I regularly get inquiries on how to get on iCandy’s waitlist for a kitten. But, recently, I have gotten inquiries on how to bypass the waitlist. Really. To be honest, initially, I didn’t understand what one person wanted. When I realized they wanted a kitten NOW, without joining the waitlist others were on, I
GP AW iCandy Fireball I’m really behind on blogging. No good reason for that. But, two weeks ago, I went to the CFA International show in Cleveland. This time I shared the journey with friend Alene Shafnisky who is showing iCandy Fireball this season along with her Turkish Angora, Sinend Seamus, another red
Windsor and Solo written by Catherine S Foldesi RagaMuffin lover Two RagaMuffins are better than one. This is not to say it was a bed of roses or like eating ice cream and cake from day one. No, we definitely had our ups
GC BWR RW iCandy Strudel iCandy Raisinette was the high scoring RagaMuffin in the Cat Fanciers’ Association last year, 2022-2023. She was an awesome show cat. She actually missed the end of the show season because it was time to breed her, thus missing the opportunity to earn extra points. I did
Very often people wonder what the difference between a show cat and pet cat is. It’s a simple answer. Every iCandy RagaMuffin born is a pet; not every kitty is a show cat. A pet is a family member. It spends time with the family, playing, cuddling and just hanging out. A successful show
There is a lot of talk on the Internet about buying a pet from a responsible breeder, in this case a responsible RagaMuffin breeder. So what IS a responsible breeder? A responsible breeder chooses cats that are excellent representatives of the breed. Lots of pretty RagaMuffins exist, but most are not breeding material. A
author Verena Joerger , RagaMuffin lover Charlie continues to be the brightest light in my life. He's been growing a lot and while I don't currently have a scale at home, I'd suspect he's somewhere around 12-13 lbs. (at 8 months) Santa brought some new toys for Charlie a little early this year and
A while back, I learned of the title that the Cat Fanciers’ Association awards to breeders that successfully show the cats they have bred. It is called Cattery of Distinction. There is a gradation of tiers that the award has. The first level is when a cattery has breed ten Grands ( Premier
Every year at this time, I look forward to the Santa Paws cat show in the Baltimore area. My cat show friends do too. It’s a competitive show that brings in some of the best cats in CFA. It’s also, for us, the start of the holiday season. This year was no different. Last
Bringing home a new kitten is an exciting event. As exciting as it is for the family or individual, high levels of activity and noise need to be moderated for kittens as it is a stressful event to leave their cat family. Some kittens may hide initially; others may be immediately comfortable. Either way,
Last weekend was a big deal in the cat world. It was the return of the Cat Fanciers’ Association International show. It was the first one since 2019, prior to COVID. I looked forward to it for months. It was held in Cleveland this year. I’d been to the venue in years past. It is
I am a science based person. My education includes degrees in Animal and Poultry Science, and Biology. In addition, I am a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine. Did I have classes in nutrition? This comes up as I often read on the Internet that vets do not have nutritional training. Well, it's a simple answer- yes,
One of the tricky things about being a breeder is planning in advance for cat shows or other events that lead me out of town. It’s not convenient to have to plan, but it is necessary. If I see a show post within an easy driving distance with at least some judges that generally
Recently there was an outbreak of panleukopenia after a cat show. A small number of cats got sick. This is frightening, as this is a deadly virus. It is in the same class of viruses as canine parvo virus. Yes, there is a vaccine. And, while no vaccine is perfect, there are critical factors that
In previous blogs, I have written about hanging out all day at cat shows with friends. We make it a point to “bench” together- which means we request the person designating where we are to set up our tents and grooming spaces that we wish to be near each other. Cat shows are an all
What does it mean to mentor someone? It means training a person to learn how to proceed in their occupation or avocation and become successful in that endeavor. In my profession, I mentored a number of veterinarians over the years, teaching them a spectrum of skills, some that I learned the hard way and
Pixi Stix debuts in her first ring after a long break from shows, Anybody who is familiar with me and my RagaMuffins knows that I get teary eyed and weak in the knees when the name Pixi Stix comes up. Pixi Stix knows this as well. GC RW BWR PR iCandy
Smartie shows off for the judge. Last weekend was a fun show in Maryland. It was the first time Smartie was in championship class, having paid her dues in kitten class. It was also the first time out for Pixi Stix in premiership. It’s her fourth career after kitten class, championship class and
Last week, I got up as usual in the morning, started my rounds of feeding and cleaning litter boxes throughout the house. I finished up and realized I had not seen Jolly Rancher. That happens sometimes if a kitty is sleeping in. My usual action is to look around at all the
RagaMuffin Cat Fanciers joined with two other cat clubs the fourth weekend in April to produce the Fabulous Feline Festival at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center. To say it was a lot of work is an understatement. The preparation and planning took months. It required a team of people putting forth an effort to