| IW SGM Toby of Rags2Riches |
On November 4, 2004 Rags2Riches Sasha, co-owned by Michael Hilton and Scottie Cone, had a litter
by TGC Chatandolls Jacques of Rags2Riches. A beautiful litter of 5 and Michael was so excited. This
was his first litter! At two weeks of age Michael called Scottie and said that one of the kitten's eyes
had not opened. Scottie went over and noticed something was wrong. The next day called for a trip to
the vet and then a call to the specialist was made. This beautiful seal mitted baby was blind. His eyes
had not opened because there were no eyes behind the lids to make them open.
The decision was made to start taking him everywhere possible so that he would not become too
sheltered or become frightened of everything. Toby went to Petsmart, the dentist office, even the
allergy doctors office, the hairdressers, the bank, a New Years Eve Party, friends houses and just
everywhere that he was allowed to go. He was never frightened, purred constantly and strange places
seemed to excite him rather than make him nervous. He was immediately the Mascot at work and went a
couple days a week along with his Mom and siblings. His Mom had been pretty much a regular at work
on Fridays anyway because at 2 weeks of age she had become ill with a URI and couldn't breathe to
nurse or take a bottle. Therefore, she was spoon-fed solid food every few hours. She had to be at the
office with Scottie everyday for 6 weeks. With a lot of help from Michael, who works at the same
office, Sasha did quite well and soon became very attached to Michael. While spending time with both
she soon made her home with Michael as she totally adored him. Naturally everyone in the office had
become attached to her and Sasha had to return often so everyone could watch her grow. It was
Toby's turn now.
When it came time to eat and use the litter box, Toby was first. He evidently could smell everything
better than the others could and so he excelled in those areas. Michael took his antique bed apart and
put the box springs and mattress on the floor so that Toby could sleep with him and he would not
worry about his falling off and hurting himself. We do not understand but Toby does not run into
walls. Some say there is an echo coming off of walls that he hears. He will step on things or maybe
bump into a chair leg but he takes it in stride and it never seems to bother him. He loves to climb and
at a very early age you would find him on the dinning room table. To get down he would reach out with
his paw to find a chair pushed up close to the table. When he could feel the back of the chair he knew
there was a seat under it and would hop onto the seat and then down to the floor. Michael even had to
move the bar stools away from the counter because Toby would find a way to climb up onto the
counter. Toby is a very smart little guy and his other senses are much more acute since he is blind.
Then came the cat shows and he started going there as a companion. A few of the judges wanted to
know why he was not being shown since he was so well adjusted. That was all it took and he immediately
went to shows in Delaware OH, Atlanta GA and Oklahoma City OK. Toby made it to 9th Best
Household Pet Kitten, SE region in those three shows. Due to his blindness he has to show as a
household pet. When it comes to bath time you can find Toby falling asleep under the warm water. In
fact, he can up and fall asleep just about anywhere, anytime. The dryer is a different situation and
he's not too happy at that time. The trip to OK was his first plane ride and we were very concerned
about the takeoff. He never even tensed up! Car rides are wonderful if a window is cracked and he can
stick his nose in the rushing air. Sounds like a dog to me!
Toby is quite adventurous. He checks out everything when in a new location, jumping up on couches,
chairs, finding things to play with and can't wait to climb up a set of stairs. He loves jumping into
bathtubs and playing with the shower curtain. Motel rooms are great and his favorite thing to do is to
run along the edge of the bed behind the bedspread hanging over the side. He can hear toys being
moved in front of him and springs on them from behind the bedspread. He will chase other cats and
kittens, as he knows that as long as they are running; there isn't anything in front of him to run into.
He will catch the others and do some kitty wrestling.
July 4th Toby becomes an adult in the cat world and will start his Household Pet Show Career. We
don't know how his show career will go but we do know that Toby will have fun. He loves the attention.
September 29, 2005
Toby's adult Household Pet show career has really taken off. He has been to Milwaukee, WI;
Timonium, MD; Jackson, MS; Chicago, IL; Columbia, SC; Syracuse, NY; Tucson, AZ and Toledo, OH.
He is presently the 8th Best Household Pet Cat in TICA Internationally.
