The End of 2010, A start of 2011

Ah, been a while since I wrote again in this blog. Thank you for the kind comments in the Salem's 1st Cat Show thread, I didn't realize I would get some comment (laughs sheepishly). With the ending of the year, I wonder what new things I can see next year (which is just a few hours away). This year has given me a taste of cat show as a participant. I think I'm hooked on it. A recap of this year for me has been good and bad.

Earlier this year, I lost a dear cat. My dear, dear Neko-chan pass away due to liver failure. Her liver was badly poisoned and the proper procedure wasn't taken. It was a hard lesson learned by me and made me realize how precious life can be. It was a big loss but I know she will be in a better place.

There is also a lot of new, happy experience for me and my cats. Sherbet and Salem grew bigger and healthier. Sherbet though is a somewhat proud cat which only come for petting session when his mood strike. Other than that, he will swipe any hands trying to touch him. Sensitive guy, that's all I can say.

Salem on the other hand is quite close to me (and my family). The older he got, the more attention he demands. Still the same old black banshee. But he is a very smart boy. When he wants to play his toy, he would come and mew at me. I would ask him, "What do you want, Salem?" He would blink his eyes, look at me and then turn his head towards the toys hanging by the door. I would ask him a few times and his response would be the same. Then I would stand by the toys and ask him, "Which one do you want, Salem?" he would stand on his hind leg, all stretched out leaning on the wall and point his paws at his favorite this red thread tied to a stick. Whenever Salem wants to use his bathroom (if I close the door to the kitty room), he would mew and roll around in front of the door. If he really, really has to go.. he would paw and dig on my bed as last warning. Smart boy, I say. Every time I talk on the phone, he would come nearby and stare. Probably trying to eavesdrop on the latest gossip (laughs).

Early October, I adopt another kitten to my household. I wanted a female kitten and Kak June gave me one she had rescued before. My bf and I named her Shirahime but we just call her "Shishi". We're still trying to adjust and adapt to each other. Although I wonder if I should have named her "Saru" or monkey in japanese (giggles). She is so active it's frightening. The good part about her is that she can play by herself, anything is toy to her. But the bad part is that when she's playing, she tends to go into hyper mode. This makes stuff falls down, she and the other two cats slamming into chairs and walls, spilled water and such. It also erupts into small fight sometime. So, when she gets into hyper mode I cage her in a carrier. When she calms down, I let her out. She is cute, and loves to climb.. a person's body. She also loves to come cuddle up especially with my sister. But Shishi is very possessive of her toys, she will hiss at other cats near her toys. It will take a bit more time to get along with everyone but at least my other cats isn't lonely. Sherbet run around to play more now and Salem mew for attention lesser than before.

When 2011 comes, I hope for good health for all my cats and myself. I want to join more cat shows if I could and expose my cat to crowds. I also love to make costume for my cat now. I wonder what costume I will make next. Granted my costume is not perfect (hehe) but I try my best. With the coming of the new year, I wonder what I get to see from my cats. More cuteness? More sauciness? More demands? Maybe even smarter cats (Hope my fridge will be safe..haha). There's always something new everyday, something to make me laugh and smile. Something that I can write about.. I wonder....

Lets welcome the new year and hope for the best everyone! :D

Salem's 1st Cat Show

The ribbons / rosette Salem won. He got 2nd place on the 2nd ring and 5th place on the 3rd ring.

Salem and his rosette.

Me and Salem in his costume, haha.

Salem in his cage at the cat show.

Salem relaxing in the cage at the cat show.

It was a balmy and slightly drizzled Sunday morning. It was the debut of Salem in a cat show. I registered him for a cat show a few months earlier out of curiosity. He is the most well behaved at home (albeit the occasional mewing for attention and bad habit of eating unwanted things..). I carried him on the soft carrier which I had been using for more than a year now, equipped with a black cover to reduce his anxiety. I suspected Salem has motion sickness and it's a lot worse in a car. Riding on a motorbike isn't as bad (gauging from the sound of his mewing).

We arrived at 8.10am at The Mall, KL and took off to the 4th floor for the checking in. I found a familiar face, Pakcu at the cat show and it calmed me down. It's good to have at least a familiar face to reduce your own anxiousness. Everything went well, then vetting in was a bit hectic. Salem was scared and clings to me. I blame myself for not exposing him to crowds.

