Fancy cats — and lovable pets — are part of this weekend’s show
Several fancy cats will be in town this weekend, including a couple of top cats in the nation.
After a 2021 hiatus due to COVID, the Wichita Cat Fancy Cat Show returns to the Cotillion Ballroom, 11120 W. Kellogg, with show hours of 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 5 and 6. The show, which has been happening for more than 50 years, is part of the Cat Fanciers’ Association’s nationwide cat-show circuit.
More than 130 cats are registered for this year’s show. Admission is $5 per person or a $10 pass for a family of five; good for readmission the entire weekend.
By Tuesday, at least two ranked cats were registered to appear in the show, according to show organizer and longtime Wichita Cat Fancy club member Mary Beth Wegerle. The current best in the nation longhaired Japanese bobtail, a breed the CFA calls “masters of the pounce,” will be in rings, along with the No. 17 bicolor Persian.
While pedigreed and breed-specific cats may be vying for points to CFA championship status, it’s the ordinary household pet category that often holds interest for show-goers. This year about 20 household cats — “enough for two rings” — are entered, Wegerle said.
It’s a category near and dear to Wegerle’s heart, considering her first experience with the annual Wichita show was as a 10-year-old girl who had entered her pet cat. She’s planning to enter one of her cats into this year’s show, too.
Compared to the hushed tones around the show cat judging rings, the judging in the household category is a more relaxed, interactive atmosphere, with judges asking the owners for their pets’ names, how the owners acquired them, the temperament and more. Sometimes judges will recount similar pets of their own. One of the chief qualities the judges look for is personality, said Wegerle.
“The cat flirting with the judge is going to win. And I never have a flirty cat, darn it. Mine usually turn their backs on the judge and stay in the back of the cage,” she said laughing.
The top 10 cats in the household division are awarded rosette ribbons.
The cat show pro cats are put through more objective, standardized judging. There are 10 total judges, with five different judges each day, who will judge the cats in the show’s five rings. Every judge sees every cat.
Going to a cat show is a great way to encounter and learn about various types of breeds, Wegerle said. Breeders and owners, who come from all over the U.S., are often willing to share information with visitors going around the show floor.
The show also will include vendors, local rescue groups that will have cats available for adoption and Friends of Felines KS, a trap-neuter-return organization.
Wichita Cat Fancy Cat Show
What: an annual cat show, running for more than 50 years, that is part of the Cat Fanciers’ Association’s nationwide cat-show circuit
When: 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday & Sunday, Feb. 5 & 6
Where: Cotillion Ballroom, 11120 W. Kellogg
Admission: $5 per person, $10 pass for a family of five; good for readmission both days
More info: wichitacatfancy.weebly.com