I took 2 Sexy to a show in Raleigh this weekend in hopes of wrapping up his grand title.  We ALMOST made it.  Only 9 points to go! He did well though, being the only Premier to make 5 of the 6 finals.  And instead of rosettes, they gave away paper “ribbons” with teaser toys stuck in them. I like this because rosettes eventually end up in the trash when they come back home with me, but teaser toys are actually useful and practical.  After this weekend, the kitties at my house have lots of new teaser toys to play  with.

I was reminded this weekend about all the politicing involved in showing.  I suppose it will always be that way, but part of me wants to get angry and do something about it.  Like clean house.  Get rid of the cheating and the games and the the politics – the give and take that goes on and those that participate in it don’t even seem to be ashamed of it anymore.  No more hiding.  Just right there out in the open for all to see.  That is probably because there really isn’t anything the rest of us can do about it.

It’s a shame it is that way because it drives people away from a hobby that is otherwise full of great benefits.  But such is the way of things.  The cat fancy is no different from every other part of life.  Humans are greedy and self-centered and ultimately looking out for themselves.  Maybe this is why I’ve come to enjoy spending my days with cats instead of people.  At least cats don’t try to pretend they are anything other than a creature that is lazy, self-absorbed, and completely uninterested in the happenings of those around them. They are what they are. Take it or leave it.

So now that I got that off my chest……..somewhere behind the spoils of the show is my cat, taking his nap. Oh to be a cat!

I never really thought of Russia as being one of those places where they were into cat grooming.  That is why I was so pleasantly surprised when I was invited to speak at Zoo Russia in Moscow this coming February.  What an opportunity and an honor!

Although I am not looking forward to the frigid temperatures of Moscow in the dead of winter, I am rather excited about the opportunity to take cat grooming around the globe and experience the world of grooming Russian style.  It just so happens that they’ll even provide me with the national cat of Russia, the Siberian, to use during my lecture/demo.  I only hope that I do not get into trouble for “defacing” a national treasure when I shave it down into a funky abstract design or give it pom-poms down the tail.

February will soon be upon us…….I promise to take lots of pictures and post about my experience.

And when I return home from that adventure, we will embark upon another one…..The NCGIA School of Cat Grooming – due to open in Feb 2010.  I think 2010 promises to be a grand year for us cat groomers.

I just recently returned from the NDGAA Fun in the Sun show in Orlando, FL.  It was my first time attending the show.

I did a 1 1/2 hour cat grooming lecture which was entirely too short.  (Are you reading this, Jeff?)  There is simply too much cat stuff to talk about that it takes way more than 90 minutes.  When you combine a creative cat groom with the lecture, it makes for a seminar that runs over time and makes the show host and seminar attendant come in and give “CUT IT!” signals to the verbose speaker.

Anyway, it was a great show and the interest in cat grooming was overwhelming.  The folks there were particularly interested in our forthcoming cat grooming school.  I think Floridians and Chicagoans are my kind of people:  cat crazy!

The best part of the weekend was the Halloween Party on Saturday night. My hubby went with me (it was my birthday weekend so we spent some time at the coast on the way down) and we dressed as pirates.  We were in the top 3 for the group costume contest and then I made the top 4 for the individual costume contest.

That wraps up the shows for me for the rest of 2009.  What an awesome year!!