Finn the Bonus Boy

On August 8, 2005, almost exactly five years ago, my largest Maine Coon female whom we called Boom Boom gave birth to her first litter.  The previous week we'd had her X-rayed at the vet to determine how many kittens to expect.  Yes, it is safe to X-ray a pregnant cat, something about their lifespan not being long enough to be affected by X-rays.  My vet showed me the X-ray with a clear 3 kittens evident, with an uncertain shadow in the background....so 3, maybe 4.  Given that Boom Boom had gotten up to 18 pounds, about a 5-pound gain, I was slightly disappointed, but have learned that just because a cat has lots of room for babies doesn't mean she'll fill up that space. 

Boom Boom delivered 4 kittens during the day, one more than confirmed, so I was happy.  She had two red tabby boys, a blue tabby and white boy, and a brown tabby and white female.  This was terrific as I had a potential client who was anxious to get a red male to show in the Alter Class (for neutered/spayed cats).  Mother and babies settled contently in the birthing tent in our bedroom. 

The next morning I was still in bed as Jay was getting ready for work.  He woke me up, alarmed that he saw a placenta in the birthing tent.  I am always careful to count a placenta for each kitten born as retained placentas can lead to a nasty infection in the mother.  So there I was, checking Boom Boom, actually smelling her bottom for any indication of odor, worrying about whether or not she had a dead fetus inside and the placenta had separated, would I have to take her to the vet, etc.  It was too early for the vet to be open, so I did what I could do.  I changed the bedding as it now had fresh blood stains on it.  As I moved the kittens to the clean blanket, it occured to me that I had three red kittens, not two anymore.  A bonus kitten!  Relieved to find a happy answer to what was a problem five minutes before, I congratulated Boom Boom on delivering Kitten Number Five by herself so quietly.  Kitten Number Five was slightly damp, but just as robust as his littermates.  He became known as Bonus Boy, then Ben, later registered as Dracoonfly Finbar Conneff "Finn" by his new owner.  Having kittens over a span of a couple of days is not uncommon with cats, but worrysome for the owner.  The cat registries stipulate that the day the first kitten arrives is the birth date for the registration rather than have multiple birthdays for one litter. 

Finn and his littermates explore the uses of toilet paper 

As the kittens grew, two of the red boys stood out but for different reasons.  Baron was the largest of the reds, with huge boning and a gregarious personality.  We still compare his legs to those of a Golden Retriever, making comments about how he must be related to our dog.  He was the lap kitten, always climbing into our laps to be held.  His head type wasn't great, but good.  The late arrival, Finn, had a better head type, but wasn't quite as large and very hyperactive.  Finn wouldn't sit still for anyone.  I vascillated between the two to try to decide which one would make a better show cat.  I normally don't choose the kittens for my clients, but since the potential owners had never shown a cat before, they trusted my judgement.  I took pictures of the kittens in profile shots facing each other, head on side by side, weighing them, trying to decide.  It was six of one, half a dozen of the other.  I finally decided that Baron would be the chosen one as his owners also wanted him use him as a therapy cat, figuring he had the right personality. 

Baron was sold to Marge and Phil Berger in the NYC area so that Marge could fulfill her dream of becoming part of the cat show world.  Finn was neutered along with his other littermates and sold as a pet to Tereasa Brainerd, a professor in Astrophysics at Boston University (yes, she is a Rocket Scientist).  When Tereasa came to pick Finn up, I told her how hard my decision had been because her kitten was really nice.  I mentioned that if she ever wanted to try showing him, to let me know.  Tereasa replied, "Okay!", but I didn't believe her.  Most kitten buyers don't make the leap into the show world once they find out what it entails. 

Well, Tereasa not only tried showing her kitten, she became a cat show addict.  Likewise, so did Marge and Phil Berger who have since become Maine Coon breeders under the cattery name of MaineVu.  Both parties have become good friends and have shown all over the country with Finn, Baron and the cats that followed them. 

Baron and Finn after a kitten final

As Baron matured, he changed personalities.  He tired of showing, especially riding in the car after dark and never grew into a lap cat.  Although he achieved success in the show hall, his ear set became a challenge.  Ideally, the Maine Coon's ears should be set up on their heads, at about 11 and 1 o'clock. Baron's spread out too much.  Still, he earned the title of Grand Premier in CFA and Supreme Grand Champion Alter and Regional Winner in TICA.  Finn achieved the same titles in CFA and TICA as well as in CFF, a third, smaller cat association.  As he matured, his personality also flip-flopped from his youth.  He became eternally patient and tolerant.  A good thing because Finn also grew an enormous, deep red coat that required a lot of care to keep it in show condition.  Finn's mane demanded that Tereasa keep a bib on him at shows except while being judged as it always got caught in his mouth when he felt compelled to groom over what his owner had just done.  The bib protected his mane from becoming a wet mass.  As adults, Baron and Finn could not have looked more different, their breed and color being their only commonality.  Baron looked more like his mother and Finn looked more his father, Bugger, but with shorter ears and more coat.  We often remarked on how a Persian  must have snuck into the house.

Finn and his fur coat

Since Tereasa wanted to continue showing, she showed Finn again the following year in TICA, this time to an International Win, meaning that he was among the 25 highest-scoring altered cats internationally for the 2008-2009 show year. Over the years, she also acquired and showed a Bengal and a Ragdoll with some success.  But Finn was the show cat and he got better with age.  Male Maine Coons continue to mature until around 4 or 5 years old, so they really get into their prime long after most are retired to breed.  A spayed or neutered Maine Coon is an awesome creature as it doesn't fall victim to the negative affects of hormones, breeding and  heat cycles which keep them from growing beautiful bodies and coats.  Very often a show cat makes it clear that they've had enough of the baths, blow-drying, travel and noisy show halls with strangers handling them.  Showing a cat with a bad attitude is not for the faint of heart and can border on stupidity if the owner doesn't get the message.  It can be dangerous as a frightened, angry or upset cat can send a person to the hospital if they manage to bite someone. 

Not Finn

For the 2009-2010 show year (a show year runs from May to April), Tereasa went for the only title Finn had left to conquer, that of Lifetime Achievement.  A Lifetime Achievement Award (LA) is awarded to the cat who earns an International Win and two International or Regional wins over the period of at least two years.  Finn was a Northeast Regional Winner again this past year, qualifying him as an LA.  I'm forever grateful to Tereasa for her commitment to Finn and showing him competitively for most of his life.  Finn is now officially retired from showing and his fur has been mercifully shaved for the summer and to relieve him of the encumbrance of his mane.  His day-late birth really was a bonus.   To see more photos on my website, click here and here.  To see Finn along with the other winning Maine Coons in TICA, click here.

Tereasa at the Regional Awards Banquet this past weekend