Patti Andrews

an interview with TICA Judge Patti Andrews

By Jay Lehman

Jay: What made you decide to get your first cat and what kind was it?
Patti: My first cat was when I was a child. It was a white blue-eyed long haired HHP. Snowball was her name. She was great. My mom had been raised on a working ranch in Montana. Cats did not live in the house. Ergo, I had many Snowballs through my childhood. I also had a black and white, Pineapple Princess, named after a song from that era. Princess came to me in a shoe box. She was a birthday gift. My parents could no longer take my strong emotions directed towards my cat, specially when they died. So they banned me from getting another cat. I have always found ways to get what I want, so I told my friend to give me one as a birthday present. I worked and I was able to keep the kitten. Around Jr. High time, I found another white, blue-eyed kitten. I named her Brains. She was very smart. But my mom had not yet learned the lesson that you do not let cats outside. Brains became very ill, distemper. Brains was our first cat to ever go to the vet. The vet pronounced there was not help for her and she would die. I would not allow him to put her to sleep. So he gave her two shots of something and I took her
home to die, so they thought. I set up a vigilance, cared for her, pray constantly for her and after many days she was well. This was the first time that I realized, God answers prayers.

Jay: When did you get your first pedigreed (show quality) cat and what breed was it?
Patti: When I purchased my first "pedigreed" cat it was a Turkish Angora, blue-eyed white. But that interest was soon displaced with a Norwegian Forest Cat. Our temperaments are very in tune to each other, the NFC and I. I can not imagine living with out one nor without a HHP.

Jay: When did you become involved in breeding and why?
Patti: I used to breed and show Irish Wolfhounds. The dogs I was working with in my breeding program developed an auto immune deficiency problem and I stopped breeding. My divorce from my first husband was also a factor. When I met and married Chuck we still had some dogs. As they passed on and when I wanted to get a new cat, we decided to go for a breed cat.
The process of going into breeding just seemed natural having come from breeding dogs.

Jay: What breeds have you/do you breed, and why?
Patti: We now have Norwegian Forest Cats. Why? Well because we are so intune to each other. Their temperaments are compliant with mine. We are good room mates together and function as partners. It is easy to respect them and to share with them. They feel like equals. It is weird, but I would like to take them to the mall and ask them their opinions on
clothes, etc. Now you are going to think I am off the wall or something, but I really feel totally comfortable with these cats. I like their size and facial expressions. I like the easy going
personality and manner of this breed. They are like the all around good guy cat. They are not a pain :-))))), they are so very warm and comfortable.

Jay: When did you become involved in TICA and why?
Patti: When I started show, ten million years ago, the closest shows were in Ohio, CFF. I loved the people and the friendly atmosphere. When I attended my first TICA show in the Chicago area, one single person made me come back. That was a judge, Jim Becknell. He was so warm and loving towards the cats. He spoke about the cats as if her understood them and how they emotionally felt. Never in my life had I met someone else, like myself, who really emotionally understood cats. So, since Jim was invited often to judge in the Chicago area, I came back.

Jay: What other associations were you ever involved with?
Patti: CFF, in Ohio.

Jay: When and why did you decide to become a judge?
Patti: Well, I use to clerk for Jim Becknell and he started showing me things about the different breeds. So I started to think about it, you know maybe. I use to judge puppy matches back in my dog show days. But I never really thought to hard about it at all. Then one day out of the blue, I got this call from a judge I respected and was kind of in awe, Larry Paul. It was so funny. He said, "I got good news for you and I got bad news. Which one do you want to hear first?" So I said, "The good news. That will help me better take the bad news." "Well," he
said, "you are going to become a judge." "So," says I, "if that is the good news, what is the bad news?" "I running for VP of TICA." responds Larry. And then I said, the typical, "Are you sure you do not have them turned around?" So as you see, when given an order by Larry Paul, you
do not really have a choice in the matter. :-))))))

Jay: What is your fondest memory of TICA?
Patti: The people and the HHPs!!!!
My life has been so very enriched by my association with TICA. I have grown, changed and become a better person due to this experience. I can never give back to TICA and it's membership all that it has given me. I am a very emotional person, by golly, you would think I was Italian, rather than French/Irish. But just thinking about all the people that have enriched and enhanced me, darn, I am the most fortunate person in the world. I owe TICA and it's membership.

Jay: What advise would you give to Russian Blue exhibitors about showing this breed?
Patti: Be empathic towards your cats. They feel emotions more than any other breed I have handled. They pick up on the "vibes" of the environment. People think they are high strung, not I, they are so intune to emotions. If they could talk, they would be empaths. When I handle a
RB, I wash myself of emotions and make myself feel calmness and love. No matter what, that is the most important thing to do with a RB. The problem with judging is that there is so much to think about that judge forget to consider the cat. Sad, very sad. At some point I gave myself
permission to be a judge who may forget all the ins and outs of the standards. And I focus on the cats. I hate politics so I do have to think about who is putting what in the ring, and thinking about the cats, making sure they have a good time, also relaxes me. It is a win win situation.

Jay: Do you have anything else to add?
Patti: Remember, cats have feelings, they are highly emotional, intune animals. Treat your cat as a respected room mate and watch your relationship bloom. Learn happiness with your cat.