I traveled to Stamford, CT for the regional Cat Fancier’s Association banquet last weekend. I didn’t enter the show as my cats are on vacation this summer, but I wanted to go to see what it was all about.

The hotel was very nice; had a white bathrobe in the closet for me. Let’s just say it was a couple of steps above my usual on the road overnight place. My RagaMuffin Nougat would have loved the room. Big windows, nice bedding, you know, just nice. I got the feeling had Nougat come with me, I could have called the desk and gotten a kitty sized robe for him.

The evening started with a cocktail hour where I was able to meet up with a number of cat show buddies. It was great to see them all dressed up! After cocktails , we herded into the ballroom for the banquet. It was beautifully decorated with the theme of “Margaritaville”. We had decorated place cards to tell us where to sit. At the table were little party favors for each participant. Apparently, if your cat is Number One, it is a tradition to give favors with your cat’s name on them. There were a couple of kitty toys along with an adorable kitchen timer. The center piece was a HUGE margarita glass with decorations inside. I was the big winner of our table’s centerpiece. Honestly, nobody really wanted it.

There was an enormous screen on each side of the stage. No problem seeing the pictures put up there. There were several slide shows set to music that were very well done. The first was a tribute to those active in the North Atlantic cat fancy that had passed away over the previous year. Another was support for a judge that had battled cancer. One was “on the road” candid photos that included pictures of Ganache and Nougat wearing their various costumes through the year.

The awards were very well organized; a different judge giving out the awards for each category. It was the first time RagaMuffins have gotten regional awards. It was such a great moment to go up on stage to get my cats’ awards. The cat’s name would be called out along with breeder and owner’s names. A picture of the cat would come up on both screens. Nougat was awarded eighth best all breed premier in the region.  Ganache was sixteenth best all breed kitten . Each cat received a wonderful plaque and rosette. Both were top RagaMuffins in their category.

I had a great time at the banquet. While a dressy affair, it was not a stuffy one. Lots of laughs, a good evening spent with fellow cat lovers. I even finally got a chance to use my evening bag that looks like a cat!