Cfa Regional Kitten Title

[MsKatieB]

I have unfortunate news....As many of you are aware, our little Lexus has been showing in CFA cat shows, and quickly became a contender for a Regional award. He was originally registered in TICA by his breeder, so while awaiting a registration number from CFA, we continued to enter him in CFA shows. Kittens can only show for four months, but we started with only 4 weeks remaining as a kitten. We were so excited for our beautiful boy! But yesterday, I received news from the CFA that Lexus will not qualify to register in CFA, and he will lose any awards he worked so hard to earn. Unknown to us, a solid-colored white ragdoll is 3 generations back in his official pedigree, which is apparently disallowed in the CFA. We are heart broken!

Our little guy is supposedly a beautiful representation of the Ragdoll breed, and became a favorite at the CFA shows. Visitors crowded around his cage, asking his breed and where to find one. They loved his beautiful coat, big blue eyes, and majestic size. Strangers photographed our kitten all day long, and watched in awe while we lovingly groomed him for each ring. We were cornered by Ragdoll breeders from all over, fawning over this beautiful kitten, commenting on how perfect he is. I loved to watch the judges smile when they realized this beautiful boy was theirs to share, so excited to demonstrate his perfect attributes to their audiences. I filmed every single one of those words with tears in my eyes. Always so proud that my boy was chosen to highlight why we have these shows in the first place-to celebrate and showcase perfect examples of the breed to the public. "Now, THIS is what a Ragdoll should look like," was one of the most recent explanations I heard from a seasoned CFA judge. The judges thanked us often for showing in CFA, asking us to continue to do so. Lexus achieved in only 4 weeks what other kittens achieve in 4 months.
It is truly a shame that our sweet, perfect Lexus will never be at a CFA show again to showcase such a remarkable breed, inspiring so many, and rekindling such interest in Ragdolls. Something is just not fair about this, as everyone loses.

 

[1CatOverTheLine]

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MsKatieB - This is terrible news, and you must be devastated by it. There are a number of people here on TCS who have followed Lexus' journey (and yours as well, of course, because Lexus is too young to drive), and no doubt I speak for every one of them in saying how awful we feel for you and for your beautiful boy.

I know that Alejandra Rico abyeb posiepurrs StefanZ @Kieka and countless others here will feel your disappointment - myself among them. I'm sure that it's far too soon to ask if you're considering a future in breeding and / or showing, but I hope this won't sour you on the Cat Fancy. You've already met some of the finest people on earth in a very short time; do please keep that in mind for the future.
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[abyeb]

Oh no! Such disappointing news. Lexus IS so handsome, truly one of, if not THE most spectacular Ragdolls I've ever seen. I eagerly followed Lexus's journey as a show cat, and was simply overjoyed when I read your thread about Lexus making SIX finals in his first CFA show. I know that Lexus can be a great show cat, and that he loves to strut his stuff in the show ring, so I do hope that you show him in TICA.

 

[Alejandra Rico]

I am so sorry to hear this, It is so weird that TICA and CFA rules are so different that a cat is a winner in one of them and cannot show at all in the other one.
As abyeb I hope you will keep showing Lexus, as he is perfectly fine for TICA shows. Maybe that will make CFA rethink their criteria.

 

[MsKatieB]

Thank all of you for your support and guidance from the beginning. Have any of you been at the shows we attended?
Our last CFA show as a kitten was last weekend in Colorado, where Lexus earned 6 of 8 finals.
We are still hoping for some sort of answer to all of this!

 

[Alejandra Rico]

Have any of you been at the shows we attended?

Good Lord, I wish I had been, but since I live in Spain, It is fairly impossible for me to do so. If I ever travel to the New World, I will sure let all of you know to try to meet as many of you as possible. Then I will kidnap Moo Shu and fly back to Spain, maybe making an extra stop at @mightyboosh place to steal Oliver.

 

[StefanZ]

So they wont admit him because he had a solid ragdoll among ancestors.

But. DOes CFA accept Novices?

If so, it could perhaps be an alternative way to go. Get him accepted as a Novicem with a provisoric certificate. Once done, he could compete in the Shows as everyone else.

 

[posiepurrs]

I am SO SORRY! I have asked those more in the know than I about this. It does seem incredibly stupid, especially when the CFA isn't growing as fast as hoped.

