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NW SC (FIFé) GC (CFA) Ghattas Blackjack BY LUIS CREDIE Published February 2013
Photos copyrighted by the individual photographers
My name is Luis Credie. I am originally from Manaus, Amazonas, in the middle of the Brazilian Rain Forest. Now I live in São Paulo, Brazil with my girlfriend, Thais Lote. Our cattery name is Lotie, which is an acronym of our last names. Lote + Credie = Lotie This is the story of our adventures showing our first cat, a black and white male Persian named Blackjack. Blackjack In early 2010, I began looking for a top quality Persian male to start the Lotie breeding program. If you had a website and your e-mail was working you probably received en email from me. I contacted every cattery in the western hemisphere from Canada to Uruguay. After months of searching, I chose Blackjack, not because of his features but just because I loved his baby picture and his story. He was the smallest in his litter and had to be hand-fed. At one point, his breeder, Alessandra Ghattas of Ghattas Persians, thought she would lose him. But at two months of age, Blackjack had already proven that he was a survivor.
Because Blackjack was so small and young, and it was a 4 hour flight from his home to ours, my girlfriend, Thais, flew to São Paulo to pick him up and hand carry him on the plane. He arrived at our home in Manaus and it was love at first sight.
Sister Deusa At the time we first started showing in Brazil there were only two CFA shows a year, but about twenty FIFé shows, so Blackjack started showing first in FIFé. He didn’t do anything remarkable as a kitten. He earned just one Best of Variety, but never made a final. We were disappointed because we believed he had so much potential. Given his rough start in life though, we decided he just needed time to mature. In the meantime, we purchased our first female, a dilute calico who was a repeat breeding of Blackjack. She was so pretty as a baby that the breeder named her Deusa, which means "Goddess" in Portuguese. While Blackjack remained home to grow up, we began showing Deusa in FIFé. Deusa did very well at shows right from the start. She went to eight shows in FIFé, and was nominated for finals seven times and was Best in Show seven times. She was the first Persian female in Brazil to earn the title of Junior Winner (JW). Then in 2011, FIFé created the new title of National Winner. Although Deusa left Brazil to show in the US that July, she still managed to earn the title of NW in FIFé. Bob Zenda judged Deusa at a CFA show in Brazil and suggested she could earn an NW in CFA if she were shown in the States. Bob put us in touch with experienced campaigner, Connie Stewart, who showed Deusa to 25th Best Cat in CFA in 2012. Deusa was a National Winner in FIFé and CFA in the same campaign season!
Mr. Personality While Deusa was winning in America, back home in Brazil, Blackjack was turning into Mr. Personality. He was a cat with a lot of attitude. As a kitten, he wanted to be the center of attention. He would look at me to make sure I was watching, and then plunge his face into his water fountain, soaking his face just to get my attention. If I was gone all day, he would wait for me laying on my sandals. He would walk, stop and stare at me. This was he way of telling me that he wanted to be petted. As he got older, he liked me to feed him his raw meat by hand. He would wear a coffee filter bib to keep his hair clean while he ate. I would hold the coffee filter with the hole in the center in front of him and he would push his head through it all on his own. He still loves wearing a bib, whether he is going to be fed or not He liked toys that he could "hunt" — frogs or dragonflies or toys on strings that could be pulled for him to chase. He loved to play hide and seek with me on his large cat tree. I would hide behind one of the columns and he would try to "tag" me with his paw. Not all his quirks were so amusing. He did not like to be caged or left inside his carrier. He would pee, poop and vomit until we let him out! We are so thankful that he behaves well at the shows. Blackjack's Turn Like most Persian kittens, Blackjack blew his coat before he was a year old. We focused on getting him back into top show condition. After five months of hard work and many baths, at one year and eight months of age, he returned to showing and was Best in Show both days of a two day FIFé show in Brazil in November 2011. We couldn’t believe it, we were so happy. I almost cried.
