As a breeder, I have a great responsibility, no matter what life I am producing.  I have bred Quarter Horses, Labrador Retrievers and RagaMuffin cats. I believe my skills have improved over the years. It’s a learning curve for sure. The most important attribute a breeder can have is a clear goal.

photo by Carolyn Jimenez     ICandy Fanny Farmer turned eight months old on February 4. This means she graduated to championship class in CFA cat shows. She was so much fun as a kitten to show, bringing the party with her every time. I was really looking forward to the next step

My first homegrown breeding male, Fudgie   You have your precious queen and now you are ready for that special breeding. Whether you are looking to bring a foundation stud in to your cattery, adding new blood lines with an additional male in the cattery, or planning on taking your queen to an

    The excitement grows as the queen’s belly expands. Normal pregnancy in cats averages 65 days.  Larger litters tend to have a bit shorter gestations, while extremes can be from 54 to 74 days. As the kittens grow in the uterus, fetal cortisol increases to a threshold which triggers a cascade of events including

      Recently, I took Grand Champion Felisophic Sugar Daddy for a trip in his carrier. This time, it was not to a cat show. This time it was for an echocardiogram.  You see, an echocardiogram is the definitive way to ensure a cat does not have Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM). While RagaMuffin Sugar Daddy

iCandy Fanny Farmer at 4 months   RagaMuffin kitten iCandy Fanny Farmer is six months old now. As a small kitten she had “the look”. As she grew, I became more convinced that she would have what it takes to be a show cat. At her first show, she was relaxed in the

  I was sitting around chatting at a cat show with friends recently when one mentioned having a canned food heater that she used to make the food more attractive for her cats. I had never heard of such a thing! A quick Google search revealed that, yes, there existed an Animal’s Instinct Pet Food

Last weekend was the annual Santa Paws CFA cat show in the Baltimore, Maryland area. I go to this show every year, not because I expect to win a lot as it is a tough show, but because it is a fun time. I enjoy hanging out with friends, cheering each other along. The show

    Petals After Thanksgiving sales were too tempting to ignore. I went Internet shopping for my pets. My oldest cat, a rescue named Petals, has arthritis. While she is getting medical treatment, I thought a heated pet bed might helpful as well. Nougat I looked at several that were available.

    I have been a pedigree cat breeder for a while now. After breeding horses and dogs as well as being a veterinarian for well over thirty years, I doubted I could be in for many surprises. Well, the difference in the queen attitudes toward their families has been startling. I started with Squidgy,

  At the last cat show I went to, the show hall was dry, very dry. And the cats were full of static.  My cats, especially Solo, were getting shocked by me and the judges. I carry products just for this but nothing seemed to do the job. I wasn’t the only person with this

    Holidays are exciting times in the household. This is stressful for your pet. Keep  your cat’s play time a priority to help reduce the stress. Don’t put off cleaning the litter box! Keeping an eye on your cat’s toilet habits is important. Catching diarrhea or a urinary tract problem early can make the

  I found it at last. The perfect traveling litter box is in my grasp. I’ve been traveling and staying in motels with my cats for years.  But, every litter box seems to have a drawback. Cardboard ones can leak,  plastc ones can be awkward to pack and difficult to cleanly empty at the end

  There is more to breeding animals than most people realize. First is starting with top quality animals with health, temperament and breed type being imperative. Then it is providing those animals with the best life possible, meeting social, medical and physical needs. Planning a breeding between two outstanding and complimentary individuals with appropriate health

  The Purina Institute recently published research in Immunity, Inflammation and Disease concerning a dietary formulation for cats that reduces allergic reactions in people. As many pet lovers suffer from cat allergies, this has the potential to be a major breakthrough. The source of allergic reactions to cats in 95% of people is the Fel

4 month old iCandy Gertrude Hawk. photo courtesy of Carolyn Jimenez   Last weekend I drove to Maryland with three RagaMuffins to show. The show was at the fairgrounds, so I stayed at the Red Roof Inn. I stay there every time I go to this venue as it is close and, of

  Did you know that many Cat Fanciers’ Association shows have cat agility competitions? It’s true! And it is a lot of fun to watch. The cats go over jumps, through weave poles and tunnels. Some are just lightening fast; others, not so much because, well, cats are cats. Look here to get details. I’ve tried it

    I spent the last weekend in June at the Cat Fanciers’ Association annual meeting. I went as a delegate for my club, the RagaMuffin Cat Fanciers and to get the award my cat had won in person. Pixi Stix was the best RagaMuffin in the country for the last show season. While I

  I entered two of my RagaMuffins, Smidgen and Sugar Daddy in the CFA North Atlantic cat show held in Cromwell, Connecticut this month. Friend Lynda Jay of Serendippity RagaMuffins flew in for the show, bringing her kitty Truffles to show and delivering my new show kitten Solo. I was really looking forward to the

DramaTails Chocolat of iCandy- Selkirk Straight     In February 2016, CFA approved the RagaMuffin Breed Council request for an outcross using the long haired Selkirk Rex, silky variety. The purpose of this was to  help RagaMuffin breeders  by adding  new blood to the gene pool. Not only may we benefit from the