I have been trying different organistations of cat shows recently as my young boy is very dark for his colour category in his breed. For anyone who knows bengals he is a double apb mink and is virtually charcoal in colouration. Due to this some of the organisations in the UK don't want the charcoals in the ring as they need to go through a new colour process (I have tried to find out what this process is and to help initiate it but it seems it needs a 'group of breeders' to do this and being new to the breed I don't know many people). So it is a matter of finding the right place to show him.
GCCF no longer accept charcoals so that was a no go, I tried FIFE and they also said it needs to be a separately recognised pattern. CFA aren't holding any shows in the UK, I do know that they accept charcoals but the breed isn't yet full championship status with them.
So that left TICA to try, I really wanted to take a couple of cats but being my first TICA show I thought it would be too much and I am glad I only did take one! TICA is a busy day, your cat gets judged 6 times which is great as it isn't just one person's opinion and there were judges from all over the world there. As a result it is quite stressful for the cats and the bengals don't seem to cope too well generally. Shady started off fine as he is a chilled dude but when a cat next to him started having a bit of a hissy fit he copied. The judges are fab with them generally and spend ages with them on the table playing and helping them relax, the lady judge from Italy was particularly good. I don't think it is possible to show two cats in one class when you are on your own, it really would be a struggle.
Anyway TICA were quite accepting of his colour, though they still prefer two tone rosettes. They liked him and the French judge finalled him which meant he achieved Champion status. TICA have been looking at getting charcoal separated out into a separate category but for the here and now they can be shown in their relevant colours for example seal mink etc.
 |
| Shattered! |
I do think as a breeder it is good to know what the judges are looking for and I don't know how anyone can breed without having attended a show as without actually physically looking at the breed you don't learn as much. I still love the charcoal snows, always will and eventually they will be fully accepted the same as any other colour, because it is fairly new (although the genetics actually come from the Asian Leopard Cat) judges aren't 100% sure.
I set up a little photo shoot with the cats over the weekend, it's been a while since I took any photos and they have grown such a lot!
Here's Shady the baby, he is such a laid back boy but also very playful and loves a game of fetch.
Here's Solace, the man of the house, you can tell that from his first photo below! He loves a good play, he isn't a lap cat but he does love a good back rub!
Tweed, she is the one who has a great grandad who is an asian leopard cat. Tweed is the purriest out of all of them, she is very much attached to me and will sit on my lap all night long. She is such a sweet, gentle little soul.
And Spec, Spec is such a funny cat, she really does make us laugh. She isn't a lap cat either but she does love a nice gentle chin scratch, she loves her routine and her Da Bird toy. She has a lovely kind temperament and I have never once heard her growl at the other cats.
I did a little photo shoot with the felines the other day and thought I would show them off.
Here is our beautiful blue eyed snow from Sumarum in Czech Republic, this is Spectrum (aka Spec). She is almost a year old and genetically clear from PRA and PKD, she is from generations of heart tested cats and am keeping my fingers crossed her heart test will be clear too. She has such beautiful deep blue eyes and loves to run around with her 'Da Bird' feather, she is the loon of the lot!
Here is Solace (Solly) from Spice's breeder, he is PRA and PKD genetically free. We had intended to have another girl but when we saw the litter we were just so taken with Solly we couldn't resist him. His markings are getting nice and dark, not massive rosettes but they are some small rosettes. He has a lovely quality coat and his tail is wonderful and short and fat.
And here is my little Tweed! Tweed's great great grandad is an Asian Leopard Cat (Sarez Little L). This might sound a little scary but she is the friendliest cat I have ever known and I have owned lots of cats over the years. She is the purriest little thing and loves nothing more than a good cuddle. We had gone out to buy a nice brown rosetted bengal but I saw her photo and fell for her wild looks with her big nocturnal eyes. Her pattern isn't great and I hope to improve on this with a good boy. She is such a superstar though, nothing bothers her, she walked into our house at 13 weeks old like she owned the place.
And finally our original, here is the beautiful Spice who is a spayed pet and will always hold a very special part in our hearts.
Spec (Spectrum) is our beautiful seal lynx spotted bengal she is a charcoal which gives her the really dark mask. She is a real sweetie and has a wonderful coat which feels like velvet to touch, she is wonderful with Macy and they enjoy playing together. Unfortunately my other bengal has gone blind due to PRA and she really is quite standoffish now because of that so it has been a shame to see Macy want to interact with her but Spice just can't. However Spec has really brought Spice back to being a crazy bengal again and she loves her. She is a wonderfully healthy cat and we are looking forward to sharing more of our life with her and hopefully producing some nice healthy and stunning looking kittens.
