Aby-a-Day – 22 Oktober 2020: We may have found a boy! (Thursday Things)

Lorelai has been pacing and yowling for weeks…but we haven’t been able to find a male for her that we could get to.

Until now.

I got a message today from Susanna Wallebo:

Sorry I did not answer earlier.

I think Ritchie is fertile. On Monday I will send in the poop sample on him. Also waiting for DNA test on him as his father is a PRA carrier. So Ritchie could be a carrier. The laboratory has promised that I will receive an answer at the end of October.

Since your cat is not a PRA carrier, there is no problem with mating.

There is a female ahead in the queue. So we can only hope that she starts her heat soon.

The boy, S*Cat Claw’s Rock Star Ritchie, isn’t even a year old yet, so we have been waiting for him to mature. Evidently, he has…so stay tuned!

Aby-a-Day – 13 September 2020: Nemo’s Virtual Cat Show (Cat Show Sunday)

Today was the New England Meow Unit‘s Virtual Cat Show. I entered everyone, including Alfred, Angel (as a Household Pet), and Logan (in the Rainbow Bridge class). Because it was the Nemo show, of course there was a costume contest, and I entered a few different outfits…and finally won with our Marilyn Monroe and JakeFK costumes. Okay, it was Third Place, but still.

Meg and Drooley got 4th Place as the Unknown Comic and his cat!

Jacoby placed 7th in the Rainbow Bridge class.

And now for the actual judging classes. Izaak was 15th Best Cat in Championship in Teresa Sweeney’s “ring.” You know, this is actually my first CFA final with a Championship cat! All my other show cats were Premiers.

Speaking of Premiers…Dashiell did the best of everyone, placing 6th Best in Premiership in Allan Raymond’s ring.

You can see all the finals on Nemo’s YouTube channel. Each one is pretty long, so clear yourself some time (or fast forward through it, that works too). Oh, and it’s pretty cool that my artwork is all over this show, too.

Aby-a-Day – 4 Augusti 2020: Marlin recycled (Cartoon Tuesday)

On Saturday, I got an email from Iris asking for a picture of Marlin on a laptop for the flyer for NEMO’s upcoming virtual online show. She needed it, like, yesterday. I knew I didn’t have time to make a new Marlin from scratch…but I had an idea.

I started with the Jackpot Marlin from last year’s show program cover…and removed his celebratory arms. I then drew laptop-typing arms in Procreate.

Transferring the image back to Photoshop, I added the fur layer. I also touched up bits of the base Marlin’s fur.

I used the laptop from this cartoon and cleaned it up a bit.

Then I put the Abyssinian that was on the original flyer on the laptop’s screen and gave it a little drop shadow…

…Add the new arms to Jackpot Marlin, find a photo of a plain table (in Nemo’s signature orange, even!)…and here’s the final image. Considering how quickly I put it together, I am pretty pleased with it; Iris likes it, which is the important thing.

Abys are Everywhere: There’s a puma in the kitchen!

Today I discovered that there was an entire television episode devoted to an Abyssinian!

Not sure how I didn’t know about this, but there is an episode of Mad About You from 1998 titled “There’s a Puma in the Kitchen” that features an Aby. I used to watch that show, and I have no memory of this episode! Unfortunately, Cinema Cats has little information on the Aby(s) who acted in this episode.

The best bits are at 6:34 and then from 9:01 on. Also be sure to watch the end credits, where the director argues with the Aby.

Aby-a-Day – 19 Maj 2020: Kiipi and her kitten – Work in progress (Cartoon Tuesday)

Last week, my friend Sanna-Leena posted this awesome photo of Kiipi and her kitten on the Facebook group This IS an airport, please announce your departure: Aeroplane ear posting. I love Kiipi, and I have drawn her before. When I saw this photo, I wanted to draw it.

I tilted the photo a little, so I could add in their tails. This is my preliminary sketch.

I decided I wanted each cat on its own layer. This is my second sketch of Kiipi.

And this is the second sketch of the kitten.

And here they are together. The next step is ink, and then after that colour and texture. Stay tuned!

Aby-a-Day – 4 Augusti: “So much winning…” (Cat Show Sunday)

On a whim, we brought the Pets Hate Toys “Donald” cat toy. Izaak actually liked having it in the cage. I think it’s the hair. It did get a lot of laughs.

Just like yesterday, Lorelai was judged first today.

It was funny at this show…we had the same judges as yesterday, but Rory saw Eric and Izaak saw Glenn today.

He was as charmed by her as he was by Zak.

I really like Eric. He’s a good judge, and fun to watch. Plus, since he’s not Swedish, he does everything in English!

