Goodbye Drinkwell Fountain :(

Mom had to take my Drinkwell Platinum water fountain away today:( I broke out in feline acne on my chin and plastic food/water dishes have been linked to acne as plastic absorbs oils and also scratches and harbors bacteria. Mom hated to take it away as Rider and I really like it. Maybe she can save some money and get us a stainless steel or ceramic one for Christmas... Any recommendations Catsters?

The vet did give me some ointment to put on my chin. I also eat Hills Prescription Diet feline t/d for dental health. Several websites Mom found on feline acne suggested cats with acne may do better on canned food as the pet food companies spray dry kibble with fats and oils (which then get on the cat's chin) to make it palatable as dry food is NOT a natural food for cats. Wet food is thought to be less likely to cause or exacerbate acne. They said Mom could try 50/50 t/d and canned food and see how I do.

Stress is also a factor in feline acne and my veterinary technician agreed with Mom that I've had a LOT of stress lately. In January my brother and best friend Mr. Fez passed away very suddenly and unexpectedly. I also had to have surgery in mid-January for a complete dental cleaning, oral exam, and two extractions. Then I was introduced to my new little brother Rider the end of February and my big brother Mickey just passed away in early April. Mom thinks all that has been just as hard on me as it has on her.

Anyway, hopefully we can get my acne cleared up soon. At least we don't have any cat shows planned til probably fall! I still need 7 points for my Grand Premier title.

Dental work

I got stuck going to the vet today. I was diagnosed with juvenile gingivitis at 6 months of age (common in oriental breeds). Even though Mom brushes my teeth, at 3 years old I needed a complete oral exam (including dental x-rays), a professional cleaning, and two teeth extracted! Mom was pretty nervous, especially after what happened to Mr. Fez, but knew it had to be done and that my vet would take good care of me. My vet called Mom this afternoon and told her everything went very smoothly and that she was very happy with how well I did. She did have to extract two teeth (lower right - the two right behind the canine)... and she also said the other side is likely to be next year's project... I will be going home tomorrow morning since I was still pretty groggy and Mom works second shift. My vet said she'd send me home with pain meds and she also put a Fentanyl patch on my tail.

This Weekend's Cat Show...

Mom took me to the Illinois Feline Fancier's CFA cat show in Springfield, IL this weekend. I made the Shorthair Specialty final on Saturday, 8th Best Shorthair in Premiership. Sunday in my last ring I got called back for another final! That judge really liked me and made me his Best Shorthair Premier and Best All-Breed Premier! With the ribbons I got on Sat. and Sun. Mom is guessing I'll probably get about 9 or 10 more points. We'll know for sure in a few days when we can check online.

There was also a photographer at the show so Mom decided to try to get some professional pictures of me... Ha! I was AWFUL! Mom and the photographer got me relaxed on the table and I was even playing with a feather and posing beautifully up on my hind legs and turning. I even liked the photographer and gave her a headbonk and kiss... but as soon as her camera came out - I FREAKED! I HATED the click and flash and I was absolutely convinced that camera was going to get me! I kept freaking out and trying to climb and hang on Mom! We tried a few times Sat. and Sun. with no improvement - as soon as I saw or heard the camera - it was all over! Finally, Mom HAD to be in the photos with me. Mom wasn't exactly planning to be in the photos and didn't really want to be - but I insisted! She did get two pretty nice shots of Mom and I together and Mom says in hindsight that's good. She has a lot of pictures of me (I could care less if Mom takes out her camera!) but none of us together. We finally did get one head shot the photographer is going to try to work with. Mom finally had to hold me up against the background and we got someone to try to distract me while the photographer got a couple shots in between my protests! She will have to photoshop out Mom's arms though! Mom and the photographer were dumbfounded though and could not figure out why the camera scared me so much! The photographer said she's never had a cat that was just scared of the camera before - usually it the location (the cat's scared away from home) or sometimes she said they're afraid of her (someone they don't know) or sometimes it's a cat's first show and they are just generally scared. None of that applied to me though - it was her camera and equipment! Should get the photos in about 2-3 weeks...

