I saw my first La Perm at a (CFA) cat show in Denver last month. I had never heard of that breed before. The owner drove up to this show from Texas, and it was the only La Perm in the show. She was also a vendor, so was happy that I was willing to help watch her cats while the show was going on. I actually got to sit in her van and play with her cats for a while.
Siamese cats with their long noses are very distinct these days - I can understand why they changed the breed standard for them. Very interesting colors in them also. I'm a big fan of the big breeds like Maine Coons and Norwegian Forest Cats.
I sell cat products at cat shows, so far in the midwest, but have ventured into Colorado with the last show. I've been to a lot of shows in the last year and it took a while for me to figure out the proper etiquette for approaching an owner about their cat. The thing I remind myself is this: it's all about their cat. Not yours, not the cats you've seen in shelters, nor the cute cats you've see elsewhere. They are their showing off their cat and all you need to say is "what a beautiful cat". If they are not busy with the show, they may stop and tell you something about their cat in particular, or the breed in general. Ask questions about their cat, and if you are lucky enough for them to unzip the cage and bring the cat out, ask permission to touch or pet. I've had owners drop their cat into my arms, and others that get tense when you simply hold your hand out for the cat to sniff.
As a vendor at a show, my rules are simple. I cannot set up or take down my booth when the judging is going on, particularly if I'm making noise while doing so. I can't run anything that makes noise (I've seen vendors bring TV's with videos and they have to keep the volume really low). There is quite a lot of hustle/bustle noise going on with a cat show, so there is no need to shut the booth down while judging is going on - I'm not really adding to any of that noise. If we had to do that, we wouldn't bother to attend the show, as these are the times of highest traffic.
I got to meet the ACFA 2011 National Champion Maine Coon this past fall. Frosty is an big white pillow and his owner and I have become quite conversational at shows. While Frosty didn't take to my hammocks, his son Bear won't get out of his at the shows. People that show have discovered that my hammocks work very well with large breed cats - the ones that hang in cages cause the cage to collapse. Mine are free standing and therefore don't collapse the cages. I'm starting to carry colors that match the show cages (called Sturdi Cage).
Siamese cats with their long noses are very distinct these days - I can understand why they changed the breed standard for them. Very interesting colors in them also. I'm a big fan of the big breeds like Maine Coons and Norwegian Forest Cats.
I sell cat products at cat shows, so far in the midwest, but have ventured into Colorado with the last show. I've been to a lot of shows in the last year and it took a while for me to figure out the proper etiquette for approaching an owner about their cat. The thing I remind myself is this: it's all about their cat. Not yours, not the cats you've seen in shelters, nor the cute cats you've see elsewhere. They are their showing off their cat and all you need to say is "what a beautiful cat". If they are not busy with the show, they may stop and tell you something about their cat in particular, or the breed in general. Ask questions about their cat, and if you are lucky enough for them to unzip the cage and bring the cat out, ask permission to touch or pet. I've had owners drop their cat into my arms, and others that get tense when you simply hold your hand out for the cat to sniff.
As a vendor at a show, my rules are simple. I cannot set up or take down my booth when the judging is going on, particularly if I'm making noise while doing so. I can't run anything that makes noise (I've seen vendors bring TV's with videos and they have to keep the volume really low). There is quite a lot of hustle/bustle noise going on with a cat show, so there is no need to shut the booth down while judging is going on - I'm not really adding to any of that noise. If we had to do that, we wouldn't bother to attend the show, as these are the times of highest traffic.
I got to meet the ACFA 2011 National Champion Maine Coon this past fall. Frosty is an big white pillow and his owner and I have become quite conversational at shows. While Frosty didn't take to my hammocks, his son Bear won't get out of his at the shows. People that show have discovered that my hammocks work very well with large breed cats - the ones that hang in cages cause the cage to collapse. Mine are free standing and therefore don't collapse the cages. I'm starting to carry colors that match the show cages (called Sturdi Cage).