The Mother-and-Child Connection

To Our CFA Exhibitors: Happy Mother’s Day!

Susan Cook Henry

Over the past many decades, there have been a good number of mother-and-child partnerships in CFA, and some in particular come to mind as having made an impression on their chosen breeds and/or the cat fancy in general: Mary Kate and Kathleen Carroll (“Kohinoor” Persians); Virginia Coughlan and Jeanie McPhee (“Co-Mc” Persians and Manx); Donna and Susan Cook (“Jadon” Persians); Jean and Pamela Bassett (“Pajean” Persians); Gloria Busselman and Penni Richter (“Parti Wai” and “Parti Wai EX” Persians and Exotics); Ronna and Bethany Colilla (“Dreamers” and “Believers” Exotics and Maine Coon Cats); Bobbi Irie and Jade Kleider (“Jobara” Devon Rex), to name just a few. On the current CFA show circuit, we have some seasoned and some newer participants who are working hard to establish their legacies with breeding and showing as well as club and show management duties. Let’s meet a few and wish them all well as their journeys continue!

 

Carmen Lawrence and Edward Goatseay – Metallicats

Carmen and her son, Eddie, have been regulars in CFA Premiership for 20 years, though Eddie’s participation began when he was a wee babe! Hailing from Shortsville in the beautiful Finger Lakes region of New York, Carmen and Eddie are native New Yorkers, having lived there all their lives. Eddie even graduated from the same high school as his mother and stepdad and is now a second-generation student (and future graduate) at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), just like his mom!

Carmen grew up with cats while spending so much time with her grandparents. Every year, her grandmother took her to a local show (coincidentally, the Genesee Cat Fanciers show, of which Carmen was recently show manager). Her dad also went to the shows, meeting Persian breeders and falling in love with Exotics. He kept a few of each over several years, so it was fate that Carmen and Eddie would follow their forebearers’ leads with their own show experiences.

In 2004, Carmen attended her first show as an exhibitor, where her cat “Oy” was Best Household Pet in his first ring: Carmen called him her “gateway drug” cat, and the hook was set. When Oy decided shows were not for him, Carmen purchased a bi-color Persian in 2005 and showed him occasionally over the next six show seasons. When Eddie was born in 2006, she took a step back as a new mother but began showing again in earnest in 2010, achieving her first regional win in 2012 with a blue-eyed white Persian. And it was that season when Eddie (at the tender age of six) began traveling more often with his mom. Though breeding cats was never Carmen’s plan, she has excelled with her cats in premiership, achieving the regional win title with four more cats since 2014 and a national title in 2023 with a red tabby Exotic: GPD NW Ladiluck’s Fuel of Metallicat, known to his many fans as “Dugan,” who repeated with another RW title for the 2024-25 season which recently ended. And for her next act? Agility! This past season, Carmen showed a black-and-white Exotic, “Lemmy,” to the AW (agility winner) title, while competing in championship classes – the first cat she has shown that can competitively run the agility course. And Lemmy did his “mom” proud by achieving a high RW title in agility!

 

A note about “Metallicat,” her cattery suffix: Carmen’s husband (Eddie’s stepfather) is a huge fan of the rock band Metallica. Carmen’s father passed in 2011 and had joked not long before his death that in his will, he would specify that Carmen get a calico Exotic from their good friend Sharon Soules. That cat appeared a couple of years later as a brown patched tabby and white Exotic – not a calico, but would her dad really know the difference?! Her name is GC, GP Ladiluck Memoryremain of Metallicat, after one of Metallica’s greatest hits.

