Coral WilsonButton noses, large eyes and soft...

Coral Wilson

Button noses, large eyes and soft fur are winning qualities that

don’t always happen by accident.

The almost 300 cats that came to the Orange County Fairgrounds

Saturday and Sunday were bred to win the hearts of judges. No matter

how cute and innocent in appearance, every cat and its owner had one

clear motive -- to win.

The Cat Fanciers’ Assn. cat show sponsored by the Malibu Cat Club

is considered one of the top in the nation, and brought in cats from

across the country, including 14 national winners, show committee

member Marti Semans said. The cats compete in three categories:

kittens, champions (adults) and premiership (spayed or neutered

cats).

Cat Fanciers’ Assn. shows such as this one occur throughout the

year around the world, allowing cats to compete and move up the

ranks, Semans said. In the end, 25 top cats are chosen, winning the

title of “Grand Champion National Winner Breed Winner.”

Owners compete for notoriety, not for money.

“The biggest reward is knowing you produced a top show cat,”

Semans said. “Like an artist would feel about doing a beautiful

painting, or a sculpture.”

Semans just loves breeding, nurturing her cats and finding homes

for them. They are like children to her, she said.

“It’s a bit of an ego thing,” cat breeder Larry Rhoades said. “I

can breed a better cat, my cat is better than yours.”

Pointing out desired features on his exotic cat, such as a flat

face, round eyes, solid shape and short legs, he said that every

breed has distinctive features. Disqualifying qualities might include

kinks in the tail, bumps on the head and a wrong coat length.

Rhoades said he disagrees to a certain extent that one cat is

better than another, adding that sometimes breeding can cause health

problems for the cat. While a small nose may win hearts, if it is too

small it can restrict the cat’s tear ducts and cause problems in

breathing. Sometimes it is necessary to compromise, he said.

“It is a friendly competition, but sometimes it can get bitter

like any competition,” he said.

The only cats at the show that weren’t in competition were the

ones that came with Kitten Rescue, a nonprofit organization dedicated

to finding homes for cats and kittens in distress.

Horrified by the number of cats killed in L.A. shelters, president

Sue Romaine started Kitten Rescue after she had filled her home with

needy cats. She decided she had better find others to help out.

The group, which adopted out more than 1,000 cats last year,

collected donations and found additional homes among cat-lovers at

the show. They have a long-term goal of starting their own “no-kill

shelters.”

“Money is the limiting factor on how much rescue we can do,”

Romaine said.

Vendors filled the showroom with various cat paraphernalia such as

cat toys, clothing, jewelry and grooming supplies.

Cat photographer, Richard Katris, was busy capturing prize-winning

cats on film as proud owners brought their cats by for stunning

portraits.

Teasing exotic cat “Polk-a-zot” for a winning shot, Katris said he

has shot more than half a million cat photographs. He flies all over

the world and goes to 25 to 40 cat shows every year, he said.

Using all kinds of toys to catch the attention of his feisty

subjects, he said the trick is to make the cats happy. But as one cat

darted across the showroom, spooked by the flash, Katris said all

cats are individuals and it is important to respect that. Some cats

see the lens as a giant eyeball, he said.

A top pedigree cat photographer, he said his success is largely

because Americans are willing to spend so much money on cats.

“No one is crazy enough to support cats as much as Americans,” he

said.

Walter Hutzler of New York, who has been judging for 33 years,

said that cat shows are like top athletic competitions. As important

as physical appearance is the attitude of the cat. And like athletes,

cats must be conditioned, groomed and exercised, he said.

“Judging is an awesome responsibility,” he said, his eyes wide and

his arms outstretched. “Like the scales of justice, you must weigh

every factor to determine which cat is better than the next.”