ANNOUNCEMENT: Please see the attached document, as I am currently running for a position of TICA RAGDOLL BREED COMMITTEE member:
Dear Members of the Ragdoll Breed Group:
Greetings! I am Christine Lupo, and I am officially submitting my candidate statement for the 2023 TICA Ragdoll Breed Committee. I live in the USA, residing in the middle of Long Island, NY. I have owned and have shown my Ragdolls for fifteen years. I have done this in the capacity of exhibitor and as a show manager. Exhibiting and breeding Ragdolls is my passion, as I do enjoy advising and educating kitten clients, breeders, exhibitors, and spectators about the exquisite Ragdoll breed. I am an ambassador for the breed every day. My cattery has been awarded The International Cat Association’s Outstanding Cattery Certification in 2022 and 2023. Through careful and selective breeding, NYDIVINEDOLLS Cattery is the home to numerous TICA Supreme and Quadruple Grand Champions, as well as up and coming stars.
I attended my first show with my first two Ragdoll kittens in 2008. One was a pointed Ragdoll, and the other was a mink Ragdoll. It has been an ongoing learning experience ever since. At that first show, I met my first mentor who guided me in officially establishing my cattery, NYDIVINEDOLLS, in TICA, in 2010. This individual also educated me about the importance of ethical breeding, being proactive by ensuring that each cat was genetically sound and healthy through testing, as well as practicing and adhering to the protocols of showing in this organization. Through showing, I met two Ragdoll breeders who worked with Ann Baker and shared the history of the breed with me. One bred solid, mink, and pointed Ragdolls, the other bred only the pointed. The latter advised me to spay the mink, which I declined to do; however, years later upon retiring, she honored me by entrusting three of her pointed Ragdolls to me to continue her lines. Three other ladies, Ragdoll breeders and one a Singapura breeder, taught me the crucial importance and value of reading, understanding, checking, and maintaining accurate pedigrees. This was especially important for those Ragdolls that come from pure lines, whether they are mink, solid, or pointed. It is for these reasons that heartiness, temperament, maintaining clean pedigrees, and conformation to breed standards, in that order, became my priorities and mission in regard to breeding and showing Ragdolls. Learning and improving one’s lines is an ongoing and never ending project.
Should I be honored and granted the position of a Ragdoll Breed Committee member, I will continue to advocate for all purebred TICA registered Ragdolls. I will continue to work toward getting mink and solid Ragdolls accepted for championship as Ragdolls. This goal can be achieved through collaborative discussion with a Ragdoll Breed Committee that is truly representative of all voting members of the Ragdoll Breed Group. This will be beneficial for the Ragdoll gene pool, good for TICA, and will serve to enlighten the public about all Ragdolls. In addition to this, I will work tirelessly to ensure that educational seminars for judges, exhibitors, and spectators will be constant. It is for these reasons that I request that you vote for me. Thank you for your consideration, as well as your valuable time.
Warmest regards,
Christine Lupo
The International Ragdoll Cat ALLIANCE
POST SCRIPT: My Ragdoll Breed Standard Proposal may be viewed on this website or in great detail on the IRCA website listed above.
for exhibition: