kittens

CFA’s Top 25
KITTENS
by Linda S. Bartley
T
he economy has certainly made an
impact on the number of kittens being
shown this past season but not the quality!
Judges were often heard to remark that the
decisions on which kittens they wanted
to bring back for finals was very difficult.
Many of the shows did not have the usual
high number of entries that exhibitors were
accustomed to finding during prime kitten
season. Many of the owners of the kittens
were forced to fly to shows extensively, and
others were able to only fly to one show or
not fly at all. There was also some controversy
with the effect that the National Show had
during prime kitten season. Some kittens
fell out that normally would have been in
for National Wins because of that show and
several other shows’ inflated kitten counts.
Some kittens were able to gain 500 to 1000
points in one weekend, which was hard to
overcome. And some of the NW kittens had
already moved on into the Championship
classes by the time the National Show was
held. Many people complained that the
inflated counts caused by stuffing at later
kitten shows were also unfair to some.
It has been a memorable year of the first
National Wins for two of our breeds. We
had the first National Wins for the Oriental
Longhair and Siberian breeds in any class,
and we were excited at their success. Some
of these kittens are the first National Win
for the breeders and/or owners, and some
are following the traditions for their breeders
and owners of many National Wins with
their cats. This includes three National
Kitten Wins for breeder Frederic Gaspard
this season and multiple wins for several
other breeders and owners. It has been a
wonderful year and a heartbreaking year for
some, including the devastating loss of our
Kitten of the Year.
We had a National Winning kitten from
Europe that was only shown a few times in
the United States, including the National
Show. We had twenty-three kittens from the
United States, one from Italy and one from
Canada. We had three kittens from Regions
1, 2, 4 and 6, but we had six kittens from
Regions 5 and 7. We had no NW kittens
from Regions 3 and 8. We had fifteen female
and ten male kittens. All but a few were coowned with at least some of the breeders.
We had fifteen shorthair kittens, including
three American Shorthairs and three Sphynx.
We also had one Abyssinian, one American
Wirehair, one Russian Blue, one Devon
Rex, one Manx, one Oriental Shorthair,
one Oriental Longhair and one each of the
Scottish Folds, longhair and shorthair. We
had ten longhair kittens, with Persians again
leading the pack with five solid colors and
one bi-color. We also had one Birman, one
Exotic, one Maine Coon and one Siberian.
It is with great admiration and pride that we
present the Top Kittens’ stories for the 20112012 season.
Best Kitten: NW D’Eden Lover Maestro of Catsafrats
Blue Persian Male
Breeder: Frederic Gaspard
Owner: Bruce & Donna Isenberg, Gaspard & Leclerc
Submitted by Donna Isenberg
N
W D’Eden Lover Maestro of
Catsafrats was CFA’s Best Allbreed
kitten and Best Solid Color Persian. He was
a blue Persian male kitten and was bred by
Frederic Gaspard and owned by Bruce and
Donna Isenberg, Gaspard and Leclerc of
Culver City, CA.
As Maestro developed, Frederic was
delighted with him and asked if Bruce and
Donna would be interested in showing
him and keeping him for their breeding
program. Maestro was structurally as perfect
as a Persian kitten could be: large, expressive
copper eyes, wonderful boning, oodles of
coat, and the color…magnificent. Maestro’s
sire is CH Kuorii Soprano of D’Eden Lover,
and his dam is D’Eden Lover Bella.
Still, Donna was not thrilled to have a
“blue” in her breeding program and resisted
until he appeared before her in Frederic’s
hotel room. Maestro was a whirling dervish
and really did not have time for perusal or
approval, yet instantly he was theirs. Maestro
came “home” after the Southern Annual
last year, and he resided with Bruce and
Donna (though co-owned with Frederic
Gaspard and Annie Leclerc) until December
3, 2011, when the unthinkable happened:
two days shy of turning eight months old,
Maestro died suddenly. Maestro did not
suffer…Only those that loved him suffer
his devastating loss. Maestro achieved the
honor of becoming the highest scoring kitten
in CFA history and was the Best Kitten at
the CFA National Show in Indianapolis last
November. Although Maestro is not here.
he achievements remain an honor bestowed
upon a kitten that deserved every accolade
given to him in his short life span.
Bruce and Donna’s love for Maestro has not
diminished with time; their reverence for his
perfection will exist forevermore, and as for his
loss…there really aren’t any words to express
their sorrow. Maestro will remain a kitten
forever; he will not grow old, suffer the sands
of time, or loss of beauty…Maestro, and all the
wonderful times they shared, will remaine in
Bruce and Donna’s hearts as long as they live.
Life is brilliant, delightful, horrible, charming,
thrilling, agonizing and bittersweet…It is an
adventure to be treasured and tasted with all we
have. Bruce and Donna are thankful for all of it!
“Till we meet again, darling boy, be happy.”
2nd Best Kitten: GC, NW Anqet Akasha
Ruddy Abyssinian Male
Breeder: Dianne Henderson
Owner: Dianne Henderson
Submitted by Dianne Henderson
G
C, NW Anqet Akasha was CFA’s 2nd
Best Kitten, CFA’s Best Shorthair
Kitten, and the Best Abyssinian Kitten.
Akasha is a male Ruddy Abyssinian, and was
bred and owned by Dianne Henderson of
Corona del Mar, CA.
Dianne thought Akasha might be a National
Winner when his big beautiful eyes opened
at 7 days old. When Akasha was two weeks
old, she was 100% sure – she is not kidding.
Akasha debuted at the prestigious National
Capital cat show in DC at 4 months and 4
days old, where he was 6th Highest Scoring
Kitten. At the fabulous Cotton States Cat
Club, Akasha was Highest Scoring Kitten. At
the CFA National Show, he was 2nd Highest
Scoring Kitten and a proud participant in
the Best of the Best, where he also achieved
the Breed Win. Akasha’s final kitten show
was December 31, 2011 at the Nashville Cat
Club; he was 2nd Highest Scoring Kitten.
© Chanan
Of the 11 shows Dianne exhibited at, she
drove to 3 and flew to 8. She showed in 7
states (AZ, CA, CO, GA, IN, TN, VA).
The show which had the biggest impact on
Akasha’s National Win was the CFA National
Show, where he earned 1,232 points and had
only 214 replacement points. So Akasha
netted 1,018 for that show, which did propel
him up the NW ladder. Luckily, he was
peaking at the perfect time and benefited as
such. Akasha didn’t always fall into the Top
Five at every show; he had “bad” shows, too.
He was the SWR’s 2nd Best Kitten and Best
of the Best at the CFA National Show.
Dianne said that the show she was most
impressed with during the 2011-2012
season was the Cotton States cat show in
Duluth, GA. She had never shown at Cotton
States before, and she was so impressed by
the attention to detail and warmth of the
Southern hospitality. “These people know
how to put on a show, let me tell you!” Dianne
commented. The show was an incredible
experience which every CFA exhibitor must
experience. She calls it the “Cotton States
Experience” – truly an amazing show.
Dianne thanks her husband, Scott, for his
constant support. Some may have had a glimpse
of him in a fleeting moment, as he rarely came
into the show hall, but he is always her rock.
He made sure that Akasha and Dianne got
to the shows and home again always safe and
happy. He is very proud of them both.
Akasha is sired by GC, BW, NW Astech’s
Jet Stream, who is owned by Sue Truesdell.
Thank you so much, Sue, for allowing the
union of Jet and Akasha’s mother, Anqet
Soot Singh. Competition is always stiff in
CFA, and winning 2nd Best Kitten is an
absolute thrill for Dianne and something
to be very proud of. New friends and fun
times with old friends is the best. However,
behind the titles and the shows, there is
another facet of deep reward which Dianne
receives. Through the process of breeding
and showing, she cannot keep all of her
kittens, and what gives her that extra special
heartfelt warmth is seeing the joy an Anqet
kitten brings to so many loving families.
3rd Best Kitten: NW Velva’s Alyona
Russian Blue Female
Breeder: Bob & Diana Doernberg & Rick Hoskinson
Owner: Diana, Bob & Michael Doernberg
Submitted by Diana Doernberg
N
W Velva’s Alyona is CFA’s Third Best
Kitten and Best Russian Blue Kitten.
She was bred by Bob and Diana Doernberg
and Rick Hoskinson and owned by Michael,
Bob and Diana Doernberg of Akron, Ohio.
Alyona is the repeat breeding of last year’s
Third Best Kitten, GC, NW Velva’s Stepping
Out of Teada, and 2010 Cat of the Year,
GC, BW, NW Velva’s Felling Hot,Hot,Hot.
In my experience, it is the rare breeding
indeed that produces consistent quality. But
such has been our good fortune with the
combination of Richson Blu Star of Velva,
DM (thank you, Rick Hoskinson) and GC
Wynterwynd Jackpot of Velva (thank you,
Annette Wilson). Again, this year it produced
a National Winner.
And perhaps like the third child in a family,
Velva’s Alyona was more appreciated at
our house for her winning personality and
boundless energy than for her winning ways in
the show ring. From the beginning, we knew
that Alyona was destined to go to Sherry and
John Randolph in Phoenix, AZ if she found
success in the show ring. The Randolph’s had
been introduced to us by Dick Kallmeyer and
Diana Rothermel as prospective Russian Blue
breeders. Thanks so much Dick and Diana
for sending the Randolph’s our way. Their
enthusiasm for all things CFA has been very
exciting and takes us back to our own first
nervous days in the cat fancy.
So as we did the year before, we took Alyona
out initialy because we wanted to be sure that
she would enjoy the show scene and hoped
© L. Johnson
that actually showing her would confirm
our feeling that she had show potential. She
took Best Kitten honors in her first four
shows and was shown beautifully by Donna
Andrews in her fifth show to Second Best
Kitten in Show. Our thanks to Donna for
her help! This was Donna’s first experience
with showing a Russian Blue kitten, and
Alyona came back to our house with great
toys and a lovely “cozy” to sleep in. Thanks
also for marking the catalog, Donna. Our
son Michael never marks anything in the
catalog when he shows one of our cats.
