By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
The purr-sonalized license plates offered tell-tail signs of just who was inside the Wood County Fairgrounds building this past weekend. Variations of cat words adorned the plates from New Hampshire, Florida, Wisconsin, and nearly every other state this side of the Mississippi River.
Inside the Junior Fair Building were more than 180 pampered felines in their blinged out cat carriers, with their doting owners.
April is the end of the competition season for cats that travel the show circuit – their last time to earn points toward coveted cat titles.
“We want affirmation that our cats meet the breed standards,” said Sabrina Grisier, show manager of the Cat Fanciers Association’s Just Cat In Around Show held at the fairgrounds. Four judges worked each day to award top breeds in cat-egories like the massive Maine Coons, the sleek Abyssianians, and the puffy Persians.
The competition was enough to bring out the claws in some categories.
“There are people here from all over,” said Grisier, who was showing two of her cats at the show. “It’s the end of the season, so people can get kind of catty.”
Grisier and her husband live in a funeral home, where a barking dog would be frowned upon. So she began raising show cats, and now travels all over the eastern part of the U.S. with her a bi-color Persians named Hemingway and LeBeaugh.
“This is the most competitive region,” she said. And the number of feline competitors and spectators at the weekend cat show did not disappoint. “This has been such a wonderful turnout.”
One wall was lined with the judging stations, and the rest of the building was full of tricked-out cat carriers with posh beds, cat toys, freeze-dried minnows and protective owners with combs at the ready.
Checking out an elegant Abyssinian cat at one station was Loretta Baugh, the most experienced judge at the show this weekend. Baugh, from Michigan, has been appraising cats since 1965. Her hands moved over the cat, examining every inch. And she playfully moved a feathered toy to assess the cat’s reaction.
“Every cat has a standard that is written for it,” Baugh said.
But it’s not just the physical characteristics that count. “They have to be well-behaved. That should be a character of a show cat,” she said, stressing that nipping is a no-no.
“I like to look into their eyes – that says a lot,” Baugh said. “We’ve got some really good cats here.”
Watching closely at the judging station was Fred Post, of Grand Rapids. Post had no cats in the competition, but has a love of felines.
“My friend and I are cat fanciers,” Post said. “I have five cats and my lady friend has seven – all rescues.”
Post said he paws-down prefers cats to dogs.
“They’re so independent. You don’t have to take them on walks like dogs. They don’t poop in the backyard,” he said.
Next to a judging station was the dignified Olive, the Black Persian cat currently ranked No. 1 in the world. Her owner, Eric Simpson, of North Carolina, takes her all over the world to strut her stuff. He didn’t hesitate to remove her from her carrier and comb her hair into place to show off his prized Persian.
“I knew when she was very young that she was special,” Simpson said of his champion cat, whose full name is actually Gemquest Olive You Forever.
Her breed is judged on everything from the more obvious qualities of temperament and coat to minute traits like eye shape, eye placement and eye color.
“She’s a natural showcat,” Simpson said. “She prances around the table and plays with the toys.”
And Simpson has no shame about spoiling Olive. “Oh, of course I pamper her,” he said.
A few rows away, Donna Ensor was waiting to show Ezra, her orange Maine Coon cat, who already weighs 15 pounds at 7 months old. Ezra comes from a line of show cats, including his dad who was a national winner, and his grandfather who reached a weight of 24 pounds.
Show cats are made through a combination of good genetics, a high protein diet, and high maintenance care, Ensor said.
Prior to each show, Ezra gets a bath. “He’s not crazy about it, but he’s used to it,” Ensor said. And that’s not all.
“Every hair is blown dry,” and powder is applied in areas where his hair sometimes clumps, she said.
In addition to the rows and rows of felines, the cat show also featured plenty of merchandise, and had a photographer on hand for glamor shots of the prized pussycats.
There were T-shirts showing Mona Lisa holding a cat, “Purrasic Park,” “Catzilla,” and “Paw and Order – Special Treats Unit.”
The vendor, Janice Pitelka, said her Cateeza business has fun as a goal – for cats and their owners.
In addition to the more traditional cat-nip and feathery toys, Pitelka sells plenty of “cat bling,” including shaded sunglasses, and “stud pants,” which have three holes for the two back legs and tail. The pants allow male cats to hang out with female cats without the risk of unwanted mating, Pitelka said.
“We aim for fun. We want to be on the edge,” she said, adding that patrons won’t find the worn-out “I love cats” slogan T-shirts at her business.