After the initial check-up and vet check, bf and I set up his cage (pretty bare to me >.< ) with a nice doormat and a small cat nip pillow. I sprayed some Feliway on the doormat to make Salem calmer. When the judging starts at around 11am, I was quite relived to see the judges go for longhairs and kittens at start. Plenty of time for Salem to 'warm up' and soak everything in. When his category came, he was the first to be judge (oh, the horror). Salem is placed under the Neuter Open Shorthair category and I see a lot of good competitors around. Oh my, there were so many shorthair tabbies it was daunting. Ah, I don't foresee Salem winning anything but it is a good experience. To have a certified judge hold and examine my cat is an accomplishment by itself. To show people my beautiful cat is an enormous satisfaction. The judge compliments Salem's shiny black coat but commented that Salem molted a lot. I told the judge Salem was too scared. Judge told me I should brush Salem a lot. I take in the comment and agrees on what the judge says. I do brush him daily, it's so nice to brush Salem's coat since he likes it and doesn't wiggle about like Sherbet.

After the second ring judging session, I put Salem back in the cage and sat at one corner of the huge hall with my bf. A few minutes later, my sister came by and we chat about the cat show. Ah, so many beautiful cats. I love admiring them. I envy all the owner of the longhair cats. They groomed their cats thoroughly, combing the fur and powdered the pets. Oh my, and their tails.. it was so enticing. The long, bushy tail swaying back and forth. Some of the kittens was so huge it's a feast to my eyes.

After a while, Salem's number was called yet again and I quickly took him out of the cage and put him in the judging cage. I wondered why he was called again and then the judge announce that the 10 cats around him is the top 5 cats for open neuter shorthair and longhair. Oh my, I was so proud to see Salem in the top 5. For a first timer, it was such a shock and joy. I came expecting a door gift and maybe a certificate of participation but not a placement for the top 5 in a category. It pleased me even more, Salem got second place. It was more than enough for me. I admit he has temperament problem (he's not used to huge crowds) but I was so happy when the judge compliment his lustrous shiny coat. I guess his sleek and lean body (with no flabby fat) is also a plus. I don't need to mention his diet consist of chewed slippers and plastic though (facepalm). The judge, Mr. Rick Low recommends giving Salem lean meat to have a better coat and muscular body but I don't think I can afford that. I hardly even eat red meat these days. In Salem's defense, I think the multivitamin for shiny coat helps a lot. Salem loves eating those multivitamin and I gave him 2 tablet everyday. Congratulations for winning the second place, Salem. You make me so proud.

We didn't get any placing on the first ring, Salem was somehow even more scared at this time. But he got the fifth place on the third ring. We got some more gifts and went back happy. I was suppose to join the cat fashion show but sadly it was cancelled due to not enough time. The cat judging took almost 9 hours and then there was the choosing for the best of the best. It was a nice cat show (albeit only for Household Cats) and it gave me a new experience. It was so exhilarating to be a participants, hearing the judges comment and getting a placement in the category contested. Though to me, winning is not everything. I love the scene, the sights and sound and the meeting of cat lovers. Everyone looks like they love their cats. From the colorful and many design of the carriers, to the grooming equipment the bring and use to the way the clap and shout happily when their cat got a placing. I understand now the exhilarating rush from joining a cat show and how people that once join, will always want to join again. Even my bf who was quite skeptical at start (when I registered Salem), felt the exhilaration and fun of joining a cat show. He too, agrees Salem need more 'crowd' exposure and was commenting that next in line should be training my latest baby, Shirahime aka Shishi. Haha, I wonder if I have time for that. It was, all in all, a wonderful experience. Congrats to all the winners, participants and organizer. It was so much fun to me, I think a lot of other people feel the same too. To be perfectly honest I was kinda glad we didn't win first place. The gifts were quite huge and plenty that we almost ran out of room on our motorbike. Good thing I brought with me a bagpack.

Sadly my bf, my sister and I kept forgetting to take pictures of Salem while he was being judged. I guess we were too anxious to see Salem's reaction on the judging table that we forget to snap a picture. Talk about being a novice, haha. Congrats again my black banshee.