Today, there were only three blue Abys. One of the kittens was only entered on Sunday.

But the competition was still tough. Of course, it’s not easy to choose between a mature adult, a young adult, and a kitten, but in the end…

…Rory was, once again, Best In Variety! My friend Anna told me that if Rory keeps this up, she could be the best blue Aby in Sweden! She was also up for Nomination, but like yesterday, she wasn’t chosen for the panel.

Then it was Izaak’s turn to be judged.

Glenn really liked Zak, too.

Ultimately, he decided to put Zak up for nomination today.

Then it was time for the panel. Zak was up against TWO Bengals.

Thea Friškovec was one of the voting judges on the Category 3 panel today (she wasn’t yesterday). Thea was the judge who NOMed Zak at the last show, where he ended up winning his first BIS. She actually sought us out yesterday to say hello to Zak (she breeds Singapuras herself).

She’s clearly very fond of little Zak.

And in the end…

…Izaak got two votes and was Category 3’s Best In Show entire male!

One thing about FIFe shows is…when you win best in show, you actually WIN stuff. You get rosettes, trophies, and medals, sure…but you also get swag. This is the line-up of prize bags for all the categories and all the classes.

This is all the stuff that was in Zak’s swag bag.

The “decoration light” is actually Zak’s BIS trophy. It’s pretty cool, and it’s on the window with the other cool trophies Jacoby, Rory and Zak have won.

After the panel was over, we packed up and went home.

Aby-a-Day – 3 Augusti: There’s winning and then there’s doing pretty good (Cat Show Saturday)

We’re at a cat show in Södertälje this weekend. At the last show, I bought a little shelf for the show cage which also has a curtain to hide the litter box.

This is the first time we’ve actually used it, and as you can see, it’s quite the hit with the ticked crowd.

The show was in a good location (near an amazing Greek restaurant, too), and it was well-organised and set up…that’s always a plus! Lorelai was the first to be judged in the morning.

The judge, Glenn Sjöbom, was fast, but thorough.

I am always surprised by how calm Rory is on the table with the judge. She’s always so squirmy and active, but put her on the judge’s table, and she’s a perfect angel.

There are four blue Aby girls in the show today. The other two are IC Abychat Whos-That-Girl and her two daughters, S*Cat Claw’s Purr-fect Pleasure and S*Cat Claw’s Purr-fect Paradise.

Here is Whos-That-Girl with our friend Susanna.

Because there were more than three blue Abys, we could have a Best In Variety, so we had to wait around whilst all the girls were finished judging.

Meanwhile, in the ring next to ours, the ruddy Abyssinians were being judged by Thea Friškovec.

I had to laugh when I saw this guy (GIC S*Aucuparia’s Mimar Sinan JW) because he reminded me so much of Jacoby sitting in the judging cage like that.

Then it was time for the blue Aby BIV. Poor Glenn had to choose between four girls.

First he eliminated one of the kitten sisters.

He checked Rory’s ticking and undercoat tone.

I had the presence of mind to switch to video for the final decision…I’m glad I did! Click on the image to see the video in another window.

Rory seemed pretty proud of her achievement.

And perhaps a little stunned, too. She was also up for Nomination, but lost out to a Cornish Rex.

Next, it was Izaak’s turn to be judged.

His judge, Eric Reijers, was quite charmed by our little Zak.

I’m not sure who was having more fun playing, Zak or Eric.

He tried out every toy with Zak to see which he liked best.

(Spoiler alert: He liked ALL of them!)

Our friends Jenny and Skilla (S*Kustens Follia d’Amore) were at the show, too! It was good to see them again.

Skilla was having a bad day. She was cranky and hissing. Again, I was reminded of Jake.

Zak was up against three British Shorthairs; a blue with amazing golden eyes, a brown mackerel tabby, and a young red tabby. Unfortunately, Björn was busy with Rory, and I was holding Zak, so I don’t have any photos. I was shocked when Zak got the Nomination! We almost always lose to the BSHs.

Finally it was time for the panel. Zak didn’t like the grooming I gave him, so he did it himself.

I really like that stewards hold the cats up during the panel. That means the owners and breeders can relax and watch.

The competition amongst the the male cats was stiff! A Bengal, a Lilac BSH, and little Zak. The way it works is, the three judges who judged the class (in this case, Vladimir Isakov, Sirpa Lindelöf, and Eric) look at the cats who were NOMed, and vote on which they think is the best example of their breed.

In the end, the Bengal got two votes. But Izaak got one as well! Considering the competition, that’s awesome!

