It was a feline takeover at last weekend’s All-breed Cat Show, as the breeders and owners of over 160 cats descended on the Iowa state fairgrounds in Des Moines for the annual competition.
Forty different breeds were represented at one of the key events in the Cat Fanciers’ Association (CFA) calendar.
One of the weekend’s feline stars, Tagalong, an oriental shorthair, scooped ‘best cat’ recognition from five separate judges. The kit is currently ranked fourth among all neutered and spayed cats in the Midwest by the Cat Fanciers Association.
His owner, Jill Singer, said it was a pleasure to show off her pet. “Not only do the judges enjoy looking at and handling him, but the show crowds really seem to enjoy looking at him,” she explained.
Singer is a familiar face on the US cat show scene – she has traveled all over the country, including California, New York, and Texas to show her cats – but says nothing beats attending the cat show circuit on her home ground and reuniting with her old friends.
“Sometimes I haven’t seen these people for, you know, like 20 years or something like that, and all of a sudden I’ll see them somewhere,” Singer said. “I have a very nice community of cat people that I’m friends with.”
Speaking at the Des Moines event, former veterinarian Roger Brown, who acts as the CFA’s scientific advisor, said shows such as the Allbreeds Cat Show reinforced why he still loved working with animals.
Brown likened cat shows to ‘taking a short course’. “To go through a walk through a show hall and talk to people and see the various breeds. It’s much better than reading a book.”
The cat show season runs from May to April each year, giving owners the chance to accumulate the points they need for their cat to be potentially declared an eventual grand champion.
