The judge removed the silver-haired cat–his selection for best in its class– from a temporary cage and placed him on the table where he described his attributes.
Tzigane, a blond-haired Burmilla, didn’t exactly cooperate, turning away from two different cats toys judge Gary Veach wiggled in front of his nose.
If he could talk, he might have said, “Don’t hate me because I’m beautiful.”
Veach, a veteran cat show judge, was unfazed.
“Once they got Best Cat,” he told the audience gathered in front of the judging stand, “they’re like ‘Yeah, yeah, thank you all very much.’”
Veach was the judge of the Premiership category during Saturday’s Berks County Cat Show, an annual Cat Fanciers Association licensed show held at the Leesport Farmers Market. The event brought 136 cats representing about 35 breeds—along with their owners—from up and down the eastern coast and beyond to vie for top prizes in four categories: kitten, champions (non-neutered cats), premiership (neutered cats) and household pets.
The premiership category is for altered pedigrees–those who have been neutered or spayed. It’s a fun class, Veach explained later, because owners have to deal with problems such as spraying from non-neutered cats.
Tzigane’s “mom” watched proudly as the judge marveled over his “pitch-perfect” coat and overall appearance.
“He groomed to the nines,” Veach said while handling the cat. “His coat is perfection. He talks to you. He’s got a beautiful head, gorgeous style to it, beautiful eyes, nice rimmed eye color.”
The Burmilla breed, which originated in the United Kingdom about 45 years ago, is a cross between the Chinchilla Persian and Burmese cats.
Jeri Zottoli of Harrisburg is the show manager. She said the show is actual six distinct mini cat shows.
For cat show people, there’s no such thing as too far.
“It’s nothing to drive five, eight hours to a cat show,” she said. “It’s just a question of how much you want to spend.”
Just ask Keith Kimberlin of South Coventry Township, Montgomery County, who has been taking his pedigrees to cat shows as far as the Pacific Northwest and western Europe, for more than 44 years.
Kimberlin entered several cats, including Roses Are Red, a long-haired Scottish fold, in Saturday’s show in Leesport.
The distinguishing trait of the Scottish fold, he explained as he primped Rose Are Red while waiting for her number to be called for judging, is ears that bend forward and down towards the front of the head, which is the result of a genetic mutation.
Besides provide a venue for seeing many breeds of cats, contestants say it’s also a good way to socialize with other cat enthusiasts.
Vendors are part of the experience. One sells T-shirts with quirky cat phrases. Another vendor, Peggy’s Cat Stuff, offered cat toys, bed, tote bags and catnip-filled fleece kick toys of various sizes—all homemade by Peggy Longerbeam.
Source: Berkshire mont