Open Door Policy

It's a "tight fit" but Cosmo persevered!!!

I know it's been forever since I've added to the blog, but with starting a new venture , work, and the Holidays it's been crazy.

Since we are now on "spring break" we decided to address the "sleep situation". As you may remember, Star sleeps downstairs on her own while Cosmo bunks with us. I have felt badly about this since the beginning so now that we can "afford" to lose a little sleep we wanted to leave the house open at night and see what happens. It's been working out fine so far, no real problems except that Cosmo likes to get up with the birds @5:30AM and we are trying to "sleep in" a bit. If we do want to sleep in we take turns getting up with him. Star doesn't mind if she is up on her own independent little peach that she has probably had to become. Cosmo, however, wants company and will persist until he gets it. :-) This too shall pass though and they are so precious to us that a little sleep seems rather unimportant.

Now for some vital statistics:
Star is 15 months old and weighs 13.5lbs.
Cosmo is 11motnhs old and weighs 14.5lbs.

More exciting (?) news, Cosmo is officially in the Cat Nation Fanciers Cat Show in Erie on the 25th and 26th of April. He is participating in the "premiership" category which is for neutered and spayed purebreds. Wish us luck, there will likely be more blog entries until then.

I'll post some pictures this time of the "little " babies trying to wedge themselves into a tiny box something or other came in the other day. Also I have one of Cosmo being a clown, enjoy!!

Too bad there is no "clownish behavior" category at the cat show, Cosmo would win hands down!!

Even though we had thrown the box away, Star still wanted a go at getting into it!

Star's Turn in the Tub

What a beautiful girl she is, and look at those eyes!!

Yesterday we decided that it was past time for Star to have a bath. Michele @ Maine Delite suggests that you give a bath with the change of the seasons to get rid of old hair ect so we jumped the gun a bit on spring and went with it.

She took it pretty well, and though I know that she has been bathed in the past it has been a while. She really didn't panic, though she did struggle a little bit.

We did the total "show groom" just to get her good and fluffy and she looks stunning now.

My little "diva" on her favorite perch!

Her "baby brother" Cosmo watched from a distance seemingly glad that this time it was someone else's turn :-)

She also is not afraid of the blow drier so after wicking as much water as possible from her we blew her dry in about 25 minutes. The pictures tell the story, she is gorgeous!!

On an unrelated note, I sent in the show entry form for Cosmo on Saturday night, I am very excited. The show is at the end of April in Erie, PA and even though it's the last show of the year and he probably can't really get his Premiership this season (?) at least we will all get our feet wet, so to speak, and be all ready for the next show season.

My gorgeous babies!!

Mr. Cosmo's first Show Groom

Cosmo looking up at us wondering what it was all about after his "ordeal"

Well, I finally got the courage, and all of the stuff, to do a proper show groom on Cosmo. If we are going to show him, as we plan to in April, then this is something we needed to practice.

Now Cosmo is a very easy going kitten/cat, as LONG as he gets his own way that is. :-) He dislikes being brushed, and so I had my trepidations about doing an actual show groom on him. But all in all he did very well with it, only struggling for a while. It has quite a few steps to it, so as it went on in time he either decided to accept what was happening or just got tired LOL.

Cosmo looking a bit "scruffy" before his show groom.

The results were wonderful though, and Michele says he looked "stunning". He didn't stay that way too long, but hey he's a baby cat still and loves to get into "messy" things.

Here are some more pics of him right after he was dried. I was very happy that he accepted the blow drier as readily as he did too, it sure made what was a long process a bit shorter. If the first time was the worst then we should be able to do this at least a few tmes a year.

Cosmo, looking oh so sweet.

Thanks Michele for all of your help, thanks Mark for holding him while I scrubbed him, and thanks Cosmo for being such a "good boy".

The fluffy finished product, Cosmo lookin' good!

Getting Ready

The calm before the "groom"....

I know it's been ages since I've posted anything here. I am sorry about that, but it indicates two things. Firstly, I have had no time to do this , unfortunately, but secondly the "kids" have been going along in their daily routines with little or no drama.

But, I got an email from Michele, their breeder, telling me as an aside that Cosmo is "high show quality". I have been seriously thinking I should show him because in my own, not professional, opinion he is a good example of his breed. But after Mickey's note I think I really have to show him so....I have to give him his "show groom". I will cut and paste from Michele's web site just what this entails to give you an idea of what I'll be doing with him this weekend.

SHOW GROOM INSTRUCTION FOR MAINE COONS
First you dry bath the kitten/cat in Groomers Goop - rubbing it in the coat and working it to the skin.... you can use small amounts of warm water to help get it to the skin. Pay close attention to the mane, back of ears and the britches. Then you rinse, rinse, rinse,,,,,, then rinse in somewhat cooler water. Note: you really need to make sure all this is rinsed!

Next you bath the kitten/cat in Pet Silk Deep Cleanse shampoo. Then you rinse, rinse, rinse,,,,,, then rinse in somewhat cooler water

Next you bath the kitten/cat in whitening shampoo EZ Crystal White Shampoo. Then you rinse, rinse, rinse,,,,,, then rinse in somewhat cooler water (Note this is only for kittens/cats with white, silver or cream colors)

Final step and frankly one of the most important.... 1/4 cup of White Vinegar to a gallon of warm water...... rinse the kitten/cat with this and then cool water rinse until all areas are squeaky clean.

