I haven’t shown….

posiepurrs

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It has been 3 years due to Covid and my husbands illness, not to mention my top show boy I bought to be my new stud ( when I was going to get back into breeding) HATES the show hall. My husband is pushing me to start showing again. It isn’t possible right now since he isn’t mobile yet. I don’t have a cat to show now even if I could show. It is very disheartening. I miss sharing my cats with the spectators and talking about them. My color class isn’t very common so I always get a lot of questions. I miss helping new people. Most of all I miss the pride of putting that perfectly groomed Persian in the ring! I am trying very hard to let go of it, but not managing to do it yet. I am just rambling- sorry. Missing the days of holding my breath when the finals were called.
 

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Furballsmom

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The very first thought that popped into my head when I read your post was whether it would be possible, timing wise, that your hubby might be mobile enough by the time you'd have a cat ready? If not, would it be possible to have a family member or friend spend time with him while you're showing? All of which is to say, I'm with your hubby, I sure would like to see you be able to work things out so you could do this again :hearthrob: :vibes::crossfingers: :hearthrob:
 
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posiepurrs

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Jack and his sisters have been retired so long I wouldn’t feel right taking them back out and the only other cat good enough to show is Sterling, who hates showing. He bit me at the last show. I couldn’t afford to buy another cat and even though friends have offered me cats- they aren’t Persians. Hubbys medicines are close to a thousand a month so that takes a chunk of our income. Even if we could afford it, there is the age thing. I am almost 70 and don’t want to saddle my friend with placing a bunch of cats. A friend has agreed to find homes for my cats ( all are getting old) if something happens to me before I lose them. I also am still feeling guilty over losing Sunny in December. I feel like I wasn’t paying enough attention since he was sicker than I thought and I don’t want to risk that again.
 

Furballsmom

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I don't know the show world works, but could you show, or help show, another person's cat on occasion, or maybe train a junior shower? Or, find a different way to be able to participate? It just seems like you have so very much to offer, and you enjoy it so much :heartshape:
 
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posiepurrs

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I could agent someone’s cat but that requires travel, which I can’t do. The only other way I know of is to clerk. You help the judges by keeping the ring running smoothly and keeping recording the scoring- in other words paperwork. While I appreciate the clerks, it doesn’t sound interesting to me.
 

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I could agent someone’s cat but that requires travel, which I can’t do. The only other way I know of is to clerk. You help the judges by keeping the ring running smoothly and keeping recording the scoring- in other words paperwork. While I appreciate the clerks, it doesn’t sound interesting to me.
I enjoy clerking, especially for some special judges, but it's definitely not the same as showing. You're so busy with paperwork there isn't much time to just sit and enjoy watching the cats. I like talking to people and answering questions when I can, but again--time.

How old are your cats now? Do any of the shows near you include the Veteran class? It's just for fun, no titles involved. Clubs will sometimes have a lower entry fee for Veterans. It could be a way to get back into the show hall on a limited basis.
 
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posiepurrs

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I live in New England and have never had a show with a veterans class. The president of one of the clubs I used to belong to ( she is also a judge) told me that the veterans class is not large enough here for clubs to bother with. It isn’t only my cats age, some have lost a few teeth and are now tipping their tongues because of that. Not a good thing in the ring!
 

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...I so wish I/we could come up with something brilliant for you :hugs:

My color class isn’t very common so I always get a lot of questions.
What about authoring a book and self-publishing? It doesn't get you there at a show face to face, but it would give you a wonderful means of sharing the photos of your incredibly gorgeous cats, sharing the tremendous wealth of information you have, putting the answers to the questions down in print, and reliving the memories (minus the bleps :winkcat:).
 
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posiepurrs

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That is an idea, but I doubt there would be any interest in something like that, especially since I never had a breed or national winner. We were more the little fish in a big pond. Some have suggested photograhing cats at the shows like Larry Johnson or Changan but I am not skilled enough for that. What I need to do is sell my show cages and pack away the rosettes and awards so they aren’t a constant reminder. Then I need to focus on something else. It is easy to know what I should do, just implementing it is difficult.😟
 

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There would definitely be interest even though it might be a bit of a niche. A compilation of photographs of your cats without any/much text would be terrific.

🤔 Maybe, if you have the room, tuck everything away without shutting it all too far away, and see if you can give yourself a calming break, like giving yourself a gift of not thinking about anything for a little while.
 
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Persiankittens

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Could we make a new category dedicated to show questions? I bet people would love to know tips and tricks on keeping cats looking show ready, upkeep, how to get them used to being in a show ring, grooming tools you recommend, etc etc.

There are so many ways you can be helpful here too, I took your advice on getting a stainless steel comb to heart and now I send all my kittens home with one 🤍

You've helped me more than you know with just a few helpful comments.

I can guarantee you, there are many more that have no clue what they're doing that would love a guiding hand 🤍
 
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posiepurrs

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Could we make a new category dedicated to show questions? I bet people would love to know tips and tricks on keeping cats looking show ready, upkeep, how to get them used to being in a show ring, grooming tools you recommend, etc etc.

There are so many ways you can be helpful here too, I took your advice on getting a stainless steel comb to heart and now I send all my kittens home with one 🤍

You've helped me more than you know with just a few helpful comments.

I can guarantee you, there are many more that have no clue what they're doing that would love a guiding hand 🤍
Thank you for your kind words. It gave me a much needed boost. Anyone having questions feel free to ask, either here or in a message and I will try to answer as best as I can.
 

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I live in New England and have never had a show with a veterans class. The president of one of the clubs I used to belong to ( she is also a judge) told me that the veterans class is not large enough here for clubs to bother with. It isn’t only my cats age, some have lost a few teeth and are now tipping their tongues because of that. Not a good thing in the ring!
There's a small group of exhibitors on the west coast who have been trying to build up the Veteran class for years. It's slow going. Only about half the shows include Veterans because "it's not worth it." For a couple of years we were getting 6-8 entries in most shows, but now it's usually only 4-5. It's kind of a Catch 22. From exhibitors, "Why should I bother to enter when it's the same 4 cats every time and only a few shows?" and from clubs "Why should we even have a Veterans class when we don't get more entries?"

Some of the judges love the Veterans because they get to show off how wonderful the cats look as they mature. It's really just a fun class.

A few years ago the International Show had 19 Veterans entered and present, top 10 finals. Total shock, my aby made every final, most of them 6th place or higher. (BTW, he had all his teeth removed before he was 2 years old, but he never did the tongue-tipping thing).
 
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posiepurrs

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There's a small group of exhibitors on the west coast who have been trying to build up the Veteran class for years. It's slow going. Only about half the shows include Veterans because "it's not worth it." For a couple of years we were getting 6-8 entries in most shows, but now it's usually only 4-5. It's kind of a Catch 22. From exhibitors, "Why should I bother to enter when it's the same 4 cats every time and only a few shows?" and from clubs "Why should we even have a Veterans class when we don't get more entries?"

Some of the judges love the Veterans because they get to show off how wonderful the cats look as they mature. It's really just a fun class.

A few years ago the International Show had 19 Veterans entered and present, top 10 finals. Total shock, my aby made every final, most of them 6th place or higher. (BTW, he had all his teeth removed before he was 2 years old, but he never did the tongue-tipping thing).
I think that the tongue tipping may be more of a Persian thing due to the head structure, although I have had moggies that did it too after losing teeth.
 

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Could we make a new category dedicated to show questions?
This forum is called "Showing and Ethical Breeding". All questions, comments, etc. about showing are welcome in this forum. :) Many do ask about show grooming and we have a few threads about it. We are discussing ways to highlight it more. :)
 
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