What do you get when you have more than 250 cats in one room? A great cat show!
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This weekend the Birmingham Feline Fanciers are having their annual cat show at the Zamora Temple in Irondale. If you think cats are pretty standard - that, except for a difference in their color or the length of their fur, cats are all pretty much alike - then visit a cat show, where you see a real variety of cats, from huge Maine Coon cats to the delicate Siamese.
There are 41 different breeds of cats officially recognized by the Cat Fanciers Association. Some of the more exotic cats have narrow faces with very long, pointed noses - others, like the Persian, have flat, almost concave-looking faces. You can see cats with long pointed ears, and the unique Scottish Fold, which has a round head and cute little folded ears. Some cat breeds have a short, dense fur that feels as luxurious as it looks - like the Russian Blue, or the chocolate-brown Burmese. The Rex cats have a slender body with very short, very wavy hair - very different from the long-haired breeds whose owners brush and powder their cats’ fur to make it soft and fluffy.
One of my favorite categories is the household pets - everyday cats whose owners are proud of their feline friends and want to show them off. Instead of competing based on conformity with breed standards, the household pets are judged on their health, evidence of good care, and their personalities.
I enjoy going to cat shows. I walk up and down the rows of cages, and marvel at the composure of cats that, despite all the activity around them, are napping, or playing with cat toys, or being groomed by their owners. Then I may take a seat and watch the judges decide which of several cats in a category should get the ribbon. Finally, I wander through the vendors’ booths, to see all the latbhe ngham
Cat Show is open from ten until four today and tomorrow. There is a small admission fee but you can print out a discount coupon from the website. For more information go online to BirminghamFelineFanciers.com. If you’re in the Birmingham area this weekend, stop by the Zamora Temple in Irondale for the Birmingham Feline Fanciers Cat Show. For people who like cats it’s THE place to be, when you’re speaking of pets.
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