Alyona was shown in a total of ten shows
(one a back-to-back). She was Third Highest
Scoring Kitten at the National Show to the
top two kittens nationally, which certainly
gave her a big step up in point count. Because
this first National Show had such a big point
count, it was very nerve-racking for everyone
showing I know. Fortunately for us, Alyona’s
personality really seemed to sparkle at this
big event. Sherry and John got to show her
in one show, also, and did a great job with
the support and help of their enthusiastic cat
fancy friends in Phoenix.
At the end of Alyona’s kitten show career,
she decided she preferred the life of a
stay-at-home mom. She is now living in
Phoenix, AZ with Sherry and John, raising
her three kittens. What could be better
than that? Our thanks to all the judges
who supported her this season, and to the
Great Lakes Region for a truly memorable
regional awards banquet.
4th Best Kitten: GC, NW PinUpCats Over The Rainbow
Calico Sphynx Female
Breeder: Cyndee Gause
Owner: Gause, Marshall, Randazzo & Wight
Submitted by Cyndee Gause
G
C, NW PinUpCats Over The Rainbow
was CFA’s 4th Best Kitten and Best
Sphynx kitten. She was a calico Sphynx
female kitten; her breeder was Cyndee
Gause, and her owners were Gause, Marshall,
Randazzo and Wight of Peachtree, GA.
came down with mastitis. Now I had never
experienced this in my cattery before, and
to have two cases in such a short time, I will
admit that I did panic a bit over the situation.
Now I had 4 kittens that needed another
mother to take them in and raise them.
It often takes a village to raise a child, and the
same can sometimes be said of our beloved
cats. “Rainy,” often called “Dainy” because
she’s so ditzy, truly was from my miracle litter
and my very first “PinUpCats to PinUpCats”
breeding, which had been years in the
making. Her mother, GC, GP, BW, NW
PinUpCats Vision In Black & White, DM,
had fertility complications of which we did
not know if she’d ever bear children again.
She surprised me and became pregnant
despite the odds. My wonderful vet, our
very own Karen Thomas, DVM of Panthat
Cattery, had a game plan. So I marked my
calendar and started counting the days.
For once, my “oops” litter turned out to be a
good thing. I had not planned on breeding
Poopsie’s other daughter, Bright (GC, RW
PinUpCats Bright New Day); however,
Bright had ideas of her own and sneaked in
to see her favorite beau without my knowing
Poopsie had an uncomplicated pregnancy and
seemed to glow with the prospect of having
another litter and started making her nests all
over the house. As it became clear that she
was not going to progress into labor, Karen
performed a C-section on the date we had
chosen. She delivered three beautiful kittens:
Rainy, Elmo and Shadow. Alas, after a few
days of tending to her kittens in traditional
overbearing Poopsie fashion, she came down
with mastitis, and I had to make the choice
of having another momma raise her kittens.
I chose to move her kittens to her daughter
Nexie (GC PinUpCats Next Top Model),
who took over the task with great glee. Nexie
had just delivered a singleton, and I swear,
when I put the three kittens with her, she
looked at me as though saying, “I knew I had
more in there, I just knew it!” Let’s just say
that Nexie had always been a little zaftig, and
upon looking at her big fat belly, I could see
why she thought she should have had more!
Things went well and the kittens thrived,
but as my bad luck would have it, Nexie also
until the following morning, when they
were discovered canoodling together in their
favorite bed! I was glad of that outing now, as
she had just delivered 4 kittens the day before.
Whether she would be able to handle all 8
kittens was forefront in my mind, and all I
could do was ask her and see. I should never
have doubted it. Bright took on the task and
succeeded in raising three litters of kittens,
loving them all as if they were her own.
Poopsie and Nexie went on to fully recover
from their mastitis. The kittens thrived,
and eventually they all came together to
help raise and love their children, one
happy village of naked Sphynx cats. As the
kittens grew, I couldn’t help but be drawn
to Rainy’s huge copper eyes and soulful
expression. She showed a lot of promise,
and as she continued to grow and mature, I
was hoping she’d keep that sweet temper she
had at home and bring her loving attitude
to the judge’s tables. Her mother, after all,
was famous for being a brat!
I should never have worried. Rainy loved
to show and had no problem letting the
judges see that. She took to her show
career like a pro, winning over hearts with
her head butts and nose kisses, which
only accentuated her wonderful type. She
did quite well at the first National Show,
even earning a Best Kitten in one of the
rings. With the help of several special
people (Daedra Marshall, Dawn Randazzo,
Virginia Wight), she was able to take her
journey all the way and become CFA’s
4th Best Kitten and Best Kitten in the
Southern Region.
I wish I could share the picture Karen took of
Rainy and her brothers right after they were
born. All wrapped up, looking like little baby
birds. It’s a reminder of the precious gift we
are given every time a litter is born, and no
matter the obstacles we face, we have family
and friends – our own cat fancy village – that
will always be there to help and support us in
our times of need.
5th Best Kitten: GC, NW Topeng I’vegotnews4you of Purrmatix
Ebony Mackerel Tabby & White Oriental Longhair Male
Breeder: Marcie Siconolfi & Terrie & Bruce Smith
Owner: Terrie & Bruce Smith
Submitted by Terrie Smith
in love with a tabby and white male. From the
tender age of three weeks, Terrie could tell a
star had been born. Terrie usually names the
show cats sired by “Buddy” news names, so
after much deliberation this beautiful kitten
was named “Topeng I’vegotnews4you of
Purrmatix,” aka “Huey.”
The rest of the kittens were also lovely. Marcie
would keep the blue lynx point female AOV
to start her Bali/Javi program, the bi-color
girl went to the Wellman’s in Massachusetts,
a seal lynx and white girl was placed as a
pet due to being too “low white” to show,
and Huey’s handsome ebony tabby brother
Victor would go to Nina-Maria Tigerstedt in
Finland – more about Victor later.
G
C, NW Topeng I’vegotnews4you of
Purrmatix is CFA’s Fifth Best Kitten
and Best Oriental Longhair Kitten. He is an
ebony mackerel tabby and white male. He
was bred by Marcie Siconolfi and Terrie and
Bruce Smith, and owned by Terrie and Bruce
Smith of Northport, NY.
Huey is the very first Oriental Longhair kitten
to make a National Win! How did this amazing
boy come to be? The story goes like this…
Terrie Smith met Marcie Siconolfi which
Marcie was showing her Siamese neuter a few
years back, and they became friends. Marcie
expressed an interest in getting a Balinese or
Javanese one day, but none were available.
One day, Terrie called Marcie to tell her, “I
don’t have any Balis right now, but I have a
really cute litter of Oriental Longhairs,” so
Marcie came over to check them out. She
fell in love with a darling chestnut ticked
tabby and white girl, and Marcie named her
“Bubbles.” Purrmatix Tiny Bubbles of Topeng
was really a fitting name because of her
“bubbly” personality and also because Marcie
and her husband Mike own two laundromats
on Long Island. Someday, this adorable girl
would be bred to Terrie and Bruce’s Javanese
National Winning male “Buddy” – GC,
BW, NW Purrmatix Headline News, DM,
a breeding Terrie felt very strongly would
produce lovely kittens. Fast forward ten
months or so, and on June 9, 2011, Marcie
called Terrie to tell her five beautiful kittens
had been born. A few weeks later, Terrie went
to see the litter, and they were gorgeous – all
five of them. This time it was Terrie who fell
Terrie was in the process of showing another
lovely Oriental Longhair in Championship,
so Huey and Chrissie became fast friends
and were off on the campaign trail together.
At his first kitten show, he made a Best
Allbreed Kitten and several other finals, and
the very next weekend in Groton, CT, Huey
“blacklined” the show. This was unheard of
for a 4-month-old Oriental Longhair; in
fact, it had never happened before! Terrie and
Marcie were both elated, and plans began to
really make a run with this boy!
Weekend after weekend, the shows kept
getting bigger, and Huey kept doing well. At
5 months of age, Huey competed at the CFA
National Show, with 215 kittens present.
Huey made many of the finals, including a
Best Allbreed Kitten! In fact, he did so well
he was once of the 18 finalists in the Best of
the Best and finished as 3rd Best Shorthair
Kitten in Show with over 800 points! At this
point, a National Kitten Win looked like
it was really possible! By the middle of his
6th month, Huey had enough points for a
National Win, and the rest was icing on the
cake! Many judges told Terrie he was the best
Oriental Longhair they had ever handled, and
one judge even said that Huey was one of the
best cats she had ever handled in any breed!
In early February, Huey went to Steel City
Kitties’ first show as an open and left that
Saturday as a one-show Grand! He was also
his sire’s 14th Grand! Shortly after that, Terrie
decided to retire Chrissie, as her National Win
in Championship (also a breed first) seemed
to be locked up. In early April, Nina from
Finland texted Terrie from a show in Sweden
to tell her Victor had just granded to become
Buddy’s 15th Grand! Now it was time to see if
Huey had enough time to earn enough points
to be 2nd Best of Breed. He did! In only 6
weeks of shows as an adult, Huey made 2nd
Best of Breed and 15th Best Cat in the NAR!
He also ended up as Best Kitten in the North
Atlantic Region! Not bad for Terrie, Bruce
and Marcie’s first National Kitten Win! Also
of note is that this was only Marcie’s second
litter and first litter of Oriental Longhairs!
Terrie says that as a breeder of 23 years,
this past season was the most fulfilling she
had ever had. The elusive goal of getting a
national winning Oriental Longhair was
obtained, with not one but two National
Winners. Terrie was also the co-breeder
of Betty Powell’s beautiful boy “Chase” in
Premiership with Betty Powell and Lynne
Von Egidy (congrats Chase!) and had 6
Regional Winners and a male DM! The
moral of this story is that starting off a new
breeder with quality cats is the right thing to
do. Huey has been an absolute joy to Terrie
and Bruce, and he’s not done yet! Marcie
and Terrie hope to continue working on
Balis, Javis and Oriental Longhairs together
and would like to thank the judges who saw
that special something in Huey. Also, many
thanks to their friends and fellow exhibitors
for their support and encouragement! It’s
been a blast!
6th Best Kitten: GC, NW Kiomichi’s Margo of Briar-Mar
Odd-Eyed White Manx Shorthair Female
Breeder: Mark Davis
Owner: Omar F. Gonzalez & Gary L. Veach
Submitted by Omar F. Gonzalez
G
C, NW Kiomichi’s Margo of BriarMar was CFA’s Sixth Best Kitten and
Best Manx Kitten. She is an odd-eyed white
Manx female and was bred by Mark Davis of
Luther, OK and owned by Omar Gonzalez
and Gary Veach of Maywood, NJ.