But remember the ruddy boy who reminded me of Jake? He won Best in Show in his class! Here he is with our friend Jan, his human. They both look pretty happy. I wonder what will happen tomorrow?

Bonk hunts with StarClan

My friend Anna posted yesterday:
“It’s with heavy heart I’m writing this. Bonk left us at Friday when he got worse again. He was a very special guy and this is how we want to remember our beautiful always positive guy who never missed the chance to snuggle and headbutt someone.”

S*Xanthomelas Bonkap Mercur, Bonk to his friends, was diagnosed with diabetes towards the end of May. He had been sick for a week or so with complications related to that, and he’d spent a few days in the animal hospital getting tests and IV fluids. He went up and down (much like Jacoby in his last days), and finally took a steep downturn on Friday.

Bonk was an amazing cat. We were often neighbours with him, Anna and Peter at shows, and Bonk was well named. He would headbonk you with very little provocation. I am really going to miss hanging out with him at cat shows.

Bonk wasn’t even all that old; he would have turned 7 in September. Too early, too soon. He was so like Jake in personality, and he was just an amazing cat. My heart has joined the Thousand, for my friend has stopped running today. Sleep well in Tuonela, my buddy Bonk.

Reggie hunts with StarClan

Sad news from my friend Kim…her fawn boy, Reggie, died yesterday. He had several tumours in his organs and a polyp in his nostril. He was only 13½.

Kim adopted Reggie and his sister Cheri when they were 10 years old after their human went into an assisted living facility. She got them from Northeast Aby (and Somali) Rescue (NEAR) just before Christmas, 2015. Sadly, Cheri died from the same multiple tumours in multiple organs only a couple of months after Kim adopted them.

Here is Reggie last October on his last birthday (which was celebrated late because Jacoby’s Uncle Clancy had just died. He was so adorably crosseyed, and a drooling, purring cuddler. I’ll miss seeing his photos. My heart has joined the Thousand, for my friend has stopped running today. Sleep well in Tuonela, lovely Reggie.

Aby-a-Day – 31 Januari: More from Örebro (Thursday Things)

Saturday was not a great day for Lorelai and Izaak; apart from Zak earning his Champion title, neither he nor Rory were even up for a Nomination.

But Sunday, both of their judges loved them. Here is Polish judge Robert Nowak admiring Rory.

There were five females up at the Nominations. It was a very close competition.

At the end, the judge chose a lovely Siamese to go to the panel.

This is a shot from Saturday. Rory is Number 664. Number 663 is GIC DK*Saltvig’s Oona. We have been a little concerned that Rory small for her age (she’s smaller than Zak!), but Oona is over two years older than Rory and they are the same size! Oona was chosen over Rory on Saturday, but Rory was the judge’s pick on Sunday.

Zak’s judge on Sunday was Gerardo Fraga y Guzmán, from Spain. He loved Zak, but he was especially enamoured with his coat texture.

He even called the judge next to him over to feel Zak’s coat. That’s a particular compliment to the owner as well as the breeder, because the cat’s condition is a reflection of diet and grooming as much as it is genetics and breeding. It’s nice to know you’re doing a good job!

The Nomination in Zak’s category was also stiff. There were two British Shorthairs (one disqualified himself by almost biting his owner), a stunning white Kurilean Bobtail, and Zak.

The judge had a cat teaser made with a bobcat’s tail that a Danish merchant sells at shows. We have one at home, too, and I have to hide it from the cats when we aren’t using it. Zak really wanted that tail! He actually jumped out of my arms in an attempt to catch it.

But in the end, the judge felt that, while both cats were excellent, the Kurilean matched the standard for his breed just a bit better than Zak matched the Singa standard. But it was close…and the Kurilean ended up winning Best in Show for male cats in Category 3! So…losing to a cat who ended up being BIS? Yeah, that’s not bad at all.

On the way back to our benching cage, we met a little girl who was meowing at all the cats.

I thought she might like to pet one, so I knelt down so she could pet Zak. I know that if an exhibitor had done that to me when I was kid at a show, I would have been over the moon, so I hope we made that little girl’s day.

Aby-a-Day – 8 December: The ears have it (Cat Show Saturday)

This weekend, we took Lorelai and Izaak to the Ädelkatten Kattklubb show in Västra Frölunda. Nobody got Nominated, but the show was very good for both Zak and Rory. About which I will post tomorrow.

I found my realistic cat ears and wore them to the show. As I posted five years ago, some cats have an…interesting…reaction to seeing a human with cat ears.

My friend Peter saw me taking the above photo and decided I needed yet another set of ears. Thanks, Peter.

