This past weekend we had the privilege of attending a three day TICA cat show hosted by the Alabama Paws & Claws Cat Club in Anniston, AL. This show was open to the public for the first time since COVID and I must say there was an amazing turn out! There were over 30 breeds in attendance, including some shelter kitties that were up for adoption and showing off their stuff. The show hall was buzzing with exhibitors and spectators of all ages, and there was even a local reporter who showed up and shared some lovely photos of the event.

We are super excited to announce, LakeViewCoons Bella Luna Nera, our future queen, and her littermate, LakeViewCoons Silver Lining, both earned enough points and finals for their Champion and Champion Alter titles!🥳👏🏼 We are especially proud of this accomplishment because these two 10 month old Maine Coons come from pedigree lines with low Heido Ho clones and low COI. Luna and S.L.’s mom, Setareh, is F6 with both her maternal grandparents being F5 new foundation. This was such a special achievement for us and shows that it *is* possible to win championship titles with outcross, new Foundation lines. 🤩

As preservation breeders, our priority is to work to maintain the look of the True Type Maine Coon and fight against selectively breeding for more extreme features based on personal preferences. Sometimes this goal can be challenging, especially when most of what you see on the internet these days is the more feral and out of balance types going viral. The temptation is to give in and join the crowd with what seems like it’s more popular, but then we have a weekend like this past weekend, and we are reminded that it pays off to stick to our breeding goals and not compromise.

All in all, it was a really tough weekend with a lot of beautiful Maine Coon cats, kittens, and alters in attendance. Despite the steep competition, we were still able to squeak in a few finals and for that we are incredibly grateful to the judges who recognized our cats in their rings.