 

[MsKatieB]

I am SO SORRY! I have asked those more in the know than I about this. It does seem incredibly stupid, especially when the CFA isn't growing as fast as hoped.

Thank you, I moped for two days. He can show in TICA, who knows how he will do. He'll never be a kitten again. Maybe he will start a movement Lol!

 

[posiepurrs]

Keep showing him in TICA! While I currently only show CFA, I hate to see the CFA lose an exhibitor. When I get my new cat/kitten, we may try TICA so maybe I will run into you at a show.

 

[edie56]

i dont understand cat shows why cant you show any more he is so beautiful how do keep him so white

 

[Kiminnb]

It is unfortunate. It’s sad to see a cat who likes the shows and does well become ineligible. But CFA does have stringent rules for a reason - to keep the breed as what it should be.
Perhaps you can show your boy in TICA - I know they accept many more colors/combinations and even polydactyls which are non registrable in most associations.
Don’t give up yet. And if you do want to show in CFA ensure the breeder you purchase from understands that and guarantees a CFA registerable Cat.

 

[1CatOverTheLine]

It is unfortunate. It’s sad to see a cat who likes the shows and does well become ineligible. But CFA does have stringent rules for a reason - to keep the breed as what it should be.

Not in this case, since Solid Ragdolls and Mink Ragdolls are still Ragdolls, having descended directly from Ann Baker's foundation cats. Disqualifying them based on a lack of temperature-sensitive albinism expressed as points, or aqua rather than blue eyes, is strictly the work of the Breed Council of the CFA and the Breed Standard was written to exclude these cats for political motivations, since it specifically dilutes - and not reinforces - the breed.

Taken from another thread, where the question was posed regarding whether or not Solids and Minks properly were a part of the breed, the answer - already known by anyone who's familiar with Ann Baker's foundation cats - is, "Blackie."

Blackie was instrumental in Ms. Baker's F¹ crosses - the crosses which created the whole of the Ragdoll breed. All descendants from Ms. Baker's original program won't have blue eyes - it's simply that the CFA Breed Council have chosen to recognise only blue-eyed cats as having met the Breed Standard. Blue eyed Ragdolls carry and express cs on the C locus, and they're the "chosen ones." Besides her original Persians and Siamese, Ms. Baker introduced another breed into her crosses (and back-crosses, since her F² generations all relied solely upon three cats - Fugianna and Buckwheat, her two F¹ queens, with Daddy Warbucks as the lone sire) represented by a single cat - Blackie - a Tonkinese with aqua eye colouration - who sired Buckwheat, and it was Buckwheat, carrying, but not expressing the Burmese cb gene inherited from Blackie who's responsible for every Mink Ragdoll and their aqua eye colour.

TICA and Stud Book Tradition have no political agenda, and since neither is an American organisation, but instead, worldwide, both recognise Solids and Minks - whether with blue or with aqua eye colour - as Ragdolls. MsKatieB 's Lexus - who so epitomises the Ragdoll breed that his "competitors" were incredibly hard-pressed in the ring - is already, I believe, showing in TICA.
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[posiepurrs]

Disqualifying them based on a lack of temperature-sensitive albinism expressed as points, or aqua rather than blue eyes, is strictly the work of the Breed Council of the CFA and the Breed Standard was written to exclude these cats for political motivations, since it specifically dilutes - and not reinforces - the breed.

Unfortunately, I feel this is probably correct. Each breeds standard is written by the breeders in CFA and if they have a political agenda it can get messy. Changing it can take YEARS and a lot of political maneuvering. It took years to get the breed council to accept blue silver and blue golden Persians even though they have been shown in Europe for quite some time. The cat fancy is like cats - they don't like change.

 

[edie56]

ive never seen Siamese cats when I watch cat shows on you tube arnt they allowed how is yours doing ive never seen beautiful blue eyes

 

[abyeb]

ive never seen Siamese cats when I watch cat shows on you tube arnt they allowed how is yours doing ive never seen beautiful blue eyes

Siamese cats are recognized in all breed registries. Here you can see an article about them by CFA, as well as pictures of some of the best of the best Siamese cats: Breed Profile: The Siamese

MsKatieB’s beautiful cat is a Ragdoll: Breed Profile: The Ragdoll