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Ragdolls with a FIFe-World Winner Title
- EP Raggy's Chayene, WW 1994

nfortunately my first attempt to attend a FIFe World Winner Show had miserably failed in 1990. At the time the Ragdoll breed wasn't recognized yet by FIFe, but I thought such a great event as the very first FIFe World Winner Show at all would be a marvellous opportunity to promote the breed. So I was absolutely delighted when I received Chayene's show entry confirmation. But the disappointment was even bigger when we were put off just a short time before the show, with a brief explanation that the show invitation was an error, only recognized breeds and colors could be shown at the WW show. Astonishingly, in the end 2 cats of a not recognized color were present at the very show... so much for the "little difference" ;-). Anyway, the next opportunity arose 4 years later.

t least the Bicolor Ragdolls had achieved championship status in the meantime, i.e. they could get certificates and all other show honors. Since the recognition of the breed Chayene had proved to be extremely successful in the show hall. However, I did not think for a minute that she would stand the slightest chance to win anything at the WW show in Geneva/Switzerland. I had entered her in this show just for the fun of it and because I feel the urge to do something "adventurous" once in a while :-). Last but not least it was also a great opportunity to visit a Ragdoll breeder living in Geneva. So off to Switzerland, with an overnight stay when half way, at my friend Lilo's in the Black Forest who had entered her blue bicolor Ragdoll to the WW show.

ilo and I arrived the day before the show, so we had enough time for a wonderful and very interesting visit at the Swiss breeder's. Unfortunately we weren't able to view much of Geneva itself, but it seems this is not uncommon for the avarage exhibitor - though you have been "everywhere" already, you haven't seen much except for the highway exit, your hotel and the show hall...

he maxim of the first show morning was "waiting". The entry - and vet check took ages, thus the judging of the cats started quite late, too. The shaggy fur and red trimmed eyes of many cats were suspiciously examined by the vets on duty. In the end it turned out that most of the carpets in the show hotel just across the Palexpo were so static that the poor cats staying overnight in such a room continously had gotten a little electric shock whenever they moved, therefore their "frizzy" condition. I suppose the vendors in the show hall selling antistatic spray must have made the deal of their lives that morning!

nfortunately I wasn't able to catch very much of the opening ceremony or the entertaining show program. I don't like to leave my cats alone and the Ragdoll pens were located just in the opposite corner of the show hall without a view to the stage. The hall was *huge*, with luxurious space for the exhibitors. The pens were arranged in generous ovals, with tables and chairs in the center. As special service for the spectators, a name plate of the respective cat was attached to the front side of every pen. Large flags of different countries decorated the walls.

895 cats were entered altogether, incl. 9 Ragdolls - one of the latter was absent. It was very nice to see that not recognized breeds or colors were no problem and welcome in Geneva, so not only 7 Bicolor Ragdolls (5 seal bicolors and 2 blue bicolors) but 1 not yet recognized blue mitted was shown, too. Except for us German exhibitors - Lilo and I - all other "Ragdoll people" came from Switzerland.

he first show day ended quite promising: all in all 4 Ragdolls were nominated for Best in Show on the next day: International Champion Xero du Masque Bleu, blue bicolor male, Grand Champion Xenos The New World Cat, seal bicolor male, Copyright v.d.Waldelben, seal bicolor male kitten in the 6 – 10 months class, and my European Premier Chayene (DRU), seal bicolor (her original name is "Raggy's Chayene", but at the time every non-FIFe cattery name was removed and the name of the "home association" added in brackets whenever a cat from an independent cat association was registered in 1. DEKZV – thank heaven this practise has stopped long ago in the meanwhile!).

  don't want to miss to express my heartfelt gratitude to Chayene's judge in Switzerland, Satu Hämaläinen from Finland. Not only for nominating my cat for the WW Best in Show :-), but she has judged some of my other cats too, in the past and I *love* her gentle handling of the cats and her competent judging reports in general.

 couple of breeders of other breeds joined our "Ragdoll party" for dinner in the hotel and we had much fun together. However, ordering the dishes was a big challenge for most of us mainly German - or at best English speaking cat people. The waiters simply refused to speak any other language than French, for a high class hotel in the direct neighbourhood of the famous Palexpo this is hardly imaginable. Maybe we had sliped the porters a too small tip or had fallen into disgrace with them for some other reason, who knows.

hen cat people sit together it often gets quite late. But this time the night was even shorter than usual. It was exactly on this weekend the clocks were put forward an hour to summer time! Fortunately, the hotel staff had fixed large information signs in the elevators, otherwise we certainly would have turned up in the hall way too late the next morning.

owever, the Best in Show started with a 2 hour delay anyway, this was also the reason that the pens in the hall were already pulled down, packed and loaded in the background though the Shorthair – and Siamese – Best in Show weren't finished yet. But lucky for us - the BIS started with the Semilonghair category, and fortunately all still was going smoothly at the time.