But at the show today, we met an Abyssinian who had a very strong reaction to my ears.

When he first saw me, IP IC S*Aloysius Tiger Lily’s Trazan‘s eyes got HUGE. Then, he backed into a corner of his cage.

And, after careful consideration of my ears, he…hissed at me.

I mean, he really hissed at me. I gave his human some dry food we won in the lotteri to make up for his traumatisation.

Update on the Abys rescued in Rhode Island

Remember back in July when I posted about the SECOND rescue of 18 Abyssinians in Rhode Island? Well, according to this post from New England Aby Rescue (NEAR), those Abys are all at the Potter League for Animals and are are now legally free and clear to be placed with new owners as their veterinarian judges them to be healthy enough to be adopted.

The first two boys available for adoption are:

Thames

and Warner. If you are in New England and interested in either of these two young men (they are between one and two years old, the same age Angel was when I adopted her), click on their names to apply for adoption.

Aby-a-Day – 6 October: Izaak and Lorelai at the show in Vårgårda (Cat Show Saturday)

Quick show report from Vårgårda today.

Because of the funeral yesteday, we decided to cancel our motel reservation and just stay at home Friday and Saturday night. This meant a long, speedy, frenzied drive to the show hall this morning…only to face a long, slow line at check in. Of course.

Of course, once we got the cage set up, Lorelai and Izaak were their usual, over-stressed selves.

Although we did have a bit of excitement over the dried beefheart samples…

We were benched next to our friends Anna, Peter and Bonk. That was pleasant.

The big surprise was that Rory’s half-sister was entered in the show! They have the same mother, Kajza, but Adela was born in January 2017.

Here is Rory’s half-sister Adela up for judging.

Rory was up for judging first, before Zak.

The judge, Ulrika Eriksson, liked her well enough to call her back for the nominations.

She was up against this tabby-point and white Siamese…

…who ultimately ended up getting the nomination.

Then it was Izaak’s turn.

He was the only cat Jaana Jyrkinen judged today in his class (11 – Juniors, 7-10 months), so he got the nomination by default…but she loved him and would have had him in her final decision regardless.

Here’s Zak with his little Nom trophy.

…No, Zak…nothing to eat here…

We were so excited! This was Zak’s first nomination! Okay, it may have been by default…but still, it’s a nomination and it counts!

In the panel, Zak was up against a Bengal and a blue-spotted Ocicat.

It was close…but the Ocicat ended up being Best in Show today. But still, it was a good day for the only Singapura entered in the show!

Clawdius hunts with StarClan

I cannot believe I am having to write ANOTHER of these posts this year. But last night, my amazing friend Molly posted the following to Facebook: Walked Clawdius to the Rainbow Bridge tonight and our wonderful Vet sent him on his journey. I Clawdius II, 08/22/99 – 09/17/18. A life well lived. He will be so very missed…

Clawdius was actually three days younger than Björn’s Pyret, but he was able to celebrate one last birthday.

While the loss of any cat is sad, Clawdius’ death is particularly tragic as Molly’s husband, Don, passed away on 2 July. This is Don with both Clawdius and Mosey.

Ch. Tigerflower I Clawdius II‘s career ended (with 3 grand points from Wain Harding) in the third ring of his first show as a Champion. He growled at Lois Jensen and Molly pulled him. But he went on to father kittens, and his name appears in many well-known pedigrees. He is even very distantly related to Angel, Jacoby, Lorelai and Alfred!

It’s a different kind of sadness when you lose a longtime companion. When they’ve been by your side for 15 years or more, it’s not just their passing that you mourn. It’s also the loss of over a decade of always having been there. You reach out to pet them in the middle of the night, or you look in their favourite napping spot…and they just aren’t there.

My heart has joined the Thousand, for my friend has stopped running today. Sleep well in Tuonela, darling Clawdius.

Aby-a Day – 21 August – Remembering Taz in Cat Talk

My friend Teresa asked me to do an illustration for the CFA newsletter/magazine Cat Talk. Her exact request was, “I need something for the ‘Social Media Smarts’ column. What I’m thinking is someone coming home from the cat show…cat and rosette in hand. He/she is talking to someone else. I’ll provide the type, but what he’ll be saying is ‘he got 3 best allbreed champions, and 100 likes on Facebook.’ (subject matter is about using FB to bring in gate).”

I am not so confident about drawing humans, but I instantly thought of our recently departed Cousin Taz, and used him as the winner. For the rosette, I used a photo Meg took of her Toybob Tommy’s CFF rosette, which had the same wins Teresa had mentioned. I’m pretty proud of the final result…and Meg loves it.