And Eddie? His CFA journey has kept him busy, from stewarding at his first few shows, getting his clerking license at the age of 13 (only two others have been licensed at that age or earlier), and being involved with local 4-H programs, which soon led him to CFA’s Youth Feline Exhibitor Program (YFEP, now known as CFA Junior Fanciers). The 2016-2017 show season found Eddie traveling widely with a black-and-white Exotic. GC, GP, RW Parti Wai EX Blackjack was a pro in the ring because of Eddie’s professionalism as a junior fancier. He made a 4-H presentation about that season, totaling the miles Carmen and he drove and how many hotel nights spent (not the dollars). And Eddie has twice received CFA’s top award as a junior fancier because of his efforts! Since then, his scholastic efforts have also been rewarded with a scholarship to Rochester Institute of Technology, where Eddie continues a rigorous schedule of studies in photography. You may have seen him with his “Goatseay Photography” booth at a number of CFA shows the past couple of seasons, and his feline portraits are exceptional. Eddie says, “I hope to stay in CFA and continue to grow. Outside, I plan to continue with my business through college. With a focus on portraiture, I’ll expand what I do in that medium, while getting my degree and hoping to find a job.” Although he is on track to graduate a year early, he may add a minor in Exercise Science, which would keep him on campus for the full four years. Carmen has made good use of her Hotel Management and Human Resource Development degrees from RIT and has real estate and property management experience. She has worked hard and is happy now as an office support specialist (facilities and transportation) for the local school district.

Carmen and Eddie are heavily vested in the Great Lakes region, and Eddie has been appointed the region’s official event photographer. Although he doesn’t see himself continuing as an exhibitor, he knows his mother will and knows how much CFA means to her.

Sheryl Flake and Taylor Huffman – Devonology

Colorado is home to the Gulf Shore team of Sheryl Flake and her daughter, Taylor Huffman, who live north of metropolitan Denver. Sheryl grew up with a domestic calico kitten her parents got when she was born, and that cat lived into her teens. A veterinarian asked Sheryl why she had never shown this girl as a household pet, which Sheryl had not given thought … but it did spark an interest in going to cat shows at the age of twelve. She got her first “personal” cat when she was in veterinary school – a retired silver Persian, “Mercedes.” One day while working at a veterinary hospital, one of the technicians walked in with a calico Devon Rex propped on her shoulder as she walked around cleaning kennels. “I just knew I had to have one, and I was going to show them and breed them,” says Sheryl. She continues, “Taylor’s father had a two-cat household limit at the time, and we had Mercedes and Cuddles, a cat he’d rescued from the clinic. Mercedes passed away eight years after I vowed I was going to show and breed Devons, and then it took me another two years to find my perfect high-white calico Devon Rex, ‘Delilah.’” Sheryl showed her naked little kitten proudly against Donna Peck and her gorgeous, fully-coated litter of white Devons. “Dolly Chamness helped me at my first show as a newbie, and I continued to show Delilah proudly in local CFA shows – when Colorado actually had shows,” Sheryl continues. Sadly, Delilah had her first heat around eight months and developed pyometra; she failed to respond to treatment, and Sheryl (by now a licensed veterinarian) cried as she spayed her. She thought her dream of showing and breeding was over. “Thankfully, Dolly introduced me to Donna, who graciously co-owned one of her beautiful white Devons with me, mentored me, and got me started with the line we are breeding today.”

Taylor began her journey in the cat fancy when she was six years old. “My mom had gotten her first Devon Rex and started to show, so I took along my cream mackerel tabby household pet, ‘Parker.’ I loved getting the opportunity to share his story with the judges and audience, and before I knew it, I was hooked on showing!” shares Taylor. As Parker got older, she gave him a much-deserved retirement and began helping her mom with showing and breeding Devons. She continues, “We made decisions together when it came to breeding and raising the cats. We then took a long break from showing as life got in the way, and Colorado shows disappeared.” During this hiatus, Taylor and her mom focused on developing their cattery, when along came “Penelope” (lovingly called “Peeps”), who is one of their first homebred Devons. She was born a few months before the COVID-19 lockdown and is now five years old. “Penelope was one of our first Devons that truly enjoyed showing. As a result, we met so many amazing people that we caught the show bug again,” relates Taylor.