Margo’s story is pretty short; we were
approached by her breeder knowing that
Omar wanted another Manx, but it had to be
white, his favorite color. After seeing photos
of Margo, we were sure she was the right
kitten for us. Margo has incredible eye color,
a wonderful short body and beautiful overall
balance. She came to us in the beginning of
December and went to her first show at the
end of the month to make her debut. She
was shown in a total of 54 rings from the last
weekend in December through the second
weekend in February. By her fifth show, she
was ranked in the Top Ten. By her seventh
show, she was sixth nationally, where she
stayed for the rest of the season. She attended
a total of eight shows, in six of which she was
Highest Scoring, and only missed three finals.
She went on to become a one-show Grand by
the middle of March. Although it was a quick
run, both Gary and Omar enjoyed going out
and showing again and being amongst friends.
7th Best Kitten: GC, NW Cinema’s Poetry of Wishes
Copper-Eyed White Persian Female
Breeder: Blake Mayes & Dennis Adler
Owner: Connie Stewart, Dennis Adler & Blake Mayes
Submitted by Blake Mayes & Dennis Adler
G
C, NW Cinema’s Poetry of Wishes
was CFA’s 7th Best Kitten and is a
copper eyed white female Persian kitten.
She was bred by Blake Mayes and Dennis
Adler and owned by Connie Stewart,
Dennis Adler and Blake Mayes of Temple
City, CA.
Although we have been involved in the cat
fancy since the 1980’s, we had taken a break
from showing for a few years but still bred
the occasional litter of kittens. Then last
June we had a litter, and there was a little
white female that was a stand-out from day
one. By the time she was two months old
and ready to be weaned, I knew we had
something extra special. I took some photos,
sent them to some friends and very quickly
received an email from Connie Stewart
that simply said, “Call me.” We have been
friends with Connie for over 20 years but
had not talked in a while, and I was thrilled
to find out she liked our kitten. Plans were
made to take the kitten to Connie to see in
person, and before we knew it, Poetry was
in the show halls.
We waited anxiously every week for an
update on how Connie and Poetry did at
the shows. We were showing another white
female kitten ourselves at the same time,
when another exhibitor that we had just
met came up and told us to watch where we
went because Connie Stewart was showing a
beautiful white female that was doing very
well. I simply smiled and told them I had
seen the kitten and thought she was beautiful
as well. When we were not showing, we went
to shows that were close to where Connie
and Poetry were to hang out with them.
There was a show in Phoenix we went to
where Poetry completed her 40th ring with
over 2700 points, and we all celebrated,
feeling she was probably safe. Poetry had
major competition at every show in her own
class, but she always did well and raised her
placing every week.
She granded in one show, and her show career
was then retired. I cannot express my gratitude
to Connie Stewart. I watched first hand every
week her major dedication to the cats, their
presentation and care. She devoted her entire
life to the campaign and care of Poetry. For me,
it was pretty amazing to watch. It was sometime
during the campaign I started calling her the
hardest working woman in CFA. Since we had
been out of the loop for a few years, it was great
to see old friends and make new ones.
Showing cats gets into your blood. You can
get in, but you never really get out. The thrill
of the season sparked all the old excitement
again, and since then we have been back at
it with a force, but the best part of the year
was becoming close again with Connie and
seeing Poetry, that little stand-out white
female kitten, out there competing, winning
and looking beautiful. The 2011-2012 CFA
show season will be one I’ll never forget.
Thank you Connie for your friendship, hard
work and everything you did for Poetry.
8th Best Kitten: GC, NW D’Eden Lover Gypsy of Parti Wai Ex
Brown Patched Spotted Tabby & White Exotic Female
Breeder: Stewart, Gaspard & Carnevaletti
Owner: Richter, Gaspard & Leclerc
Submitted by Penni Richter
G
C, NW D’Eden Lover Gypsy of Parti
Wai Ex was CFA’s Eighth Best Kitten
and Best Exotic Kitten. Hi! I am a brown
patched spotty tabby and white Exotic
female kitten. I was bred by Stewart, Gaspard
and Carnevaletti. I am owned by Richter,
Gaspard and Leclerc of Riverside, CA. I have
a long name and can’t remember it, so I just
go by the name Gypsy! I am supposed to tell
you my story of how I became CFA’s 8th Best
Kitten nationally!
© Chanan
Well, it all started when I was a young baby
living in France, and my caretaker thought
I was PERFECT!! Her name was Annie
Leclerc, and she told my other caretaker,
Frederic Gaspard, “You must see this baby!”
Frederic saw me and said, “Oh…you ARE
perfect!” Frederic and Annie went to the
United States for a big party and told my
new mommy, “We have the perfect kitten!”
My new mommy, Penni Richter, said, “Oh,
please send her to me!” And they did! So that
was the beginning of my National Win!
I came to the United States when I was
just a 4-month-old baby. My new mommy
thought I was perfect and loved me! I was so
happy! I went on several trips and got to play
on little tables with lots of different people
that picked me up, felt my coat, felt my head
and tail, looked into my big eyes, played with
me and put me in a cage. Very strange, but I
really enjoyed it!
My mom said we get to keep doing these
fun things until you are 8 months old! We
traveled to several different places; one
special place was Indianapolis, Indiana,
where I competed in a very big show with
lots of other beautiful kitties, and I was in the
Best of the Best competition! I tied for Best
Exotic in the show with my big brother GC,
BW, NW D’Eden Lover Pepito of Wishes…
YEAH Pepito!!!
I went to my last show as a new adult in January
of 2012. At the San Diego Cat Club show, I
became a Grand Champion in 5 rings. Today,
I am a mommy! I have four beautiful babies,
and my human mom says I do a very good
job with them! My human mom is very proud
and would like to thank everybody for their
support and encouragement, and for joining
in all of the fun we had during our show times!
9th Best Kitten: GC, NW Kikapoo’s Belle-Of-The Bald
Calico Sphynx Female
Breeder: E. & C. Wang & Dee Dee & Bryan Cantley
Owner: Dee Dee & Bryan Cantley & Vickie Gray
Submitted by Dee Dee Cantley
G
C, NW Kikapoo’s Belle-Of-The Bald
was CFA’s Ninth Best Kitten and is a
calico Sphynx. She was bred by E. and C.
Wang and D. and B. Cantley and is owned
by Dee Dee and Bryan Cantley and Vickie
Gray of La Habra, CA.
From the moment that my husband Bryan
saw her peek over the edge of the birthing
box, we knew she was “special.” This kitten
with the big eyes and ears…and ohhh what
an incredible personality!!! We named this
little calico kitten Kikapoo’s Belle-Of-The
Bald, and the rest was to be history. I had
decided to take off the year from much
showing, as I had scheduled major surgery, a
hip replacement, later in the year. When she
was just 3 months old, we took her on a trip
in the motor-home to a show in Reno, and
I offered her to a friend who liked to show. I
said, “This is a National quality kitten,” but
alas, the friend had plans for the year and
declined. I also offered her to a newbie who
was waiting for another kitten in another
breed, and again this did not work out. So
finally my friend Vickie saw Bella (as she
came to be known) and breathed, “Wow,
this kitten is spectacular.” Vickie took her
home, then to a few shows in which Bella did
stupendous, and then…life got in the way of
her keeping Bella! Vickie was heartbroken
but handed her back to me, and at that very
point I made the decision to keep Vickie
on as co-owner and continue Bella’s career
because “it was just the right thing to do.”
As Vickie was unable to take her to any more
shows and I was to get Bella back the week
before the National Capital Show, I decided
to enter her. This show had its usual caliber
of fierce competition, and our little 5-monthold kitten proceeded to be Second Highest
Scoring Kitten in Show. It was sealed…Her
type was the best I have ever produced; we
knew she was going for a National Win, AND
we knew her song, this baby Belle of the Ball!
The last cat I had that enjoyed travel so much
was “Silly,” and she was CFA’s COTY in 2006.
Bella not only enjoyed travel, she demanded it,
often jumping in my suitcase on a Friday and
looking at me as if to say, “Well, where are we
going this time?” We traveled to Europe and all
over the country, and she always looked forward
to a new adventure and a new hotel room. She
was always such a dream to travel with!
© Chanan
There has never been as magnificent a kitten
(and later an adult) on the judging table as
Bella! Practically every judge that handled her
can tell you; she would turn around and give
them a loving look and crawl up to kiss and
hug right there in front of everyone! There
were some judges that she especially loved:
Vicki Nye’s hair, Doug Myers’ chin, Wain
Harding’s…well everything about Wain,
and the other exhibitors and competitors
always expected her to steal the show. They
would exclaim, “There she goes,” and she
would delight the crowd as she sucked up
and practically demanded that she be used
in their finals! Bella danced and pranced and
showed herself off to perfection.
No matter what was thrown at her, she
continued to rack up incredible points. She
aged out two weeks before the National
Show, and up till then practically every show
she attended was Best or 2nd Best in Show,
gaining 900+ points virtually every weekend.
This was truly special for both Bryan and I,
and Bella, and no one but time could stop
her! When she turned 8 months and became
an even more beautiful adult, I had never
been as proud. Dancing so lightly, she really
was the most beautiful National Winning
Kitten, this little Belle of the Ball!
10th Best Kitten: GC, NW Lox-Nott Louboutin
Red Persian Male
Breeder: Yoonai & Sophia Staples
Owner: Yoonai & Sophia Staples
Submitted by Yoonai & Sophia Staples
G
C, NW Lox-Nott Louboutin was CFA’s
Tenth Best Kitten. He is a red Persian
male kitten and was bred and owned by
Yoonai and Sophia Staples of Toms River, NJ.
Louie just stood out right from the beginning
with his spotlight eyes and vibrant color. Red
is not our favorite color to show, as we had
been through the “red campaign,” and it is
fraught with many challenges and “opinions.”
However, there isn’t anything quite like a
red personality. Louie is full of personality;
whether it was prancing away on the judge’s
table or lounging out in the benching area,
he always attracted a crowd. Even when we
frequented Kat Brady’s house in Florida, his
inquisitive nature kept him well entertained
with the new, strange, alien-like kitties that
inhabited that home, whether they wanted
to be entertainment or not.
Louboutin was 4 months old when we brought
him to his first show, Garden State. We knew
it was going to be a tough show, especially for
a kitten just barely eligible for Kitten Class. 8
rings and two days later, we would leave that
show was Highest Scoring Kitten, including a
Best Kitten from guest judge Joan Henderson
of Australia. I knew I was in for it when my
mother looked at me in the car and said,
“Better check for good airline tickets.”
My dear friend Claudia Hasay was also
showing her stunning Devon Rex kitten,
Joy Ride, at the time, so we decided to travel
together. “Keep the competition close,” as
she would say, jokingly of course – I think.
Show after show, we would battle it out with
Joy Ride but still remain very supportive of
each other, no matter what the outcome.
That’s truly a sign of a great friend, one that
is there for you in the best of times and there
to rattle your cage when you need it. Louie
and I would meet our fair share of hardships
through his campaign, with him falling ill
and recovering for the good part of August
and September, to questions about his color
and blowing his eye at the last show of his
kitten career. Through it all, he showed what
a true show cat is made of and came back
stronger than ever to finish up his campaign
as a one-show Grand at the Vermont Feline
Fanciers show. He would finish the 20112012 season as 3rd Best Kitten in the North
Atlantic Region, too!
I would like to thank all of the judges that
supported “The Cat with the Red Soul” –
Louboutin, as well as my friends and fellow
exhibitors for their love and support. Thank
you, Claudia, for all the road trips, good
music and great company…Oh yeah, and
for keeping me sane – for the most part.
Thank you Kat Brady again for turning down
your AC, lending me your tub and your
friendship! Last but not least, thank you to
both Mark and David for again giving us the
opportunity to work with your wonderful
lines, as well as your advice and wisdom!
11th Best Kitten: GC, NW Astral Charm Absolutely Precious
Calico Persian Female
Breeder: Robert & Debbie Rosas
Owner: Robert & Debbie Rosas
Submitted by Debbie Rosas
G
C, NW Astral Charm Absolutely
Precious was CFA’s Eleventh Best
Kitten and Best Bicolor Persian Kitten.
She is a calico Persian female and was bred
and owned by Robert and Debbie Rosas of
Basehor, KS.
From the day Abby was born, we felt that she
was absolutely precious. As she developed,
we were even more excited. When she was
I even had time to go to Old Town in San
Diego, which I loved.
On one of our travels, I took Abby to Malibu
Beach to enjoy the sunset, beach and seagulls.
She enjoyed traveling so much that she would
get to talking at the airport. In order to keep
her quiet, I would make a trip to the ladies
room, just to flush the toilet. Yes, that did it;
it would work every time!
four months old, we took her to her first
show to see how she would do. She loved
it and did pretty well for a baby. We had
friends (cheerleaders) who wanted us to try
for a National Win, so off I went to test the
waters. It knew it takes more than having a
NW quality kitten/cat. They have to be able
to travel, eat well and have a good personality.
She is not only beautiful, but she was fun.
She was very easy to show, and she had it all!
When you are from the Midwest Region, you
must fly to almost all of the big count shows.
We have experienced flight cancellations and
delays many times. One particular flight was
delayed going into San Diego, and we were
stuck in Phoenix for the night, where the
temperature was 117 degrees. I felt really bad
for Abby, as she couldn’t take off her winter
coat. That trip was a nightmare in many
ways, but we did make it to the show on
time. Thanks to wonderful friends, I was set
up and ready before we were called up to her
first ring. I even had a flat tire on that trip,
go figure! I enjoyed spending the evenings
with wonderful friends, great dinners, and
If you ever go to a show in New Jersey, you
must go to Harold’s Deli. It is absolutely
wonderful. I bet my eyes bulged when I
noticed all the waiters serving all of the
tables. When I say huge, I mean I made six
meals out of one sandwich. Now that is a big
sandwich. Thanks to some wonderful friends
out east for introducing me to Harold’s Deli.
I had a great time! Abby is still a wild child.
Her batteries never wear out…LOL! She
loves to watch movies and eat popcorn! She
is such a joy; I love that girl!
Thank you to all of the judges who supported
us, to the clubs, clerks and stewards, to all
my old and new friends. It was so wonderful
to see all my old friends and to make new
ones. Thanks to my wonderful husband for
holding down the fort, booking my flights,
motel rooms and car rentals. I could not have
done it without you.
12th Best Kitten: GC, BW, NW Kinross Ears 2 Howie
Brown Mackerel Tabby & White Longhair Scottish Fold Male
Breeder: Bruce & Ev Russell
Owner: T. & J. Patrone & B. & E. Russell
Submitted by T. & J. Patrone
G
C, BW, NW Kinross Ears 2 Howie,
a brown mackerel tabby and white
Longhair Scottish Fold, was the Twelfth Best
Kitten in CFA and best Longhair Scottish
Fold. He was bred by Bruce and EVv Russell
and owned by T. and J. Patrone and B. and
E. Russell of Ontario, Canada.
I have to start my story by saying that GC,
BW, NW Kinross Ears 2 Howie, 12th Best
Kitten in CFA, was not a planned campaign
kitten for mom and I. Fate and a big
disappointment led Howie to us. The first part
of the story relates to the disappointment. In
April of 2011, our great friends Cyndy and
Andrea from Chelsea Rose British Shorthairs
had a promising litter of kittens. If there
was one that was good enough, we would
try to repeat our success from the previous
year with our National Winning kitten
CH, NW Chelsea Rose Thank You For The
Music. There were two blue-cream girls to
choose from, and plans were made to meet
them at the National Capital Show to choose
one. We showed both and, at the end of the
show, RW Chelsea Rose Majogoria Sun (aka
Sunny) came home with us. For a month
and a half, Sunny did well and we thought
we were on our way to a National Win, but
Sunny had other plans. We painfully decided
to stop showing her at the end of October.
While we were waiting for Sunny to grow
up, Bruce and Ev Russell of Kinross Scottish
Folds had a litter of seven kittens in June.
This was a repeat breeding of our second
National Winning kitten from last year, GC,
NW Kinross Sapheara. Mom and I wanted
to concentrate on one kitten this year, but
we couldn’t help watching the progress of
the kittens through the summer. It turned
out that the four girls were all straight ears,
but the three boys all folded. As the kittens
matured, one of the boys, a brown mackerel
tabby and white longhair, just stood out
to us. What a little package he was. Bruce
had been waiting for a boy like this to name
him Kinross Ears 2 Howie in memory of his
friend Howard Lieberman from Pittsburgh,
who had passed away suddenly in 2007.
The first week in November, mom and I
made plans to go to the Butler show to visit
with Bruce and my brother-in-law Edwin.
Bruce was showing Howie and his brother
at their first show. We were still reeling from
the hurt that Sunny had not worked out for
us. I asked mom, “Do you think we should
bring a carrier just in case?” Her response was
a quick, “No way. Are you crazy?” We got to
the show and made our way over to Bruce’s
cage. As soon as I saw Howie, in my mind
there was no way that he was not coming
home with us. I just had to convince mom
of that. He had everything that a Longhair
Scottish Fold should have, not to mention a
major cuteness factor. I don’t know exactly
how it happened, but as the day wore on, the
decision was made to bring Howie home with
us. I think I surprised both mom and Bruce.
Now we had a problem because we hadn’t
brought a carrier. This is where Edwin saved
the day, as he had brought an extra carrier for
his Maine Coon kitten Fancy. That’s how fate
stepped in, and Howie was soon riding home
in the back of our car in his pink Maine Coon
carrier courtesy of Teresa, Edwin and Fancy.
Our first show with Howie was in Dayton,
and it seemed like the majority of kittens
there were campaigning for National Wins.
Howie looked so small compared to everyone
else, but he made three finals. One judge
commented that he had just hatched. As
Howie matured, he started doing very well,
and our unforeseen kitten campaign started
to take off. The highlight for December was
being the Highest Scoring Kitten in Show at
the Lebanon, PA show on Saturday. January
began with a show in Columbus where
Howie was Second Highest Scoring Kitten
in Show. We decided to go to the St. Louis
show the following weekend. It was shaping
up to be a tough show with over 100 kittens
entered. Howie made 7 out of 8 finals with
one Best Kitten and gained almost 600 points
from the show. That made the long 10-hour
drive worth it for us. Howie continued to do
well in his remaining shows. We even stayed
home the final two weeks of his kitten career,
as the counts did not warrant us going out.
There were still two months left in the show
season when Howie aged out in the Kitten
class. His Open show in Championship was
the first week in March in Indianapolis. To
our surprise, Howie granded in four rings the
first day. If that wasn’t exciting enough, his
grand DM’s both his dam and his grand dam.
We showed Howie in 4 more shows to finish
the season, and Howie was also able to capture
the Breed Win for the Longhair Scottish Folds
in CFA. What a great testament to Bruce and
Ev’s breeding program and an exciting year for
us. Thank you to all of the judges that selected
Howie for their finals. What a year!
Mom and I would like to thank Bruce and Ev
for allowing us to show another great kitten,
as Howie marks our third National Winning
kitten with a Kinross Scottish Fold. We would
also like to thank Bruce for looking after
the show entry duties and all his support in
our weekly phone calls throughout Howie’s
campaign. A huge thank you also goes out
to my sister, Teresa Sweeney, for all her love
and support on our win. It was bittersweet
for us, as Teresa’s kitten GC, RW Highlander
Peterbuilt missed a National Win by a narrow
margin. To mirror our story, disappointment
comes with great highs, as Teresa was approved
as one of CFA’s newest judges in March. Mom
and I are so proud of your hard work and
dedication. We know that you will go far.
13th Best Kitten: GC, BW, NW Whitesox Illini
Blue Lynx Point Birman Female
Breeder: K. Lane & S. Carey
Owner: Karen & Joe Lane & Yvonne Griffin
Submitted by Karen Lane
G
C, BW, NW Whitesox Illini is CFA’s
Eleventh Best Kitten and Best Birman
Kitten. She is a blue lynx point Birman
female bred by K. Lane and S. Carey and
owned by Karen and Joe Lane and Yvonne
Griffin of Florida.
This kitten’s name has probably been the most
mispronounced name in CFA this past year.
Illini is pronounced IL - LI - NI - I; that’s
right, four syllables. An Illini is a member
of the Illinois Indian Tribe. I am originally
from Illinois. Also, the University of Illinois’
football team is called the “Fighting Illini,” at
least that is when I went to school. Actually,
we call her “Weapon,” thanks to my friend
Stephanie Boulter, who called her a “Secret
Weapon” when she was still in the kitten box.
One of the neat things about “Weapon” is
she was born at just the right time of the
show season, in March, and had the ability
to attend most of the larger shows during
her kitten time. Her last kitten show was
the National Show, and she got her winners
ribbons and granded in December.
Most people that know me understand
that the friendships I have made in CFA
have kept me in CFA. This kitten, and her
winning season, is a great example of my
friendships in CFA. Right after “Weapon’s”
mom’s and dad’s great genes, Yvonne Griffin
gets all of the credit for making this girl a
winner. She was out with our girl week after
week at the shows. Yvonne is a good friend,
and she handled “Weapon” beautifully, both
in the ring at at her home. Our goal was to
get a National Kitten Win with “Weapon.”
We were elated with her kitten career. She
was a large girl and had the perfect nature to
handle the shows and travel week after week.
At the end of her kitten career, we never had
any idea of looking for the Birman Breed
Win. When we talked about the “maybes”
and the “what-ifs” and about keeping her
out, we thought we had little chance. Yvonne
then said she was game for the challenge if
“Weapon” stayed together. We all know that
showing a female in Championship has its
special challenges with keeping weight and
coat on her as her hormones developed. Like
many breeds, the Birman breed standard is
written for the male, so weight and coat are
essential to compete against the males that
have been out for most of the year.
It has been sixteen years since a Birman
captured a National Kitten Win and the
Breed Win in the same season. A Birman
female has never done this before. What
started out as a goal for a National Kitten
Win ended up being so much more.
© L. Johnson
Yvonne and I want thank our great CFA
judges for supporting this once-in-a-lifetime
experience for “Weapon” and the Whitesox
breeding program. “Weapon’s” next job is
being a CFA IAMSCat. We are now looking
forward to letting the public learn about the
joys of owning a Birman and being part of
the CFA family.
14th Best Kitten: GC, NW Jobara’s Renesmee of Nu Moon
Blue-Eyed White Devon Rex Female
Breeder: Barbara Irie (Lessee)
Owner: B. Irie, T. Orfanos & J. Kleider
Submitted by Barbara Irie
dad and one tiny white girl that was – well,
tiny. Nessie was sort of cute, but would
she be cute enough for our friend, Tina
Orfanos, who breeds silver Persians and was
being mentored fore Devons? Could Nessie
possibly be a replacement kitty for a Regional
Winner that didn’t have babies? We took the
first kitten pictures asking for critiques from
some of our fellow breeders, and the overall
consensus was that the kittens were cute but
the ears were a little disappointing, especially
since mom had huge ears. We adopted a waitand-see outlook, and in about three weeks,
the surprises began to pleasantly unfold.
G
C, NW Jobara’s Renesmee of Nu Moon
was CFA’s Fourteenth Best Kitten and
Best Devon Rex Kitten. She is a blue-eyed
white Devon Rex female kitten. She was bred
by Barbara Irie (lessee) and is owned by B. Irie,
T. Orfanos and J. Kleider of Salt Lake City, UT.
When Renesmee (Nessie) was born, she
was the littlest one of four in an outcross
breeding made possible by Robin Robertson,
who graciously offered to let me lease CH
Devinedevons Angel Baby for a litter. Nessie’s
sire is GC, RW Jobara’s Ka-Boom, who was
the first male Devon Rex in CFA to become
a one-show Grand. One never knows what
to expect from outcrossing, so my daughter
Jade and I said our prayers and crossed our
fingers. Our first thought was yay – healthy,
vigorous babies!
Then came the change-your-mind-everydayfor-the-next-eight-weeks evaluating time.
We had two really cute blue-patched and
whites like mom, a very nice white boy like
The white boy surprised us when one of his
eyes reflected light strangely, and he ended
up being odd-eyed. He continued to develop
handsomely and now has an International
home. The dilute sisters became the in-yourface girls and are on their way to becoming
Grand Champions but may take maternity
leave from their show careers. As for little
Nessie, big things truly do come in small
packages, and she was the best surprise of all.
Not only did she develop ears, coat, body
type, personality and beautiful baby-blue
eyes, but she exceeded our expectations on the
show bench and continues to bring joy and
happines wherever she goes. She is currently a
doting stay-at-home mom with three adorable
babies. We are so proud that she was able
to represent the Devon breed so beautifully
this season. We are also grateful to all our
dear breeder friends that worked together
and helped make it possible to produce
and show Nessie. Many thanks to all the
special exhibitors and wonderful judges who
supported her success, and congratulations to
all the winners of the 2011-2012 season!
15th Best Kitten: GC, NW Timberbend Patchwork And Powderhorn
Brown Patched Mackerel Tabby & White Siberian Female
Breeder: Kim McDaniel
Owner: Kim McDaniel
Submitted by Kim McDaniel
tutorials of new friends, a different plan took
shape. With two sons in college, Kim vowed
to keep a campaign realistically tailored for
the family who helped out at home in her
absence and without breaking the bank. No
flying. No marathon drives. The limit was
5 hours by car. Two months into her fourmonth window, Tutti had reached the next
milestone, and it dawned on Kim that the
heretofore unspeakable might no longer be
the unreachable and a National Win was a
realistic goal! The coming months flew by.
Neither Tutti’s reception by the judges and
fellow exhibitors nor her enchanting show
demeanor ever waivered. She finished her
kitten career at a new high…Best Kitten in
Show during her final outing in Kitten class
at home in Indianapolis, finishing as #2
Kitten in the Midwest Region and moving
into #15 in the CFA Kitten standings!
G
C, NW Timberbend Patchwork And
Powderhorn is CFA’s 15th Best Kitten
and Best Siberian Kitten. She is a brown
patched mackerel tabby and white female
kitten. She is bred and owned by Kim
McDaniel of Indianapolis, IN.
She is the first National Winner Siberian
in breed history! “Tuttie,” named when she
popped out looking much like her mother,
whose nickname is “Turtle,” was proclaimed
“Turtle TOO!” Being an early July baby, Tutti
is named for the group of saucy Revolutionary
War Women Patriots. She herself showed off
her own endearing and spunky personality in
Midwest and Great Lakes showhalls.
The CFA National was headed to Indy.
Having successfully campaigned her
Siberians elsewhere, Kim knew the odds for
success as such a large, competitive show.
Couple that with the fact she was well aware
of the obstacles in showing a minority breed
and her kitten was a female just a minute over
4 months old…well, Kim was well aware of
her prospects. Still, it was an opportunity
to be a part of something new, see just what
kind of show girl Tutti would be, and see if
the move from showing exclusively in one
registry to dabbling in another was a more
permanent move, all while sleeping in her
own bed. What started as a lark on Saturday
morning set Kim’s head spinning at what hit
her by Sunday afternoon. Her little princess
showed like a pro…purring, clowning,
loving and showing just how much fun
showing could be with her. By the end of
the National Show, Tutti had earned 5 of 10
finals in her very first show, including a Best
Allbreed Kitten!
The seed was planted, so Tutti and Kim
traveled to another show a couple of weeks
later for a reality check. That’s not what
happened there, nor did it happen at
subsequent shows. Tutti took to showing
with ease and grace, and judges, spectators
and fellow exhibitors adored her charming
personality. The original goal was quickly
surpassed, and with the encouragement and
Another milestone loomed ahead…adding
that final jewel to her crown and earning her
Grand Champion title while finishing the
fairytale season that had gone well beyond
Kim’s wildest imagination. At the end of that
first weekend in Championship competition,
Tutti had earned 196 Grand Points! The
elusive one-show Grand was not to be for
the little patched Siberian who entertained so
many people, and 4 points separated her from
that perfect season. Disappointment was a
fleeting thought as Kim realized just how far
they’d come together, and she counted her
many blessings and those new friendships
made during the journey. At her next show,
Tutti granded immediately in fine style as
Best Allbreed Champion. Tutti is at home
taunting and tempting the boys while helping
the other queens raise their kittens. She’ll be
a fabulous momcat herself when that time
comes, and we’ll be looking for “Tutti TOO!”
This season was impacted by so many wonderful
CFA exhibitors who patiently explained all
manner of the CFA show intricacies. There
was not one single show where we didn’t meet
new friends, greet older ones and enjoy the
ride. Thank you so much for taking us under
your wings and into your group. Thank you to
all those Siberian breeders who forged the trail
ahead of us, enabling this opportunity for us
and celebrating this achievement with us. May
it be the first of many Siberian achievements
to come! To all the judges who supported us
during the season, and particularly Gary Powell
and Larry Adkison, who liked her mother but
adored Tutti, that feeling was so obviously
mutual for her in your rings…THANK YOU!
Thank you all for one of the most enjoyable
and memorable times of my life!
16th Best Kitten: GC, BW, NW Coupari Nermal
Blue Tabby & White Shorthair Scottish Fold Male
Breeder: Melody Mathis & D.J. Roberts
Owner: Melody Mathis & D.J. Roberts
Submitted by Melody Mathis
G
C, BW, NW Coupari Nermal is CFA’s
Sixteenth Best Kitten and Best Scottish
Fold Shorthair Kitten. He is a blue classic
tabby and white shorthair male, bred and
owned by Melody Mathis & D.J. Roberts of
Nashville, TN.
I named him Nermal because he reminded
me of the Garfield series character, who
proclaimed himself to be “The World’s
Cutest Kitten.” At 3 months old, I knew
Nermal had something special! After all, he
had the tightest ears ever, a great personality,
beautiful expression, awesome tail, and lovely
color and classic tabby pattern.
The first show of his kitten career was Hidden
Peak in Timonium, MD. Nermal made 5
or 6 finals, I believe. It was a great start, so
on to the next show in Medina, OH. Our
campaign consisted of 12 shows. It covered
4 different regions: Southern, Midwest, Gulf
Shore and Great Lakes.