*Update* I received 12 Grand Premier points at this show. This brings my cumulative total points to 68. I need 75 points for the title of Grand Premier. Only 7 more points to go!

The Cat's Meow Blog

I'm so excited! Skeezix decided to feature strolling for a week and interviewed me! I'm the featured Super Stroller today! Here's the link: Meet Super Stroller Linus Thanks for interviewing me Skeezix! I hope the spotlight on strollers and strolling this week inspires lots of people to get their cats strollers! I think every cat should have a stroller - strolling is so much fun!

Wand toys continued...

Well, Mom found I had the closet door open again this morning. She's moved all my wand toys though! Don't worry, I'll find their new hiding spot eventually...

I got my wand toys!

I've known for a long time where Mom keeps my wand toys. I even come running every time she opens the closet! Guess what? I FINALLY figured out how to open the closet! The closet has sliding doors that don't latch or lock... I can get my paw in at the bottom and manage to push it open it far enough to get at my wand toys! Mom found toys everywhere when she got home from work! Mom says I'm too smart, strong, and determined for my own good! Mom says those are "supervised toys" though and she's now going to re-locate what's left of them! What's up with that? If they are supervised toys, how am I supposed to supervise and "kill" them when I can't get at them?

My new cat tree!

Mom FINALLY ordered a cat tree for us! She found this one on sale and ordered it for us tonight. I'm so excited - I can't wait for it to be delivered!

Here's the link to the cat tree I'm getting - BigFoot

Another cat show...

Well, Mom took me to the CFA cat show last weekend in Arlington Heights, IL. I didn't do very well this time. The show season ends in April and begins again in May so the toughest competition is out all over trying to get last minute points for Regional and National awards. There were a lot of really nice cats there in contention for Regional/National awards (and several from other regions). There was even a couple benched near us who drove all the way from FL to show their cat as there wasn't any shows in their region that weekend. There were also at least three judges there as exhibitors showing their cats (including one who breeds EB's and brought some of her cats in the same class). The competition was just too tough this time and I didn't get any finals or Grand points at this show. I did get 2nd Best of Breed in 3 rings and a few Regional points though. We will try a few more shows when the new show season starts again and the competition is a little less fierce.

Another cat show

Mom took me to the Saintly City Cat Club show in Saint Paul, MN this weekend. This weekend's show went MUCH better! No bathroom mishaps - Mom had me ride in a larger crate with a small litter box (which I did end up using!). It was a 2 day show, but only 6 rings (4 All Breed, 2 Specialty). It had a decent count too, "unofficially" 40(12) in Premiership and 18(7) Shorthairs. Saturday I made one final - the Shorthair Specialty final - 10th Best Cat. Sunday I made another final - Shorthair Specialty again, 8th Best Cat and the judge also gave me an additonal ribbon for Best Premier. I wasn't able to make any of the All Breed finals, but another judge (on Sunday) did give me a ribbon for 2nd Best Shorthair Premier. I came home with 4 pretty rosettes and Mom is thinking I will probably get about 15 Grand points from this show.

The judges did have some really nice things to say about me too. They liked my eyes and eye color, my heavy muscular body, my even cream coloring and coat, and one judge even said I was beautifully presented and my coat felt like a million bucks! That really made Mom happy - especially after all of my "grooming issues" last time! Yes, they all got my color right this time - yay! One judge said I was kind of a "hot" cream though - was she hitting on me?!

*Update* I received 16 Grand Premier points at this show. This brings me to 56 cumulative Grand Premier points. 75 points are required for the title of Grand Premier. I need 19 more points - I'm almost there!

European Burmese

Pawsome! European Burmese are the featured breed today on Catster! I am a cream European Burmese so of course I think EB's are the greatest - but I'm biased!