They have continued to show Peeps as well as her offspring these past few years, achieving the goal of her Distinguished Merit and Grand Champion of Distinction titles (Peeps’ sister, “Kaylee,” is close to the DM title herself). They set new goals early on, hoping to achieve the Devon Rex breed win, along with a national win — and we can report that both of those goals were achieved! Mother and daughter are ecstatic, and Taylor states, “I plan to continue breeding and showing with my mom. working with her to produce healthy, typey, and happy kitties the new owners can cherish and enjoy. I am also planning on entering the judging program, as I love learning about all the different breeds and what we can do to help preserve them.” That may take some time, as Taylor is a freshman at the University of Colorado – Boulder, where she is a dedicated pre-med student with a laser-focus on medical school and future considerations in surgery, pediatrics, oncology, and infectious diseases. She is also an avid volleyball player and is on the university’s varsity team.

To date, this mother-daughter team has three regional wins, eight grand champion/grand premier titles, as well as one in agility with the Devons they have shown. “Showing Penelope has introduced us to some great people, helping us to make important connections and friendships along the way. We are truly grateful for the cat fancy and the family it has given us,” says Taylor. She and her mom currently have a kitten at home who shows much promise. “Devonology Emory” (a Peeps’ granddaughter) will start her career this summer. It isn’t always easy for them to pull their schedules together to travel to shows, with Taylor’s full-time college studies and Sheryl’s responsibilities as owner of a veterinary clinic (where she specializes in feline medicine and dentistry, with her partner being a reproduction specialist). They have travelled separately when needed but make every effort to attend shows together when able, from sea to shining sea! They are both working on certified ring clerk qualifications and hope to resurrect one of the old Colorado cat clubs … or begin one themselves. Their vast Gulf Shore region needs some CFA love in its upper reaches, and it’s a good bet that Sheryl and Taylor are the ones to make that happen!

Kim and Lilly Thomas – Mainedalore

Kim has had cats all her life, but never Maine Coon Cats. She had always wanted one since she was younger – her “heart breed.” Kim is a pet groomer for a veterinary clinic close to where she lives in Ohio, and she was always impressed when Teresa and Edwin Sweeney came to the clinic with some of their Maine Coon Cats. A friendship was formed, and “They gave us our very first Maine Coon in 2020, ‘Peterbuilt,’ a retired show cat. We completely fell in love with him, and from then on we were hooked,” says Kim, and continues, “The Sweeneys have been very helpful in getting us started with showing and breeding, and they have been wonderful mentors!” Before getting a cat to show herself, Kim began attending shows with her friends, Renee and Tom Fraley, who also helped mentor and “show us the ropes!” Her journey in the Great Lakes region and beyond had begun.

The mentoring paid off, and their first show cat, GP NW Highlander Ramblin Man, was a national winner in premiership for the 2022-2023 show season. Their second Maine Coon Cat, GC NW Highlander Athens of Mainedalore, followed with a national kitten win in the 2023-2024 show season. “Without Teresa and Edwin, none of this would have been possible for us. They have taught us so much, and we are forever grateful to them!” gushes Kim.

 

“My 12-year-old daughter, Lilly, has loved coming to many shows with me. She helped show Ramblin Man and Athens and has enjoyed stewarding at many of the shows.” Lilly plans to continue helping her mom show the cats. She will complete sixth grade this spring, is on the school softball team, and plays saxophone in the band. She is a good artist and is also learning to play the guitar – Lilly is one busy girl! Their cattery name, “Mainedalore,” is a play on … well, you know: that popular streaming show, a part of the Star Wars universe. Kim’s husband, Josh, is a huge fan of that franchise. They named their 17-year-old son “Luke,” who has also helped show their cats from time to time. Even Kim’s mother, Bonnie Pennington, has come along to a few shows and has loved watching all the activity, making it a true family affair!

Kim and Lilly showed GC Highlander Just John of Mainedalore in championship in the season just ended, along with a kitten, Mainetheory Carina of Mainedalore. Kim states, “We have had fun showing them this season, and I want to continue to show and breed Maine Coon Cats for preservation and health. It’s important to me that other people are able to enjoy these wonderful cats, just as we have been fortunate enough to do.” And the happy ending here is that both cats finished very close to the top of their regional winner rankings!