My biggest challenge was the Gulf Shore
Regional Benefit Show in Cleburne, TX on
October 22, 2011. I drove to the show on
Friday, then rested up. On Saturday morning
after checking in, I got one of my horrible
migraine headaches. I had not packed my
prescription medicine, so my headache just got
worse. Thank God, I was able to get Nermal to
the rings and finish the show with help from
my friends Pat Hall and Virginia Sabin. That
was one of the worst weekends of my life!
Nermal did end up being Highest Scoring
Kitten in Show, so it was truly a miracle!
Nermal and I attended the National Show in
Indianapolis. It was a poor scoring show for
© L. Johnson
us, but Nermal was Best Shorthair Scottish
Fold Kitten. In short, the National Show did
not impact Nermal’s National Win.
It was always a breeze showing Nermal! He
loved to travel and stay at the “Quest Inn”
(My closest friends know what this means. It’s
an inside joke). Nermal was always happy and
ready to go when it came time to show. He
gained a few nicknames as the campaign went
on, such as “The Nerminator,” “Nermie,”
and “The Nerms.” Each time Nermal and
I walked to and from a ring, he always put
his arm around my neck. It was so sweet and
endearing. I’ll never forget his incredible
charm. Our sweet lover boy, our pride,
our joy…GC, BW, NW Coupari Nermal.
Nermal is the third National Winning Kitten
for Coupari Scottish Folds. Nermal was also
this season’s National Best Shorthair Scottish
Fold and the Southern Region’s 3rd Best
Kitten & 16th Best Cat in Championship.
17th Best Kitten: GC, NW Kelloggs Sweet Child-Of-Mine
Silver Tabby American Shorthair Female
Breeder: Heinrich & Carly Kellogg
Submitted by Lorna Friemoth
G
C, NW Kelloggs Sweet Child-OfMine is CFA’s 17th Best Kitten and
Owner: Heinrich & Carly Kellogg, John, Shelby, Lorna &
Kelsey Friemoth & Seth Baugh
Best American Shorthair Kitten nationally.
She is a silver tabby female kitten bred by
Heinrich and Carly Kellogg and shown by
Heinrich and Carly Kellogg, Shelby, John,
week went by where she didn’t get car sick at
least once on the way to the hotel or show.
We almost wondered if she wasn’t doing it on
purpose to get us to take her our of the carrier
and dote over her. She was the embodiment
of a princess in every way.
Lorna, and Kelsey Friemoth, and Seth
Baugh of Ottawa, OH.
The Friemoth/Baugh and Kellogg friendship
has been strengthened beyond our
expectations through this little cat. This all
started when the Kelloggs were exhibiting
Rosie at the National Show as a four-monthold. Four-month-old kittens are rarely as
put together as Rosie was at this time. She
certainly held her own. In the weeks following
the show, the Kelloggs contacted Lorna
Friemoth to see if she might be interested in
showing Rosie as a kitten to help get her to
some of the higher count shows that occur on
a pretty regular basis in the area. Rosie could
get to most shows within an 8-hour drive,
and it wouldn’t necessary for her to deal with
the stress of travel by air every weekend.
Shelby ended up bringing her home from the
Phoenix show in December. Our first time
out with her was the following weekend in
Lebanon, PA. She made some waves at the
show, and we were encouraged to keep going.
Rosie, being the first silver American that
Lorna had ever had, took a lot of getting used
to. The grooming is quite different than that of
the brown tabbies she had shown in the past.
Rosie never minded Lorna’s experiments with
different bathing or blow drying techniques.
What she did mind were the car rides. Not a
Showing a late season kitten is difficult, and
there really is no margin for error. Rosie
had the perfect storm, and there’s really no
telling if we could pull this run off again with
another kitten. She made her debut into the
Top 25 after a stellar performance at the San
Diego Cat Club show. After that, the only
two goals that we had for her were possible.
She did meet our goal of being Best American
Shorthair Kitten nationally. She had started
to get hormonal after San Diego and lost
some of her gorgeous silver under color, and
we weren’t sure that she was going to continue
to climb the standings, but due to some
persistence from Lorna and Shelby, she went
on to get the final few points she needed to
be Best American Shorthair at her last show,
Atlanta Phoenix, where she received her only
Highest Scoring Kitten in Show.
Despite being met with adversity, showing
Rosie really was a lot of fun, in addition to
being very educational as to learning how
different colors are within a breed. Thank
you Heinrich and Carly for allowing us the
opportunity to show such a lovely girl and
for your friendship, and thank you to all of
the judges who supported her.
18th Best Kitten: GC, NW Dovon Clark of Lynzkatz
Brown Tabby American Shorthair Male
Breeder: Doug & Kathie von Aswege
Submitted by Linda Bartley
G
C, NW Dovon Clark of Lynzkatz was
CFA’s 18th Best Kitten and 2nd Best
American Shorthair Kitten. He is a brown
tabby American Shorthair male bred by
Kathie and Doug von Aswege and owned by
Linda and Jon Bartley, Doug and Kathie von
Aswege and Edmond Tang of Altoona, PA.
We were to get a blue tabby and white female
kitten to show for Doug and Kathie, and the
kitten didn’t turn out to be as nice as they
hoped. They asked if we would consider
taking the brown tabby littermate to show
instead. He was out of our female, Lynzkatz
Truffles of Dovon, and GC, BW, NW
Yatfung’s Hulk In Brown!!! Kathie brought
him to the Hidden Peak show for us to see.
Owner: Linda & Jon Bartley, Doug & Kathie von Aswege &
Edmond Tang
We thought he was a nice boy, with large
boning and great warm color and pattern,
and told them we would take him.
We took him to the Sacred Cat of Burma
show at 4 months, and he made 6 finals,
including a Best Allbreed Kitten in a big
kitten class. I took him to the National
Siamese Cat Club show in NY, and he was
Best Kitten in Show. The next weekend was
National Capital, which we were going to
with the Exotic in Premiership that we were
showing. Clark made six finals as a fourmonth-old baby and was tenth in show out
of 122 kittens! We began to think we should
at least try for a Regional Win with him. We
were showing GC, GP, NW Tigerboy Skip To
My Lou in Premiership and did not plan on
another campaign because we were showing
her. We went to the big shows with LuLu as
planned, and Clark continued to do well.
People started asking if we were running him
for a NW. We didn’t know what to do, as our
first priority was to the Exotic in Premiership.
We decided to go to the shows we planned on
with LuLu and hope they both could do well.
We did go to separate shows twice; Jon went
one way with Clark, and I went to another
show with LuLu and hoped for the best.
The only show that we flew to with Clark was
the TGIF show at Purina Farms, and he had a
great show and made eight finals. During his
last kitten show, the Ohio State Persian show,
he made four Best Allbreed Kittens and all
six finals. He was Best Kitten in Show! What
a way to end a kitten run!
© L. Johnson
He went to the Straight and Curl show as
an Open and made 5 finals on Saturday and
picked up 191 points. He made many finals on
Sunday and granded with over 315 points. He
is his dam’s 4th Grand Champion and his sire
GC, BW, NW Yatfung’s Hulk In Brown!!!’s 4th
Grand and second National Winner this season.
He was also Great Lakes’ 3rd Best Kitten and
GLR’s 15th Best Cat in Championship.
Clark is a crazy and very active cat that spent
most of his time on the table hanging from
the light bar and playing like a fool. We spent
4 months hoping he didn’t fall off the table
or light pole due to his antics and spent each
ring holding our breath. He thought there
was nothing better than a cat show and
proved how much he enjoyed it in every ring.
I think we both developed a few extra gray
hairs by the time his kitten career was over,
but he had a great time at every show. He is a
large, proportioned cat with incredible color,
pattern and boning, and we can’t wait to see
what he produces in our breeding program.
What a great year we will never forget,
with two National Wins! We would like
to thank Clark’s breeders and co-owners,
Doug and Kathie, for allowing us to share
our house with such a fun, gorgeous cat!
We would also like to thank the others in
our American Shorthair group, Edmond
Tang (co-owner), Christine Shek and
Ulrike Knueppel for all of their support
during Clark’s run!
19th Best Kitten: GC, NW Moro Allure of Cuzzoe
Blue Persian Female
Breeder: Anne Nenin & Roberta Canal
Owner: J. Pelletier, E. Valencia & A. Nenin
Submitted by Justin Pelletier & Eric Valencia
G
C, NW Moro Allure of Cuzzoe was
CFA’s Nineteenth Best Kitten. He is
a blue Persian male kitten and was bred by
Anne Nenin and Roberta Canal and owned
by J. Pelletier, E. Valencia and A. Nenin of
Smithfield, NC.
You can imagine our excitement as Anne
Nenin of Moro Cattery from Belgium showed
us the photos of her newborn kittens at the
2011 Annual. We were there celebrating GC,
NW Moro Little Boy Junior of Cuzzoe. He
was Anne’s first National Win and our first bicolor Persian. This litter was unlike the year
before’s, though. There was a very curious
looking solid blue kitten among two bi-colors.
This was something very different from the
black and white kitten we expected out of a
repeat breeding of Little Boy. It was even more
surprising when Anne told us a few weeks
later that the “boys” were really girls!
Allure hit the table running at her first show.
Well, not so much running…She was more
like a supermodel on a runway…back and
forth, side to side. Work it, girl! She made
two Best Kitten finals that weekend at 4
months and a minute old. Underneath that
cloud of blue hair was the short, compact
body and the smooth, spherical head the
judges want to feel. Soon, Allure had quite a
following of judges that were looking for her
and those that could not wait to meet her.
Allure was shown in 7 states at only 9 shows in
3 of CFA’s regions. We chose not to bring her
to the National Show, as we focused on a few
other kittens last season, too. Her only plane
ride was the one we carried her back to the US
from Belgium on. Allure recieved numerous
Best Kitten finals and was Highest Scoring
Kitten in Show multiple times. Once of the
most memorable was when she won the Mona
Cherrington Memorial Award at the Absolutely
Abyssinians show. This was our third cat to win
the cherished Waterford crystal “trophy,” after
GC, BW, NW Kuorii Santos of Cuzzoe and
GC, NW Kuorii Gorilla of Cuzzoe. Allure
finished as successfully as she started. She went
from Open to Grand Champion at the Crab &
Mallet along with her Maine Coon “brother,”
GC, NW Cuzzoe Timberland.