Brazil's First CFA One Show Grand CFA shows in Brazil only had two judges. For Blackjack's first show as a Champion, there would be four judges. The count was high and so were our expectations. Could Blackjack be a one-show Grand? He wasn't in full coat yet, but we entered the show anyway. Blackjack made all 4 finals, including 3 Best Cats. With that, Blackjack became the first 1-show grand in Brazil. He was also the first Brazilian cat to become a CFA Grand Champion in almost 10 years. It was the best time of my life showing a cat.
FIFé National Winner We decided to let Blackjack try to earn an NW in FIFé n 2012. It would be a difficult campaign because the other campaign cats were in full coat right from the beginning of the year while Blackjack was almost naked - he almost looked like an Exotic. The FIFé season begins in March. The first show of the season was on the same day as the CFA show where Blackjack granded, so we started the FIFé campaign one show behind the other cats. The first two shows in April were in northeast Brazil where it was hot and humid. Blackjack was very uncomfortable. Nevertheless, he managed to make 3 out of 4 nominations and was Best In Show three times. He continued to do well. Finally, by the end of September Blackjack was back in full coat. He was at the top of the standings in FIFé, however the second place cat was close on his heels. In FIFé , only the cat that ended in first place would claim the NW title. With only two more shows left until season's end, Blackjack was Best in Show, Best of Breed and Best Over All. He earned so many points that it was impossible for the second place cat to catch him. Blackjack was a National Winner in FIFé for 2012. Our dream had come true.
The CFA World Show 2012 At a CFA show in Brazil in October 2012, Don Williams made Blackjack his Best Cat. While collecting our rosette, I asked Don what he thought about taking Blackjack to the upcoming CFA World Show in the US. Don replied, “He has the quality!” But before I knew it the World Show had filled and I hadn't entered. Then, CFA announced they would accept entries on a waiting list. I immediately entered Blackjack and without knowing if his entry would actually make it into the show, I bought an airplane ticket to Ohio and made car and hotel reservations. When Blackjack made it into the show I felt it was a sign from God telling me that we should go. The day before the show, we flew almost 20 hours with two plane changes before we arrived in Columbus, Ohio, USA. Exhausted from the trip I still had to bath and blow dry Blackjack for the show the next morning.
The Big Show! What a show it was! It was bigger than I ever imagined. Over 700 cats were benched in the show hall. Banners, breed booths and vendors were everywhere. I was simply mesmerized. Maybe that is why I was late for almost every ring. Before the first ring, Blackjack had a photo session with Richard Katris (Chanan). Blackjack just wouldn't pay attention. He wasn't interested in any of the teasers Richard was using. Finally Richard created a homemade teaser with a piece of white tape on a pole. Blackjack loved it!. After that Richard said he used his "Blackjack Teaser" with all the cats on the show. Blackjack was still tired from the long trip when it came time to take him to the show ring. He just wanted to nap. Even getting him to open his eyes was a challenge. Still, it was a good day. He made all the finals, although I knew he could do better. By Sunday, Blackjack had recovered from his journey and started to really show himself to his full potential. Perhaps he sensed that the stakes were high. He managed to open his eyes long enough to capture each judge's attention. By the end of the show, Blackjack was Best of Breed - the top Bicolor Persian in the show! Next, he would go head-to-head with the other top cats. He was chosen Best Longhair Cat in Show! And then finally he was awarded Runner-up to Best in Show Allbreeds, losing only to an Ocicat kitten.
What's Next For Blackjack? All the "practice" Blackjack did mating paid dividends. Blackjack as already sired his first litter and is expecting his second. But fathering kittens is not the only thing on his mind. Now there is talk that he may try for another national win. Like his sister before him, Blackjack will perhaps one day campaign for an NW in CFA.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Below are photos from the show career of NW SC (FIFé) GC (CFA) Ghattas Blackjack Black & White Male Persian FIFé National Winner 2012 Birthdate: 02/27/2010
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