A cat catch-up
Kitties of all shapes, sizes and breeds gather for ABQ cat show
Animal-lovers who roll their eyes at the precious pooch-dom of the Westminster Dog Show may be surprised to learn that cat shows are a completely different breed. The one taking place at Expo New Mexico next weekend is a good example. Unlike a traditional dog show, any cat or kitten is eligible to compete in the Enchanted Cat Club’s Feline Fiesta, regardless of breed or pedigree, including rescue animals. In fact, rescues make up a large share of cat champions nationwide.
The International Cat Association, which sanctions the Albuquerque show and is the world’s largest sanctioning body for cat shows, decided at its founding 38 years ago that nonpedigreed cats would be included in the same status as purebreds.
“That was a bit of a trailblazer at the time,” says Vickie Fisher of Albuquerque, immediate past president of TICA. After all, the American Kennel Club did not allow nonpedigreed dogs at its shows until quite recently.
TICA recognized that a majority of cat-lovers are involved in rescue, Fisher explains. They may not breed or own purebreds, but still enjoy competing (“cat fancy”). “We have a lot of nonpedigreed cats who are competing just as fervently as someone with a Persian,” she says.
Tracy Chavez of Ventana Ranch is one of those fervent fanciers.
“My mom is a retired cat show judge — she started when she was pregnant with me in 1963, so I was raised in cat fancy,” she says. After a long break to raise her seven kids, Chavez got back into showing a couple of years ago after her mother gifted her with a Maine coon — a lifelong wish — whom she named Beethoven.
“It was time to spend quality time with my mom, so we started hitting cat shows.”
Five or six weekends a year, they enter shows in the surrounding states,
sometimes with a black-and-white rescue cat named Wilbur who belongs to Chavez’s daughter.
“It’s a great group of people, we have the greatest time together and make great friendships,” Chavez says. “If you win, you win, and if you don’t, you don’t. It’s all about having fun with our furry friends.”
Dog shows can be formal, cutthroat affairs, but cat shows tend to be social occasions where feline fanciers gather to indulge their passion for “all things cat.” Since nonpedigreed cats compete in a separate “Household Pet” class, the rules are a little different from dog shows.
Judging takes place in rings, with one judge per ring. “Every ring is its own complete show,” says Fisher. “Every cat will end up in every ring and every judge will see every cat.”
Each judge makes a separate decision, so a cat could place first in one ring and last in another. Cats win points for placing, which they accumulate over the year.
Nonpedigreed cats are judged primarily on three criteria: condition, beauty and show presence, or as Fisher translates it, “health, beauty and personality.” Since these are highly subjective criteria, judges may give the same cat very different scores.
For cat fanciers, that’s all part of the fun. It also makes the show an all-weekend affair.
“You’re basically there for the duration,” says Fisher. “It’s a huge social occasion and educational opportunity to talk about the value of cats as companion animals, and encourage good care.”
And since cats and rescue go hand in hand, it’s also a chance to advocate for homeless cats. The Enchanted Cat Club will have cats available for adoption at the Feline Fiesta, and all proceeds from the show are donated to the Albuquerque rescue groups F.A.T. Katz and New Mexico Animal Friends.
Cat-lovers and admirers can also see pedigreed cats at the show, including the popular Bengal, along with Maine coons, Scottish folds and any number of the 71 breeds recognized by TICA. Purebreds are judged according to a breed standard, just as dogs are.
Chavez says cats have fun at the shows, even when their humans don’t expect it.
“It’s really funny how many cats people bring and think they’re not going to do good, and they just love it.”
Cat fanciers are also a larger group than most people realize, if not as large as dog fanciers. TICA has members in 104 countries, and hard-core competitors will travel all over the nation and world to rack up championship points for their superstars.
“As many places as I’ve been — all over South America and the Orient and Europe and Russia,” says Fisher, “I don’t think I’ve ever gone to a cat show that I haven’t felt part of the family. We all manage somehow to communicate cat.”