Rafiq & Rana

Since I'm the boy [Rafiq] I'll take the lead and tell you a little about our life here. Neither Taro nor Kanati were very friendly at first and Saree disappeared completely. After a little while Taro became friendly and started to wash us both and generally look after us, but now we are getting older he leaves us to look after ourselves. Once we got to know him Kanati started playing 'chase' with us while while Saree at first would run away when she saw us but now she stands and has a good look and sometimes even allows us to creeps up close. Rana is very friendly with Kanati and they sometimes wash each other and curl up for a sleep although he still plays a rough and tumble game with me most days. Generally though I prefer to get into bed in the middle of the night and wake Cherie up for a little bit of fuss and attention.

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Rana sharing a chair and wash late at night with Kanati - Feb 2004

My turn now. Rafiq’s told you about me [Rana] being friendly with Kanati but he didn’t tell you how shy he is. He always runs away and hides in the bedroom when there are visitors. Kanati is different, he's so friendly and nice to me. In the evening when he goes to sleep on one of the armchairs I often go and curl up with him. He always wakes up and washes my neck and the back of my head - it's very pleasant and relaxing. We also play together and sit on the big bed next to each other in the day time. Late at night when I'm the only one awake I call him and he wakes up and comes for walks around the flat with me - especially into the kitchen where the food is - I just love eating.

Both of us have spent some time at Cat Shows although not as much as either Taro or Kanati. Rafiq is very big and strong but because he’s shy he doesn’t always get the result he deserves and I did very well when I was young [winning 8 cups] but, as Clive says, Ladies - of a certain age - particularly if they are Neuters [like me] tend to develop a more generous figure - nothing to do, you understand, with the fact that I love eating - and when that happens the judges don’t seem to appreciate you in quite the same way and I retired after 25 shows needing just 4 more to become a European Premier like Taro and Kanati .

Full details of our show careers are listed on the ‘Show Results’ page.

In March 2003 both of us, together with Kanati, went to a two day show at Haywards Heath. I won a CAPIB each day and so did Rana but in addition, on the second day she also gained a BIV and was Nominated going on to again win the Best Opposite Sex Neuter award along with a rosette and another cup. Then, in May, we both went to a show at Staines and again we both won a CAPIB but Rana went on to gain a Nomination and then win another Best Opposite Sex Neuter award [this time only in Category, not Show] along with a rosette - as Kanati says, women! Clive said don't worry. There are always more male cats and greater competition and as I was still growing and developing my turn might come later. In August we both went to a show in Worthing and both gained CAPIB certificates and then in September we went to a show in Bognor Regis where I could only get an Excellent 2 behind one of my cousins - Coonawarra Han Solo - while Rana won her fifth CAPIB, together with a Nomination, to become an 'International Premier'. In February 2004, on consecutive days, Rana and I went to two shows in Maidstone while Kanati stayed at home because he had a viral infection. On both days Rana won CAGPIB certificates together with a Nomination and on each day she then went on to win Best Opposite Sex Neuter in Show with yet another cup. On the first day I also had a good show first winning my fifth CAPIB to become an 'International Premier' then going on to win a BIV and Nomination. On the second day however I was just beaten - again - by my cousin Han Solo for the Certificate and had to settle for being placed Excellent 2 A month later we all went to Haywards Heath where I again only got an Excellent 2 behind Han Solo - who went on to win Best Neuter in Show - but Rana won her third CAGPIB and also gained a Nomination to the Maine Coon Speciality [a separate event within the main show]. There she won Best Opposite Sex Neuter with yet another cup. In the summer at Worthing, I won my first CAGPIB but lost the Nomination to my big brother Taro while Rana won her fourth CAGPIB but lost the Nomination to a very nice Norwegian Forest cat. Then, in September, at St Ives I won my second CAGPIB and secured a Nomination while Rana gained her fifth CAGPIB together with another Nomination and yet another Best Opposite Sex Neuter and cup. In early October we went to Maidstone where I had a very good day winning my third CAGPIB along with a BIV and Nomination - where I beat my friend Kanati - while Rana won her sixth CAGPIB and a Nomination. To round off 2004, at the end of October, we went to Salisbury where I won my fourth CAGPIB and Rana gained her seventh and final CAGPIB to become a 'Grand International Premier'.

