SPECIAL EVENTS

 The Houston Cat Club is putting on its 57th Annual Charity Cat Show .

The two-day show will feature eight judging rings and 44 vendors selling everything from furniture for cats to cat-themed accessories for humans.

The feline agility course will run hourly. “It’s popular with spectators but not so much with the cats,” show co-manager Becky Carazzone said.

Of the 39 pedigreed breeds recognized by the Cat Fanciers’ Association, the breeds best represented will be Persian, Maine coon, Tonkinese and Siamese, predicted Dale Wehrley of the Houston Cat Club, an all-volunteer group with about 50 members.

Household cats also are part of the entertainment. Every year there are some owners who sign up their nonpedigreed cats and make the show a big party, Carazzone said. It’s too late to register your cat this year, but at noon each day there will be a costume contest or cage judging for the household-pet class.

For advice about your feline, Dr. Dan Jordan will take questions 1-3 p.m. Saturday, and Dr. William R. Folger will be available noon-2 p.m. Sunday at the Ask the Vet kiosk.

Cat Fanciers Association representatives will have an information booth to talk about their organization and breeds.

Last year, 384 cats took part in the show, drawing about 3,000 visitors, and Carazzone said the weekend show should be similar to last year’s.

In 2008, the club donated about $6,000 in show-booth space and cash to the Houston SPCA, Citizens for Animal Protection, Houston Humane Society, Homeless Pet Placement League, Responsible Pet Owners Alliance and Winn Foundation for Feline Medical Research. This year the Galveston Humane Society also will participate.

The Houston Cat Club's Annual Charity Show is a major regional show for members of the Cat Fancier's Association, which draws approximately 5,000 cat aficionados, to view the 400+ pedigreed cats being shown.

Exhibitors eagerly answer questions, judges offer a running commentary about furry competitors, and everyone graciously shares information about their hobby.

A number of animal welfare organizations offer adult cats and kittens for adoption.

This show also features an incredible array of cat products, from feline furniture and food to gourmet catnip and feather toys.

But the show-stoppers are all the glamour-cats housed in decorated cages in the benching area. The spotted, feathered and striped cage drapes, often designed to match their occupants, also keep cats from seeing each other and throwing hissy fits. Signs warn spectators to keep hands to themselves. You only pet a show cat if invited, because disease can be spread very easily from too much handling.

While dog shows run canines around “rings” to show their good looks, cat show judges examine kitties on tabletops, disinfecting their hands and tabletop surfaces between contestants. The judge also holds cats aloft to display them to spectators.

Because their youth makes them more susceptible to germs, kittens must be old enough to have received protective vaccines before being allowed in the show hall. Youngsters often attend from a very young age to get used to show protocol and can be shown in the “Kitten Class” category for pedigreed cats aged four to eight months.

It can take a while for new breeds to gain acceptance. Cats on the road to full championship status such as the American Bobtail, La Perm and Siberian are judged in the Provisional Class. Currently, the lovely RagaMuffin breed is accepted for registration by the Cat Fanciers Association but not yet accepted for Provisional status and so is judged in Miscellaneous Class.

Cat shows offer several concurrently-running judging rings throughout a show hall, each individually presided over by a different judge. A group of 12 or more individual cages is available to hold the cats as each is examined in turn on the table, with lots of chairs for spectators to watch.

Each judge chooses the best cat(s) of the color class or breed based on how closely that feline matches the written standard. One judge may look at all Abyssinians and choose the best breed in that particular ring, for example. An all-breed ring considers the best of all recognized breeds for the top awards. During preliminaries all of the best ‘longhair’ cats may be judged together to pick the winner out of that type, while another judge evaluates and chooses the best out of all the ‘shorthair’ cats. A “premier” division (spayed/neutered kitties) is also judged.

Cat show judges usually offer a running commentary on what they particularly like about a certain cat or how the kitty stacks up to the breed standard. Cats accumulate points toward championships by competing against other worthy cats of their breed. After all the cats have been judged, the top felines complete in a finals division to choose the top 10 contenders and the ultimate Best In Show winner.

The Houston Cat Club Charity show is one of the largest in the region. The Houston Cat Club, Inc. (HCC) was founded almost 60 years ago to raise funds to help support various local and national animal charities.