Other People’s Abys: Indy hunts with StarClan

I hate making these posts. Our good friend Pat lost her lovely blue girl, Pentaclecats Indigo Blue, better known as Indy, died today. She had been losing weight and was finally diagnosed with cystitis. She was a retired showgirl, joining Pat, her son Mike and ruddy boy Coqui, only 4½ years ago.

My heart has joined the Thousand, for my friend has stopped running today. Sleep well in Tuonela, dear Indy.

Abys in Need – 26 dead Abys in freezer, 18 more living in squalor…AGAIN!

This is ghastly. Rhode Island Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals discovered 26 dead Abys in a freezer and 18 more in “very poor condition” yesterday. According to the RISPCA investigator, the surviving cats were underweight and covered in feces, but none were in such bad health that they will need to be euthanised. Well, thank StarClan for that!

But what really pisses me off is…THIS ISN’T THE FIRST TIME this person has done this! Eight years ago I posted about this exact same idiot who had 48 Abys, along with a corn snake, one dog, a turtle and two other household cats confiscated by the RISPCA. Just as last time, the cats are at the Potter League for Animals, so if you’re interested in helping to rescue one or more of these Abys, please contact the Potter League for Animals (Newport, RI), 87 Oliphant Lane, Middletown RI 02842, Phone: 401-846-8276, Email: info@potterleague.org. But keep in mind it will probably take some time to get them healthy enough for adoption.

Additionally, my friend Meg has started a donation page on Facebook in Cousin Taz’s memory to raise funds to help the Potter League help these Abys.

And now I need to go hug Angel.

Aby-a-Day – 1 July: Go Team Aby! (Cat Show Sunday)

This post is late, and short…because coming home from a show is hard. Almost more work than the show itself. So I am afraid there’s not much more than the basics tonight…

Lorelai’s judge today was Ulrika Eriksson. She was the judge who thought Logan was too thin; she also judged Jacoby in the Senior class at one show. Yesterday, the blue Abys and the ruddy Abys were seen by different judges, but today all the Abys were judged by the same judge. Which meant the ruddies and the blues had to compete against each other.

Rory was her playful self on the table…

…not that the judge was paying much attention.

When it came down to the Kat. 4 nominations, it was Rory and Classy, the birthday doppelgangers…

…and a squirmy seal Balinese. The final decision was painfully close…

…Rory had colour and type, and Classy had eyes and ears. In the end, Classy took the day.

We stopped by her cage to pay our respects.

Any day an Aby wins anything at a show is a good day (And, really…having two cats regard each other from a small distance at a show without any hostility whatsoever is refreshing, to say the least)!

Classy was in the final against a Cornish Rex, and that Russian Blue I mentioned yesterday.
I think we all were surprised when Classy, and not the Russian Blue, was named Best in Show, Class 12, Kat. 4.

Of course, in the end, we’re all cat-geek friends.

Classy admired her winnings from her benching cage.

Her breeder, Susanna, took photos of her with her trophy.

“Any food in this bowl-shaped thingy?”

Congrats, Classy and Susanna…Until we meet again!

Aby-a-Day – 30 June: “A lady never gets her own eggroll. A lady never gets her own anything!” (Cat Show Saturday)

Today was Lorelai’s very first cat show in Forshaga, just north of Karlstad, in Värmlands Län.

When we got to the benching area and looked at the catalogue, we got two surprises…One, there was a little ruddy girl who was born the exact same day as Rory!

Her full name is SE*Cat Claw’s Master-Class (I don’t know what her nickname is), and apart from the fact that she looks more like Jacoby, the rest of her was just like Rory.

She really wanted me to open the cage door and play with her.

“Oooh, shiny!”

But the other surprise was even bigger: Rory has a half brother! SE*Cat Claw’s Lord of Light’s father is the same as Rory’s: Norwegian-born Tejas Glenn! Her brother is a handsome fellow, isn’t he? He reminds me a bit of Alfred.

So how did Rory do? Well, turns out our judge, Marie Westerlund, bred Abys, and she absolutely fell in love with our girl.

And Rory played on the table like a champ.

End result? She was nominated to the final panel! She didn’t get Best Kat. 4 Kitten in Show, though; a Russian Blue who is on track to be FIFe’s best kitten won the day. But, watching the judges, it looked close decision on the judges’ part, and it’s a very promising start. Let’s see how she does tomorrow.

Abys are Everywhere: A Quite Interesting Aby

Since moving to Sweden, I have been watching a lot of BBC Brit. I have fallen in love with the comedic panel shows, especially