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GILBERT SUN NEWS | DECEMBER 5, 2021
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Feline lovers will flock to annual cat show next weekend Every cat is judged accordfter a pandemic-driven hiatus last ing to a written year, scores of cats and their masstandard for its ters – well, at least owners – will breed (with the be descending next weekend on the Mesa exception of the Convention Center for Arizona’s largest Household Pet cat show. Class, for which Presented by the Phoenix Cat Fanciers, there is no writthe show runs 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Dec. 11 and ten standard). 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Dec. 12 at Mesa Convention The standard is Center Building C, 263 N. Center St. Adpart blueprint bemission is $12 for adults, $10 seniors/ cause it describes military, $8 children 3-12. People can find the ideal specia $1-off coupon at phxfeline.com. men for the breed In addition, All About Animals Rescue and part constiwill offer cats for adoption and dozens of tution because it vendors selling cat-related products also can be revised by will be on hand. the members of The show is a popular gathering for pro- During the last live cat show in Mesa before the pandemic, some cats the breed council. fessional exhibitors, vendors and cat-lov- waited apprehensively to be judged on the basis of their Christmas finest. “A breed stan(File photo) ing spectators – and for good reason. dard is precise There are dozens of breeds from tiny enough to allow cats to Maine Coons that can weigh in at throughout the hall. Each ring is presided judges to evaluate cats accurately, and over by a different judge who has spent flexible enough to leave room for differover 25 pounds. A cat show is composed of a number of years training for the role, one they often ences in interpretation between judges of separate, concurrently running, individu- repeat at shows around the country and keen eye and good intention,” according al shows held in the various judging rings the world. to the national Cat Fanciers Association. A spectator guide is available to help visitors understand the different breeds’ distinctive characteristics. There were scores of categories and sub-classes such as Blue Point Female Birman, Balinese-Javanese and seven varieties of Persian cats. For the most part, though, members largely own purebred felines. And some have raised dozens of litters of cats since the 1990s. Visitors also will be able to peruse yearbooks of prior years’ national and world champion cats. “One of the requirements of getting into the judging program is your commitment and knowledge of a minimum of one breed,” one judge explained. She said most breeds “are unique because of their specific things attributed” During the last live cat show in Mesa before the pandemic, some cats waited apprehensively to standards set by a council of breeders to be judged on the basis of their Christmas finest. (File photo) “who work to define and improve their
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breeds.” “For example, the American Curl has ears that curl toward the back of their head,” she said. “The degree and amount of curl is defined as to what is desirable in that. Other attributes for the American Curl are the profile and the length of body.” Some competitions are more fun than serious. For example, there are Best Christmas Costume entrants that, like their more regal counterparts, will be gently lifted from their individual cage and placed on a small lab table, where a judge will hold it, pet it and eyeball it carefully. Some contestants aren’t all that thrilled to be wearing elf caps, red coats with bells and even Nutcracker tutus. A judge will take each cat through a small set of paces that includes waving a wand in front of them to see if they’d get playful. Sometimes, most are in the mood to bat the wand. Judges say the biggest change they have seen is in efforts by breeders to create cats of different colors. Because a council writes the standards for any breed, the breeders “want to see those colors in the championship ring.” The Cat Fanciers Association takes the work of judges seriously, producing annual yearbooks that are an inch thick or bigger that are filled with portraits of cats that won a championship medal. Achieving that status usually involves attending a number of shows – often around the country – and accumulating points that entitle their cats to an increasingly higher status in each subsequent competition. “I think people enjoy working toward a goal and in the Cat Fancy, that goal is to produce and show exceptional cats that meet or exceed the standards,” one judge said. ”I also think people enjoy spending time with their friends and producing quality examples of their breeds.”