We are so appreciative to all those that loved
Allure during the time we showed her. We
share this award with Anne Nenin, whose
friendship means the world to us. Thank you
for everything, Anne. We love you!
20th Best Kitten: GC, NW KMWK Alex
Brown Ticked Tabby & White American Wirehair Male
Breeder: Maureen Kramanak & Kevin Weber
Owner: Maureen Kramanak & Dawn Skupin
Submitted by Maureen Kramanak
G
C, NW KMWK Alex is CFA’S
Twentieth Best Kitten. Alex is a brown
ticked tabby and white American Wirehair
bred by Maureen Kramanak and Kevin
Weber and owned by Maureen Kramanak
and Dawn Skupin of Leawood, KS.
Alex was born on opening day of the
2011 baseball season and was named after
Maureen’s favorite player, Alex Gordon of
the Kansas City Royals, where Maureen
lives. Alex comes from a long line of
American Wirehair “royalty.” His maternal
granddam is GC, BW, NW Cameroncats
Christina of KAW, who, to this day, is
the highest finishing American Wirehair
in CFA history. He is related to all of
the KMWK National Winners, “Noah,”
“Zack,” and “Alyissa,” but perhaps his most
famous relative is his grandsire, GC, BW,
RW Bangor Cab Calloway of Cameroncats,
DM, who, ironically, posthumously received
the DM title through Alex’s dam, GC, RW
KMWK Emmalane.
Alex’s win was truly a team effort, as he was
shown during his very short (only 7 shows!)
kitten career by Dawn and Mike Skupin,
Lorna and Shelby Friemoth, and Mary
Batterson. This was due to the fact that
Maureen’s fiance, Joe Ost, was diagnosed with
terminal cancer, meaning that Maureen could
not be available to show Alex during this time.
ever seen. Having competed at the National
level for many years, I immediately saw
the kitten’s potential and asked Maureen
where he had been, and was she planning
to show him. Her response was, ‘No,’ and
she proceeded to tell me about Joe’s illness
and how he was not expected to live for
more than a few months. Shortly thereafter,
I was able to take Alex and show him. I was
glad that the weekly ‘show reports’ helped
Maureen and Joe focus on something other
than illness, even for that short time.”
Dawn writes: “When I attended the
Springfield, Illinois show in October, I
saw that Maureen was showing the most
beautiful American Wirehair that I had
Maureen writes: “Alex is my ninth NW,
but what made it truly special was how my
friends banded together to achieve it. This
win truly belongs to everyone who helped
Alex obtain enough points to earn a NW
in exactly 40 rings. Since we started so
late, we couldn’t make any mistakes, and
everyone’s experience and willingness to
help was certainly welcome! Joe showed Cab
Calloway to a National Breed Placement in
2002, and I’m sure both of them are sitting
on the Rainbow Bridge looking down
proudly upon Alex.
Alex is being shown in the Championship
class, and when he isn’t on the show bench,
he is at Stedam American Shorthairs, making
a new generation of wire babies who can
trace their ancestry to some of the greatest
American cats in CFA history.
21st Best Kitten: GP, NW Kelloggs Infinite Dreams
Silver Tabby American Shorthair Spay
Breeder: Heinrich & Carly Kellogg
Owner: Heinrich & Carly Kellogg
Submitted by Heinrich Kellogg
© Chanan
G
P, NW Kelloggs Infinite Dreams is
CFA’s Twenty First Best Kitten. She
is a silver tabby American Shorthair spay
bred and owned by Heinrich and Carly
Kellogg of Maple Valley, WA.
Hi everyone! My name is GP, NW Kelloggs
Infinite Dreams; people call me “Fina.” My
human parents enjoy attending CFA cat
shows, where they get the opportunity to
show the world how proud they are of us.
Although they let us ultimately choose the
path we will take in life, they encourage us
to either try the cat showing world or take
on the honor of being someone’s lifetime
pet. They give us all the support we need
to succeed at either endeavor. My mother,
GC, NW Kelloggs Iron Maiden, and my
grandmother, GC, NW KingOfHearts
Royalqueen of Kelloggs, both entered the
cat showing world, so I hoped I had what
it would take to do the same.
I had a large, well-balanced body with better
color and pattern than anyone in my family.
So I was very happy when I was chosen to
attend a show. Everything from the bath,
airplanes, hotels and show seemed to come
natural to me. I want to thank my cat
parents for this fact. I was very happy when
I received recognition from all the judges at
my first show. I went on to make every final
at every show I attended until my human
dad mentioned (out loud in public) that
I had accomplished just that. Well you all
know what happened at the next show. My
human dad said he wouldn’t do that again.
At 7 months of age, my parents predicted
that I had accumulated enough points to
earn my NW title. They also informed me
that someone inquired about adopting me.
It would mean that I would fly across the
country and live on the east coast if Canada.
I would also attend my last few kitten shows
in CCA. It seemed like fun, and I was up
to the challenge. I love my new human dad
very much and did well at my last few kitten
shows in CCA.
My new dad brought me back to the CFA
shows when I turned 8 months, and I was
able to earn my Grand Premier title.
I want to thank the Kelloggs for finding me
such a wonderful forever home. They played
a big part in who I am today. I love them
dearly and look forward to seeing them again
in the near future. I have been told that I
have what it takes to be an ambassador cat,
and it may be in my future. I know that
would make them very proud.
22nd Best Kitten: GC, NW Cuzzoe Timberland
Brown Tabby Maine Coon Male
Breeder: Justin Pelletier & Eric Valencia
Owner: Justin Pelletier & Eric Valencia
Submitted by Justin Pelletier & Eric Valencia
G
C, NW Cuzzoe Timberland was CFA’s
Twenty Third Best Kitten and Best
Maine Coon Kitten. He is a brown tabby
Maine Coon male who was bred and owned
by Justin Pelletier and Eric Valencia of
Smithfield, NC.
We almost missed the 2011 Annual waiting
on this guy. He was not born until close to
midnight the night before we were to be seated
as delegates for the Annual Meeting. Luckily,
our very own Southern Region was hosting
the event, and it was within driving distance.
We made it to Reston, VA just in time to cast
our votes. We were excited to get back home
but had a great story to tell of how we almost
missed it. Ironically, we are celebrating GC,
NW Cuzzoe Timberland one year later.
I tend to be a sucker for Maine Coon
females, having shown Timberland’s mother,
GC, NW Cuzzoe Hearts-A-Fire, a few years
before. There is nothing like a girl that can
compete with the big boys. As Timberland
developed, we knew we had a special boy
that would hopefully shape the cats of the
future in Cuzzoe cattery.
We had not been in a position to keep a
male kitten for some time, but we now had
a boy to call our own. We lived vicariously
through the campaign of Timberland’s halfbrother, GC, DW Cuzzoe Go Diego Go of
Handelbandit, the year before, but this time
the fun was all ours!
Timberland got a lot of attention from day
one. Even at his first show at four months
old, he was taking second looks and breed
ribbons from the older, larger kittens, which
is not an easy feat in the Maine Coon breed.
Timberland learned quickly where the judges
kept their toys. When he came out on the
judging table, he would crouch down and
peer over the edge in anticipation of their
teasers whipping through the air. As he
matured and was consistently making finals,
his biggest competition was another of our
kittens, a little blue Persian named GC, NW
Moro Allure of Cuzzoe.
We showed Timberland for 13 weekends,
visited 10 states and 5 regions, flying to 3 of
those shows. Timberland was awarded Best
Kitten numerous times, and he finished his
kitten career as the Highest Scoring Kitten in
Show. Timberland was one of our one-show
Grands this season, not to be outdone by
Allure one last time.
We are very proud of GC, NW Cuzzoe
Timberland, CFA’s 22nd Best Kitten for
2011-12. We are thankful to everyone who
loved and appreciated him, and especially to
Elaine Magee of Coonalley, who generously
shared his sire, GC, RW Coonalley’s Tony
Lama of Cabincoon.
23rd Best Kitten: GC, NW D’Eden Lover Narciso of Bhakti
Copper-Eyed White Persian Male
Breeder: Carnevaletti, Gaspard & Michel
Submitted by Cristiano Rossini & Giuseppe Barsalona
G
C, NW D’Eden Lover Narciso of Bhakti
was CFA’s Twenty Third Best Kitten. He
is a copper-eyed white Persian male, bred by
Carnevaletti, Gaspard and Michel and owned
by Giuseppe Barsalona, Cristiano Rossini,
Frederic Gaspard, and Annie Leclerc of Italy.
This is Narciso’s story from the very
beginning…One cold and rainy morning in
May, we received an email from our friend
Frederic Gaspard. It was an unusual and very
cryptic message where Frederic said that he
had a very big surprise for us. A fantastic cat
had been born in his cattery, and he would
be happy to give him to us for a present but
upon one “simple” condition…“The cat is
yours, but you must promise me one thing:
that you will do all that is possible to make
Owner: Giuseppe Barsalona, Cristiano Rossini &
Frederic Gaspard
him Best Kitten in the Europe Division and
try to make him (it was a dream at that time)
a National Winner.” Frederic also told us
that we couldn’t see any pictures of Narciso
or ask any questions about him; we weren’t
even allowed to know the color of his coat,
his gender, or anything else for that matter!
This mystery made us too curious, and so we
decided that we could do it! Later, Cristiano
set off for Orange in France, finally going to
get Narciso and take him into our home.
The long wait had finally ended: we were the
proud owners of a splendid white male with a
sweet and seductive expression. So we began
the campaign with him full of enthusiasm,
though wary of the fact that only showing
the cat in Europe, the count was often lower
than in the States, so it would be harder to
earn enough points to stay in the NW.
Narciso was an immediate sensation. During
his first show, we were very happy to discover
the cat’s loving temperament during the
displays and that he was a kitten with very
important characteristics. He had a very
compact body, expressive eyes of an intense
color, a beautiful head and thick coat.
The judges were enthusiastic about him,
and we were very proud. In the following
months, Narciso took part in all European
shows, winning Best Kitten every time. This
result is achieved only with hard and constant
work; to take a cat to a show is an exacting
experience, and to take a white Persian even
more. We wanted him to be impeccably
white, and our hearts filled with joy when we
heard the praise from the judges and other
breeders. One of the most exciting shows for
us was the National Show of Indianapolis.
