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features
16 march 2012
CATS AND THEIR PEOPLE It’s Complicated by David Adler Illustration by Manvir Singh
C
at shows are not the same as dog shows. This is lesson number one at the Salty Cats show at the Rhode Island Convention Center, where a partition divides the hall between species. On one side is the Petco Pet Expo, where dogs bark loudly in the aisles, leaping onto pet food stands where vendors offer samples. A recording of a brass band blares out from the back corner, where a man in a wizard costume and his eight-year-old accomplice are staging a fashion show. Halfclad young women strut down the runway holding poodles dressed in human outfits. Photographers snap away. On the other side, a handsome young man in a button-up greets visitors with a brochure. “Thank you for helping us to further the cat fancy,” he says to them. This phrase—cat fancy—is commonly used to describe the global cat community of breeders, household owners, and admirers. Rows of groomed felines lounge in preparation for their showing. Owners deposit their cats into metal cages at judging stations, or “rings,” which line the perimeter of the hall. Each ring has its own cat platform for careful inspection, and each judge has her own style. Some are austere, holding the cat by its neck or dropping it from a distance to see how it falls on its feet; others are more loving and do not hesitate to show their excitement—“She is just glowing today!” At the back of the hall, there is a photography booth, where owners can pay to have headshots taken. “She’s a regional champion now, so it’s important we prepare ourselves for the publicity,” an owner
explains. On a little stage is his Maine Coon, a very popular cat at the show—fluffy and pudgy in autumnal brown and orange. Most of these owners are veterans of the New England circuit, and all of them seem to know each other—even across breed lines. This is where the cat fancy draws its main distinction from its next-door neighbor. Salty Cats may be a competition, but most owners reject the Best In Show pomp and pretense. They’re here for the community: the Bengals, the Birmans, the Bombays; the Shorthairs, the Longhairs, the Bobtails. Lil’ Papi, Cody James, Winter’s Dream Snow Flake; Jack Kerouac, Empress Starfire, Orange Candy Skittles. Under the fluorescent lights, it’s hard to tell where the cat fancy stops and the human fancy begins. “It’s the social aspect that keeps you coming back,” one owner tells me, rocking his Savannah back and forth in his arms. But when relationships between owners and cats begin to resemble those with other humans—and vice versa—the “social aspect” is not so clearly defined. BUREAU-CAT-IC In June 1979, in the Ozark Mountains of Missouri, the board members of the American Cat Fanciers Association (ACFA) gathered for an important meeting. The Board had been stalemated for days— younger members sought leave behind the politics of previous generations to create a unified cat registry; the hard-nosed old guard of the fancy was reluctant to change. Without any resolution, a group of defectors broke away to establish The International
Cat Assocation (TICA), which Georgia Morgan, its central founder, dreamed would become “the most progressive, flexible and innovative cat registry in the world.” By 1980, TICA had spread into Japan, one of the major global hubs of the cat fancy. Today, TICA has clubs in six continents, and, as Judge Susan Lee in Ring 2 tells me, “we’re growing faster than ever.” She’s between rounds and sits down to have a sandwich. Susan is from Michigan, but her position at TICA has brought her all over the world. “I’ve judged in Moscow, Argentina, Switzerland, Germany—I’m going to Austria in the fall.” TICA’s explosion onto the global scene is no fluke. Over the years, it has developed a massive infrastructure of clerks, judges, breeders, and members who help to maintain order and integrity in the cat fancy. A potential judge will spend years climbing through the ranks. At the bottom of the ladder is the show clerk, who sits alongside the judge and records his scores. From there, a show clerk is promoted to Master Clerk, who “collects all the paperwork, compiles all the statistics, and reports back to the main office in Texas for central scoring,” Susan explains. Then, once the Board gives its approval, a Master Clerk can apply for the judging program. Here, one undergoes extensive written tests (“If you have a red male mated with a black and white female, what are the possible colors for kittens?”) and intensive training with licensed judges. These judgesin-training must be familiar with all of the features of the breed standard as set forth by
the TICA genetic registry. The Ocicat Breed Standard 05/01/2004 Head — 25 points Shape (5 points): Modified wedge, with slight curve from muzzle to cheek. Ears (5 points): Moderately large. Set so as to corner the head. Lynx tips are a bonus when present. Eyes (5 points): Large almond shaped. Angled slightly upward toward the ears with more than the length of an eye apart. All eye colors except blue allowed. No relationship between coat and eye color. Muzzle (10 points): Welldefined, suggestion of squareness. Jaws firm with proper bite. Temperament must be unchallenging; any sign of definite challenge shall disqualify. The cat may exhibit fear, seek to flee, or generally complain aloud but may not threaten to harm. After the written tests, the Board of Directors will approve a promotion to become a provisional specialty judge— only the shorthairs or only the longhairs. Then the application to become a certified specialty judge. Finally, a select few move