The Illinois Fancier’s Club hosted its 49th annual cat show at the Illinois State Fairgrounds on October 18 and 19, 2014. This was a 2 day show, with 8 rings. My only regret that weekend was not taking a photograph of the giant Abraham Lincoln statue standing outside of the exhibition hall. But, I was a little busy with a little kitten.

It would seem that our spunky little Cosmo has started his own little Fight Club with resident moggies, Peanut and Piston, and this illicit activity most likely takes place while we sleep or while we are at work. While Ultimate Fighting may be an expected way of life for the average alley cat, it is a pastime that makes this new show mom quite nervous. Case in point: Two days before the show, Kain noticed that Cosmo had a little scab inside of his ear. Of course, having a scab inside of his ear meant that I wasn’t able to shave closely around that little area (approx. 2-3mm), which means that not only did he have a little scab inside of his ear, but he also had stubble (yes, I have to shave the insides of his ears with a little battery-operated trimmer). I fully expected that he would not place at all due to this little wound, but he still needed to attend in order to stay relatively used to the show environment. On day 2 of the show, we arrived at the showhall a little later than I wanted, so I grabbed a wet wipe and set about cleaning his ears, quickly but vigorously. I had completely forgotten about the scab and actually rubbed it off as I wiped the inside of his ear, but  fortunately, it had healed enough that it did not bleed and no mark was visible, so I got out my trimmer and attempted to complete my shoddy shaving job. The funny little things that worry a show mom!

There were many excellent kittens at this show. In particular, a black and white bi-color persian male kitten, Astral Charm Top That, dominated the kitten division of this show, placing first in 6 out of 8 rings and earning 198 points in just two days! The judges who placed him all commented on his spectacular coat and impeccable grooming.

This weekend, I was fortunate to have met a couple of other exhibitors: Kathy Becker, who was showing a beautiful Champagne Mink colored Tonkinese, and Janet _____, who was showing a very nice white Oriental Shorthair female named Blanca. As at prior shows, both ladies gave me some great pointers and a lot of encouragement, and I am glad to have had such good bench-mates.

One other highlight of the show was that I had the opportunity to briefly speak with Judge Mary Auth. As she judged Cosmo, she caged him and then paused to review the breed standard. I was curious about this – and hoping that he did not have some fault that I was not aware of. After she was completely finished with the Kitten class, we briefly discussed what she was reviewing, and we then chatted for a moment about my newbie status and local cat club involvement. I was quite intimidated to approach her, but am glad that I did.

As for Cosmo, he behaved quite well at the show and placed in one ring: a very admirable 3rd place awarded by CFA Judge Norman Auspitz, for 29.70 points. Kathy was seated behind me for the finals, and Mr. Auspitz announced his winners in reverse order. I expected maybe 10th or 8th, but with each number the judge called, I realized how much he liked Cosmo. Granted, Cosmo still hates being put into the judge’s cages, and he actually hissed at me a couple of times in protest, but once the judges got a hold of him, he was *so* good on the table. He is still aloof and will not play with the judges – he’s too smart to be bribed with fun toys – but at least this time, he did not try to climb over Mr. Dineson’s shoulder to run away! I am encouraged that he seemed to be calmer for this show, and I hope that bodes well for the Indy show next weekend.