and used to people they were. They cheerfully endured indignities that would have given my cats a nervous breakdown. It was inspiring. The second thing I noticed was how well taken care of they were. These cats are primped, pet, talked to, and even their little pens were often like castles.

These cats may work for a living, but most were clearly quite indulged and loved. Upon winning a blue ribbon, one owner cuddled her cat up into a fleece blanket. “Good job!” she said. “Let’s go pick out a new cat toy. You can have whichever one you want.” Then she carried the kitty around to all the vendors, and let it pick a toy. And here I thought my own cats were delightfully spoiled.

For obvious reasons, the owners don’t want anyone poking or petting the cats without permission. With so many cats in such close quarters, it’s too easy to spread sickness, ear mites, ringworm and such, not to mention stressing the cats. There was one Burmese that transfixed me from across the room, though. He was lounging over his owner’s shoulder, and kept blinking at me as if he was blowing kisses my way. His fur was the color of dark chocolate. I could not resist. His owner was friendly, and said that it was one of her first cat shows, too. Then she offered to let me pet the Burmese, so long as I hadn’t touched any other cats.

I gently scratched the Burmese between his ears, and pet his neck and shoulders. He felt like a brick wrapped in velvet. His fur was dense and very short. Apparently, just petting them can provide them with all the grooming they need. He blinked giant gold eyes at me, and started to purr. I was instantly besotted.

It was very nearly a spiritual experience.

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