Does anyone here show cats?

[DMK]

@ET's Home;5756570

Kinda like the 2’ to 2’6" divisions at the A shows?:winkgrin:

ET

Precisely, right up to not letting the HPP classes take up “prime time” space in the best rings/top tier judges if it interferes with the CFA/TICA cats.

Those exhibitors don’t get to be a dick, but HPP showers aren’t the real reason everyone got together with their lint rollers either. It goes without saying, that right is reserved for the Maine Coon breeders. :p:p Especially about the lint rollers. :lol:

FYI if you want a NFC or siberian, check the state breeder pages - at lesat as far as the MCC breeders go they usually retire and spay/neuter their breeding animals fairly young and send them on to good homes. The ones I have seen are usually sold for some $$$ because they are titled and eligible to show as an alter and let’s face it, giving away a cat for free is about as risky as giving away a horse. Paying for something is at least one step on the road to making sure someone values the animal as much as you. But I’ve also seen plenty of nice cats that either weren’t going to get titled when they were still kittens or just weren’t suitable as breeding stock so maybe there is some wiggle room and you could get a NFC (nice of course, but still not as nice as a Maine Coon )

[cowgirljenn]

@DMK;5756623

FYI if you want a NFC or siberian, check the state breeder pages - at lesat as far as the MCC breeders go they usually retire and spay/neuter their breeding animals fairly young and send them on to good homes.

Thanks. I need to meet some breeders, meet some real NFCs, Siberians, and MCCs to make sure they are what I think they are. I’m fairly sure, from reading breed standards and such, that my Emmett was at least part MCC. He was a stray that we found as a tiny kitten - grew up to be a gorgeous, 19-20 lb, long-haired silver tabby. He was my heart cat - and he died of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. It almost made me swear off the big breeds - I don’t think I could stand to lose another one so young.

I really want one like him - he would stretch out alongside me to sleep under the covers and tuck his nose under my side. I loved the nose tucking thing… I had never had a cat do that before. When we lost him, the last thing he did after the vet gave him the shot was to tuck his nose under my hand and then go to sleep. (dammit, now I am crying again. I am so the crazy cat lady… I cannot recover from this cat!)

[DMK]

The HCM sure sounds like a Maine Coon. The good breeders regularly screen and remove cats from the breeding population and tell you they screened the cats - it’s no guarantee, but it’s a start. I’ve found MCC breeders to be be light years ahead of horse and dog people for being proactive about this and being very informative and careful about who they sell their kittens to (this has come home in spades now that I am on a search for a corgi puppy).

Anyway, this breeder in Houston (not close) might be a start. I’ve found that almost every MCC breeder has a “links” section that gives you the link to other breeders they use in their cattery. Chances are some may be closer than Houston (although I drove from Atlanta to West Palm Beach to pick up my MCC - pic below) You can see how serious they are about HCM.

http://www.nascatmainecoon.com/about.html

Also, this is her “retired” page - I love it (Talledaga is my cat’s half sister)

http://www.nascatmainecoon.com/retired.html

[cowgirljenn]

Thanks for the link. We go to Houston fairly often to see family, so if she’s the closest, maybe she’ll let me come meet the MCCs and see if they’re the cat for me.

I always wanted a BIG cat with lots of hair. Emmett fit that bill - and was full of personality.

[cowgirljenn]

Funny - I just clicked on the link and realized I met this breeder and her cat Walker this weekend. I would have run away with him if I could have gotten away with it.

Going to see if I can go spend a little time with her cats and get to know them and MCCs better (I loved my 5 minutes with Walker, so that’s a start!)