Sarawak produces Malaysia’s first Grand Champion Bengal Cat
Sarawak has once again made it onto the world map of cat fanciers when Saladin, a Bengal raised in Bintulu bagged the Grand Champion title at The Cat Fanciers’ Association (CFA) International Cat Show in Terengganu recently.
Saladin is the country’s first Bengal cat to achieve this prestigious award as the breed was only recognised by CFA, the world’s largest registry for pedigreed cats, last year.
Bengals were first created in the United States of America in the 1970s when domestic cats were crossbred with a leopard cat found in the jungles of Southeast Asia. As the breed name suggests, these cats look like miniature leopards, renowned for its richly coloured and highly contrasted coat of vivid spots or marbling.
According to Saladin’s owner, Abang Sukri, Bengal cats make confident and devoted companions.
“Saladin is very gentle and affectionate towards my children. They are active and agile, so life around them is always interesting,” said the avid cat lover, who owns 19 other Bengals, all of which are registered with The International Cat Association (TICA).
He shared that he decided to sign Saladin up to a CFA show in Kuching earlier this year following encouragement from friends.
“Saladin did very well during the show and later on, my friend Cheryl, whose Maine Coon cat from Kuching had also created history and won numerous titles, helped me with the required permit to enter the show in Terengganu.
“We decided to bring Saladin and try our luck there. It was our first time traveling outside Sarawak for competition and Alhamdulillah, we managed to collect enough points to qualify for the grand champion title,” he expressed.
The competition was a collaborative event between Terengganu’s Tourism Department and the Asian Abyssinian Cat Club.
The two-day event featured 142 cats from about 30 different breeds. Cats from various countries including Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Turkey, were displayed and competed before 10 professional judges from Hong Kong, Japan, Australia and the United States.
The Sultan of Terengganu Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin, who was accompanied by his wife Sultanah Nur Zahirah and their children, also graced the event.