Friday, September 30, 2016

They really, really like me!

Last weekend was a pretty big deal...  At the Portland Expo Center they had a cat show and I was in it!  Look, I got my name in a book saying I was there and everything!  Although, they got part of it wrong...  I am officially a "red mackerel tabby and white."  That's the fancy name for a ginger tabby tux.



Mum went there the day before and set up all the stuff that she had made for me to have a beautiful space and be comfortable.  I think she did a good job!




I got a very thorough bath on Friday night and we all had to get up really early on Saturday to be there in time.  You wouldn't believe how many other kitties were there - over 200 in total!  There were over 30 in the Household Pets CATegory that I was in - and I had to compete against every one of them.  *cue theme music from the movie Rocky*

The way that cat shows work is that you get judged at least once by EVERY JUDGE PERSON at the show.  Let me tell you, that's a lot of judge.  Most kitties don't know quite what to do the first time in a show so sometimes they get really scared, hiss and scratch at the judge person, run off the table, just freeze up, or worse!  It's kind of unusual for a new cat to do well at shows. Mum took me to my first judge or "ring" and I was ready.  Mum was more nervous than I was.  Guess what?




The judge man human picked me as his tenth best cat in the show among all of the Household Pet kitties!  It was good but I allowed him a little room for improvement since we'd never met before.

In between going to SIX judging rings and all of the visiting humans, I got pet by over ONE HUNDRED people in the whole day!  Mum and I talked to all of them about what being a therapy kitty is like and some want to become one possibly.  Lots of people made me purr and if they did, they got a "I got purred!" sticker.




By the end of the day, four out of the six judge humans picked me to be in the top ten best cats in the show (in the Household Pet CATegory anyway) and a few of them couldn't believe it was my first show because I did so well and was so comfortable with everything.  The pink ribbon was my best for the day - SEVENTH PLACE!  I liked that judge a lot and had fun with her.




By the end of the day, I was one tired girl but I made SO MANY new friends.  A person from someplace called the CFA (Cat Fanciers Association mom says) even asked me to come represent them at a really big animal show called the Portland Pet Expo on October 15 & 16.  Mum said that we would be only if I could represent therapy kitties too!  They said "Yes."




All in all, it certainly was an adventure for this therapy cat.  If you'd like to see what it was like to be judged at the show, visit my Facebook page and watch the videos.

Saturday, September 17, 2016

What happens if...?!

We had a slightly traumatic experience yesterday, although Mum says I'm exaggerating.  Each one of us got poked in the back and had something called a microchip put under our skin.  Mum said it was necessary for all of my fursibs but especially me since I leave the house on a regular basis.  

Some interesting things about lost pets...
  •  The American Humane Association estimates over 10 million dogs and cats are lost or stolen in the U.S. every year.
  • One in three pets will become lost at some point during their life.
  • A study published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, including 53 animal shelters across the U.S., confirmed the high rate of return of microchipped dogs and cats to their families, and the importance of microchip registration. From the study:
    • Only about 22 percent of lost dogs that entered the animal shelters were reunited with their families. However, the return-to-owner rate for microchipped dogs was over 52 percent (a 238 percent increase).
    • Less than 2 percent of lost cats that entered the animal shelters were reunited with their families. The return-to-owner rate for microchipped cats was dramatically higher at over 38 percent (more than 2,000 percent better). 
    • Only 58 percent of the microchipped animals’ microchips had been registered in a database with their pet parent’s contact information.
Now, Mum is really careful about making sure that we are always safe but sometimes, things happen that are out of her control. So yesterday, we all got chipped AND registered.  Microchipping your furkids might be the only thing that could help bring them home in an emergency.  Once you do that step, YOU HAVE TO MAKE SURE TO UPDATE THE INFORMATION ON THE ACCOUNT anytime you move, get a new phone number, new vet, or anything along those lines.

Microchipping doesn't have to be expensive and can be as little as $5 per pet.  There are chip registries that are FREE.
So please, if you love your furkids as much as our mum loves us, chip 'em!  This isn't about the emergencies you can imagine or control but the ones that you can't.  Bring your kids home and keep them safe.
Resources - Links:
Chips (if you do it yourself, PLEASE talk to your vet or someone who knows what they are doing before inserting a microchip!).  If you aren't comfortable and know what you're doing, find a clinic or get your pet chipped by your vet (usually about $10-15).

Sunday, September 11, 2016

It happened!

Hi everyone!  Guess what?  Yesterday, I had my first, honest to Ceiling Cat, official visit as a therapy kitty!

Mum gave me a bath the night before, so my kitty sense told me that something was up.  Yesterday morning was like normal until I had to put on my harness.  Then, I KNEW I was going somewhere!

It wasn't the longest drive that I ever had to take but it was more than usual.  We got to a place that smelled different than anyplace I'd ever been before, like there was a lot of history and people that needed me too.  Mum said it was called Glendoveer ElderPlace in Portland.  We went inside and waited for a lady to show show us around as she introduced me to some very nice people.

Kitties sometimes get some grey furs when they get older and apparently, humans do too.  There was a lot of grey fur here but the people were so nice!  One lady stopped and just admired me but said she couldn't touch me because of something called allergies.  I don't like allergies... She did say that I was very beautiful and sweet.  She is obviously very wise and observant, even if she couldn't feel how soft I am.

I have to say that even though everyone liked me and thought I was sweet and beautiful...  I think I have a favorite human there.  She was very nice and funny, and from someplace called Australia.  I got to sit on a blanket on her lap for a long time.  She petted me while she and Mum talked about that place.  She knew how to pet really well so I just curled up on her lap and purred.  That was the best part of the visit.

I think I'm going to like this therapy kitty thing....

Mum here.  Basil was amazing yesterday!  With the exception of a few very large, very loud delivery trucks we encountered on our way in, she was the picture of furry perfection and love given this was her first visit.  To say that I'm proud of her would be an understatement.  She was VERY curious and a little eager to check things out when we arrived but I know that she'll get better with each visit.  And yes, I believe that we have a favorite human at this location. She fell in love with Basil and the feeling was mutual.  I enjoyed that part of the visit and hearing about Sydney Australia - and how it was 80 years ago.  I promised to bring back modern day pictures of Sydney next weekend since she hasn't been back in over 20 years.

I think I'm going to enjoy this therapy kitty thing too...