Bonzer Words!: Best In Show
...Until you have been to a Cat Show, you have no idea how many dozens of breeds there are, and how obsessed their owners can be with them. Doting mothers entering their small daughters in a modelling contest could not be more competitive and, well, 'catty'...
Wendy Ogbourne reveals secrets of the feline show world.
Wendy writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au
When I was a child, a long time ago, one of the high points of our calendar was our twice-yearly visit to the local Cat Show. We weren’t just visitors, we were competitors.
The word cat means to most people the Ginger Tom Next Door or a cute fluffy tabby kitten, maybe even the yowling of a Siamese. Until you have been to a Cat Show, you have no idea how many dozens of breeds there are, and how obsessed their owners can be with them. Doting mothers entering their small daughters in a modelling contest could not be more competitive and, well, 'catty'.
Each cat is assigned a tiny cage, where they must wait out the day in equanimity, waiting their turn to be judged and hopefully being named the Best in Show. We’re talking about pedigree here, of course. Each cage has a card on it, stating the breed and the registered name of the cat as well as the owner's name. I remember a beautiful blue Persian whose official name was Leo Nijinski, known to his friends as Jinks.
Some cats are so large, they can only just fit into their cages. There are black, white, silver, red and tortoiseshell ones; long-haired, rex or hairless. Some have wide, squashed-looking faces, and others are sharp-featured with supercilious noses. There are tufted ears, long feathery tails or some with no tails at all. All have been lovingly prepared for show, bathed, combed and powdered by their owners, who are all convinced that their cat is the acme of perfection of the breed. Some exhibitors spend their lives and large amounts of their income touring the shows across the country.
The judge looks at each cat and grades them on a scale of 100 points—so many each for eyes, ears, shape of head, colour or markings, coat condition and claws. The cat is also stretched out to observe its muscle tone and flexibility of spine and limbs. Cats are expected to endure the judge’s attentions with a good grace; biting or scratching will result in deduction of points or elimination from the competition. As children, my brother and I loved to watch as all this was going on or to wander along the rows of cages, making our own choices of our favourites. As we paused at each cage, some cats, clearly bored, would rub themselves ingratiatingly against the bars, asking to be stroked, while others sat in a far corner and stared balefully at us. Others, obviously hardened veterans, dozed through the hours.
Late in the afternoon came the moment we had been waiting for. the Children’s Pet class. This was for non-pedigree animals; any cross-breed or moggy was welcome, as long as it was obviously well-cared for and loved. By then the white-coated judge was tired. She had been on her feet for many hours, assessing the strengths and weaknesses of the different breeds, dealing with uncooperative animals and even more uncooperative owners. However, she always found a new strength when she looked at the eager faces of the children. Each one so desperately wanted to be told that their pet was the Best in Show. She would smile at each child. 'What a beautiful cat,' she would exclaim. 'And how well you look after him.' As I took my cat from the judge and hugged him proudly, she would present me with a ribbon. I didn’t care that every other child had received a ribbon too.
© Wendy Ogbourne
