I Wish I Had Know Then...

…what I know now! Although we all must have uttered this lament at some point in our lives, every single breeder, exhibitor, and judge in the cat fancy is guaranteed to have said this phrase while reflecting on their hobby of choice. Cat Talk writer Jean Aldrich asked a variety of people in CFA what they wished that they had known when they started down many of the paths that CFA offers. In this issue we look at what exhibitors wished they had known at their first show, and judges pondering their first assignments. In our February “Breeding” issue, we ask breeders what they had known way back when.

- Jean Aldrich

The Cat Fancy

• What breed? I wish I had gotten a Cornish Rex years ago, they make me laugh every single day!

• I wish I had found pedigree cats earlier in life and not as something to get through empty nest syndrome

Exhibiting

• Exhibiting in general – I wish I had known how much fun it was showing cats – I’d have started showing my household pets years ago!

• Expenses – I wish I had known how expensive showing cats could be. In the excitement of learning how to show a cat, you don’t initially realize how expensive this hobby can be: grooming supplies, travel expenses (gas/airfare), lodging, car rentals, meals, paying for a cat-sitter for the cat(s) left at home.

• The CFA “NewBee” program – I wish I had known about the CFA NewBee Program! I ran into this after I had been showing about a year; this program can be very helpful, including helping you find a mentor to get you started and prevent you from making newbie mistakes.