Cristiano was very anxious when he got into
the show hall. It was the first time we were
showing a cat in the States, and we knew that
the competition would be very tough, with
215 kittens in the running and all of them
high quality. In fact, Narciso was voted Third
Best Longhair Kitten in the show, and this
gave us much pride and joy!
But to make sure we would get into the
National Winners and stay there, just two
weeks later Cristiano decided to go back to
the States. He took Narciso to Baltimore for
the last Kitten class show, thus still aiming for
a bigger show than any held in Europe. This
proved to be a good move, leading Narciso to
winning the Best Kitten award once again and
taking a few points to add on the NW count.
Halfway through the campaign, Narciso
was the Best Kitten in the Europe Division.
Narciso’s campaign left us with indelible
memories we will always carry with us. The
long journeys, waiting, and phone calls
coming in during the judgements from all
over the world strengthened our relationship,
as well as the beautiful complicity found with
Frederic, who had encouraged and supported
us at every step. In all, Narciso won 40 rings
as Best Kitten. Not bad!
Once the campaign in the Kitten class was
over, it was time to get Narciso granded, and
we decided to let him show for the first time
in Championship class in Spain. They met
tough competition in the solids ring, with 16
high-level Persians, but in the end Narciso
triumphed over them. He was a one-show
Grand in only 5 rings!!! It was finally over;
we could finally relax and enjoy just being at
home with our beloved Narciso. The points
he had gained during the campaign allowed
us to try to relax and hope that he stay a NW,
having reached our highest goals and being
really happy for the campaign and all the big
work we do to keep him in condition.
The promise to Frederic had been kept, and
Narciso was Best Kitten in the International
Division of Europe and a CFA National
Winner. An important result for a kitten
mostly displayed in European shows.
We want to publicly thank our friend
Frederic Gaspard for having given us such
a wonderful present, for a his friendship
and for having believed in us more than
anyone else. Thanks also go to all the judges
who supported and loved Narciso during
the shows, to all our breeder friends who
supported us and Narciso, and to all the
friends we found during this year that always
enjoy the shows with us.
24th Best Kitten: GC, NW Skinzin Penny Lane of Mericat
Blue & White Sphynx Female
Breeder: J.W. Gunby, D. Andrews & V.J. Wight
Owner: J. & C. Gunby, Marshall, Gause & Wight
Submitted by Virginia Wight
G
C, NW Skinzin Penny Lane of Mericat
was CFA’s Twenty Fourth Best Kitten. She
is a blue and white Sphynx female kitten bred
by J.W. Gunby, D. Andrews and V.J. Wight
and owned by J. and C. Gunby, Marshall,
Gause and Wight of Sharpsburg, GA.
It was a hard fought battle for Penny. This past
show season was quite eventful. Virginia was
sick. She hadn’t felt like going to a cat show
in a long while, but just because it had been a
while does not mean she had forgotten about
it. The picture was grim. Virginia almost died
– spent a week on a ventilator and was placed
on dialysis. So what does any self-respecting,
cat show aficionado (i.e. idiot) do in such a
situation? She goes to a cat show with a kitten
on dialysis. Virginia was on dialysis, that is –
not the kitten. And who else would perform
her own dialysis in the sterile confines of a
show hall (isn’t there a show rule about that)?
What does not kill, heals, so those kidneys
gave it another shot and started working just
enough to get her off dialysis.
Judy, in the meantime, had a kitten she
thought was God’s gift. She went to a show
to mentor someone along but had to have
something of her own to show. So she took
God’s gift (oh, I mean Penny Lane) to a show
as a 4-month-old kitten, where the allbreed
kitten count was a huge total of about 11.
When Penny Lane made all the finals, Judy
was so excited she did not know what to
do. So she asked Virginia (who will answer
her cell phone from the hospital bed) how
she was again because her kidneys had been
barely working, but there was a problem with
Virginia’s heart, as well. Virginia got out of
the hospital long enough to suggest that Judy
enter another show.
Virginia thought she would enter her
own kittens and they would go together.
Of course, Virginia ended up back in the
was 8 months old. She began flying around
to shows every weekend or making long
drives with Daedra, who always did most of
the driving. There was a Sphynx kitten older
than Penny Lane and one younger than her,
both with owners who had their sights set on
a NW, too. Dare we say it? Three National
Winning Sphynx kittens? Was it possible?
Could we all work together to make it
happen? Cyndee and Virginia whispered
to each other, “Yes,” so two of the kittens
ended up owned by a small cooperation
group. It worked! Cyndee and Virginia
were strategizing all the way, with the show
schedule and last year’s counts memorized.
Daedra jumped on board as a combination
driver/nurse and other odd jobs. Judy just
held on for the ride, blindly entering every
show Virginia said to enter. “Do you really
want me to enter 3 shows this weekend?”
hospital for another week, so they decided
the prudent thing to do was stay home. But
Penny Lane was entered and they did have
the hotel reservations, so when she got out
of the hospital, she figured she felt good
enough to go to the show. After all, Judy was
driving. And whoops! Virginia did not get
her kittens entered, as entering a cat show
from the hospital bed was a stretch. Virginia
met Penny Lane for the second time in the
hotel room (the first time, she was just naked
ears) and was immediately smitten. Maybe
Judy was not cattery blind. Dare we say it?
National Winner? Well Virginia said it, and
Judy went along with it because she did not
know what it meant, as she had not earned
one in the past.
So the stage was set. Virginia entered cat show
rehab for 3 1/2 months until Penny Lane
All the owners sacrificed something along the
way but gained an appreciation of teamwork
within the cat fancy. It is something we
need more of. Even now, as Virginia writes
this, Judy is still befuddled, having to be
reminded to put a NW behind the GC, not a
RW. Congratulations on your first NW, Judy
Webb Gunby and Skinzin cattery. May you
have many more.
25th Best Kitten: GC, NW Injoi’s Calypso of Perfection
Ebony Spotted Patched Tabby & White Oriental Female
Breeder: Beverly Frenzel
Owner: Dick & Dotti Olsen
Submitted by Dick & Dotti Olsen
G
C, NW Injoi’s Calypso of Perfection
was CFA’s Twenty Fifth Best Kitten and
Best Oriental Kitten. She is an ebony spotted
patched tabby and white female kitten bred
by Beverly Frenzel and owned by Dick and
Dotti Olsen of Tucson, AZ.
In 1978, Dick and I got our first show cat, a
ruddy Abyssinian. A few weeks later, we entered
our first show, a local UCF show in Tucson, AZ.
It was 4 Allbreed rings, and our kitten made
3 Best Kittens in finals and we were hooked.
Quite by accident, we acquired an ebony OSH
female from Cherylee DeYoung, and not long
after, we acquired a red point CPSH male.
Thus, our breeding program began.
For 8 years, we bred both Abys and OSH and
made many regional awards with both breeds.
Our jobs and our teenagers were demanding
more of our time, so we retired for 25 years.
Fast forward to 2009, and our last Aby pet
had passed on and we wanted another, so
we contacted our friend Carolyn Osier. She
sold us a top show quality male to be shown
in Premiership. We’d had no intention of
showing again, but she was hoping to get
a DM on one of her males and knew that
we could show him to his highest potential
and asked that we try and grand him. That
was all. Well, guess what? The bug bit again,
and he ended up as CFA’s 2nd Best Aby in
Premiership and 3rd Best Cat in Premiership
in the Southwest Region last year.
So what does this have to do with our 25th
Best Kitten, who happens to be an Oriental
Shorthair? Everything! As we were showing
the Aby, we kept drooling over the OSH we
were seeing in the shows, so we contacted
our good friends Dee Johnson and Connie
Roberts from San-Toi. From them we got a
gorgeous ebony spotted tabby OSH that has
now made 2 consecutive Regional Top 10
awards in Premiership. Dee kept hounding
us to breed again, and we finally relented.
They didn’t have anything at the time, but
thanks to Nancy Jo Bueno, we had been
corresponding with Bev Frenzel from Injoi.
She had a female Grand Champion (GC,
RW Injoi’s Red-Y Or Not-Y), and would we
like her? We said yes, and she came to us bred
to GC Injoi’s Small Town Dude. Not-Y’s 5
babies were born and raised at our house.
We took all 5 to their first show in August last
year in San Diego. Cal-Y made her first final
as 4th Best Kitten AB at exactly 4 months of
age in a Kitten class of over 80 kittens. Four
out of the five kittens made finals at that show.
Boy, did we confuse the judges! We continued
to show all of them for the next couple of
shows, and Cal-Y was definitely emerging as
the pick of the judges, so we stopped showing
the others and concentrated on Cal-Y. She was
by far the flashiest of the litter. She just took
off and hit the National Show at her peak just
before 8 months. She made 5 of the 10 finals,
including a Best Kitten, and ended up 10th
Highest Scoring Kitten out of over 230 kittens
competing at that show. She finished her kitten
career in style as 3rd Highest Scoring Kitten
in Portland two weeks later. A week after that
in Phoenix, she became a one-show Open
to Grand. At that point, she was 18th Best
Kitten, and everyone assured us we were safe.
We didn’t believe it for a minute and had to
sweat out the next 4 months to see if we would
hang in there. We had come so close to making
a National Win with our Abys and Orientals 3
times before, and we kept saying to everyone
that we didn’t care if we ended up 25th; we just
wanted to get that first National Win. Little
did we know that we were making a prophecy.
But she will now forever carry that title of NW!
We are so grateful to all the judges and
exhibitors alike that loved and supported
her and us, as well. And a very special thanks
to Bev Frenzel of Injoi Orientals, who has
become our mentor and friend.
T
his concludes the stories of the Top
Twenty-Five Kittens in CFA for 20112012. There were many highs and lows
for the breeders and owners of these top
winning kittens, and many lasting memories
were made. This was a wonderful year, and
we hope the friendships that were made
during the campaigns will continue to last a
lifetime. The support and camaraderie were
wonderful, and that is what makes the cat
fancy and CFA such a wonderful extended
family for all of us and our beloved cats!
Congratulations to all of the National Winning
Kittens and their breeders and owners!