Hi Julie.
We are now not sure what sex our new kitten will be as since joining this forum we have learnt that there are really no concerns over which sex we introduce to Nikitas home,
We will see which kitten we fall in love with from our breeders next litter as we have first pick due to being the first to pay our deposit.
If we choose another girl her name will definately be
Chloe but if we chose a little boy we really dont know ???.
We would love a little boy next but honestly dont mind as long as its another raggie,
but thats already a certainty.
Our new kitten should be coming home in Jan 09, seems so far away.
Cheers, Paul
gosh that seems such a long time to wait but it's gonna be worth it are you getting the kitten from the same breeder that you got Niki ? are your ears burning LOL cause I was just saying to my husband about all the people on the forum and I was explaining how you and Rachael are brother and sister and how she has wilson and you have niki , by the way how is Rachael and Wilson hope they are all well.
Love the name Chloe as you may have read that was my little dog's name that passed away earlier this year she was 15years old , what did you think of the ragdoll book I emailed did you find it useful?
Hi All
Well I went to the show on Saturday it was lovely to see all the cats and there were lots of different colours and patterns I hadn't seen in person before , I must say that it wasn't quite what I expected it to be and I did not find the atmosphere warm or welcoming. I did meet Terri who is a local breeder and a member of this group and introduced myself she was lovely but unfortunately she was on front door duty and we only talked briefly, not one person approached me or invited me to talk about their cats it was very dissappointing. I understand that this was a small show and I thought it might have been more welcoming I did ask the lady next to me if she was a breeder and if she had any cats in the show she said she had two ragdolls in the show, she was a breeder, she was new to showing, and that was about the conversation even after i said that i had come specifically to meet breeders and learn more with the idea of purchasing another cat? I would have thought that my showing interest in the ragdolls would have enticed SOMEONE to approach me and introduce themselves also they were a tight knit group and did not seem approachable . There is another show is Sept at the same place I might try again, however the whole experience turned me off any ideas from you would be good sorry for the long post but I was quite angry !!!! another thing was unless you had a cat entered you could not get a programme so I had no idea whose cat's were whose ie who the breeder was or exhibitor so was pretty useless as a prospective buyer I would have thought they would want people to know that was one of their cats.
Hi Julie.
Am sorry for you that the show was dissappointing, I had a similar thing when I first entered the caravan repair industry with my business 5 years ago, went to the big show, We got a very cold reception, real close knit industry but as time went on and we did more and more shows it all turned around, now am very respected and in some ways sometimes used as a benchmark in certain areas, sorry to harp on about non cat related stuff but trying to say "dont give up" just yet.
Our new girl will be from the same breeder, we love our breeder, good news is that I miss-judged all the timing.
Our kitten is due to be born on the 25th of this month (my Joshuas birthday) so 12 weeks after that equals before Xmas (sooner than I thought).
Love it, we can settle her in over the break we have when we shut our business down over Xmas.
Sorry again Julie, hope the next show is better.
Cheers, Paul
milo's mum Wrote:Hi All
Well I went to the show on Saturday it was lovely to see all the cats and there were lots of different colours and patterns I hadn't seen in person before , I must say that it wasn't quite what I expected it to be and I did not find the atmosphere warm or welcoming.
Hi paul
I had my own business for several years and won awards for customer service and product for best store in Victoria for several years running, had I treated a prospective client like this I would not have been in business I am interested to see what others have to say wether this is the norm for cat shows
On a more positive note glad to hear that you will be getting your new baby sooner that one great christmas pressie, ps if cash;s mum ever comes to australia you'll have to fight me for the rights lol i just love her photos
A cat show is not perceived by the participants as a show for the public in order to "sell." In fact, selling is a bit frowned upon. It is more like you went to a beauty pageant and were allowed backstage. You would not expect to have a chat with the folks in the hope of making friends. In addition, many breeders are very concerned about the contact of others with their cats, since picking up something at a show and bringing it back to the cattery can be catastrophic. Not only do folks not want their cat's touched, they do not really want folks too close.
One can sit in the rings and watch and see many breeds, colors and patterns. One can walk through the benching area and see the cats in their cages. One can also find SOME breeders who will take time from preparing cats and rushing to rings to talk and even some that will allow handling of their cats. It is not like an RV show or a car or boat show where interacting with the public and selling is the only purpose. It is more like going to a baseball game or swimming meet and getting to walk around behind the scenes. You would not expect to chat with A-Rod before he goes up to bat or while he is in the shower.
Expect to be treated like a customer by the show vendors, not so much by the breeders showing their cats.
I'm sorry the cat show was a bit of a disappointment for you. I have had the exact same experience here. So, when it came time for me to contact breeders I was a bit leary as to what to expect...it was totally fine outside of the "show" scene. I'm not sure why it's like that at the shows, but I understand the feeling. I've had the exact opposite experience at dog shows. Not sure why it's different. Hopefully the next one will be better.
Edited to add, after reading JanH post above, it make more sense to me now from a breeders perspective.
Hi Julie
I was contacting breeders in my local area looking for upcoming litters. During that time 2x breeders told me about a show they were going to the next week and invited me to go and have a look see. And of course to go and talk to them when I got there. They were very friendly. This could also have been that I was interested in a kitten but I got the impression they would be happy to show me their cats. Unfortunately my son ended up sick so I could not attend the show.
Why not do the same and contact local breeders to see if they are going to that particular show and talk about seeing them there, then you are not just a face in the crowd.
http://www.cat-world.com.au/Ragdoll.htm
Good luck
Hi all and thanks for your response's - Jan I understand what you are saying and agree with most of the points you make, however I did not go there with the intention of being able to cuddle cute adorable cats/kittens - but more with the intention of gaining more knowledge about the breed and meeting like minded people, also I had hoped to meet breeders from my area so that I could get a relationship started if you are going to have a ongoing relationship with breeder particularly if buying a show kitten you need the experience,communication and relationship to be a positive one and there is nothing like meeting someone in person first impressions count! As this was a small show and obviously everyone knew everyone I would have thought a new face would have drawn people into a conversation or the event organiser's would make an effort to welcome and direct you to appropriate people and answer questions, after all they charge you to walk thru the door so they are happy to make money off vistors. I have still not decided if I will go to the next one I understand that there would be certain etiquette the show would expect but surely this should include welcoming vistors and guests.
As you found, that is often not what happens. As for getting a show alter, it is good to visit a show and talk to the breeders. You need to approach them and tell them about your hopes and plans. However, keep in mind that some breeders feel placing show breeders locally means they are competing with themselves and are resistant. However, I would think most breeders are more open to that. However, expect to have to make the approach.
Ask if they will have time to talk, since they may not have time then, or even if you can get their telephone number and call them later about it (which is probably even better). Do not forget to exclaim about the wonders of their cat(s), because all breeders are suckers for that line. ; ) Just make sure you vary it a bit for those in earshot of each other.