Underdog cats searching for homes during Wichita Cat Show

Cadbury the cat has quite the underdog story.

He was born last April, just inside the doors of the Wichita Animal Shelter where his mother, a stray, was brought moments before she gave birth to him and his two surviving siblings. Ten months later, he’s the last of his family, including his mom, who is looking for a permanent home.

This weekend, he has the chance to win the hearts of judges and members of the public – and maybe an adoptive family – as he competes in the household pet division of the Wichita Cat Fancy’s annual show at the Cotillion.

The two-day show will feature more than 100 cats, with registered breeds looking to earn Cat Fanciers’ Association competition points in the pedigree division and nonregistered cats like Cadbury being entered in the household pet division.

Eight sanctioned CFA judges determine the winners in both divisions. Cats go through four rounds of judging each day. Among the pedigreed cats, this year’s entrants represent about 20 different breeds including Maine coon, Persian, Havana brown, Egyptian mau and Japanese bobtail, as well as a burmilla, the newest breed of cat allowed into CFA shows, according to Mary Beth Wegerle, the longtime organizer of the Wichita Cat Fancy show.

While pedigreed cats are judged according to the standards of their respective breeds, cats like Cadbury have to win over the judges through subjective things like how well they behave, if they have captured the gathering crowd’s attention or even if they trigger favorable memories.

“The big thing is personality,” said Wegerle, who has entered some of her cats in the household pet division in the past. “The judges don’t have a standard they go by. They just pick the cat they like the best.”

Leslie Grubb, a volunteer with Pals Animal Rescue who started fostering Cadbury’s family just two days after he was born, is hoping not only judges but a possible adoptive family will fall in love with Cadbury. He’s a short-haired orange and white tabby who is as sweet as his candy-inspired name implies, she said.

“He’s very, very sweet and loving. He’d fit into any home, I think. He’s not afraid of anything — cats or dogs,” Grubb said. “Sometimes he gets wound up and tears through the house, but that’s since he’s still young.”

Cadbury won’t be the only adoptable cat at the show, however. Pals will set up a display of about 15 cats it has available for adoption, according to Grubbs. She’s the self-professed cat lady of Pals, as she fosters all the cats available for adoption through the rescue group.

Lifeline Animal Placement and Protection, also known as LAPP, will also bring adoptable cats. Another cat welfare organization, Friends of Felines, which is involved in feral cat rescue and trap-neuter-release efforts, will also be on hand to share information.

This story was originally published February 1, 2017 at 6:45 PM with the headline "Underdog cats searching for homes during Wichita Cat Show."