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 show along with coming home with a new kitten.
Saturday started with walking into a show hall that was decorated to the extreme. It was amazing. The theme of the show was Into the Looking Glass from Alice in Wonderland. To get to the show hall, an exhibitor walked through an arch, starting the Wonderland decor. Each show ring was designed with a specific character in mind. The color scheme and arrangements and even the ribbons matched the specific ring décor. Paper mache characters lined the judges’ table. The judges’ lights were gloriously adored. One ring was the white rabbit, another was Alice, others included the Mad Hatter, cheshire cat and there was even a queen of hearts! And, yes, even the judges were dressed in the theme!
After walking in and seeing how extraordinary it was, Lynda and I both hoped to do some winning in order to get those spectacular rosettes. Cat shows, like many other things have tightened their belts and downsized the ribbons, often awarding decorated paper. Not this time. The ribbons were HUGE. And they sported gold tassles. The first place winners even got a specially designed ribbon.
Both Lynda and I were fortunate enough to do some winning over the weekend on both days. The big winner for us was Solo. At just four months old, she wowed the judges, climbing the judges’ pole and showing off her beauty. It’s a pleasure to watch a kitty enjoy the ring. Both Lynda and I were proud of all the RagaMuffins we put in front of the judges. It is a fairly new breed, so having the judges evaluate consistent, high quality cats is important.
Poor Lynda had a problem on the way home. She’d won so many ribbons that she was afraid her luggage would be overweight for the plane. 🙂