2005 started with me gaining a slight advantage. At Swanley in February I secured my fifth CAGPIB and a BIV while Rana only won her first CAPE then in April we both went to Bognor Regis and both gained certificates - mine another CAGPIB [my sixth] and Rana a CAPE [her second] but then came Worthing in August and I had an upset tummy and couldn't go on the Saturday. Rana however did well, when she came home she had another nice cup and told me she had gained her third CAPE together with another Nomination and - yes - another Best Opposite Sex Neuter. Next day we all went off to Worthing and I won my seventh CAGPIB to become a 'Grand International Premier'. But I don't really enjoy shows very much so Clive and Cherie said I could retire now and stay at home. Rana of course had to go one better and not only gained her fourth CAPE but also got another Nomination. In September, while I stayed at home with Taro, Kanati and Saree, Rana went out with C and C for a day and came home all smug having won her fifth CAPE at Haywards Heath. In addition she said it had been a Maine Coon Speciality show and in that section she had also been Nominated. Then in October she had her first disappointment in a show at Maidstone where the judge decided she was 'overweight' and could only have a Ex1 with no certificate. Next day however she went back and a different judge awarded her a sixth CAPE. Age and her love of eating appear to have caught up with her in November 2005 when she again failed to get a certificate at a show in Swanley and had to settle for another Ex1. Cherie said it was time she retired ,like the rest of us, and spent all her time at home - unless she goes on a diet.

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Rana’s show awards : . . photo courtesy Bob Fox.

.1 . . .2 . .

[1] Garden of England Show [Tonbridge] September 2002 : Best in show, Opposite Sex Neuter
[2] Garden of England Show [Haywards Heath] March 2003 : Best in show, Opposite Sex Neuter

.3 . .
[3] CA International Show [Staines] May 2003 : Best in Category, Opposite Sex Neuter

.4. . 5. . 6. .
[4] Garden of England Show [Maidstone] 28 February 2004 : Best in Show, Opposite Sex Neuter
[5] Garden of England Show [Maidstone] 29 February 2004 : Best in Show, Opposite Sex Neuter

[6] Maine Coon Guild Show [Haywards Heath] March 2004 : Maine Coon Speciality, Best Opposite Sex Neuter

.7. . 8. .
[7] Viking Cat Club Show [St Ives, Cambs.] 12 September 2004: Best Opposite Sex Neuter
[8] Felis Britannica Show [Worthing] 13 August 2005: Best Opposite Sex Neuter
[ All eight photos courtesy Robert Fox - photographer. http://www.photopaws.co.uk ]

[9]. . [10]. . [11]. . [12]. . [13]. .

[9] Junior: One Ex1. Adult: Three CAP's, two Nominations and one Best in Show Opposite Sex - Neuter, FIFe Premier;
[10] Five CAPIB's, three Nominations, one BIV, one Best in Category Opposite Sex - Neuter,
and one Best in Show Opposite Sex - Neuter, FIFe International Premier;
[11] Seven CAGPIB's, FIFe Grand International Premier;
[12] Four Nominations and three Best in Show Opposite Sex - Neuter;
Maine Coon Speciality: one Nomination and one Best Opposite Sex - Neuter .
[13] Six CAPE's, Three Nominations and one Best in Show Opposite Sex - Neuter

A few 'photos of us as we grew up:

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Me - Rafiq - above - [January 2002] aged 9 weeks and below
[March 2002] aged 17 weeks and April 2003 aged 17 months

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Me, at 18 months and ‘caught in the act’ with my ‘mate’ Kanati !!!

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Rana - above - [February 2002] aged 13 weeks and [March] aged 16 weeks and below
[March 2003] aged 16 months and [July 2003] aged 20 months
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Hello. We are the most recent arrivals and came to live with Clive, Cherie, Saree, Taro and Kanati on 29 January 2002 We are twins - well we did have some other brothers and sisters but they have gone to other homes. Our names are Grand International Premier Kittycoonz Rafiq Sableshadow - a black classic tabby - and Grand International Premier Kittycoonz Princess Rana - a blue tortie classic tabby with white. We were born on 11 November 2001 and are the young brother and sister of Kittycoonz Taro Moonshadow. Rafiq is an Arabic name and means 'companion' or 'friend' while Rana is an Indian name and means 'eye catching' or 'beautiful object'.

I [Rafiq] will take over again now to tell you about our competitive careers. They began early in 2002 when we all went out to a place Clive and Cherie called Haywards Heath Cat Show. There were a lot of cats there but after we had been up to see the judges we got back into our cage and curled up for a nice sleep. We both came second [ Ex2 ] in our class but C and C said that was alright because it was our first show and the other kittens were older and bigger than we were. In August we went to another show in Worthing. C and C were pleased with us both, Rana did well winning her class as an Ex1 but unfortunately I [ Rafiq ] could only get another Ex2 and again the boy that won was a bit older than me.

Once we became adults we went to three shows in Tonbridge, Fleet and Stevenage. Each time I won my class with a CAP Certificate - so becoming a 'Premier' - and at Fleet also gained a Nomination, while Rana also won her class at each one with a CAP Certificate - also becoming a 'Premier' - and in addition at Tonbridge was Nominated and then gained a Best Opposite Sex Neuter award along with a rosette and cup and at Stevenage was again Nominated. We had hoped to go to Maidstone in February but Rana caught a cold and was still recovering while I not only had a cold - caught from her of course - but also laryngitis and couldn't breath properly or even 'talk' for a few days.