10 August 2008

"Tails" from the cat show

Today was the state fair Household Pet Cat Show, and I'm sad to report that, in spite of her lovely coat and very clean ears, our Lily didn't win a prize this year. On the plus side, she was much better behaved than last year. She only tried to bite one of the judges, and the judge even admitted it was a gentle bite. All of the judges encouraged us to keep trying. One even suggested we take her to PetSmart so she gets used to going out in public. (Hmmm...If nothing else, that would make for good blog material!)

Before the show, the cats had to be placed in holding cages equipped with food, litter, and water. Thanks to Fonda and her son Lad for stopping by to cheer for Lily! And thanks to everyone else for all the good wishes!



Lily's cage was attached to the cage of a long-haired cat named Smokey, so we couldn't put one side of our cage cover down. We had to use packing tape to affix a towel to the inside of the cage so that Lily couldn't see her neighbor.
Once in the cage, Lily spent the entire time in her litter box. (So much for the good-smelling shampoo she got last night!) The fan was a Christmas gift from my mom, who thought Lily got too hot at last year's cat show. Lily loved the fan and kept her nose pressed into it throughout the show.



The cats were examined by three judges. Things went pretty well with the first one. See how Lily is actually letting the judge touch her? This is progress from last year!

Lily didn't like this judge as much. Here Daughter is trying to poke a treat into Lily's mouth to distract her while the judge inspects her. (We discovered that Lily was somehow able to chew and hiss at the same time!)

By the time the third judge got to her, Lily was basically hostile. See how the judge doesn't look so pleased? Lily is spitting and hissing. This is not the behavior of "Best Household Pet Cat".

Soon after this, four rounds of ribbons were awarded for long-hair, short-hair, and best all-around household pet cat. We waited and waited, but Lily's number was never called.

That is, until they announced "Best Decorated Cage"!

Thank goodness for this category or we would have gone home empty-pawed! Lily received a lovely purple ribbon, a PetSmart gift card, and coupons for two 20-pound bags of cat litter. For entering the show, she also received a catnip mouse, a bag of treats, and a participation ribbon.



And our prize? We get to keep her!
We love you, Lily!


21 comments:

Shell said...

How sweet! That's definitely a cute cage, too!

Sarah Coggins said...

Awww....love that last photo. :) You all are brave to try the cat show - I wouldn't dare with either of my two. Congrats on winning the Best Decorated Cage!

pam g. said...

Yeah Lily!!! Congrats on the best cage win... I knew you had that one hands down!! I love all your pictures and stories of the Fair!! And, I agree a trip to PetSmart with Lily could be good for the blog!! :-)

Anonymous said...

Now really, who doesn't get cranky when you are being poked and prodded and looked at AND right out in the open for everyone to see. And the last judge did not look like a happy judge. At least Lily stayed cool in her best decorated cage. She looked adorable while she was there.

Ryzmomplus2 said...

Great pictures from the show. Congrats on the best cage and getting to keep Lily!

a. said...

Congrats to Lily and the decorator of the cute cage!!!

denali said...

**WOOHOO**! Kudos to all! You on the cage, Lily on improved behavior, your dear mom on her fan contribution. Trust your mum to be looking after you even when she's no longer here. Bless her heart!

KarenSue said...

Lily is 1st place for us blogers!!

seriously, she is so much fun.

Heather said...

Congrats to Lily! Glad to hear no one was hurt and you all had a good time!

Fonda said...

It was very nice to get to meet Lily, although I don't think she appreciated LAD and I that much, since she gave us a (friendly) hiss! She's just getting experience under her belt for next year! I've never been to a cat show, it was quite interesting. And you all packed the venue, there was standing room only in the back! And LAD wanted to go down and "pet them all"! Congrats on the Best Decorated Cage!!

A Wonderful World said...

She is such a pretty kitty. She deserves prizes!

Lily said...

sawwww Lily was robbed! i demand a recount. Congrats on the deco win though!

Noelia said...

Congrats on winning the best decorated cage ribbon! Great pictures and story. You should definitely scrap that :)

Janet said...

Awwww...you guys, thank you! Lily says thanks, too! It doesn't matter to us whether she wins a ribbon or not. She's the best kitty and we love her dearly! (OK, OK, I admit that the prize package would have been fun...lol!) Stay tuned for our trip to PetSmart!

Kristina said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Kristina said...

Too many typos in that last comment.

Congratulations on the ribbon! I just knew you gals would win that one. Maybe next year you should give Tinsel a shot at it....LOL!

Suz said...

Too Cute! Congrats on winning best cage..

We love going to the cat shows when they're in town. Our friend shows Maine Coons all over the southeast

CircesMagic said...

What a great story! Congrats on your best decorated cage win!

Janet said...

Kristina-Tinsel has now been dubbed "Emo-Cat" by DD's friends, so taking her to the cat show would not be a pretty thing! Could be even worse than Lily! LOL

Suz- I LOVE Maine Coon cats! Would love to have one someday! When I become a Crazy Cat Lady. Oh, I guess I already AM one!

Thx, Ciresmagic and everyone, for stopping by so many nice comments!

Linda said...

What a great story! Loved all the photos too. I'm glad to hear that you won best cage again. Can't wait to hear about your adventures at PetSmart.

Cheri said...

Yay, Lily! Progress is a good thing, and 1/3 judges isn't bad at all:) I'd get ticked off if that many people were poking and prodding me too.

LOVE the decorated cage...congrats on that ribbon, and the pic of your daughter with Lily is just precious.