…if you’re a cat, that is!  While a cat was being  judged at the Lehigh Valley Cat Club show over the weekend, the owner mentioned that she had a “magic” toy that her cat loves!  She let the judge borrow it and sure enough, the cat went crazy playing with the toy.  It was a wand toy with a very realistic mouse at the end.  The vendor at the show who was selling this particular toy was making them on the spot because he couldn’t keep them in stock.  All of the cats LOVED them!  Even the judge bought one!  It’s so important to spend time playing with your pets every day.  It helps to keep your pet active, healthy, and not so much of a couch potato! Games with rules help stimulate your pet’s mind and keep them focused.  Play time also increases the bond that you share with your pet, not to mention that pets LOVE to play!  I’m trying to encourage my 2 cats to play together and share their toys.  Brewster is a little dominant and always wants to take toys away from Savannah.  She’s such a sweetheart and she allows him to do it, but he needs to learn to share the toys.  There are PLENTY (ok, more than plenty!) of toys for both of them, but he seems to always want the one that she has.  We’re working on this little by little, but it’s great to see that they get along so well and do play together!

One boy.  One girl.  One adult.  One kitten.  Both Thai cats.  Both with the bluest of blue eyes!  That’s Raymond on the left and Sandy (born during Hurricane Sandy last Fall) on the right.  Some call them applehead Siamese cats because their head is not a wedge shape, but applehead is not an official breed name.  They are Thai – the natural pointed cat found in Thailand today and reminiscent of the late 19th and early 20th century Siamese.  The photo of Sandy (right) features the judge showing the ear placement which, according to the breed standard, are to be set high on the head.  I had the pleasure of sitting beside Raymond and Sandy’s mom at the show and learned so much about the breed from her.  It was great fun!

Now this is a breed that you don’t see every day at your local animal shelter – the Scottish Fold.  Every Scottish Fold alive today can trace their ancestry back to one white barn cat found in Scotland in 1961 named Susie.  Susie was a longhaired white female who was bred to various breeds to develop the look known today as the Scottish Fold.  This breed is known to sit up like prairie dogs when they hear something and this is referred to as “the Buddah sit”.  All Scottish Fold kittens are born with straight ears, but about 50% of each litter (only those that carry the gene) develop ear folds between the 18th and 24th day.  They are SO adorable!  The images above are from the Lehigh Valley Cat Club Show over the weekend in Harrisburg, Pa.  Mom was so proud!

I love this image from the Lehigh Valley Cat Club show over the weekend in Harrisburg, PA.  I originally thought this breed was the Chartreux, however thanks to a blog comment and several e-mail from TICA judge Rene Knapp, I’ve learned that it is not.  Rene suggested that it could be a lilac Tonkinese, but that it’s difficult to tell from photographs.  I’m posting a second photo of the same cat below in case anyone would like to chime in on an identification!  Learning to recognize all of the different cat breeds is challenging – at least for me!   A special thank to Rene for the assistance! 

I enjoy attending and photographing cat shows just as much as I enjoy dog shows!  I spent yesterday at the Lehigh Valley Cat Club show in Harrisburg, PA and had a chance to meet some wonderful cats and their owners.  I’m still learning to recognize all of the different breeds and the show judges and owners are always so helpful in educating  spectators like me!  Of course my cats, Brewster and Savannah, received a little present from the vendor area at the show!  The blog photo features an Oriental Shorthair with the most gorgeous green eyes!  All this week I will be posting images from the Lehigh Valley Cat Club show, so stop back and see some of the most beautiful cats in the country!