We are so proud of him and he truly loves the shows. If we spend a night in the hotel, then the next
morning you find him sitting in his carrier waiting to go downstairs to the show. He is calm, cool and
collected on the judges table and according to them he is purring loudly. Sometimes he will play with
the judges while on the table but many times he will not. Judges look for personality a lot so
sometimes it hurts him if he just wants to sit there and look pretty.
We are hoping to keep him in the top 20 Internationally so that he receives an International Award
but the season does not end until April 30, 2006. A lot can happen during the next several months. His
upcoming shows for the rest of this year are in Sacramento, CA; Green Cove, FL; Lancaster, PA,
Houston, TX and Raleigh, NC.
July 4, 2006
Sorry this update has been sooooooooo late in coming but Toby has kept us busy. The end of last year
was a whirlwind but the first quarter of this year has been a rollercoaster. Toby kept going up up up
in the ranks and the judges were really enjoying him more and more. They were still in awe that this
cat was enjoying the shows so much. He still purrs in the judges arms.
I have a few precious stories to tell but first let me say that after the end of 2005, his 2006 shows
were Sacramento, CA; Nashua, NH; Brenham, TX; Wyomissing, PA; Toledo, OH; Raleigh, NC;
Streamwood, IL; Bessemer, AL; Edmonton Canada; Allentown, PA; Sacramento, CA; Austin, TX; Fort
Walton Beach, FL; Bradley, IL; Laurel, MD and Ansonia, CT.
Toby seems to thrive on the attention he gets and would still purr for the judges at the last show. His
winnings, well to be Best Household Pet in the Southeast Region is wonderful but it was beyond our
wildest imagination to see him gain the title of 3rd Best International Household Pet.
Is Toby still showing? Yes, but it will not be near as much. We do want him to have another Regional
win (RW) this season as that will give him his LA which is Lifetime Achiever Award. Then he will go
from time to time and maybe obtain some regional win each year. It is time for others though to win
the top spots.
THE PHYSIC
In Toledo, Ohio this past spring there was an animal physic that came to the show. She of course did
not know Toby or anything about him. I asked her to come read Toby while he was sleeping in his cage
and had his back to her. She asked if she could take him out and I said later, but for now to try and
read him while he sleeps. She was quiet for a minute and then asked me what was wrong with his eyes. I
asked why and she said because he was telling her that he saw things the way she did and not like a
normal cat. I was shocked and then told her he was blind. She then took him out and held him.
She then said that he told her he wants his two foods. I told her he had several foods at home -
probably five different kinds. Michael has 6 cats and feeds a variety of foods. She said no, he wants
HIS two foods. I said, well tell him to just eat the two he wants and leave the other foods for the
other cats. He still wanted HIS two foods and she and I could not understand so we went on to
something else.
Toby's eyes will drain even though they are 99% closed and we have to clean them often. He told the
physic that he loves me even though he does not act like it at times. I am always trying to clean his
eyes and I think it just makes him mad. He will fuss with me sometimes or not want me to hold him if I
am in a mood to mess with his eyes. His daddy will leave his eyes alone except when they have to be
cleaned. Well Toby told the physic that when his eyes have to be cleaned for the shows that he is very
patient with having them cleaned. I then realized that that was very true. He was patient with the eye
cleaning before going into the judge's rings and always in the mornings before the show when his eyes
are cleaned thoroughly. I sure learned something. He also wanted to know how long he would continue
going to the shows "all the time". I said two more months and then he wanted to know if he could still
come to the shows even if he didn't see the judges. Now how could that physic know that Toby showed
all the time? As far as she knew that could have been his first show.
A few more things were said and then the physic started laughing and asked if we had put Toby in a
Halloween costume. I asked her how she knew that and she said he told her we did and that he liked it
because he got a lot of attention and that he wanted to do it again. That really freaked me out as we
had gotten him a "Baby's First Halloween" costume and he had worn it to about three shows and even
to one Cat Halloween Costume Contest in Sacramento. Sacramento had another costume contest this
past spring and we dressed Toby up as Elvis and he won 2nd place. Marilyn Monroe won first. We will
let him have another costume this Halloween.
