Cats Primped and Fluffed for 'Best of Best'

NEW YORK, Oct. 14, 2007 — -- Their noses powdered, their hair blown out, 325 of America's beauties gathered this weekend at Madison Square Garden to compete in one of the nation's top beauty contests.

No, it wasn't the Miss America pageant, but there was plenty of cattiness backstage. It was, after all, the 2007 CFA-Iams Cat Championship.

The morning started off rough for New York native Caroline Scott and her American Curl cat, Madeline Curlbright. After weeks of preparation, something happened on the way to the show that could have cost little Madeline the competition.

"If a kitty throws up in her carrier in the car service on the way to the show, you stay calm," said Scott. "This morning it happened after you bathe the cat for two hours straight and blow dry every little hair. They get in the carrier and you hear [burp]. That's the worst sound a show person can hear."

Scott was one of hundreds of owners facing the pressure of competition this weekend as her cat competed to be named Best of Best. And like many of the owners showing this weekend, Scott takes this sport seriously.

Palatial Accommodations

The scene at Madison Square Garden was straight out of the movie "Best in Show," a popular 2001 mocumentary about the world of dog shows -- only cats were the star of this show. Backstage, hundreds of cats and their owners aligned in rows, greeting visitors and waiting for their opportunity to face the judges.

Each cage was elaborately decorated -- color coordinated to the resident cat's eyes, or following a theme crafted around the cat's country of origin, like the elaborate display Sandy Adler designed for her Sphynx cat, Ammi Dermis.

"When you come to the show, they give you a cage and everybody decorates it in a different way," said Adler. "I did kind of a gold sphinx, because that's what the name of the breed is."

Susan Baxter decided to go with a color scheme for her American Curl cat TuPac's cage.

"We bring our own cage curtains, and I have a couple sets," said Baxter. "Today, we decided to go blue, for his eyes."

Primping and Preening

While some cats relaxed in their ornately decorated cages, others were positioned on tables primping and preening. Cat fur flew around the room as owners frantically brushed their pets to prepare for competition.

Brenda Playhill of Cranford, N.J., brought her two Maine coon cats, Sonoma Valley and Napa Valley, to the competition.

"We name all of our cats after wine," said Playhill.

The weather, said Playhill, was her biggest challenge today.

"Today's a nice crisp day, so we're dealing with a little bit of static here," said Playhill. "We're fluffing him up, and the object is to not let any two pieces of fur get together, so we separate it a bit."

Some grooming activities weren't as glamorous as their outcomes.

"It's a little embarrassing, but it has to be done," said Jerry Fellerman, as she gently powdered her cats' behind. "Hey, this is a beauty contest. We don't see what goes on behind the scenes at Miss America, but I'm sure they powder and puff a lot."

Matthew Pearson brought his wife, Delinda, along to groom their black Persian, Boberans Night Scout of Coy Pond.

"My wife Delinda is responsible for this magnificent beast and all of that coat," said Pearson. "It's her second full-time job."

And it's not cheap. Scott said she spends almost the same or more money on her cats' hair than she does on her own.

"Your combs are $25 for the comb that combs that part of the face; then you have a medium comb that combs the body; and you have to have a big comb to comb them out after the bath," said Scott. "They have a lot of products."

While the grooming and preparing for cat shows closely resemble that of dog shows, the show itself couldn't be more different.

Dog Shows vs. Cat Shows

While dog shows have gained a cult following in recent years thanks to films like "Best in Show" and all-day television specials covering the Westminster Kennel Club competition, cat shows have remained relatively under-the-radar. And there may be a reason for that: They're relatively slow.

That's not an insult to cat lovers. They're well aware of the lack of action during their shows.

Allene Tartaglia, executive director of the Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) said the nature of competition is different.

"The dog shows you see on TV show dogs running around, whereas the cats, it's more of a beauty contest," said Tartaglia. "They're being judged for their temperament and their general overall appearance."

And the judging rings also are different. Instead of romping athletically around a ring, cats are judged sitting on a table.

Darrell Newkirk, a CFA judge since 1995, said he looks for the best of each breed -- 41 in all.

"Each breed has a written standard of perfection that we judge by," said Newkirk.

Despite the slow pace of his judging, his job isn't without hazards. He's been bitten and scratched a number of times, but he says there's something even worse about the job.

"We sort of get fully furred by the time the show is over," laughed Newkirk. "That's why all the judges carry a lint roller with us to clean up afterwards."

One Winner, 324 Runners-Up

At the end of two days of intense competition, a Japanese bobtail named Wind Chimes Tess was named Best of Best, beating out 324 others vying for the title.

While "Best in Show" portrays losing dog owners in a bad light, at this cat show, owners seemed supportive of their furry felines despite not walking away with the title.

"He was second best of breed," said Baxter of her cat TuPac. "I'm not disappointed at all."

For most, it's the friendship and friendly competition that keep them coming back.

"I like the friendship of all of the people around," said Playhill. "I like the excitement of competition. It's a sport and the cats are competing, not us."