"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!