This physic really made a believer out of me and I can't wait to do it again. Later that night I called
Toby's daddy and told him about it. The two foods? Well, it turns out that Michael used to give Toby
can food mixed in with the dry food and Toby liked that. However, Toby was gaining weight and so
Michael had quit giving it to him and he only was getting dry food. Well, Toby now gets some of HIS
Two Foods again.
by TGC Chatandolls Jacques of Rags2Riches. A beautiful litter of 5 and Michael was so excited. This
was his first litter! At two weeks of age Michael called Scottie and said that one of the kitten's eyes
had not opened. Scottie went over and noticed something was wrong. The next day called for a trip to
the vet and then a call to the specialist was made. This beautiful seal mitted baby was blind. His eyes
had not opened because there were no eyes behind the lids to make them open.
The decision was made to start taking him everywhere possible so that he would not become too
sheltered or become frightened of everything. Toby went to Petsmart, the dentist office, even the
allergy doctors office, the hairdressers, the bank, a New Years Eve Party, friends houses and just
everywhere that he was allowed to go. He was never frightened, purred constantly and strange places
seemed to excite him rather than make him nervous. He was immediately the Mascot at work and went a
couple days a week along with his Mom and siblings. His Mom had been pretty much a regular at work
on Fridays anyway because at 2 weeks of age she had become ill with a URI and couldn't breathe to
nurse or take a bottle. Therefore, she was spoon-fed solid food every few hours. She had to be at the
office with Scottie everyday for 6 weeks. With a lot of help from Michael, who works at the same
office, Sasha did quite well and soon became very attached to Michael. While spending time with both
she soon made her home with Michael as she totally adored him. Naturally everyone in the office had
become attached to her and Sasha had to return often so everyone could watch her grow. It was
Toby's turn now.
When it came time to eat and use the litter box, Toby was first. He evidently could smell everything
better than the others could and so he excelled in those areas. Michael took his antique bed apart and
put the box springs and mattress on the floor so that Toby could sleep with him and he would not
worry about his falling off and hurting himself. We do not understand but Toby does not run into
walls. Some say there is an echo coming off of walls that he hears. He will step on things or maybe
bump into a chair leg but he takes it in stride and it never seems to bother him. He loves to climb and
at a very early age you would find him on the dinning room table. To get down he would reach out with
his paw to find a chair pushed up close to the table. When he could feel the back of the chair he knew
there was a seat under it and would hop onto the seat and then down to the floor. Michael even had to
move the bar stools away from the counter because Toby would find a way to climb up onto the
counter. Toby is a very smart little guy and his other senses are much more acute since he is blind.
Then came the cat shows and he started going there as a companion. A few of the judges wanted to
know why he was not being shown since he was so well adjusted. That was all it took and he immediately
went to shows in Delaware OH, Atlanta GA and Oklahoma City OK. Toby made it to 9th Best
Household Pet Kitten, SE region in those three shows. Due to his blindness he has to show as a
household pet. When it comes to bath time you can find Toby falling asleep under the warm water. In
fact, he can up and fall asleep just about anywhere, anytime. The dryer is a different situation and
he's not too happy at that time. The trip to OK was his first plane ride and we were very concerned
about the takeoff. He never even tensed up! Car rides are wonderful if a window is cracked and he can
stick his nose in the rushing air. Sounds like a dog to me!
Toby is quite adventurous. He checks out everything when in a new location, jumping up on couches,
chairs, finding things to play with and can't wait to climb up a set of stairs. He loves jumping into
bathtubs and playing with the shower curtain. Motel rooms are great and his favorite thing to do is to
run along the edge of the bed behind the bedspread hanging over the side. He can hear toys being
moved in front of him and springs on them from behind the bedspread. He will chase other cats and
kittens, as he knows that as long as they are running; there isn't anything in front of him to run into.
He will catch the others and do some kitty wrestling.
July 4th Toby becomes an adult in the cat world and will start his Household Pet Show Career. We
don't know how his show career will go but we do know that Toby will have fun. He loves the attention.
September 29, 2005
Toby's adult Household Pet show career has really taken off. He has been to Milwaukee, WI;
Timonium, MD; Jackson, MS; Chicago, IL; Columbia, SC; Syracuse, NY; Tucson, AZ and Toledo, OH.
He is presently the 8th Best Household Pet Cat in TICA Internationally.
We are so proud of him and he truly loves the shows. If we spend a night in the hotel, then the next
morning you find him sitting in his carrier waiting to go downstairs to the show. He is calm, cool and
collected on the judges table and according to them he is purring loudly. Sometimes he will play with
the judges while on the table but many times he will not. Judges look for personality a lot so
sometimes it hurts him if he just wants to sit there and look pretty.