Towel and blow dry if possible,,, If kitten/cat will not tolerate the dryer, then towel dry completely and then use several paper towels and absorb most all the water you can. After the groom - DO NOT HANDLE THE KITTEN/CAT UNTIL THE SHOW!! AT THE SHOW, ONLY BRUSH BETWEEN RINGS to fluff the coat and tail ,,,,, as you handle and pet you kitten/cat,,,,, the oil in their coat will start to re-appear.

If the kitten/cat hair is full of static at the day of the show, use the Anti-stat Conditioner and Detangler - this is listed on the previous page...... use it by spraying lightly on the brush (not directly on the kitten/cat) to condition those fly-a-way areas. Make sure you use this sparingly as you can't take a wet looking kitten/cat in the rings. Best to use this when you get to the show @ 1/2 hour before entering the rings. ONLY use this if there is static.


This may all sound very extreme, however shows are won and lost on a groom. This insures that the kitten/cat is represented in the very best way. You will be amazed at how your kitten/cat looks !!!

Caution: do not over brush your kitten/cat!!! taking to much hair out of the kitten/cat by pulling with combs and brushes will thin the coat and the representation of the kitten/cat will be very poor at shows. Granted keep your kitten/cat brushed and tangle free, but don't over brush - especially that beautiful tail. They need that tail large and fluffy for the judging!!!

No, it doesn't scare me, exactly... I'll give you a blow by blow of how it went with pictures. Wish us all luck!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY STAR!!!

Star wondering what it's all about. Luckily Taylor blew out that candle before any noses got singed.

I am a bit behind in my blogging (a bit?) and the day before yesterday was our Star's 1st birthday. She is such a treasure and we are so happy to have her. And to think that getting her was a last minute decision. Here are some pics of her on her "special day" with my dear friend's granddaughter Taylor, who is a"princess" by the way, and with her "baby bro" Cosmo. Enjoy!!!

Star in her birthday boa with "mommy".

Star and Cosmo, after the "party".

St. "Sissy" and the "Little Devil"

Star helping "daddy" out in the office.

As you may or may not know we are owned by two wonderful Maine Coon cats who we love beyond belief. One of them is Star and she is "good," the other is Cosmo and he is...well not bad but challenging. LOL

We give our babies nicknames and Star's (well one of her's) is Sissy. She is not a "sissy" but a sort of "sister" to Cosmo. (they may be distantly related but are not sibs) She is wise and wonderful, affectionate and for the most part gentle. She has become a fierce huntress and a great leaper, though she never jumps up to places she should not be. She is my BFF, for sure!!

Cosmo has no nicknames other than the occasional "Baby 'Mo". He is smart as a whip and gets bored easily. He is inventive, mischievous, very loving, and powerful. He is able to jump great heights to places cats should never go. In other words he is wonderful. All the "tricks" out there suggested to keep your cat off of counters, tables, center islands, ect. don't work with him. He is determined!!

A slightly "rumpled" Cosmo watches the back yard from one of his favorite perches.

Cosmo settles down at 11 each night and for the most part never stirs until between 6-7AM.

Star never settles down until about 11AM and she sleeps most of the day. She is up with us until bedtime at which time she needs to go downstairs to do whatever she does each night. If she stays with us she tries to get Cosmo to play with her, but he needs his sleep as he is not a "napper". I have always felt badly about this, but so far it seems to be working. I dream of the day when we can all sleep together.

Star can help me in the kitchen when I am baking. She sits and watches me giving me occasional advice as only she can. A chirp here and a chortle there and we are good to go.

Cosmo likes to jump up into the cookie batter, or worse yet on the hot stove so when I am baking in particular he needs to go upstairs for a little R&R. I guess it will all work itself out, but it has been about the most interesting nearly 6 months I can remember in a long time, and our lives are so much the richer for them.

Thanks so much for these little blessings Mickey!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

These beautiful babies have enriched our lives so very much!

Hey all, I KNOW it's been a very long time since I updated the blog, but we made it through the Holidays with only a few minor "mishaps" and now look forward to a new year. MOST of my trepidations about the house trimmings were unfounded and we all enjoyed a relatively calm and peaceful Holiday season, well as calm and peaceful as two very energetic Maine Delite Maine Coons will allow LOL .

My best "girlfriend" Star makes sure this box will last until next year

Cosmo "inspects" the dried cranberry wreath before it gets put away for another year.

Speaking of the babies, Cosmo is 8 months old today and Star will be 1 year old on the 18th of this month. Cosmo weighs in at approx. 11 lbs and Star is about 12 lbs. They are big babies!! I'm posting a few "after Christmas" pictures, they enjoyed taking everything down yesterday much more than putting it all up. LOL

I did notice that they seemed very "hyper" while the house was in Holiday regalia, and I know this is to be expected. After all, their world had changed. Now we can all get back to "normal", whatever the heck that is, and get on with the long winter ahead. Enjoy the photos, and a very Happy New Year to you all!!!

Cosmo loves those nutcrackers

The kids invent a new game with Rubbermaid!