One of my favorite cat show judges, Mark Coleman, always says that cute only counts in the Household Pet category at the cat show.  Well, this little kitty has the market cornered on cuteness!   This Ragdoll kitty was entered in the Household Pets division at the Christmas City Cat Club show over the weekend.   There is no written standard for judging the Household Pet category.  Instead the cats are judged on their grooming, personality, uniqueness, and show presence.  Yes, cuteness counts!   This little Ragdoll absolutely got my vote! 

Doesn’t this expression pretty much describe how most of us feel on Monday morning?  Blah!  🙂

Cats looove sisal.  It helps to satisfy their desire to scratch and keeps their nails trimmed, too!  Rather they scratch on the sisal post than the furniture, right?  This kitty was taking advantage of a big sisal post at the Christmas City Cat Club Show in Easton, Pa. yesterday.  I’ve been attending cat shows for years and have always enjoyed seeing and learning about the different breeds.  If you think that all cats look alike, think again.  There are LOTS of different breeds!  This was my first time photographing a cat show – another situation where you must photograph indoors without flash.   And, like dog shows, a place where you quickly learn that in order to end up with a decent number of “keepers” you have to take a whole lot of images.  Unlike a dog show where the dogs run around a ring with their handler, cats are brought to the show ring and placed in cages until it’s their turn for the judge to look at them.  They are brought out and placed on the judging table for a very short time – a minute or less.  During that time they are being handled by the judge and in constant motion.  Once the judge has taken a look at them, back in the cage they go.  So, as a photographer, you have a very short window of opportunity to photograph each cat.  Still I came home with a number of images that I really like and I’m working on some pages for the website.  Stay tuned….!