We are hoping to keep him in the top 20 Internationally so that he receives an International Award
but the season does not end until April 30, 2006. A lot can happen during the next several months. His
upcoming shows for the rest of this year are in Sacramento, CA; Green Cove, FL; Lancaster, PA,
Houston, TX and Raleigh, NC.
July 4, 2006
Sorry this update has been sooooooooo late in coming but Toby has kept us busy. The end of last year
was a whirlwind but the first quarter of this year has been a rollercoaster. Toby kept going up up up
in the ranks and the judges were really enjoying him more and more. They were still in awe that this
cat was enjoying the shows so much. He still purrs in the judges arms.
I have a few precious stories to tell but first let me say that after the end of 2005, his 2006 shows
were Sacramento, CA; Nashua, NH; Brenham, TX; Wyomissing, PA; Toledo, OH; Raleigh, NC;
Streamwood, IL; Bessemer, AL; Edmonton Canada; Allentown, PA; Sacramento, CA; Austin, TX; Fort
Walton Beach, FL; Bradley, IL; Laurel, MD and Ansonia, CT.
Toby seems to thrive on the attention he gets and would still purr for the judges at the last show. His
winnings, well to be Best Household Pet in the Southeast Region is wonderful but it was beyond our
wildest imagination to see him gain the title of 3rd Best International Household Pet.
Is Toby still showing? Yes, but it will not be near as much. We do want him to have another Regional
win (RW) this season as that will give him his LA which is Lifetime Achiever Award. Then he will go
from time to time and maybe obtain some regional win each year. It is time for others though to win
the top spots.
THE PHYSIC
In Toledo, Ohio this past spring there was an animal physic that came to the show. She of course did
not know Toby or anything about him. I asked her to come read Toby while he was sleeping in his cage
and had his back to her. She asked if she could take him out and I said later, but for now to try and
read him while he sleeps. She was quiet for a minute and then asked me what was wrong with his eyes. I
asked why and she said because he was telling her that he saw things the way she did and not like a
normal cat. I was shocked and then told her he was blind. She then took him out and held him.
She then said that he told her he wants his two foods. I told her he had several foods at home -
probably five different kinds. Michael has 6 cats and feeds a variety of foods. She said no, he wants
HIS two foods. I said, well tell him to just eat the two he wants and leave the other foods for the
other cats. He still wanted HIS two foods and she and I could not understand so we went on to
something else.
Toby's eyes will drain even though they are 99% closed and we have to clean them often. He told the
physic that he loves me even though he does not act like it at times. I am always trying to clean his
eyes and I think it just makes him mad. He will fuss with me sometimes or not want me to hold him if I
am in a mood to mess with his eyes. His daddy will leave his eyes alone except when they have to be
cleaned. Well Toby told the physic that when his eyes have to be cleaned for the shows that he is very
patient with having them cleaned. I then realized that that was very true. He was patient with the eye
cleaning before going into the judge's rings and always in the mornings before the show when his eyes
are cleaned thoroughly. I sure learned something. He also wanted to know how long he would continue
going to the shows "all the time". I said two more months and then he wanted to know if he could still
come to the shows even if he didn't see the judges. Now how could that physic know that Toby showed
all the time? As far as she knew that could have been his first show.
A few more things were said and then the physic started laughing and asked if we had put Toby in a
Halloween costume. I asked her how she knew that and she said he told her we did and that he liked it
because he got a lot of attention and that he wanted to do it again. That really freaked me out as we
had gotten him a "Baby's First Halloween" costume and he had worn it to about three shows and even
to one Cat Halloween Costume Contest in Sacramento. Sacramento had another costume contest this
past spring and we dressed Toby up as Elvis and he won 2nd place. Marilyn Monroe won first. We will
let him have another costume this Halloween.
This physic really made a believer out of me and I can't wait to do it again. Later that night I called
Toby's daddy and told him about it. The two foods? Well, it turns out that Michael used to give Toby
can food mixed in with the dry food and Toby liked that. However, Toby was gaining weight and so
Michael had quit giving it to him and he only was getting dry food. Well, Toby now gets some of HIS
Two Foods again.
Toby's Page Click any picture below for larger view |
| Sacramento, Ca October 2006 Halloween Contest and Toby was dressed as Elvis. Won 2nd place. |