Top cats strive for purr-fection at international feline fest
Scores of Houstonians pawed their way through a friendly cat contest Saturday at the Houston Marriott North.
Over the course of three days, 18 experts judged kittens, cats and alters in the 41st annual Evangeline Country Cat Fanciers Cat Show, an international cat competition that features more breeds than typical, as well as household pets.
“We have a number of breeds, and they all compete in a written standard, and even the household pets have a written standard that they are judged on,” said Steven Savant, show manager and president of Evangeline Country Cat Fanciers.
The event draws exhibitors and judges internationally.
“This is a hobby; I have been doing this since 1976,” said Savant, who bred Persian and Siamese cats for 10 years before he was invited to become a judge for The International Cat Association, which holds over 200 shows around the world each year.
Cats compete and accumulate award points. The felines with the most points by the end of the year participate in the international award presentation.
Rhian Morris, a spokesperson for the London Cats Communication & Events, noted that The International Cat Association recognizes 71 breeds, allowing more types of cats to compete.
“In different countries and continents, some breeds are more popular than others, like in England we do not have any American Shorthairs. I have rarely seen Exotic Shorthair. I haven’t seen many Himalayans, so it is really interesting,” Morris said.
Cat owners are not limited on how many shows they attend a year. Some might attend locally, some might travel across the country or oversees to show their cats.
“I really enjoy the cats; I really enjoy the people,” said Steve Meserve, a judge settled in the United Kingdom. “It is a really cool job because you get to travel the world and you get to pet cats.”
Some categories included: Longhair Kitten, Shorthair Kitten, Longhair Cat, Shorthair Cat, Longhair Alter, Shorthair Alter, Longhair Household Kitten, Shorthair Household Kitten, Longhair Household Pet Kitten, Shorthair Household Pet Kitten, Longhair Household Pet and Shorthair Household Pet.
Owhl Irn Bru I’m a Pip, Pip for short, a 6-monthold Scottish Fold, was named Best Kitten by Meserve.
“He’s the sweetest pie, loves showing and is very easy to handle,” said Pip’s owner, Margo Upham of Los Angeles.
“I love coming to the shows in Texas,” Upham said. “The people are nice, the judges are nice, the food is great, there is really wonderful hospitality in here, which makes it different for an out-of-towner.”