The picture from the edelkatze article (1994)

hayene was the only Ragdoll that was able to win in the Best in Show though it happened a little mishap there after the judges voted for her to become "Best female alter" – her name was already announced though she still had to compete with the best male alter, a gorgeous Maine Coon. In the end the Maine Coon won, but I did not mind a bit. I was still overwhelmed and unbelievably happy that Chayene had won on stage at all, despite the huge competition of all these *beautiful* cats. A dream came true!

UT: Believe it or not, it took weeks until we Ragdoll people realized that Chayene had in fact not only won on stage but at the same time also won the annual World Winner title... and it was not before the German FIFe judge Cornelia Waller wrote an article in "die edelkatze", the 1. DEKZV's club magazine, about the WW show, introducing Chayene as the only German WW winner for this year. Before the article was published, everybody thought only the Best in Show winners – in my case the Maine Coon - had won the title, and the Best opp. Sex cats were just that – Best opp. Sex.

ontrary to modern WW shows there weren't any winner hymns on stage, no crowns or sashs for the winning cats :-) or special photo shootings, refering to such a special event. I know of only one single picture of me and Chayene. I think it was taken by Waltraud Sattler, FIFe judge and president of 1. DEKZV, who was one of the judges in Geneva, who had her camera with her on stage. This picture was printed in the edelkatzen article but unfortunately I have no own copy.

he World Winner trophy in Geneva was a small, heavy pewter jug and I also got two rosettes: a large one from the Swiss cat association, and as special prize another lovely selfmade ribbon from the Polish cat club. The cat's show certificate got stamped on a table next to the stage, but at least in my case Chayene's certificate got only a stamp reading "Presente Au Best – Best opp. Sex", no trace of a World Winner title. Well, not completely true! The engraving of the jug read "Cats' 94 Genève Champion du Monde, Neutres Best opp. Sex". As already mentioned above, unfortunately I don't speak any French, nor did any of my friends, otherwise we *might* have noticed that Chayene had just won the WW-title :-).

ll in all the WW-title is nice but not sooo important to me (in fact, a Finnish Ragdoll breeder had to remind me to mention the WW win on my website as well - I totally had forgotten it when compiling Chayene's show success), probably due to the circumstances how Chayene had won it, or better how long it took until I learned that Chayene had won it :-).

esides, now there is not even a hint of her WW win in the official FIFe history books to be found... I was recently able to browse through the FIFe 50 Years Jubilee book at a show. Instead of Chayene's name and her other information there is only an empty space in the listing of the WW title Semilonghair Spay 1994. So no luck with her World Winner title... :-)))

owever, there *was* an incident at this show that was very touching and that I will remember forever. During the show a Swiss lady and her family came to the Ragdoll pens and showed the first exhibitor in the row a small picture clipped out from a cat magazine (see first picture above). There was no cat's name under the photo, just a caption saying that this cat is a Ragdoll. She asked if anyone knew this cat and if it is perhaps present at this show. Well, the pictured cat was Chayene, and as she was at the time well known among the Ragdoll people, the exhibitor pointed to Chayene's pen right away. You cannot imagine how excited and happy this lady was to actually see the cat of her dreams in life. She asked me if she could hold her, and her family photographed her about a dozen times with Chayene in her arms.

hat the lady indeed had found Chayene at this show was a very lucky chance. Because of the distance I rarely show in Switzerland (though the shows there are usually very interesting and fun and I enjoy them very much!). Besides, the WW show was Chayene's very last show as she was 7 years old already, she had received her European title a couple of months ago and it was high time for her retirement. I just wish it were always so easy to make people happy...

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[ Legendary Ragdolls | The First Ragdolls with a FIFe-European Title | Ragdolls with a FIFe-World Winner Title; WW 94 Raggy's Chayene | Ragdolls at Cat Shows ]

Except as noted all text, photos and design by Renate Wald. Illustrations made by and/or purchased from Lallas Countrystyle, R. Wald & C.ountry Patch C.ollections. My heartfelt gratitude goes to Patricia and Frej Krook for editing. All images, text and content within this website are subject to copyright laws. Without my or the respective artist's written consent the reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium is prohibited. Disclaimer